Hello and welcome to this new edition of ICYMI! This week, many of us went back to our busy lives – and of course, our favorite idols and actors did the same, giving us plenty of news to talk about, charts results to discuss, achievements to celebrate, and songs to recommend. Without further ado, it’s time for you to see what happened this week in the Asian entertainment industry, and we hope you will enjoy this recap!
MONDAY:
#1- We’ve got some news about YG Entertainment’s newest boy group Treasure 13… In fact, they are now known as Treasure as Ha Yoonbin has left YG due to musical differences. We’re looking forward to their future activities!
#2- Former 9Muses member Kyungri has signed an exclusive contract with YNK Entertainment, which houses numerous actors and actresses. Despite being an acting agency, YNK have stated that they will support her in all future activities. IU has also made a change, as she and her team will be moving to Edam Entertainment, which is housed under Kakao M.
#3- Zico is already busy this year! First off, the rapper will be producing Super Junior’s next track, which is set to drop later this month! Then he, himself, will release a single on January 13th! Are you excited for both releases?
#4- While expected, but still sad news, Red Velvet’s Wendy will not be participating in the group’s Japan tour. The remaining members will go on as planned. We are continuing to hope for Wendy’s speedy recovery.
#5- Some wonderful news for Gummy and her husband Jo Jung Suk! The singer is currently pregnant with their first child! She is expected to give birth in the latter half of the year. Congratulations to both!
#6- Momoland’s Nayun has unfortunately experienced the loss of her maternal grandmother. Due to this, she will be temporarily halting her scheduled events. We send our condolences to Nayun and her family.
#7- Rocket Punch fans or… Ketchy! That’s right, the name of the fandom for Rocket Punch has officially been decided! How do you feel about the fandom name ‘Ketchy’?
#8- The Olympics Game in Tokyo will open in less than 200 days, and the committee chose Hello! Project groups to launch the official countdown for the event! You can find all the videos in the thread linked above!
#9- Last year, we saw Park Kyung mention some names, in reference to sajaegi. It looks like the situation isn’t over yet, as he has requested military deferment to cooperate with investigations.
#10- Well Wiz*Ones, you can breathe a sigh of relief. It looks like the group IZ*ONE will be able to continue their activities! Are you looking forward to them coming back?
#11- Unfortunately, we do have some sad news, as X1 has decided to disband. We hope all the members rise above, even higher, in the future.
TUESDAY:
#1- The day started off with breaking news, as Shiraishi Mai was announced to be graduating from Nogizaka46! Her last single appearance will be sold on March 25th. We wish her luck in everything she does!
#2- January 28th will prove to be a busy day, as SECHSKIES will be releasing an album! We also have a concrete date for Super Junior’s comeback; their repackage ‘Timeless’ and comeback will occur on the same day, the 28th! Taeyeon also announced that she will release her own repackage for “Purpose” on the 15th. Last but not least, BTS announced that their new album, “Map Of The Soul: 7”, will drop on February 21st!
#3- Yoona continues to prove that she is a global queen, as she let everyone know on Instagram stories that she has passed the Chinese Proficiency Test HSKK! Congratulations Yoona!
#4- Perhaps the content wasn’t as shocking as the reveal, but MOMOLAND’s Daisy has openly said that their survival show ‘Survival MOMOLAND’ was rigged. She stated that she was told, prior to the final episode, that she would be joining the group. Were you surprised to hear this?
#5- LeeSSang’s former member Gary will be joining ‘The Return of Superman’ this February! Are you excited to see the rapper back in variety?
#6- WayV’s fans, it’s time to follow Xiaojun on Instagram! The idol joined the social network on Tuesday, and posted a very cute selfie to greet everyone.
WEDNESDAY:
#1- The day started with bad news, as we learnt that LOONA’s Haseul won’t be participating in any promotional activities for ‘#”. The idol has been struggling with anxiety and will stay home to get some rest for the time being. We hope she will be given all the help she needs and wish her a speedy recovery.
#2- This week, the girls of MOMOLAND have really been dropping revelations, one by one. Former member Yeonwoo decided to speak up and admitted that the group’s company, MLD, had forced her to go on hiatus against her will. They later announced her departure from the group without her consent. What are your thoughts on the situation?
#3- Will TWICE’s Nayeon be able to live more peaceful days from now on? We do hope so, since JYP Entertainment has filed a restraining order against the “fan” who had been following her for weeks. The man is now criminally charged for “obstruction of business” and the company seems more determined than ever to protect Nayeon. Good news about the group continued to drop on Wednesday: After spending a few months away from fan events, we learnt that Mina would be participating in the next “&Twice” meet and greet in early February!
#4- Only a few months after joining OUI Entertainment, it’s been announced that Produce X 101’s Wang Jyunhao and Mahiro Hikada have left the company a few days ago. We wish them the best on their future endeavors!
#5- INFINITE’s Sunggyu is back in business! The idol will hold his “Shine Encore” solo concert in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, between early February and late March. While we’re glad to see an idol resume activities this quickly after discharge, we’re also sad to know that WINNER’s Jinu will be enlisting soon – Avex announced that “Cross” was the idol’s last work before he leaves for the army.
#6- If you’re a fan of “Law of The Jungle”, you’ll be happy to learn that Kim Jaehwan, WJSN’s Dayoung, and Lovelyz’ Yein will depart to Palawan later this month to film for the show! We can’t wait to watch the episodes.
THURSDAY:
#1- We can always “trust” Dispatch to reveal all the secrets the entertainment industry tries to hide… On Thursday, the news outlet posted a timeline of X1’s companies meeting on January 6th. According to their report, four companies voted for the group to disband and decided to not let the group release a farewell song. Since then, it was announced that VICTON’s Han Seungwoo would take some rest and hold discussions with his company, Play M, before returning to promotions with his group. In the meantime, some other former X1 members have started to interact with their fans on social networks: MBK’s Lee Hangyul and Nam Doyeon opened a V-Live channel, and UP10TION’s Wooseok opened an Instagram account on Friday.
#2- Another idol has started to be more active on the Internet: F(x)’s Luna opened a Facebook account and a Youtube channel. Go follow her on both platforms now!
#3- Davichi’s Lee Haeri will make her solo comeback very soon. The singer will meet her fans with her 2nd solo album, which will be released on January 29th. Let’s anticipate the release!
#4- During the filming of “Happy Together 4”, Red Velvet’s Joy revealed that she’s suffering from somatization disorder. We hope the diagnosis will be followed with proper treatment that can make her daily life less painful. In better news, we also learnt that Wendy sent snacks to the group’s dancers at their practice room, which means she must feel a little bit better!
#5- Last but not least, Kobushi Factory unfortunately announced their disbandment – the group had debuted in 2015, after spending years as Hello! Project trainees. We wish the girls all the best for the future!
FRIDAY:
#1- Friday was a busy day for actors! Kang Don Won, Son Ho Jun, Cha Seung Won and Lee Sung Kyung were all announced to have re-signed a contract with YG Entertainment. As for Park Bo Gum, Park So Dam, and Byun Woo Seok, it was reported that they’ve been cast as leads in tvN’s new drama “Youth Record”. We’ll definitely keep an eye on all of them!
#2- NCT127 will undoubtedly get more American fans very soon! The group is scheduled to perform at the Houston Rodeo in Texas – a big event that usually gathers 70,000 to 80,000 attendants per concert. We hope some lucky Hallyu+ users will be able to go!
#3- Produce 101 Japan’s group JO1 is already gaining huge popularity! To answer fans’ demand, the group added two more dates to their fan meeting tour in Yokohama and Osaka. We are glad to see the boys meet such success!
#4- While one Japanese boy group is getting a successful start, it’s unfortunately time to bid farewell to another one, LEZARD, who will disband after 7 years of activity. We wish the members all the best in their future endeavors!
#5- It’s been a while since we last heard of former Big Bang member Seungri, and now he is in trouble again… On Friday, the prosecution requested another arrest warrant for him, based on seven charges that includes violation of the act of sexual violence. The arrest warrant will be evaluated in a few hours, on Monday, January 13th. If the results are made public, we will provide them in the next ICYMI.
SATURDAY:
#1- Lee Soo Man has always been a man of ambition. On Saturday, he revealed his plan to create a new audition program for singers in China, and his goal is to “raise a star that can be loved by the public for a long time”. Let’s see if his dream becomes reality in the next few years!
#2- Japan is getting ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics! The country’s committee revealed the name of the 17 celebrities who will promote and support the Japanese national team. From idols to sportsmen and actors, the list is full of big names and you can find it in the thread linked just above!
SUNDAY:
#1- On Sunday, it was announced that Monsta X’s Joohoney would go on hiatus until further notice, due to symptoms of anxiety. The idol will take time to recover before resuming his activities with the group. We wish him a speedy recovery!
#1- SF9 – GOOD GUY
Seven months after the release of “RPM“, the boys of SF9 came back on Wednesday with their first Korean album “First Collection“, preceded by the release of its title track on Monday. The song, titled “Good Guy“, does a perfect job at showcasing a more mature side of the boys, without drifting away too much from their usual music style. It’s funky vibes will undoubtedly remind you of the excellent “Now or Never“, which came out in 2018. “Good Guy” is definitely worth a listen, and we bet it will end up in your playlist very soon!
