Hello and welcome to another great edition of In Case You Missed It! This week was relatively quiet in terms of news, with only a few release announcements and contract updates this week. However, there were still a few updates related to the Min Heejin x HYBE situation that has been ruling the headlines across the past month. Namely, that BELIFT LAB — ILLIT & ENHYPEN’s agency — finally decided to step out and make their stance on the issue publicly known. Additionally, we saw new releases from BTS’ RM, XG, Mrs. Green Apple and more. Now with all that said, let’s jump into this week’s update!
BY POLARIS_TAE
MONDAY
#1- To begin the week, there were a few comeback announcements. In June, Chuu, SF9’s Hwiyoung & woo!ah! will all be dropping new music. Hwiyoung will be with a new single album in mid-June, while woo!ah! & Chuu will be coming back during a currently unspecified date. It was shared that Chuu’s music video is currently being filmed in Australia. Then in July the Black Eyed Pilseung-produced girl group, STAYC will be making their comeback. Additionally, it’s been shared that the group will be holding a fanmeeting the following month in August. Are you looking forward to any of these future releases?
TUESDAY:
#1- Tuesday’s biggest update concerned Kang Daniel’s agency, KONNECT ENTERTAINMENT. It was shared that the idol had filed a formal complaint with the police against the label’s biggest shareholder, Mr. A, who holds a 70% stake in KONNECT. Kang Daniel has accused “A” of fraud and the violation of criminal law. “A” reportedly signed an advanced distribution deal in 2022 by stealing the idol’s name and seal without his prior knowledge. The contract is reportedly worth a total of 10 billion KRW. Additionally, it was shared that all artists under the label including Yuju & Chancellor had left KONNECT. According to a report by JoyNew24 the label is on the verge of closing and all employees have reportedly been laid off. This will be the second time Kang Daniel has had issues with his label. What are your thoughts on this issue?
#2- fromis_9 was in the news this week when it was shared that the group’s maknae, Jiheon would be sitting out of the group’s performance at Korea The Stage on Tuesday due to abdominal pain. Then on Friday, it was announced by fromis_9’s label, PLEDIS, that she would be extending her hiatus from activities for the following two days to appropriately recover. Additionally, the fromis_9 fandom community shared a notice of protest via SNS on Thursday following widespread neglect from their agency. The protest will be publicised through the use of protest trucks, funeral wreaths and more.
WEDNESDAY:
#1- BELIFT LAB stepped out this week to offer their official stance on the previous plagiarism accusations levelled at them by Min Hee-jin. Within their statement, they shared that they had officially filed a complaint against CEO Min for libel/defamation & business obstruction. They further shared that the ADOR CEO’s actions had caused damage both to BELIFT and its artists [ILLIT] and that they would fight these accusations in court. Explaining that: “We present evidence to legal authorities to prove that the suspicions are not true, and although it may take some time, we will determine right from wrong in accordance with legal procedures. Intellectual property plagiarism is an issue that must be judged according to reasonable standards and procedures, not an individual’s unilateral and distorted interpretation.” Furthermore, they have also shared that they will be taking legal action against those found to be sharing malicious comments or libel against ILLIT and will strive to do their best to protect their artist’s rights. What are your thoughts on this development?
THURSDAY:
#1- On Thursday it was shared that Fiestar’s Cao Lu had purchased the Chinese production rights for the group’s most popular 2015 single, ‘You’re Pitiful’. It was revealed that she had earned most of the funds used to purchase the rights through streaming following her return to China after the disbandment of the group. Cao Lu is reportedly working on flying back to Korea in order to gather the group members to re-record a Chinese variant of the single.
#2- Suzy will be starring in a new film very soon! It’s been revealed that the actress will be starring in the film, ‘A 7 O’clock Breakfast Meeting of the Broken Hearts‘. Which is an adaptation of the book of the same name. Are you looking forward to seeing Suzy on the big screen again?
FRIDAY:
#1- We had some contract updates throughout the week. It was announced that two idols had officially departed their agencies this week. On Wednesday, FNC Entertainment announced that Im Dohwa (AOA’s Chanmi) had departed the label following the expiration of her contract. This also makes her the last AOA member to officially depart FNC. Then on Friday, Rocket Punch’s Juri officially left Woolim Entertainment and her group. The group will now continue as a five-member unit. Also on Friday, we learned that Hyeri had signed a contract with Sublime for her future activities. We wish each of them the best in their future endeavours.
SATURDAY:
#1- There were no notable updates on Saturday.
SUNDAY:
#1- There were no notable updates on Sunday.
BY POLARIS_TAE
#1. RM – LOST!
BTS’ leader RM poured his heart out this week with his latest release, ‘LOST!’ and its accompanying LP, Right Place, Wrong Person (RPWP). Similarly to J-Hope & V’s recent music releases, the BTS leader dropped the album while undergoing mandatory military service which he began undertaking in December 2023. Right Place, Wrong Person is his first release in over a year following Indigo in December 2022. Right Place, Wrong Person has proved that during his 12+ month absence from the music industry, he was doing anything but slacking. He spent this time spilling all of his feelings into the 11-track masterpiece that is Right Place Wrong Person. Unlike the idol’s previous release — Indigo — which had a whopping 8 out of 11 songs with featured artists listed. Making it essentially play more like a collaboration album rather than a dedicated solo release. This release instead displays a more genuine look at the idols’ personal and repressed thoughts that, as seen within the minimoni release broadcast, he was unable to display throughout Indigo.
