Hello and welcome to another great edition of In Case You Missed It! This week we’re back with even more new and exciting content! Both Kang Daniel and Exo-CBX were in the news this week due to their numerous ongoing legal challenges. Then later, former Hello Venus member, Go Ara shared that she had been diagnosed with a malignant form of cancer, which, unlike benign forms of cancer, is a type of cancer that can actively spread the cell-attacking cancer cells. Then in releases, we saw new music from Cignature, Weki Meki, Chen Linong & more. Now, with that said, let’s jump into this week’s update!
BY POLARIS_TAE
MONDAY
#1- We started the week with various updates related to legal challenges and contract negotiations. Kang Daniel’s one-man agency, KONNECT Entertainment officially closed its doors on Monday. This comes following the reports that the idol would be pursuing legal action against the label’s largest shareholder, Mr A, for forgery, embezzlement and breach of trust. The idol shared a statement via Instagram personally announcing the company’s closure, while also thanking all of his former employees who helped to keep the label running smoothly. Daniel also shared that while the closure of KONNECT is sad, he plans to continue working diligently and hopes to share some good news soon. Meanwhile, the three EXO members — Baekhyun, Chen & Xiumin — who are currently under the management of INB100 were back in the news this week after it was announced that they would be holding a press conference related to their complaints against SM Entertainment. The trio shared that they had filed a complaint against the label concerning a clause that would force the three to forfeit 10% of their individual earnings to SM Entertainment rather than the initially intended 5.5%. Additionally, the three EXO members shared that SM had pressured the members to re-sign with the label while in the military — an act that is staunchly illegal — as well as reportedly refusing to pay the trio for their recent EXO activities under the label. CBX also shared that they have not received a response from SM in relation to their complaints in two months. That same day, INB100 held an emergency press conference to address the news that SM Entertainment would be suing the label — and their artists — for repeatedly trying to nullify their contracts for personal gain. A representative for INB100 stated:”As a large entertainment agency, please stop making petty excuses to sway public opinion and reveal the basis for the dispute fairly and clearly.” It was later shared that the three EXO members would be counter-suing SM Entertainment for unfair profit distribution. What are your thoughts on this ongoing dispute?
#2- The PD behind the discovery of Lim Youngwoong will be launching a new audition program very soon. The program will be titled Under 15 and is open to anyone between the ages of 3 & 14 from over 70 different countries. The producer reportedly aims to create a group younger than NewJeans. However, it’s unknown whether this future group will be an idol group, or something else. What are your thoughts on the Korean Entertainment industry’s penchant for debuting idols at such a young age?
#3- YouTuber & the producer behind the Korean band QWER Kim Gye-ran — or Kim Egg — has shared that he will be going on a temporary hiatus after suffering injuries stemming from a car accident. The YouTuber shared that he had suffered fractures to his head and shoulder and would be taking a break to recover from his injuries. We wish him a speedy recovery.
TUESDAY:
#1- Kim Soohyun and former ioi member Lim Nayoung were caught up in dating rumours this week. Their respective management companies, Gold Medalist & Mask Studio, denied all relationship rumours by stating that they were unfounded and that the two greeted each other at a festival by chance.
#2- Anda had some exciting news to share on Tuesday. The soloist shared that she had given birth to her first child on the 4th of June. We congratulate her on the new addition to her family!
WEDNESDAY:
#1- There were various comeback announcements throughout the week! Urban Zakapa & Red Velvet will both be making their return in June. Red Velvet will be dropping a new EP, Cosmic on the 24th of June. Meanwhile, Urban Zakapa will be making their return for the first time in over three years with a new song, ‘Both Hands’ in order to celebrate their 15th anniversary as a group. Then in July, we’ll see new releases from Apink’s Chorong, CHEEZE & Weeekly! CHEEZE will return on the 1st of July with her latest single, ‘We Were Held By The Sea’. Apink’s Chorong will be dropping a new single, ‘모르시나요’ on the 2nd of July as a part of ARTMATIC Company‘s The PLAYlist Project. According to ARTMATIC Company — the label behind the project — The PLAYlist Project will act as a music release project with the aim to naturally blend into listeners’ daily lives as addictive songs through creative music of various genres. The label further stated that there would be no restrictions on the genre or singer. Then on the 9th of July, Weeekly will make their return with a new mini album. Our last comeback update concerns B.A.P. Who shared via their documentary teaser that they would be making their return as a group in the very near future. The comeback line-up will reportedly consist of four members: Bang Yongguk, Daehyun, Youngjae & Jong-up. Zelo is unable to participate due to his ongoing mandatory military service, while Himchan was removed from the group in 2019 following an accusation — and later conviction — of sexual assault committed by the former idol. Are you looking forward to any of these upcoming releases?
