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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
Jennie of Blackpink performs onstage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 20, 2025 in Indio, California. Photo: Getty Images for Coachella
Activists hold posters reading “Repeated deepfake sex crimes, the state is an accomplice too” during a protest against deepfake porn in Seoul on August 30, 2024. Photo: AFP
South Korea

What a viral Jennie clip reveals about South Korea’s deepfake struggles

Severe legal threats fail to deter a wave of teenage offenders who see digital victims as nothing more than pixels.

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South Korea

South Korean police seek tycoon behind K-pop supergroup BTS to be indicted

K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Can Southeast Asian artists replicate K-pop’s global success with SEA-pop?

Women and gender

BTS members face backlash for attending Chris Brown concert

BTS members face backlash for attending Chris Brown concert
South Korea

‘What is he thinking?’: Japan influencer mocks K-pop idol with racist gesture

Gamix faced backlash over the racist gesture in a video parodying the Ateez idol’s dance challenge.

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Fame and celebrity

Meet Thai actor Blue Pongtiwat, rumoured to be dating Blackpink’s Lisa

The K-pop superstar, who has reportedly split from Frédéric Arnault, was spotted in Hong Kong and Japan with the actor dubbed ‘Thailand’s Cha Eun-woo’.

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South Korea

Does K-pop need the Grammys? BTS’ boycott reignites debate

BTS’ decision has forced Asian pop artists to weigh Grammy recognition against the risk of being boxed in.

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Members of South Korean K-pop band BTS perform during their “Arirang” tour in New Jersey on August 1. Photo: AFP
BTS perform onstage during the 2022 Grammy Awards in Las Vegas. Photo: AFP
A fan poses with cardboard cut-outs of BTS stars outside a concert venue in Mexico City, Mexico, on May 7. Photo: Reuters
BTS idols perform during the football World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19. Photo: AFP
BTS stars present an award during the American Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 25. Photo: AFP
South Korea

BTS pulls out of Grammys after Asian pop category introduction

The K-pop sensation will not submit music for next year’s awards, saying that music shouldn’t be ‘defined by region or language’.

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South Korea

The underdog girl group putting the ‘K’ back in K-pop

While major labels chase global fame, Rescene won over South Korea by putting local culture front and centre.

South Korea

South Korean ticket touts to face the music when new penalties come into play

From August 28, authorities can impose fines of up to 50 times the resale price of a ticket, a sharp rise from the current US$6,600 maximum.

K-pop group BTS performs in central Seoul on March 21. Photo: Reuters
BTS

Video | Thousands of BTS fans protest in Chile over venue crisis

The decision would cancel 3 nights of the group’s concert in October.

BTS Chile fans
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The Future of Marketing in Asia

Sports marketing ditches billboards for culture

From NBA x K-pop collaborations to interactive experiences, brands are moving past simple sponsorships to embed themselves in sports culture.

Singapore

Chinese, Japanese fans fuel surge in Singapore hotel rates for BTS shows

Some fans complained about the high room prices and suggested staying in neighbouring Johor Bahru instead.

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Celebrity style

How to Style like Felix of Stray Kids at Paris Fashion Week

The K-pop star nailed a rugged yet polished look in denim and everyday staples, elevated by fine jewellery.

Felix of South Korean boy band Stray Kids in Louis Vuitton. Photo: Getty Images
Food and Drinks

Oreo and BTS launch purple cookies in new K-pop collaboration

Oreo spent two years developing the BTS cookies, which have centres that taste like hotteok, a popular Korean street food pancake.

The new Oreo and BTS collaboration cookies will go on sale on June 1 online and on June 8 in stores in 80 markets around the world. Photo: AP
Malaysia

‘Scalpers making everything worse’: the fight to grab BTS tickets in Malaysia

‘You almost feel like you are preparing for an exam or going into battle,’ a K-pop fan says.

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South Korea

Desperate search for Busan rooms: ‘obscenely high’ prices anger BTS fans

‘I wanted to explore the city, but I’m now forced to find accommodation elsewhere,’ a K-pop fan says.

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K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

Le Sserafim are facing their fears with new album Pureflow Pt.1

When Le Sserafim debuted, their message was about being fearless. Now, the K-pop girl group want to say that facing fear makes you strong.

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(From left) Le Sserafim members Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha, Sakura and Hong Eun-chae in Seoul. The group’s leader, Kim Chae-won, announced last week that she would sit out promotional activities due to a neck injury. The K-pop girl group’s new album, Pureflow Pt.1, is the culmination of facing their fears. Photo: courtesy of Source Music
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Got7’s Jackson Wang went from Hong Kong fencing prodigy to global music icon

One of the world’s most prominent Chinese singers, Jackson Wang was a star fencer before his music career exploded with K-pop boy band Got7.

Viral stories

‘Are you still hiring?’: K-pop king G-Dragon gifts flats to staff, sparks online buzz

Known for his exceptional loyalty, the pop icon has developed a strong bond with his long-term team.

South Korea

‘She was just a human’: the world forgot K-pop’s suicides. These fans never did

Years after three high-profile K-pop suicides shook South Korea’s idol machine, the grief – and guilt – remains.

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Tearful K-pop fans gather to mourn their idol at a hospital in Seoul in 2017. Photo: AFP
K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

‘We’ve prepared so much’: K-pop newcomers Naze on what sets them apart

Naze’s Korean, Japanese and Thai members share how touring before making their self-titled debut album, released on May 4, made them closer.

(From left) K-pop boy group Naze members Kaisei, Ato, Yuya, Dohyeok, Younki, Turn and Kimkun. The seven-member act released their self-titled debut mini-album on May 4. Photo: The Korea Times
Indonesia

Indonesia’s aim to lure more K-pop concerts spurs chorus of doubts

While Indonesian K-pop fans applaud Jakarta’s intention, they cite safety, venue capacity and bureaucracy as some of the key hurdles.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Matthew Kim, the K-pop star-turned-actor who plays Woosh in Beef S2

‘Big Matthew’ was a rapper in coed K-pop group Kard before joining Beef Season 2 with Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Parasite’s Song Kang-ho.

South Korea

‘Anyone from the North?’: US comedian Seth Herzog apologises over BTS joke

Herzog’s remarks sparked backlash from fans ahead of the K-pop band’s American TV comeback.

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BTS members perform during their comeback concert in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday. Photo: AP
K-pop, Mandopop, other Asian pop

K-pop stars BTS are back, with a new album and a Netflix documentary

BTS are back after a nearly four-year gap. Netflix documentary BTS: The Return explores the making of their latest album, Arirang.

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BTS members in a still from BTS: The Return, the Netflix documentary about the K-pop group’s return from national service and their latest album, Arirang. Photo: Netflix
South Korea

‘A shame’: why Jin was left off official credits for BTS’ latest album

The K-pop band cited scheduling conflicts, saying the star ‘kept touring’, but fans aren’t buying the explanation.

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Seoul

Video | Low BTS concert turnout causes slide in agency shares

The heavily secured Gwanghwamun Square performance drew 104,000 fans – less than half the turnout police expected.

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