Now moving on to the featured releases, we had two music videos dropped so far. ‘Come Back To Me’, which acts as the album’s pre-release, and ‘LOST!’, Right Place, Wrong Person‘s official title track. ‘LOST!’ is an alternative-pop release that gives off Tyler, the Creator vibes with an inventive music video. The story of which was written and directed by Aube Perrie, known for his previous work with Meghan Thee Stallion & Harry Styles. Through this release, and BTS Chapter 2 music as a whole, it feels like BTS — and RM as an extension of the group — have taken the criticism of the supposed ‘stagnation’ of their musical style seriously and have worked towards distinguishing themselves from the group identity through their solo releases. This can be seen through the alternative sound of Right Place, Wrong Person, as well as other BTS solos such as V’s Layover or even Jimin’s FACE. Overall, Right Place, Wrong Person is a fantastic release with legitimately no skippable songs throughout its entirety. As for my personal favourites, I enjoyed the subdued nature of ‘Right People, Wrong Place’, the experimental sound of ‘Nuts’ and RPWP’s mini-interlude/finale ‘ㅠㅠ (Credit Roll)’.
#2. Mrs. Green Apple – Dear
Mrs. Green Apple returned this week with their latest release, ‘Dear’, which directly follows April’s ‘Lilac’ release. The group, who re-grouped into a 3-member unit following the departure of Yamanaka Ayaka & Takano Kiyokazu in 2021 has been steadily releasing new music following the return from their hiatus in the Spring of 2022. The group — who are most notably known for their smash-hit FIRE FORCE OP, ‘Inferno’ — look like they’re potentially gearing up for a new album release, especially considering the rapid rate at which the group seems to be dropping new music. The group’s new single, ‘Dear’ is an uplifting single that feels like a mix of their 2023 single, ‘Magic’ & Sekai no Owari’s 2024 release, ‘Time Machine’ about growing up and reminiscing on their childhood and living one day at a time. The music video — starring Hori Agency-associated talent, Ruri Hirano — is a stunning and picturesque display filled with beautiful beachside scenery, while also giving weight to the song’s lyrics through the depth of its associated storyline. Overall, it’s a stunning release with stunning vocals displayed via the group’s lead vocal, Motoki Ohmori and I’m anticipating Mrs. Green Apple’s next album release as well. Hopefully, they’ll be able to top the masterpiece that was their 2023 release, ANTENNA in the process!
#3. Daoko – Sutechattene
Daoko is a Japanese singer-songwriter & rapper hailing from the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan. There are many parallels that can be drawn between Daoko’s entry into the Japanese Entertainment Industry and Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu. Similarly to Yonezu, Daoko got her start through the Nico Nico Douga video-sharing platform at an early age. Additionally, she was required to hide her identity throughout her early years as an artist — in a similar way to Yonezu’s hachi persona — due to her school’s strict policy about students being a part of the Japanese Entertainment industry. The artist made her return this week with a new single, ‘Sutechattene’. A release set to coincide with the release of her 12-track LP, Slash-&-Burn. This release is a very laid-back single that works very well with her vocal tone, while also having a very similar sound-scape of Carl Douglas’ ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ hook sprinkled throughout the instrumentals. Other songs that I feel like highlighting from Slash-&-Burn include the slow-tempo & dreamy ‘FTS’, the experimental ‘GAME OVER’ with its distinct use of traditional video game sound effects, as well as the 2024 remastered version of ‘Abon’ with its almost Vocaloid sounding vocalisation. Overall, I thouroughly enjoyed Slash-&-Burn from start to finish and hope to see even more great releases from Daoko in the future as well!
BY POLARIS_TAE
#1. BABYMONSTER’s debut album, BABYMONS7ER officially surpassed 500K sales on the Circle Chart (Gaon) this week. Congrats!
BY POLARIS_TAE
For this week’s H+ Station Chart update, KISS OF LIFE took the #1 slot once again with ‘Midas Touch’, while TripleS’s “Girls Never Die” made its debut on the chart at #2. Meanwhile, LE SSERAFIM returned to the chart at #9 with “SMART”. Make sure to check out our chart to see where all of your favourite songs ranked!
The Social Media Team dropped three updates this week!
Polaris posted an update with all the information related to Cignature’s “Sweetie But Saltie” comeback. Check it out here!
Chococo posted two announcements regarding upcoming artist interviews.
We’ll be interviewing the Korean band, W24. A group formed through the M-net band competition show, “Great Seoul Invasion”. Ask them a question here!
Another artist we’ll be interviewing soon will be JT! A South Korean soloist and former member of VX. Let us know what kinds of thing you’d like to ask them here!
Our Korean translator, aenatranslates dropped a new lyric translation update for BAY.B’s “Come To Mind“.
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We are searching for new members for the following teams: Blog Team, Translations, Awards & Social Media Team – Press Division. As always, our full list of recruitments can be found in the General Staff Recruitment thread.
This brings us to the end of In Case You Missed It for another week! Were there any updates that suprised you? What about this week’s comebacks? Did you discover any new artists, either through this article or via the forum, that you’ve been enjoying lately? Or are you waiting for an upcoming release instead? As always, our staff teams — Social Media – Press, Blog Team & Awards — are currently looking for new team members to join our teams. So if any of these positions interest you, then feel free to apply through the linked recruitments above. Our In Case You Missed It team is still on the lookout for a dedicated Kpop music reviewer. So why not consider pitching in? If you’re not aware, we are active on both Twitter — now known as x.com — and Instagram, so feel free to follow us there for more fantastic updates! We’re still accepting feature and promo requests via our feature thread here. Additionally, our press team is seeking submissions for our new self-producing musicians playlist here! So make sure to add your submission before the deadline (June 14). Let us know what you enjoyed the most this week in the comments below, and we’ll see you again next week for another great update!
GFX BY @bibbidi
FEATURED ARTISTS Motoki Ohmori (Mrs. Green Apple), Ahyeon (Baby Monster), RM, Daoko & Kang Daniel