#2- Former Hello Venus member Yoo Ara took to Instagram this week to update fans that she had been diagnosed with a malignant form of cancer and that she had recently undergone surgery in order to remove the cancerous tumour. Malignant cancer is a type of cancer that is prone to spreading active cell-attacking cancer cells through the blood or lymphatic system. We applaud the idol for feeling safe and confident enough to discuss such a heavy topic like cancer on social media and hope that her cancer scares are now officially behind her.
THURSDAY:
#1- We’ve finally entered an era where we’ll be welcoming back the members of BTS from their mandatory military service! This week, BTS’ eldest member Jin was set loose on society once again after he concluded his service as an assistant drill instructor at Yeoncheon military base in Gyeonggi Province. five of the six other BTS members — and a Saxophone — took the day off to see the idol say his goodbyes at the base, while Suga joined Jin and the rest of the BTS members at the HYBE headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. The following day, at Jin’s special in-person hug event, one of the attendees sexually harassed the idol by attempting to kiss him during their allocated one-on-one time with Jin. Later that same day, HYBE shared that they had officially filed a criminal complaint against the individual with the local police.
#2- We had a few more legal updates on Thursday. It was shared via JTBC that a man in his 30s had been arrested for impersonating N.Flying’s Jaehyun. Meanwhile, Kakao Entertainment is currently being investigated by the Korean FTC for inflating music distribution fees for non-Kakao music labels. This comes months following Big Planet Made‘s complaint against Kakao regarding the distributor’s unfair music distribution fees.
#3- Weeekly’s Zoa has opened a YouTube channel under the name ”오히려조아’ where she will reportedly be transforming into a time-traveller to meet with viewers. The idol will reportedly be producing time-slip content where she will experience various period situations under the retro concept of “That time, That feeling.” A new video will be published every Thursday at 6PM (KST) starting on the 13th of June. Are you looking forward to Zoa’s YouTube era?
FRIDAY:
#1- There were more comeback announcements during the latter half of the week as well! BTOB’s Peniel will be making his solo comeback this June with a new digital single album, L:ife along with the title track, ‘Make It Or Break It”.Then in July, NCT127 & former WANNAONE member, Ha Sungwoon will both be dropping new music! NCT127 will be dropping their 6th LP during mid-July. This will be the group’s first summer comeback since 2017’s ‘Cherry Bomb’. It will also be their first release without NCT leader Taeyong as the idol is currently serving as an active-duty soldier in the military band. Also releasing new music in July will be Ha Sungwoon, who will be making his first comeback since completing his mandatory military service this April. Then, as we get closer to the end of the year, we’ll be seeing new releases from SNSD’s Taeyeon, a new TripleS unit & FIFTY FIFTY! Taeyeon will be making her solo comeback this August with her 4th LP. TripleS will be coming back in the second half of the year with the 12-member unit Visionary Vision (VV) during the second half of 2024. Meanwhile, FIFTY FIFTY will be making their comeback as five members — including Keena — in September. This will be the groups’ first comeback since the legal dispute between their agency ATTRAKT & THE GIVERS/Sihan, as well as the departure of Sio, Aran & Saena in 2023. Are you looking forward to any of these upcoming releases?
#2- BE:LIFT has shared that ILLIT’s Wonhee recently sustained an ankle injury and has been advised to wear an ankle brace following a consultation with medical professionals. The idol will still be participating in the 2024 Weverse Con Festival but will remain seated during the entirety of the performance.
SATURDAY:
#1- There were no relevant Updates on Saturday.
SUNDAY:
#1- There were no relevant updates on Sunday.
BY POLARIS_TAE
#1. Cignature – Poongdung
The C9 Entertainment girl group Cignature made their comeback this week with the summery-sounding ‘Poongdung’. Similarly to their 2023 release, Us In The Summer, the group’s lead vocalist Belle did not participate in the Sweetie But Saltie comeback due to her obligations with the UNIVERSE TICKET resulting girl group UNIS, which she is the leader of. Additionally, Cignature’s label shared that Belle would be sitting out of all of the group’s upcoming releases until the conclusion of her activities with UNIS (2 years & 6 months). Now let’s move on to Cignature’s latest release! The group officially returned after almost a year of inactivity with their 4-track EP, Sweetie But Saltie on the 10th of June alongside its lead single, ‘Poongdung’. A bright and summery synth-filled release about having fun in the sun at the beach. Of the three tracks from Sweetie But Saltie, I actually found ‘Poongdung’ to be the weakest of the three. Now let’s move on to the other two singles! ‘I Like I Like’ was the highlight of the album. It’s a refreshing storytelling-themed confession single filled with personality with a catchy hook and instrumental produced by SM-associated producer Ryan Jhun. ‘Melody’ was a synth-pop ballad with a stunning instrumental that perfectly highlights the group members’ distinct vocals. Sweetie But Saltie is, overall, a zero-skip album with stunning b-sides that will surely make its way onto your summer playlist for 2024!
