Every trend explainer in one place: what happened, why it matters, the sources behind it, and links to the acts and releases involved.
aespa released a special digital single at 6 p.m. KST on 14 September 2026, collecting four solo songs first performed at Gocheok Sky Dome in August. Karina contributed lyrics; Giselle and Ningning participated in writing and composing their own songs.
MTV's additional nominations on 18 September local time put KATSEYE up for Best Group and Song of Summer, which together with two categories announced in August make four 2026 MTV VMA nominations. The ceremony is held in Los Angeles on 27 September.
NMIXX received Sound of the Year and Artist of the Year at the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS in Busan on 19 September 2026, while Sullyoon received FANSTAR MYSTAR (Female).
RESCENE received Artist of the Year and Today's Choice at the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS, held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on 19 September 2026.
Rosé releases 'new trick' at 8 a.m. KST on 18 September 2026. Dave Meyers directed the video, filmed entirely on iPhone 18 Pro for Apple's 'Shot on iPhone' campaign. She told Vogue she wrote it with Amy Allen after the Met Gala as a change from the sad songs on her 2024 album rosie.
i-dle released the pre-release single 'Crow' on 15 June and the ninth mini album We made on 6 July. The album sold 408,461 copies on release day on Hanteo Chart, and in August it placed first on Circle Chart's July retail album chart. Here is the run from the single to the monthly chart.
KISS OF LIFE won a bonsang and Best Female Group at the 2026 SPOTV K-POP AWARDS at KINTEX in Goyang on 6 September, performing 'SWEAT' and 'WHAT!'. On 16 September comes their second Japanese mini album, SWEAT -JAPANESE EP-, which carries a Japanese version of 'SWEAT'.
Red Velvet's unit IRENE & SEULGI release their first Japanese mini album, Cheetah, on 4 November. All of its tracks go up on global platforms on 14 September, and a seven-city Japan tour opens in Fukuoka on 19 September. It is the Japan debut of a unit that began with Monster in 2020.
IU released the digital single 'Unknown Planet' at 6pm KST on 10 September 2026. It carries two title tracks — 'Unknown Planet' and 'Dear my crazy soulmate' — and she wrote the words to both. Herald Muse reported that 'Unknown Planet' was number one on Melon HOT100 and Genie TOP200 on the day of release.
At the 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards in Incheon on 18 July 2025, IU won Best Actress for the Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines, took the Upbit Popular Star Award, and saw the series take three categories. The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards gave it four on 5 May, and the APAN Star Awards six on 29 December.
LE SSERAFIM released their second single Made My Night on 11 September 2026, with the title track 'Made My Night' and the B-side 'AEIOU'. The title track is a pop dance song about a moment with someone special, and its music video, out at midnight the same day, was made with the game Overwatch.
An agency's episode notice is not the only way into a music show audience; broadcasters take applications too. This guide reads the three routes as KBS, SBS and MBC state them: Music Bank's web form and assigned seats, Inkigayo's app ticket and Show! Music Core's viewer-committee draw.
A pre-recording, "sanok" to fans, is the stage filmed in advance and transmitted during the live hour. Entry opens per episode. This guide sets seven episode notices from KBS, SBS, MBC and Mnet side by side and reads how the window, the capacity and the check-in are decided.
Sending something to a Korean agency splits in two, with different rules: the fan letter, and the support fans pool together. RESCENE's agency, THE MUZE Entertainment, issued a new notice on 2 July 2026 when it moved offices, and the address changed with it. This guide reads the envelope rules and the new address.
A RESCENE fan chant (응원법) is not something the fandom compiled: it arrives in a video the group's official YouTube channel posts for each song. There are nine, from 'UhUh' in March 2024 to 'Pretty Girl' in July 2026, and this guide reads them against the songs' release dates.
The second of REMINE's five membership benefits is a pre-sale for RESCENE's own concerts. The recruitment notice attaches a condition — agreement with the organisers — and the booking notice for the group's first fan concert in 2025 set out, in four stages, what a member had to do beyond joining.
Applying for the studio audience at a RESCENE music show recording opens per episode: the agency publishes a notice for each programme, and it sets the application window, the number admitted, the roll-call time and the entry order for that day alone. This guide reads seven published episode notices side by side.
RESCENE's fan club seats at a music show recording are checked against six items set by one notice from the agency. This guide reads that notice — the accepted ID documents, the light stick, the two opened album versions, the printed Melon receipt, the membership card and the streaming report screen.
Three paid things on Weverse carry similar names: the official membership sold per artist on Weverse Shop, the Digital Membership opened per community as a monthly subscription, and the Weverse DM subscription. This guide reads Weverse's own notices to tell them apart and to say where the price and term are written.
BTS's 'SWIM', the title track of the fifth full-length album ARIRANG, placed second on Global Excl. US and sixth on the Global 200 in Billboard's 2026 Global Songs of the Summer, published on 10 September 2026. Munhwa Ilbo and Tenasia carried the rankings the same day.
Stray Kids' Felix released the digital single 'Slow It Down' at 6 p.m. KST on 1 September 2026. Tenasia reported that the song came out through the group's own project 'SKZ-PLAYER' and that Felix wrote the words and the melody himself. Actor Roh Yoon-seo appears in the music video as 'Yoon-seo'.
fromis_9 played three nights at Korea University's Hwajung Gymnasium in Seoul from 4 to 6 September 2026, opening their Asia tour TOMORROW GLOW. Sports Khan reported that the show ran from 'Rewind' to 'Vitamin ME', with two unit stages, fan songs and an encore. More cities are to be announced.
GUESS unveiled the photo spread for its '2026 Fall Campaign' with global ambassador Hyunjin on 10 September 2026. It is set in the California where the brand began in 1981, and the GUESS JEANS × The Rolling Stones collection is part of it. Hyunjin became a GUESS global brand ambassador on 6 March.
The Korean fashion label Matin Kim named Lee Know of Stray Kids its ambassador for the 2026 autumn-winter season on 9 September 2026. Money Today and Sportal Korea reported it the same day, and Hago House, which runs the brand, said it had widened the season's unisex items and size range.
NCT 127's 'Blingy' took first place for the first week of September on MBC's Show! Music Core, broadcast on 5 September 2026. Soompi reported it as the song's first win, and Ilgan Sports put the total at 8,741 points. It is the first music show trophy of this album's promotions.
AGE20'S, the makeup brand of Aekyung Industrial, has named Rei of IVE its global ambassador. The brand said in a release on 19 August 2026 that it would begin a global rebranding in the second half of the year, running from a brand film and a photoshoot to outdoor advertising in Seoul and a pop-up store.
RESCENE won the Global Connect award and the SPOTV Ambassador award at the 2026 SPOTV K-POP AWARDS, held at Ilsan KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on 6 September 2026. Sports Khan wrote that the two trophies bring the group's award-show total to four.
Stray Kids' mini album 'THIS & THAT' placed No. 8 on the Billboard 200 dated 5 September 2026, holding the top 10 for a third straight week. Etoday and Tenasia traced the run back to the No. 1 debut on the chart dated 22 August and named 3RACHA, the group's own production team, behind the record.
MTV announced the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations on 18 August local time. BLACKPINK's 'JUMP' is up for Best K-pop, and Lisa's 'Dream' is nominated in four categories: Best Pop, Best K-pop, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. 'Eyes Closed', by Jisoo and ZAYN, is up for Best Visual Effects.
'Bloody Paradise', the title track of ENHYPEN's eighth mini album THE SIN : BLISS, took six No. 1 trophies on five Korean music shows from 26 August to 3 September 2026. CBC News and MK Sports wrote that it is the group's highest music-show tally, and the 30 August win made it their first grand slam.
ENHYPEN's eighth mini album THE SIN : BLISS sold 2,099,048 copies in its first week on sale, from 21 to 27 August. The count is Hanteo Chart's, released on 28 August. It is the group's fifth double-million seller, and all five domestic albums it has released in three years have passed two million.
ENHYPEN's eighth mini album THE SIN : BLISS entered Oricon's Weekly Album Ranking at number one on the chart dated 7 September. Oricon put the tally week at 24 to 30 August and estimated sales at 189,859 copies. It is the eleventh ENHYPEN album to top that chart.
adidas Originals released 'adidas Originals by JENNIE', the collection it made with Jennie, worldwide on 1 September 2026. Herald Business reported that it is the first collection the brand has made with her and that Jennie took part in the design herself. The signature piece is the 'Superstar Square Ballet'.
Sony Music Vision announced the release plan for Always Lalisa, the documentary about Lisa, on 2 September 2026. Through Trafalgar Releasing it opens in IMAX and cinemas worldwide for a limited run from 12 October, then streams on YouTube Premium later in 2026. The world premiere is on 11 September in Toronto.
The episode of Sana's Naengterview with RESCENE's Minami as its guest went up at 7 p.m. KST on 3 September 2026 on the official 117 YouTube channel. Seoul Economic Daily reported it passed one million views in under a day, and that Minami brought her mother and younger sibling from Japan to watch.
The YouTube channel of RESCENE's Woni, Anwonjalbu, published its one-million-subscriber Q&A, 'How do you feel right now?', on 4 September 2026. Sports Kyunghyang called it a gold button unboxing opened after the channel had passed 1.96 million, and Ilgan Sports set out the scenes each member picked.
The YouTube channel of RESCENE's Woni, Anwonjalbu, passed two million subscribers on 5 September 2026. Ilgan Sports put it at 2.03 million the following day, about seven months after the first video went up in February. YouTube's own figures on 7 September are 2.04 million subscribers and 387,214,067 lifetime views.
Jennie's digital EP Fallen Angel arrived on 28 August 2026, Lisa's 'SaWaDiKa' and Jisoo's 'CLICK' on 4 September. The four members renewed with YG Entertainment for group activities in December 2023, and each one's solo work is handled by a company of her own.
Jisoo released the pre-release single 'CLICK' at 1 p.m. KST on 4 September 2026. Munhwa Ilbo reported that she opens her first solo full-length album with it, and the Korea Herald that the album's release date is not yet set. Joseph Kahn directed the music video.
Lisa released the pre-release single 'SaWaDiKa' at 9 a.m. KST on 4 September 2026, the first pre-release track from her mini album PRESS PLAY, out on 23 October. The title comes from the Thai greeting that means hello, and the music video was directed by Bang Jae Yeob and shot in Bangkok, where Lisa is from.
MBC's Friday-Saturday drama "A Bona Fide Killer" opened at 7.4 percent on 31 July 2026, reached 10.2 percent on Nielsen Korea figures reported by News1, and drew 8.8 percent for the 22 August episode, StarNews reported. The Korea Times says it is number one in its time slot.
Disney+'s A Shop for Killers Season 2 opened with two episodes on 22 July 2026 and added two every Wednesday for four weeks. On its first day it was the most-watched Korean original on Disney+ worldwide, and a day before it ended it held first place for buzz at home for a second week.
Gentle Monster posted a teaser for its 2026 Veggie Collection on its official Instagram on 14 May 2026. Karina of aespa appears in it, and the pre-order opened at 10 p.m. on 18 May on the brand's website. The collection is ten folding eyewear styles, and the pop-ups run in eight locations.
The three-minute flashback in the first two episodes of SBS drama "Agent Kim Reactivated" was built entirely with AI on Morpheus Studio's AICRON platform, a first in Korea, Money Today reported. SBS News reported three straight weeks at number one on Netflix's non-English TV chart.
Netflix's Bloodhounds Season 2 was released on 3 April 2026 and spent five weeks on the global top 10 for non-English television, taking first place with 7.4 million views in the week of 12 April. In the same week the first season, three years old, placed third.
ENHYPEN's eighth mini album THE SIN : BLISS is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated 5 September. Of its 98,000 album units, 92,000 were pure album sales, and it is the group's first time atop the chart since its 2020 debut.
G-Dragon put out his first record, Heartbreaker, on 18 August 2009, and followed it with the mini album One Of A Kind in 2012, the full-length album COUP D'ETAT in 2013 and the mini album KWON JI YONG in 2017. Here are the four, by date, by format and by what was recorded at the time.
G-Dragon released his third full-length album Ubermensch on 25 February 2025, then toured 17 cities in 12 countries over 39 shows, ending in December with 825,000 attendees. In February 2026 he held his first solo fan meeting, drawing about 40,000 people over three days.
Yuna of ITZY plays Yoon Cho-i, an actress who became a rising star on debut, in tvN's My Bias, My Boss, which premiered on 3 August 2026. It is her second drama, seven months after her first role as Hong Jang-mi, sister of Park Shin-hye's Hong Geum-bo, in Undercover Miss Hong from 17 January.
An Yu-jin and Jang Wonyoung of IVE are holding 'AN-YOUNG', an exhibition named after them both. STARSHIP Entertainment announced it on 26 August 2026 and gave the dates and the venue on 2 September. It runs from 5 to 27 September at THE SEOULITEUM in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
Jang Wonyoung of IVE donated 200 million won to Severance Hospital to help treat paediatric patients. Severance made it public on 11 February 2026. The sum is split into 100 million won for Severance Children's Hospital and 100 million won for paediatric care at Gangnam Severance Hospital.
After the 15 to 17 August 2026 downpour in Geoje, RESCENE gave the city 50 million won on 19 August in the name of its fandom REMINE, and REMINE's own drive, joined by 2,355 fans from 18 to 31 August, handed 112,537,680 won to Hope Bridge. Geoje is the hometown of the leader, Woni.
Kakao announced on 2 September that RESCENE are the models of 'Let's Talk', a campaign aimed at KakaoTalk users. The videos show KakaoTalk's AI features at work, such as Kanana summarising a call, and roll out in several episodes through September on KakaoTalk's official YouTube and Instagram and on banners in the app.
RESCENE performed 'Pretty Girl' at the 53rd Korea Broadcasting Awards at MBC Open Hall on 3 September 2026, and Woni and Minami presented the digital-content programme award, their first time presenting since debut. The stage began when the comedian Lee Seon-min called Woni out from the audience.
MBC named RESCENE its broadcast ambassador for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on 23 July 2026. The Games run 16 days from 19 September to 4 October; MBC's coverage opens on 10 September with men's basketball, South Korea against Saudi Arabia, and Woni and Minami's 'Star Tutor RESCENE' is due in the main broadcasts.
MLB has named RESCENE's Liv, Minami, May and Zena its new brand models, Ilgan Sports reported on 3 September 2026. The brand announced it on 1 September with a 26FW campaign teaser and released the photoshoot on 3 September. The campaign film 'SLEEK, THE RESCENE WAY.' went up the same day.
Spooky in Love, the tvN Saturday-Sunday drama that began on 18 July 2026, aired its finale on 23 August. Herald Business and Edaily reported a 7.9% national average and a 9% peak; Sports Kyunghyang called it a series high. Netflix's top 10 page listed it fourth that week.
Coupang said on 19 August 2026 that "The Affair Was Just The Beginning", starring Kim Hye-soo and Cho Yeo-jeong, had held number one among Coupang Play's popular titles for three straight weeks. Herald Business reported on 23 August that viewing was up 169 per cent since the first week.
WayV released their eighth mini album Vision Wings at 6 p.m. KST on 10 August 2026. The title track '鸢 (Vision Wings)' sets jungle-beat hip-hop under the line of the guzheng, a traditional Chinese string instrument, and the record carries seven tracks including Chinese and English versions. Here is what the album is.
RESCENE's Woni will host the first day of the third Korea Grand Music Awards alongside the actor Nam Ji-hyun. The ceremony runs on 7 and 8 November 2026 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, and the second day is hosted by the actor Kim Jae-won and IVE's Liz.
RESCENE's Woni looked back on the group's early days and on her current popularity in 'Woni Update', posted to her own YouTube channel on 28 August 2026. The channel, opened in February 2026, was reported at 1.83 million subscribers in August.
RESCENE's Woni was named a regular on 'Road to Jikgwan', a segment of MBC's sports programme Welcome to Sports, on 8 July 2025. It was her first regular variety slot after debut, and the episodes on MBC's own sports channel run from a July 2025 baseball game to a 2026 outing with Minami.
RESCENE's Woni and Minami appeared on episode 150 of the YouTube web variety show 'Salon Drip', published on 28 July 2026. It is the programme Woni had named in an earlier interview as the one she wanted to do, and the episode turned to first paycheques and to the streaming behind RESCENE's reverse run.
Wackywilly has made RESCENE's Woni its 26FW season model and released their first shoot together. The 26FW pieces from the shoot go on show first at a pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul from 17 to 30 September.
aespa's Karina fronted two Converse launches in the summer of 2026 as the brand's global ambassador. The Chuck 70 X came out on 29 June and the Run Star Crush platform shoe on 6 August, and the British magazine Clash reported on 13 August that both are sold on the Converse online store and at retailers worldwide.
Karina of aespa's four-cover ELLE Korea September photoshoot and interview with Prada went online on 14 August 2026. She called the 2026 Lollapalooza Chicago set "a performance we prepared for with a lot of dedication", nervousness a precious emotion, and being called strong close to having strong convictions.
Karina of aespa has become a brand ambassador for the Japanese golf label MARK & LONA. The appointment was announced at a press conference in Tokyo on 27 April 2026, and the brand's press release calls her its first female ambassador. The PLAY ILLUSION campaign and five 'Karina looks' were shown at the same event.
Karina of aespa became an ambassador for MLB, the clothing brand F&F runs, in 2025. The second collaboration collection arrived on 4 March 2026 and sold out, it was restocked on 13 March, and the 2026 summer campaign followed on 14 May.
Karina of aespa performed solo at Waterbomb Seoul 2026 on 25 July 2026, on the outdoor Global Stage at KINTEX in Goyang. She sang her solo songs 'GOOD STUFF' and 'UP' among others, Waterbomb's official channel posted the 'GOOD STUFF' set, and it was her second year in a row after 2025.
aespa's second full-length album LEMONADE entered the US Billboard 200 at number nine. Two weeks after release its cumulative album sales were counted at 1,037,190 copies, making it the group's eighth million-seller. Here is what the record is.
aespa played Lollapalooza in Chicago for the first time on 2 August 2026, with a set of 14 songs. Two days later the music video for 'Switchblade', a B-side from the second full-length album, was released. Here are the stage and the video together.
aespa played the opening shows of their fourth world tour at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on 7 and 8 August 2026. The two nights drew 35,000 people and the set ran to 27 songs. The tour visits 25 regions.
BIGBANG released its first single on 29 August 2006, two more on 28 September and 22 November, and its first full-length album on 22 December. Four records in four months. Here they are, with the release dates, tracks and credits YG's official discography records.
BIGBANG's G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung appeared on Episode 116 of Pinggyego, posted to the YouTube channel 'DdeunDdeun' on 22 August 2026. G-Dragon brought up a video impersonating RESCENE's members saying 'Geoje yaho', and said his own part goes by too short and too fast.
Lotte Department Store ran a pop-up store for the release of Yuna of ITZY's first solo album at Kinetic Ground on the second floor of its Jamsil branch in Seoul from 24 to 30 March 2026. A day earlier, on 23 March, Baskin-Robbins put out a flavour made with Yuna.
The home-care beauty device brand Quadthera has named Yuna of ITZY its official brand model. My Daily and Enet News reported it on 10 August 2026, the day the entry-level device 'Teenz' went on sale. Dynafit in 2025 and Infinix in 2026 had already made her a first model and a first ambassador.
Shinhan Bank released a new film for its Shinhan Nara Sarang Card featuring ITZY's Yuna on 14 August 2026. Yuna first appeared as the card's model on 15 December 2025, and the first campaign, made by Cheil Worldwide, passed 10 million views on YouTube about a month after it went up.
Yuna of ITZY made her solo debut on 23 March 2026 with her first mini album Ice Cream, seven years after the group's debut and second among ITZY members after Yeji. The four tracks, what she said at the showcase, the first-day charts and the Infinix ambassadorship of the 3rd, in date order.
ITZY's mini album Motto, released on 18 May 2026, carries one solo track per member; Yuna's is the eighth track, 'Tangerine', first performed on her tour stage in February and on a record three months later. In a release-day Q&A, Yuna named the fandom MIDZY as the motto of the comeback.
Jang Wonyoung of IVE will host AAA 2026 at Kaohsiung National Stadium from 5 to 6 December, her sixth year running since 2021, Star News reported on 19 May 2026. Last year she hosted the 10th-anniversary ceremony with Lee Junho and won three individual awards; other MCs are to follow.
IVE's Jang Wonyoung has won the Female Advertising Model award at the 2026 Brand of the Year Awards, her second year running, Munhwa Ilbo and Ilgan Sports reported on 1 September 2026. About 770,000 consumers voted from 29 June to 12 July. Her four new brands of 2026: Dr.Althea, Miu Miu, Dyson and Eider.
IVE's Jang Wonyoung is credited on the lyrics of two songs on the second album REVIVE+. She is one of four writers on 'BANG BANG', the double title track released first on 9 February 2026, and the only name on the lyric credit of the solo track '8' on the album that followed on 23 February.
Jang Wonyoung of IVE threw the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field in New York on 26 July 2026, local time, before the New York Mets played the LA Dodgers. STARSHIP Entertainment said on 16 July that IVE had accepted the Mets' official invitation, and all six members went. The Mets won 8-3.
RESCENE's Minami is the guest on the Sana's Naengterview episode released at 7 p.m. on 3 September 2026, Newsen reported on 2 September. A 66-second pre-release clip went up on the official 117 YouTube channel the same day. Here is the run from the 27 July notice to that clip.
Jung Kook posted a link to RESCENE's Minami's cover of 'Still With You' on his Instagram story on 3 July 2026 with the word "yaho", Sports Kyunghyang and Top Star News reported. The cover went up on it's Live on 1 July, and on 11 July Minami recounted that morning on 'Omniscient Interfering View'.
NMIXX's first headline world tour, EPISODE 1: ZERO FRONTIER, opened at Incheon's Inspire Arena in November 2025, four years after the group debuted. It went through five European cities and six North American ones in spring 2026, and grew to 19 shows in 17 cities once five Asian dates were added.
NMIXX's fifth mini album Heavy Serenade, released on 11 May 2026, carries six songs, and five of them credit Lily or Bae as a lyricist. The title track's words are by HANRORO. It topped Hanteo Chart's weekly physical album chart and Circle Chart's album and download charts.
JYP Entertainment announced on 17 August 2026 that Kyujin of NMIXX had featured on 'Take A Chance', a single by the saxophonist Jason Lee. Genie Music's album information credits her not only as a featured and backing vocalist but as one of its lyricists.
