Top Korean News Of The Week: Blackpink’s Comeback Confirmed, HYBE Rejects NewJeans’ Plea To Reinstated Min Hee-Jin
The K-pop and K-drama world have been abuzz for the past few days! While Blackpink teased new music, SEVENTEEN‘s Jeonghan and NCT’s Jaehyun announced their enlistment. Missed out on the important news? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Stray Kids’ Felix is UNICEF Korea’s new Goodwill Ambassador. The rapper, who has donated over 150 million won to aid children and visited Laos to do volunteer work with UNICEF, was selected as the new ambassador to mark the Korean committee for UNICEF’s 30th anniversary. Expressing his joy, Felix shared, “I decided to take on the role of a UNICEF Korea Goodwill Ambassador because I want to protect the pure happiness of all children. I am grateful for the love I’ve received from fans, and with that love as my strength, I want to give my all in sharing love with children.”
THE BOYZ’s contract with their current label IST Entertainment is set to expire in December 2024. According to media outlet Ten Asia, the group does not plan to resign with IST Entertainment and is contacting labels that satisfy their musical vision while also having a transparent system as their top priority. In response to the report, IST Entertainment said, “The exclusive contract with THE BOYZ has not expired yet. We plan to continue discussions with the members.”
On September 27, LANEIGE announced that BTS’ Jin had been appointed as their newest global ambassador. The BTS star, who was chosen as an ambassador for his “healthy confidence, bright energy and positive impact,” expressed his joy after being appointed. “I’m happy to be working with LANEIGE for my first beauty model activity. I hope to show a great image with LANEIGE, which is loved globally, so please look forward to it,” he said.
On September 26, SEVENTEEN’s Jeonghan officially began his military service as a social service agent. On the same day, NCT’s Jaehyun announced his enlistment date. SM Entertainment released a statement that read, “NCT’s Jaehyun applied to the Army Band and received a notification of acceptance from the Military Manpower Administration today. Accordingly, he is scheduled to enlist as an active duty soldier on November 4 to fulfill his mandatory service.”
GFRIEND is confirmed to reunite for their 10th debut anniversary. The girl group’s former label Source Music shared, “Next January, GFRIEND will be meeting fans with a project to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut. This project was planned through the members’ desire to present precious memories to the fans. Please look forward to it and support us.”
On September 25, HYBE/ADOR finally responded to NewJeans’ demand to reinstate Min Hee-jin as ADOR’s CEO. “ADOR resolved to convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to reappoint Min Hee-jin as an internal director at today’s board meeting,” the label stated, before adding, “However, the ADOR board of directors discussed and decided that the request for her to return as CEO is currently not acceptable.”
Blackpink have a lot in store for their fans! Lisa is set to release her third single following her departure from YG Entertainment, while Jennie will be making her highly-awaited return to the music scene on October 11 with a new song. Additionally, Rosé, who recently signed a deal with Atlantic Records, has been teasing her solo comeback via her new Instagram account vampirehollie.
Furthermore, YG Entertainment confirmed that Blackpink would making a comeback in 2025. With this, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa will be making a group comeback after three-long years. The girl group will also be kicking off their third world tour next year.