#2. Weki Meki – CoinciDestiny
Earlier this month, we learned that Weki Meki would be coming back for the first time in what felt like forever. Only to later learn via Choi Yoojung, and later Fantagio themselves, that this would be the group’s final comeback before their official disbandment. Cutting down the number of (semi) active post-ioi groups to one with WJSN. The group made their final comeback this week with ‘Coincidestiny’. A song that was co-written & produced by Weki Meki’s Suyeon & Rina to say a final goodbye to Ki-Lings [the group’s fans]. The song itself is a nostalgic and wistful synth-pop release where the members look back on the happier times they had as a group. Sadly, Fantagio has once again shown how little they care about the group through the absolutely abysmal budget for both the song and its accompanying music video. This can be further witnessed through the company’s choice to not allow the group to undertake official promotions via music or variety shows and instead, quietly disband the group following the release of ‘CoinciDestiny’. Overall, while ‘CoinciDesiny’ doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of group hits like ‘Tiki Taka’ or ‘Picky Picky’, it feels like an appropriate song to send off the group. We wish the group members success in their respective careers and hope to see them reunite as a group somewhere down the line as well.
#3. Chen Linong – Still Loving You
After what feels like the longest time, we finally have a Cpop release to share this week! Former NINE PERCENT member Chen Linong made his comeback this week with ‘Still Loving You’ off his latest EP, By The Name Of Youth Scene I – Love. His first release since his December 2023 single, ‘Stay For Me’. The last time we saw a Chen Linong song on our media feed was during his 2020 release, ‘Masterpiece’ which was featured in one of our August ICYMI articles, or when his ‘Taste of Summer’ release — which still happens to be my favourite song from the Taiwanese singer — found its way onto our Summer Playlist earlier that same year. Now let’s move on to the idol’s most recent release, ‘Still Loving You’. This release is an emotional ballad that discusses the regrets of leaving behind a past relationship with an accompanying music video set on a cloudy beachside to match the depressing tone of the song. The soloist’s latest album, By The Name Of Youth Scene I – Love is vastly different from the idol’s 2020 LP UNBELONGING (格格不入) in the way that this release, for the most part, consists of emotional ballads throughout. With only one single, the previously released ‘Be A Man’, diverged from that standard. As for the songs that I enjoyed the most, I quite liked the emotional ballad ‘Nice To Meet You’ with its intricate instrumental that further compliments the vocals of Chen Linong. The album’s only acoustic single, ‘Be A Man’ was also quite nice by helping to switch up the tone of the album. Overall, while ballad albums are certainly not for me, I feel like even in a release like this, you’ll end up liking at least one single. Nevertheless, I’m hoping that the idol comes back with a more diverse sound with his next release.
BY POLARIS_TAE
#1- There were no relevant chart updates this week.
BY POLARIS_TAE
Did you know that 2024 marks the 5th year that Hallyu+ has been active? Well if you didn’t, then you surely do now! Our admin & owner Akerman shared their thoughts on the site turning half a decade old. Make sure to wish Hallyu+ a happy birthday!
For this week’s H+ Station Chart update, aespa took the #1 slot for the 2nd week in a row with ‘Supernova’, while aespa & ARTMS’ ‘Armageddon’ & ‘Virtual Angel’ made their debuts on the chart at #7 & #8 respectively. Make sure to check out our chart to see where all of your favourite songs ranked!
The Social Media Team shared another upcoming interview announcement this week!
Our Social Media Team member chococo will be conducting an interview with the K-indie group DIAWINGS. Keep an eye out for our upcoming interview soon!
The Blog Team had an update for us this week!
The team officially launched the Blog+ Suggestion Box. Where all of our H+ users can submit suggestions and ideas for what you’d like to see on our blog. Users whose topic is chosen will each receive two orbs. Make sure to read all the guidelines in the linked thread before submitting!
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Hallyu+ is actively recruiting for staff. If you want to contribute to the forum’s growth and join our amazing team, don’t hesitate to apply now!
We are searching for new members for the following teams: Blog Team, Translations, GFX & 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 surprised 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? As always, our staff teams — Social Media – Press, Blog Team, GFX & Translations — 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 18). 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 Daehyun (B.A.P), Chaesol (Cignature), Jin, Choi Yoojung (Weki Meki), Chen Linong