The French dermo-cosmetics brand Bioderma named Sullyoon of NMIXX its brand ambassador as it brought Atoderm Facial Lotion to Korea on 26 August 2026. Vegan News and BetaNews reported the appointment on 20 August, and the brand's official YouTube channel posted a campaign film with Sullyoon on 24 August.
Sullyoon of NMIXX threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Oakland Athletics' home game in Sacramento on 1 August 2025, at the Hanwha Eagles' home game in her home city of Daejeon on 27 September that year, and at the San Francisco Giants' home game on 6 April 2026, where Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo caught it.
Sullyoon and Haewon of NMIXX spent a day in Sullyoon's home city of Daejeon on the episode of SBS's Whenever Possible broadcast on 20 January 2026. At KAIST they sang 'Hello, Gabby!' on the spot for a member of the fan club NSWER, and Xports News reported that the episode led all Tuesday variety shows.
Sullyoon and Lily of NMIXX released 'The Moment', part 4 of the soundtrack to the Netflix original series Love to Hate You, at 6 p.m. KST on 16 February 2023. Their agency JYP Entertainment called it the group's first unit OST, and Hankyung TV called it the pair's first duet since their debut.
Sullyoon of NMIXX hosted MBC's Show! Music Core for about 1 year and 10 months, from her first broadcast on 15 April 2023 to her last on 15 February 2025. She began beside Jungwoo of NCT and Lee Know of Stray Kids, and from November 2023 hosted with Younghoon of THE BOYZ and the actor Lee Jung-ha.
Sullyoon of NMIXX released 'Always', a duet with the singer Parc Jae Jung, at 6 p.m. KST on 25 February 2026. Her agency JYP Entertainment said the collaboration came about after Parc heard her cover of his 'Let's Say Goodbye' on KBS Kpop's Limousine Service in 2023.
RESCENE appear at the 2026 The Fact Music Awards for the first time since their debut, at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on 19 September 2026. The organising committee named them in the second line-up on 21 July and confirmed 17 acts on 30 July. The red carpet is at 4 p.m. and the ceremony at 6 p.m.
CU said on 1 September 2026 that it had begun the 'Every Scene of Daily Life, CU' campaign with its brand models RESCENE. Material goes up in about 18,800 stores, and voice lines from Woni, Minami and Zena play at the checkout and over store speakers. The brand film went up on 26 August.
Dong-A Otsuka said on 27 August that Narangd Cider sales rose 48% year on year in the month after it named RESCENE the brand's models. The month counted is 21 July to 21 August, from major online channels, its own store and convenience stores. Videos on its YouTube channel passed 18 million views.
RESCENE take the closing stage of the cultural exchange concert at the 2026 Salam Seoul Festival, held at Cheonggye Plaza on 4 September 2026. The festival, in its fourth year, is hosted by the Seoul Tourism Association with the Seoul city government and runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The concert starts at 7 p.m.
RESCENE have set one main scent on seven records, from the floral of the March 2024 debut single Re:Scene to the grapefruit of 'Pretty Girl' in July 2026, with ambergris, soap, grass, berry and incense between. The concept began with CEO Lee Ju-heon's keyword 'scent', producer Kim Hye-su told IZM.
The Korea Institute of Corporate Reputation ranked RESCENE first among rookie idol groups and Woni first among rookie idol individuals in September 2026, a second consecutive month at the top. RESCENE's index of 7,457,923 is 10.03% above August's; Woni's 2,857,659 is 13.93% above hers.
Nexon released all five RESCENE members — Woni, Minami, Liv, May and Zena — as new characters in the online FPS Sudden Attack on 30 July 2026. The characters come from the game's Multi Count item, and Nexon announced a launch event running to 3 September. RESCENE had previewed it at the game's showcase in June.
Taeyang has released five albums under his own name between 2008 and 2026. The first was the mini album Hot; four full-length albums followed — Solar, RISE, WHITE NIGHT and QUINTESSENCE. Here are the five in order, with their release dates, formats and what the reporting of the day recorded.
'집대성' is the YouTube show BIGBANG's Daesung hosts. The channel describes it as Daesung's show about going out of the house, and a new episode goes up at 6 p.m. every Friday. Here are six episodes from June to August 2026, with their release dates, guests and view counts.
'Woni Update', published on Woni's YouTube channel on 28 August 2026, passed 6.8 million views in a day and 8.91 million by its third, TV Report reported. YouTube's own figure on 1 September is 9,727,558, and the two outtake clips posted the same day stand at 2,897,943 and 1,856,518.
fromis_9's Baek Ji-heon is a regular on tvN STORY's Naked Korean History 2 (벌거벗은 한국사2), which first aired on 9 September 2025. A month earlier, on 13 August, she was cast as Kwon Na-eun in the film Nerd Rhapsody. Here are the two jobs she has taken outside the group.
BIGBANG's first two years in two songs. Star News reported that 'Lies' won a 'Song of the Month' award on about 127,000 Cyworld background-music sales in August 2007, and OSEN that the third mini album carrying 'Haru Haru' moved to 8 August. That December MBC's Infinite Challenge shot the song's video again.
KATSEYE's third EP WILD went to number one on the Billboard 200 chart dated 29 August 2026. It opened with 170,000 units, and four of the group's songs landed on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week. It is the group's first number one on the chart. Here is what the record is.
NCT 127 released their seventh full-length album BLINGY at 6pm on 24 August 2026. It carries nine tracks, with 'Blingy' as the title track. A month earlier, on 15 July, all seven members re-signed with their agency. Here is what the album is.
SM Entertainment said on 20 August 2026 that all six NCT DREAM members had renewed their contracts. Two days later the group held its 10th-anniversary fan meeting in Incheon, and on the night of 24 August a livestream counted down to the anniversary itself. Here is how the three fit together in one week.