#2-YOUNHA – DARK CLOUD
It’s been sixteen years since Younha‘s debut in the music industry. With such experience, the Korean singer definitely knows how to leave her audience in awe with each and every song she releases. Her new song, “Dark Cloud“, which dropped on Monday alongside her fifth mini-album “Unstable Mindset” (a counterpart to “Stable Mindset“, released in 2019), definitely isn’t an exception to the rule. Younha‘s voice was clearly made for ballads, and we can’t help but hold our breath every time she hits one of her mesmerising high notes!
#3- B.O.Y – MY ANGEL
Former MYTEEN members and Produce X101 contestants, Song Yuvin and Kim Kookheon officially debuted as a duo on Tuesday with the mini album, “Phase One: YOU” and the music video for its title track, “My Angel“. The boys, who are visibly eager to show their potential, didn’t hold back and put together all the ingredients that make a solid Kpop release: strong vocals, sharp moves, breathtaking aesthetics, and even a few shirtless shots aimed at the weakest of us all. The final product is definitely interesting enough for you to check it out and anticipate B.O.Y‘s future performances!
#4- STU48 – MUBONA YUME WA SAMERU KOTO GA NAI
STU48, AKB‘s 5th sister group based in Setouchi, Okamaya, dropped the music video for their fourth single “Mubona Yume Wa Sameru Koto Ga Nai” on Thursday. Even though the song will officially be available to purchase on January 29, we can already sing along to this upbeat track and imagine ourselves dancing on a sandy beach with the members – A vision that can only make our winter a little bit warmer. Join the fun now by checking out the video below!
#5- ONG SEONGWOO – WE BELONG
The wait is finally over… More than a year after Wanna One‘s disbandment, Ong Seongwoo has officially debuted with “We Belong” on Thursday! The idol chose a dreamy concept and a cheerful pop song to showcase his singing abilities, effortlessly hitting high notes, one after the other, and leaving us craving for more. Despite his well-known talent in dancing, Seongwoo didn’t add any choreography to his music video, but makes up for it with cute acting and colorful, pleasant aesthetics. We hope he won’t wait another year to bless us with more releases!
#6- KING GNU – TEENAGER FOREVER
What would you do if you were given a lot of money? Take a trip to the Philippines? Buy your mother a car? Well, the members of King Gnu did just those! The video of “Teenager Forever” consists of each individual members’ journey with money they are given. The song, itself, expresses the never-ending search for happiness and believing in the future. The guitar riffs and drums make you want to bang your head along as you jam along to the song. Take a listen!
#7- AMBER LIU – STAY CALM
Amber Liu signed an exclusive contract with Steel Wool Entertainment in 2019, and is now working on establishing her solo career with her first album post-SM Entertainment, which is titled “X“. “Stay Calm” is the sixth (and last) song to be featured on that album and, just like all the other tracks, it was given its own music video and independent release date. In the lyrics of “Stay Calm“, Amber tells us that she has freed herself from all the pressure that was placed on her shoulders for years, and is now ready to be the person she “should have been a long time ago“. With such a strong mindset, let’s see what the future brings for her!
#8- VERIVERY – LAY BACK
Thursday, January 9th marked the first anniversary of Verivery‘s debut in the entertainment industry, and what’s better for an idol group than to celebrate such an important day with new music? Two days earlier, on the 7th, the seven boys released their third mini-album, “Face Me“, and its lead track, “Lay Back“. There is no doubt you will want to whisper the name of the song along with the members in the chorus, and start seeing double due to the music video’s interesting imagery. “Lay Back” is definitely a very catchy song, and you shouldn’t wait more before you check it out!
#9 – HANGENG – YES, PLEASE
At the end of 2009, Hangeng left Super Junior and SM Entertainment to pursue a solo career in China. Ten years later, with a successful career, the man has started another new chapter in his life by marrying actress Celina Jade. In the music video of the pop-folk song “Yes, Please“, which was written for his wife, Hangeng shows his fans some footage from their wedding ceremony that was held on December 31st, 2019. Get ready to whistle along to this relaxing song and to tear up from the couple’s beautiful love story!
#10- SCANDAL – A.M.D.K.J.
Scandal’s newest song is so catchy, it’ll make you want to nod along to the beat. “A.M.D.K.J.” stands for “amidakuji” and it will be used for the ending of the anime “GeGeGe no Kitaro”. “Amidakuji” is how many Japanese people make decisions, when you need to assign an outcome to each person or thing (if you’ve watched Korean variety, it’s the same thing as the “ladder game.”) How you act will determine your outcome, or fate. The song also expresses the selfishness and coldness of the world, while the members beg for people to not be too serious. “We’re all fools here, so why not just dance?” they ask. Well, we’ll definitely be dancing along to this song!
