Music & K-Pop
- Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk Referred to Prosecutors Over Alleged 260 Billion Won Fraudulent Trading
Korean police have referred Hybe founder Bang Si-hyuk to prosecutors without detention over alleged fraudulent trading, with 263.1 billion won frozen.
- Classical Music Gains Ground in Korea's Live Performance Market as Chart Turnover Accelerates
Korea's weekly performance box office shows classical music's share rising from 4% to 6%, with 34 new productions entering the top 50 and concentration easing.
- Korea Opens First-Come Race for 220,000 Performance Discount Vouchers Worth 10,000 Won Each
South Korea began issuing 220,000 first-come, first-served vouchers today, each cutting 10,000 won off performance tickets — a 2.2 billion won pool.
- ENHYPEN's Eighth Mini Album Tops 2 Million Sales, Their Fifth Double Million Seller
ENHYPEN's eighth mini album has passed 2 million copies sold, the group's fifth double million seller, with a Billboard 200 No. 1 seen as likely.
- SM Entertainment, Tencent Music Launch Beijing Joint Venture STE Under Zhou Mi
SM Entertainment and Tencent Music Entertainment have established a Beijing joint venture, STE, with Super Junior-M's Zhou Mi named as its first chief.
- Korea's Music Copyright Society Withdraws Its New AI Music Registration Rules
KOMCA has scrapped newly drafted standards that would have opened copyright registration to AI-assisted music, pending talks with lawmakers and the government.
- Musicals Claim a Bigger Slice of Korea's Stage Market as Pop Dominance Eases
Musicals rose from 32% to 36% of Korea's weekly box-office ranking while top-genre concentration fell to 42%, per KOPIS data for the week of August 17.
- KATSEYE's Billboard 200 No. 1 Is Hybe's Proof That the K-Pop System Exports
Hybe girl group KATSEYE has reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — the fourth girl group from the K-pop system to top the US albums chart.
- KATSEYE Land Career-Best No. 2 on UK Albums Chart With Three Singles Charting at Once
KATSEYE's new album debuted at No. 2 in the UK — the group's highest chart position yet — while three of its tracks entered the singles chart simultaneously.
- Stray Kids Extend Billboard 200 Streak to Nine Straight No. 1 Debuts
Stray Kids have topped the Billboard 200 for a ninth consecutive release, trailing only the Beatles among groups, while setting a new career high on the Hot 100
- All Six NCT Dream Members Re-Sign With SM Entertainment
NCT Dream's full lineup has renewed contracts with SM Entertainment, securing one of the agency's biggest revenue drivers as Kakao-era SM defends its roster.
- Stray Kids Notch Ninth Straight Billboard 200 No. 1, Trailing Only the Beatles
Stray Kids' latest album tops the Billboard 200, their ninth consecutive No. 1 — a run among groups second only to the Beatles in the chart's history.
- Theater Doubles Its Share of Korea's Box Office Chart as Concert Season Peaks
Theater climbed from 4% to 10% of Korea's weekly performance box-office top 50 in week 33 of 2026, even as pop concerts held 24 of 50 chart slots.
- Grammys Move to Revisit Asian Pop Category After BTS Boycott
The Recording Academy may revise its Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, roughly two weeks after BTS declared a boycott and after talks with Hybe.
- Stray Kids Log Fourth Triple Million Seller as 'THIS & THAT' Opens at 3.29 Million
Stray Kids' mini album 'THIS & THAT' sold 3,289,269 copies in its first week, JYP Entertainment said, marking the group's fourth triple million seller.
- Pop Concerts Take Over Half of Korea's Live Performance Market in Early August
KOPIS box office data for the week show pop music's share of Korea's performance market jumping from 42% to 52%, led by AKMU, BIGBANG and fromis_9.
- SM Entertainment Q2 Revenue Climbs 15.4% to 349.6 Billion Won on Global Touring
SM Entertainment posted Q2 2026 revenue of 349.6 billion won and operating profit of 52.9 billion won, up 15.4% and 11.0%, as tours and licensing grew.
- Classical Music Grabs 14% of Korea's Top-50 Box Office as Chart Concentration Eases
Classical performances rose from 4% to 14% of Korea's top-50 performance box office in week 31 of 2026, with the Vienna Philharmonic's Seoul concert cracking th
- BTS's Return Powers Hybe to a Record 1.45 Trillion Won Quarter
Hybe posted record Q2 2026 revenue of 1.45 trillion won and operating profit above 100 billion won as BTS resumed full group activity.
- Theater Gains Ground in Korea's Live-Performance Week
Plays widened their share of Korea's box office to 12% in the final week of July 2026, even as K-pop concerts locked down the top of the chart.
- Musicals Take 44% of Korea's Weekly Stage Market as Stadium Pop Tops Charts
Musicals climbed to 44% of Korea's top-50 performance market in mid-July 2026, while stadium concerts by Lim Young-woong and BIGBANG held the top spots.
- K-Pop Tours Take 52% of Korea's Weekly Stage Chart
Pop concerts claimed 26 of the top 50 performances in Korea's week-28 box office, up two points, as ENHYPEN, 2PM and BOYNEXTDOOR opened arena runs.
- Musicals Broaden Their Hold on Korea's Live-Stage Chart
Korea's weekly performance market saw musicals climb to 34% of the box office as chart leadership spread across more genres in late June 2026.