The Recording Industry Association of Japan certified NCT WISH's Japanese single platinum on 10 August 2026, on 250,000 shipments as of July — the group's first. Here is what happened between the 15 July release and that certification.
fromis_9's Park Ji-won played Ali in the musical Hell's Kitchen at the GS Art Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on 28 July 2026 — three months after her casting was announced. Three performers share the role. Here is what the production is and what she prepared.
The Korea Institute of Corporate Reputation ranked RESCENE first in three brand reputation categories in August 2026 — singer, girl group and rookie idol group — and member Woni first among rookie idol individuals. The index is not a streaming chart: it sorts a month of online brand activity into four figures.
RESCENE won the K World Dream Best Fandom Award and the K World Dream Best Visual Content Award at the 2026 K-World Dream Awards, held at KINTEX in Goyang on 27 August 2026. They performed 'Deja Vu' at the ceremony.
Pledis Entertainment said on 13 July 2026 that all thirteen members of SEVENTEEN had renewed their contracts. It is the second renewal after the first in 2021, and the members currently serving in the military will sign in turn as their service allows. Here is what the contract is.
fromis_9's Song Ha-young presented SBS Power FM's Wendy's Young Street as its special DJ from 29 June to 1 July 2026, and the broadcaster published the full studio video of the first show on its own channel. Here are the other seats she took that summer.
'Cold Blood', the seventh track on Glow ME, the second full-length album fromis_9 released on 21 July 2026, is the first song Lee Chae-young wrote lyrics for. Here is what she said about it, the day before release and a month later.
BIGBANG closed the Goyang leg of their 20th-anniversary world tour 'XX : COSMOS' on 23 August 2026 at Goyang Stadium. G-Dragon described the 20 years as the culmination of all their history, and the new song 'BiiiG' had its first live stage; the tour runs to 33 shows in 19 cities.
BTS released their fifth full-length album ARIRANG at 1 p.m. KST on 20 March 2026 and named the promotions that followed it 'BTS 2.0'. In a Q&A carried by Billboard Korea, RM said half of it was the seven of them together again, and Suga answered "a new beginning".
BTS performed 'Dynamite' at the halftime show of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July 2026. It was the first halftime show ever staged at a World Cup final.
Daesung released his first solo mini album \"D's WAVE\" on 8 April 2025, opened the tour of the same name in Seoul and played 11 Asian cities, closing with a Seoul encore in January 2026 and Osaka shows on 31 January and 1 February. R&D Company said the Seoul encore sold out.
KAIST said on 5 June 2024 that it had appointed the singer G-Dragon as a visiting professor in its Department of Mechanical Engineering, for two years from 4 June 2024 to June 2026. On 9 April 2025 the university said it transmitted his track 'HOME SWEET HOME' into space.
Netflix publishes four Top 10 lists every Tuesday, ranked by views for the previous Monday to Sunday. Views are hours viewed divided by total runtime, rounded to 100,000. This guide walks through Netflix's own methodology note so you can read the weekly, country and most popular tables yourself.
Jung Kook sang the official theme 'Dreamers' alone at the 2022 Qatar World Cup opening ceremony on 20 November 2022. Four years later, on 19 July 2026, he was on the final's halftime stage with the other six members of BTS.
TV Report reported on 17 August 2026 that tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama My Bias, My Boss reached the top three on Rakuten Viki's weekly chart in North America, Europe, Oceania and India. Xports News logged 4.2 percent for episode one and 3.1 percent for episode two.
SBS's My Royal Nemesis spent eight weeks on Netflix's global top 10 for non-English television. In Netflix's own data the first week was the peak; domestic ratings ran the other way, from 4.1 per cent at the premiere to 11.8 per cent at the finale. Each figure carries the place that published it.
iMBC Entertainment reported that episode 410 of MBC's Omniscient Interfering View, broadcast at 11:10 p.m. on 8 August 2026, was the programme's first single-guest special: RESCENE filled it as a full five-member line-up, after Star News reported 100 advertising enquiries since their 11 July 2026 appearance.
Hollys named RESCENE its first brand model on 18 August 2026, 28 years after the chain launched in 1998, and released three folk-tale ads with the group on its official YouTube channel on 26 August 2026, with Woni, May, Zena, Liv and Minami playing characters.
RESCENE was named one of six honorary ambassadors for the 7th Island Day at a ceremony held on 21 July 2026 at Government Complex Seoul, with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City and Yeosu as hosts. The group performed at the 6 August ceremony in Yeosu.
Taeyang released his fourth full-length album 'Quintessence' at 6 pm on 18 May 2026, his first full-length album in about nine years, Newspim reported. The title track is 'LIVE FAST DIE SLOW', and he called the album the start of BIGBANG's 20th anniversary year.
The fictional Bureau for the Protection of Teaching Authority in Netflix's "Teach You a Lesson" now has a real counterpart: Gyeonggi superintendent Ahn Min-seok signed a plan for a teachers' rights protection unit on 13 July 2026, Hankook Ilbo reported.
On 7 August 2026 OhmyNews interviewed 제갈승 of Dexter Studios, the visual effects lead on Netflix's 'The East Palace', about how Ggeokmeoksali was designed. The writers traced the creature to a modern oral urban legend, and the series ranked number two in Netflix's non-English TV top 10 in July.
Netflix's The Wonderfools, starring Park Eun-bin, arrived on 15 May 2026 and started at number six on the non-English TV list for 11-17 May, then rose to number two with 7.9 million views for 18-24 May. The first week held three days, and Netflix counts views as total hours divided by runtime.
One 2026 album is listed in five versions that print the same nine tracks. How to read what differs on an official product page.
