Author: Samar Khouri

A Beijing court sentenced Kris Wu a 13-year prison term on Friday after finding him guilty of crimes, guilty of sexual offenses, including rape, a year following his arrest in China. The former member of K-Pop group EXO was also convicted of assembling a crowd to engage in promiscuous activities, according to the Beijing Chaoyang District People’s Court. The 32-year-old Chinese-Canadian singer will also be deported at the end of the sentence. On Friday local time, the court said the man, also known as Wu Yifan, raped three women from November to December 2020. From November to December 2020, investigation…

A two-day Hallyu experience event titled ‘Hallyu Com-on: K-VIBE’ will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 26 and 27. The Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) Abu Dhabi organized the event in collaboration with Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi and Emirati Korean Hallyu Association (TEKA). Conducted by Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), the forthcoming event is part of a project to support Korean Hallyu community activities overseas. Visitors will experience traditional events, from playing Korean archery to making kimchi, as well as busking performances by Korean sibling duo ‘HARRYAN YOONSOAN’. They will cover songs ‘At My Worst’ by Pink Sweat,…

Tomorrow X Together—also known as TXT—made their first red carpet appearance at the 2022 American Music Awards (AMAs) in Los Angeles. Members Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai opted for coordinated, black and white Saint Laurent outfits. TXT is nominated for Best K-Pop Artist, alongside other high-profile acts such as BTS, SEVENTEEN, TWICE. and BLACKPINK. The boy bands are signed under the same entertainment conglomerate, Hybe Corporation. The quintet recently won Best Asia Act at the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards. BTS wins BTS won the Favorite K-pop Artist award — the first category dedicated to the K-pop genre in…

Jung Kook has released new single “Dreamers” featuring Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup soundtrack. The BTS member will also perform the new song at the 30-minute opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The track joined other official songs for the 2022 FIFA soundtrack, including “Tukoh Taka” by Myriam Fares, Nicki Minaj, Maluma, and “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” by Davido, Aisha, and Trinidad Cardona. iTunes domination, team visit The song topped the region’s iTunes charts, particularly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Egypt, Qatar, and Bahrain. On Saturday, Jung Kook…

BTS has notched nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards, becoming the first K-Pop act to receive a nomination for three years in a row. The septet grabbed nods for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for ‘My Universe’ with British rock band Coldplay, the Recording Academy announced. This marks BTS’ third nomination in the category. Coldplay’s album ‘Music of the Spheres,’ which includes the band’s collaborative single with BTS, is vying for the Album of the Year award. Members RM, j-hope, and Suga are credited as songwriters. ‘Yet to Come,’ the main single off BTS’ latest anthology album ‘Proof’, is also…

BLACKPINK and Seventeen have received two awards each at this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards. The girl group was awarded the Best Metaverse Performance for its virtual in-game concert, “The Virtual,” while member Lisa grabbed the Best K-pop award. Seventeen took home trophies for Best New and Best Push.

Jung Kook will perform at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar later this month. “Proud to announce that Jungkook is part of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Soundtrack & will perform at the World Cup opening ceremony. Stay tuned!” Big Hit Music tweeted. The youngest BTS member arrived in the country last month and was spotted filming at various locations. Earlier this year, BTS joined Team Century, the official ambassador team of ‘Goal of the Century,’ a campaign by Hyundai Motors, which is one of the official sponsors of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The opening…

BVNDIT has parted ways with management agency MNH Entertainment after three years. MNH Entertainment announced in a statement that Jungwoo, Seungeun, Simyeong, Songhee, and Yiyeon terminated their exclusive contracts last month, after a series of in-depth discussions. Members Seungeun and Simyeong also confirmed the news on their personal Instagram pages. BVNDIT — which stands for “Be ambitious and do it” — debuted as a five-member group in 2019, with EP ