TOPIC

K-pop idols

K-pop idols
The Korean wave - or hallyu - has swept over the world. South Korea’s K-pop idols are now among the biggest celebrities in the world, with standout stars including BTS members Jungkook and Jimin, and Blackpink’s Lisa and Jennie
South Korean singer and actress Jo Yuri attends Netflix’s Squid Game season three premiere at The Plaza Hotel in New York, on June 18. Photo: AFP
Fame and celebrity

Meet Jo Yu-ri, who plays Player 222 in Netflix’s Squid Game

Jo Yu-ri’s emotional performance throughout Squid Game highlights her promising career as an actress – here’s what we know about her and her musical background.

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

K-pop stars BTS announce new album and world tour to come in 2026

South Korea

Australian rapper clashes with South Korean heiress’ band, says K-pop ‘sucks’

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K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

What Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters gets right and wrong about K-pop industry

Reimagining K-pop stars as demon slayers, the animated film offers a sharp look at how the industry presents its stars and hides its scars.

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A still from Netflix’s new animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. Photo: Netflix
K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

All about K-pop giants BTS as last member finishes up military service

BTS’ seven members are expected to reunite later this year. Before they do, we examine their global impact, records and advocacy journey.

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South Korea

Avatars are people too, South Korea court rules in Plave libel case

Avatars of the virtual K-pop group gain legal protection, marking a shift in recognising digital personas as extensions of human identity.

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Music

BTS Army celebrate group’s return by helping South Korean adoptees

As BTS return from military service, the Army fandom launches a project to help adoptees reconnect with or learn about their birth families.

BTS members RM (right) and V salute their fans in Chuncheon, South Korea after finishing 18 months of military service, on June 10, 2025. Photo: AFP
South Korea

BTS’ Jungkook apologises for wearing ‘Make Tokyo Great Again’ hat after backlash

The 27-year-old K-pop star said he was not aware of the hat’s historical and political significance.

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Fashion

Labubu mania is hitting new heights, fuelled by auctions of special editions

Manufactured in China by Pop Mart, the figures have made waves the world over, with a four-foot-high model sold in Beijing for over one million yuan.

South Korea

BTS’ Jungkook faces break-in attempt hours after South Korean military discharge

The Chinese fan was caught trying to gain entry into his Seoul flat by repeatedly pressing the keypad door lock.

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Jungkook greets fans shortly after his and Jimin’s release from 18 months of South Korean military service on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Fame and celebrity

Who is Katseye’s Megan Skiendiel, who just came out as bisexual?

Megan, who is of Chinese and Swedish descent, became a Katseye member after the group was founded in 2023 from the show The Debut: Dream Academy; her bandmate Lara also came out as queer earlier.

Katseye’s Megan Skiendiel came out as bisexual earlier this month. Photo: @meganskiendiel/Instagram
South Korea

‘We’ll return with a cool performance’: BTS’ RM and V released from military

‘I’ll work hard to make an album soon and come back to the stage,’ RM tells fans.

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South Korea

K-pop takes centre stage in South Korea’s presidential race

Lovable and Next Door Oppa are among the retro hits used by front-runners Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo to sway voters.

Malaysia

‘I’m sad’: Blackpink fans in Malaysia lament tour snub, slam censorship

‘Our authorities seem to always make it hard for international acts to come here,’ a dejected Blink says.

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Blackpink members perform at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Hong Kong economy

K-pop’s top MAMA Awards to return to Hong Kong for first time since 2018

Awards ceremony to be hosted at 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium on November 28 and 29, with ticket prices yet to be announced.

The event will be held at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Eugene Lee
Fame and celebrity

Irene Kim’s star-studded wedding: from the beauty routine to the guest list

The Ireneisgood label founder held a ‘bridal shower flea market’, relied on La Mer for her bridal glow, and wore gowns by Self-Portrait, Miss Sohee and Nicole + Felicia.

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

(G)-IDLE rebrand as I-dle and release new six-track album We Are

The K-pop girl group say they will no longer be defined by labels like ‘girl’ or ‘gender’ and that We Are marks ‘another leap forward’.

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Fame and celebrity

Who is Rosé from Blackpink’s lookalike older sister, Alice Park?

Rosé is the only musical one in a family of professionals, with both her father and sister Alice Park working as lawyers; she left a sweet birthday message for her big sis on Instagram.

Who is Alice Park, the lookalike older sister of Blackpink’s Rosé? Photos: @roses_are_rosie; @baebaealice/Instagram
Thailand

Lisa’s Thai fans lash out at rapper Azealia Banks after transphobic tirade

Banks’ offensive social media meltdown exploded into a racially-charged online battle with the K-pop star’s Thai supporters.

Blackpink

Singer Lisa’s Met Gala lingerie stirs outrage over US activist’s depiction

Social media users slammed the K-pop star, calling her look ‘highly distasteful’.

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South Korea

‘Detrimental to K-pop’? How NewJeans saga upends South Korea’s music industry

Amid industry concern about similar moves by other artists, the group’s dispute may also prompt a review of the K-pop system, analysts say.

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NewJeans at the Billboard Women in Music Awards in Inglewood, California, in March 2024. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

‘Not an easy path’: K-pop’s Bain breaks taboos as ‘first’ openly gay idol

South Korea remains deeply divided over LGBTQ acceptance, with 50 per cent opposing same-sex marriage, according to a survey last year.

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Bain at the concert in Los Angeles where he came out as gay. Photo: Bluedot Entertainment
K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Mainland China to host first K-pop concert since ‘K-wave ban’ began in 2016

Epex’s concert in Fuzhou on May 31 is raising expectations that Beijing may ease restrictions on K-pop culture in mainland China.

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

What Just B’s Bain coming out as gay shows about Korea’s progress on LGBTQ

With Bain the first active member of a K-pop boy group to publicly come out as gay, is Korean society beginning to shift towards acceptance?

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Become a K-pop idol for a day at Chinese ‘experience’ centre for US$45

At Shanghai’s Chen Go, K-pop fans can choose from 200 outfits, dance on special sets and sign autographs for ‘fans’ at a mock meet-and-greet.

Visitors dance while wearing costumes at Chen Go, an “idol experience centre” where fans dress up as K-pop idols and step onto sets carefully designed to resemble backstage dressing rooms and South Korean music programmes, in Shanghai, China. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

K-pop remains top global symbol of South Korean culture, survey shows

Nearly 1 in 5 global fans say K-pop comes to mind first, beating out Korean food, TV dramas and beauty products.

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Korean boy band BTS at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on April 3, 2022, in Las Vegas. Photo: AP
Music

Can Japan’s growing fan culture move the dial for consumer spending?

Fans of bands, anime characters, mascots and online entertainers in Japan may spend as much as US$23 billion a year.

Diplomacy

Opinion | In a broken world, China-Japan-Korea cooperation is Asia’s backbone

By blending economic might, technological prowess and cultural bonds, cooperation can be elevated into a transformative, inspiring force.

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