A July 2025 contract renewal let ATEEZ plan a full year. Then came a February album, an Asia and Australia tour leg, a London headline slot, a US number-one album, a Japanese single and fan meetings in Seoul and Yokohama.
'BAD' is the title track of ATEEZ's fourteenth mini album GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5, released 26 June 2026 and described by Korea Herald as a Brazilian funk-inspired dance track. A remix relay and a Japanese-language version, out 29 July 2026, followed.
ATEEZ's fourteenth mini album GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5, released 26 June 2026, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 on the chart dated 5 July 2026 with 228,000 units, Star News reported. It is the group's third No. 1 on that chart.
ATEEZ released its fifth Japanese single on 29 July 2026, led by a Japanese-language 'Bad' and carrying six tracks. A Tokyo showcase came on 28 July, with the ATINY'S VOYAGE : TINY MYSTERY fan meeting in Seoul on 17 to 19 July and at K-Arena Yokohama on 4 to 6 August.
On 10 July 2025 KQ Entertainment said it had completed seven-year contract renewals with all eight ATEEZ members. Two albums have followed under that agreement: GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4 in February 2026 and GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5 in June 2026.
ATEEZ released the EP "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5" on 26 June 2026, and San's move late in title track 'BAD' spread through short-form video. SPOTV NEWS reported 'BAD' entered Melon's daily chart top 100 on 6 July, a first for the group, and reached number 18 on 20 July.
In her second year of middle school, Zena was the human visual model for a character in the virtual idol group MAVE: — and she now performs under that character's name. She said so at RESCENE's 2024 debut showcase; in June 2026 the story finally travelled.
BIGBANG — G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung — released the digital single 'BiiiG' on 19 August 2026 and opened the XX : COSMOS world tour in Goyang two days later. Here is what the charts recorded and where the official routing's 33 shows in 19 cities lead.
BIGBANG joined the Coachella lineup announced on 17 September 2025 and played the Outdoor Theatre in Indio, California on 12 and 19 April 2026. The first set ran 60 minutes and 17 songs; on the second night G-Dragon announced a 20th anniversary world tour starting in August.
Sports Kyunghyang reported that BLACKPINK marked its 10th debut anniversary on 8 August 2026, with BORN PINK at number one on the Billboard 200 and the UK albums chart, DEADLINE past 1.77 million copies in a week and 42.6 billion YouTube views. YouTube said it passed 100 million subscribers.
First-week sales (초동) are an album's sales in its first seven days. Hanteo counts completed sales at shops connected to it; Circle counts shipments minus returns.
Korean fansign seats go to a draw among buyers of one designated album version, not to a queue or a spend ranking. What the notices actually say.
Suwon appointed RESCENE its ambassadors on 24 June 2026 and then kept filming: a day-one video, a run of shorts, a first pitch at KT Wiz Park, and an entertainment-format promotional film for the city's Visit Year. Here is what those five weeks actually produced.
Fans called Zena '신라공주' for the Gyeongsang dialect she speaks on camera. On 2 August 2026 the city of Gyeongju put her in traditional dress, walked her through a Silla procession and handed her an honorary Silla princess certificate. Here is the whole arc.
Goyang appointed RESCENE at City Hall on 2 July 2026, and the video it posted the next day has passed 1.1 million views on a municipal channel. Here is what the group agreed to promote, the city mascot it put on its head, and what May said about home.
On 19 August 2026 the city of Goyang spent RESCENE member May's birthday on her: a video with juniors from her two old schools and the mayor, a gold-lit fountain show at Ilsan Lake Park, and displays at the tourist centre. Here is what a Korean city ambassadorship actually involves.
KBS publishes the Music Bank formula every week: digital music 60%, broadcast plays 20%, the K-POP fan vote 10%, albums 5% and social media 5%.
Jennie wrote, composed and directed the video for 'Less than a Lover', out 24 July 2026. The digital EP 'Fallen Angel' carrying it arrives 28 August 2026 with 3 songs, 6 including physical-only tracks; Soompi reported the single hit number one on iTunes in at least 27 regions.
Sony Music Vision announced on 20 July 2026 that 'Always Lalisa', a 97-minute documentary following Lisa through a year away from BLACKPINK's activities, will have its world premiere at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, held from 10 to 20 September 2026.
Minami arrived in Korea in 2021 at 14, told her parents she would go home if she had not debuted by 18, was eliminated from an MBC audition programme, went back to Japan, returned and debuted with RESCENE at 19. She told News1 the whole of it in April 2026.
Show! Music Core, M COUNTDOWN, Inkigayo, Show Champion and The Show each weight their charts differently, and one of the five publishes no formula at all.
Minami is from Chiba, home of the Chiba Lotte Marines. On 31 July 2026 she threw the first pitch in Busan for the Lotte Giants — the Korean one. Fans asked whether she had turned up at the wrong Lotte, and the Korean press ran with it.
RESCENE were named models for CU, Domino's Pizza, Narangd Cider, Elite school uniforms, APE and Hollys through 2026. Hollys says it is its first brand model since 1998. Woni, Minami and Zena added solo deals, and RESCENE returned as Character Licensing Fair ambassadors.
Twelve dated entries, from a song released before the group debuted to a coffee chain's first brand model — in the order they happened, with a source each.
REMINE is both RESCENE's fandom name and a paid one-year membership on Plus Chat. What it costs, what it includes, what it does not and what stays free.
RESCENE's 8 July 2026 remake of KARA's 2008 'Pretty Girl' kept the melody, added distortion, synths and a grapefruit theme — and six days later brought the group their first music show win, followed by their first terrestrial win on 25 July.
On MBC's '최우수산' on 12 July 2026, Liv, May and Zena said their first settlement had not arrived yet — three weeks after 'LOVE ATTACK' topped Melon. Here is what each said she would do with it, and what a 정산 actually is.