#11- ATEEZ – ANSWER
ATEEZ only debuted a little more than a year ago, but they’ve made sure to grab our attention with strong concepts and quality releases. On Monday, the group came back with their 4th mini-album “Treasure EPILOGUE: Action to Answer“, and its powerful title track, “Answer“, is everything we were waiting for and even more. From its references to previous songs that can be found in both the lyrics and the music video to its display of amazing vocals and impressive choreography, every detail was carefully thought through to bring the perfect closure to the group’s “Treasure” series. Make sure you check it out!
#12 – BTS – 7 INTERLUDE: SHADOW
As announced earlier in this article, the boys of BTS are getting ready to make their grand comeback with their new album “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7” on February 21st! As usual, to build up the hype, they have decided to release trailers for the album. The first one is a track titled “Interlude: Shadow“. It is performed by member Suga, who leaves us impressed with his impeccable, emotion-filled flow. Even non-fans won’t be able to deny it: BTS really knows how to make everyone anticipate their future releases!
#1- WJSN’s 2-day concert “Obliviate” at the Olympic Hall was able to sell out all the seats in just 6 minutes! They were also able to chart at #1 concert on MelOn’s Ticket and Concert/Festival Daily Rankings.
#2- SF9 has surpassed their previous first-week sales, with “First Collection”, in only less than one day! It sold almost 34,000 copies on its first day, breaking the first-week sales record of “RPM” at 27,000 copies.
#3- TWICE’s “Fancy” music video has reached 250 million views on YouTube in only 261 days, second only to Likey’s 211 days!
Their album “TWICECoaster: LANE 1” is also now the best-selling girl group album of the decade, with over 467,000 total copies sold and overtaking Girls’ Generation’s “The Boys”!
#4 – GOT7’s music video for “Just Right” has also surpassed 300 million views on YouTube, becoming their first music video to reach the milestone!
GOT7’s Mark’s solo debut album, “Outta My Head” has also sold over 89,000 copies on QQ Music and has hit #1 on the chart in only 4 hours! The album is also now certified gold.
#5- ITZY and Stray Kids are now the artists with the most “Rookie of the Year” awards, bagging a total of 12!
#6- “Parasite” is now the first Korean film to win “Best Foreign Language Film” at the 77th Golden Globes!
#7- NFlying was finally rewarded for their hard work, as they won “Discovery of the Year (Band)” at the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards! Meanwhile, Choi Hee-sun, ITZY’s stylist, also won the “Stylist Award” at the award show.
#8- BTS’s music video for “DNA” has now surpassed 900 million views on YouTube, making it their first music video to reach the milestone and the second K-Pop group music video to surpass this mark.
Their music video for “Idol” also reached 600 million views on the platform, making it their 6th music video to reach the milestone!
#9- Are you curious about what the top 100 best-selling K-Pop albums of 2019 are? Check out this thread!
#10- American K-Pop singer AleXa’s music video for her debut single “Bomb” has reached 10 million views on YouTube, 82 days after its release!
#11- NCT Dream’s music video for “Boom” has surpassed 50 million views on YouTube, making it their first-ever music video to reach the milestone!
Which one do you prefer: Playstation, Xbox or Nintendo? To prepare for a year of new console releases and keep the forum more organised, the admins added 3 new sub-forums in the Gaming section!
Here are all the awards that were added to the system this week! You can request them here (don’t forget to follow the instructions in the OP)!
This week, in the name of all staff members, moderators encouraged users to donate to various charities that have been working towards relieving the impact of the Australian bushfires. If you can and want to donate, we would like to offer you Plus Coins, Orbs, and Shop+ items as a thank you gift. You can find more information in this thread.
Here are all the items that were added to the shop this week! Don’t hesitate and go purchase some of them now!
Social Media Team posted two articles on the forum’s blog this week!
On Tuesday, Yuki posted her review of the Japanese movie “Little Forest (Komori)“.
On Thursday, Polaris_Tae shared her thoughts on the second season of the Donghua “Mo Dao Zu Shi”, titled “Xian Yun Pian”.
This week, Translations Team worked on the lyrics of four songs for the users of the forum!
– EXID – 어떻게지내 (How You Doin’), by yooamygirls
– Laboum – HUSH, by yooamygirls
– NCT127 – 종이비행기 (Paper Plane), by yooamygirls
– Rocket Girls 101 – 卡路里 (Calorie), by Sunflower+
Hallyu+ is actively recruiting for staff. If you want to contribute to the forum’s growth and join our amazing team, don’t hesitate and apply now!
We are searching for new members for the following teams: Events and SM Team (video makers for our Press Division).
And… that’s it for today! Thank you very much for reading this article – we hope it was as informative and complete as you expected. Before you close the tab, please leave a comment to give us your feedback. We will see you next week with a new edition of ICYMI!
PROOFREAD BY ROSIE