There is no single national rule. Circle Chart, Melon, Genie, Bugs and FLO each publish their own counting arithmetic, and the rules differ.
On 8 August 2026, as the first solo guests '전지적 참견 시점' had ever booked, May said she once thought about leaving RESCENE before it existed — and described the day Woni came and spoke to her parents.
A guide to ATEEZ in eight steps: the eight members as KQ Entertainment's renewal statement names them, what the group's name and ATINY stand for, the album series from 2018 to GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5, and the three Billboard 200 number ones as of July 2026.
Lee Seon-min debuted in 2016 and Yoo Young-woo in 2019, and each saw the sketch programme he was appearing on end within about a year. From August 2025 to July 2026 the two sat beside RESCENE's Woni through her driving lessons, and by August 2026 both were describing what those eleven months changed.
RESCENE debuted in March 2024 and broke out in 2026 with a song from 2024. The reference version: the five members and where they are from, the 'Scene' + 'Scent' name, every release the agency lists, the fandom name REMINE and how the breakout year actually ran.
Between 22 May and 2 July 2026, Geoje, Suwon, Gyeongju and Goyang each appointed RESCENE as their ambassadors — one city per member, starting with a short-form clip instead of a ceremony. Here is each appointment, what each city asked for, and the one gap left in the set.
BABYMONSTER play Kyocera Dome Osaka on 22–23 September 2026: their first dome concerts and the finale of the Japan leg of the 2026-27 CHOOM world tour.
THE SIN : BLISS, out 21 August 2026, is ENHYPEN's first album as six. Why 'Bloody Paradise' is Brazilian funk, and what Hanteo's 1.77 million first-day count means.
Song Kang and Lee Jun-young play rival pianists in tvN's Four Hands, Two Sonatas, premiering 29 August 2026 and streaming on Netflix. Characters, music, timing.
RESCENE's Zena met Go Youn-jung, the actress press call her lookalike, on Woni's channel on 21 August 2026: a meal offer, swapped numbers, then a pink mirror.
In August 2025 K Car's YouTube channel 스튜디오ㅋㅇㅋ cast RESCENE's Woni as its learner driver, well before the '거제 야호' meme made her a breakout star. The series' timeline, and what the press credits it with.
Liv and May were the last RESCENE members to appear on Woni's YouTube channel. Their 12 June 2026 episode reached 4.46 million views in three days and 5.84 million in a week.
IU and Byeon Woo-seok's Perfect Crown ended on MBC on 16 May 2026 with a series-high 13.8% finale and became Disney+'s most-watched Korean title worldwide in its first 28 days.
'LOVE ATTACK' entered Melon's daily chart at 904th in 2024 and topped the TOP100 in July 2026. The reason was not a comeback but leader Woni's YouTube channel — and Melon published the numbers that show it.
KiiiKiii's third mini album WhyKiiiKiii arrived on 10 August 2026 behind a travel-agency website, sold about 82,000 copies in its first week and put 'Pop Off Pop Off' at number one on Spotify Korea. The second-year numbers, explained.
KISS OF LIFE released the Afro-house single 'SWEAT' on 4 August 2026 and won The Show with it on 11 August. How the group's summer comeback came together.
Minami's gyaru character on Woni's channel ran a roughly three-month arc, from a 6 March 2026 Japanese lesson to its 19 June finale and 21 June farewell, before two 'real Minami' episodes closed the story on 3 July. The dates, the numbers and the sequel.
Mousetrap hits Netflix on 28 August 2026: Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu in a ten-episode thriller built on the folktale of the rat that ate fingernails.
Red Velvet released the five-track mini album Velvet Summer and its title track 'Surfin' Boy' on 3 August 2026, their first full-group release since Cosmic in June 2024. The dates, the charts and what filled the two-year gap.
The 2026 K-World Dream Awards take place on 27 August at KINTEX with RESCENE among the performers, alongside ATEEZ, LE SSERAFIM, RIIZE and ILLIT. Here is the lineup, the hosts and where the show is streamed.
From three days at KCON JAPAN in May to a Seoul World Cup Stadium halftime show and a KCON LA weekend in August, a dated guide to RESCENE's 2026 on stage.
Before the 2026 reverse run, RESCENE's third mini album lip bomb sold 104,406 copies in its first week and the group took the rising-star female idol award at the 2026 Korea First Brand Awards. What the numbers show.
RESCENE's 'Busy Boy' (27 February 2026) opened AA Project and put a new song's master rights into Aria's $APL portfolio at release. What the parties said, and the Galantis remix.
Two May 2026 dialect episodes on Woni's channel gave RESCENE's Zena the 'Silla princess' name and a set of catchphrases. What Korean press reported, explained.
Woni's Geoje episode (22 May 2026) passed 10 million views by 15 July and spun off a second meme; Money Today measured Naver 'gyaru' searches doubling.
'THIS & THAT' opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 369,000 US units, Stray Kids' ninth straight chart-topping debut and a tie with the Rolling Stones.
Taemin's EP 'PHASE 1 : Soft Violence' arrives 31 August 2026 at 6 p.m. KST with 11 tracks, six first heard at Coachella; his LiMiNaL world tour opens in Seoul on 18 September.
A song from August 2024 topped Melon in July 2026, a KARA remake gave RESCENE their first music show wins and four Korean cities made them ambassadors. Here is the chain of events behind the year, with sources.
Jung Hae-in and Ha Young's Netflix rom-com drew 7.5 million views in the week of 10–16 August 2026, No. 1 in 26 countries. The numbers, the premise and the title, explained.
Woni's channel closed season 1 on 17 July 2026 and reopened on 7 August with three Gyeongju uploads for Zena: the Hwangnidan-gil homecoming, the dance academy, the nickname.
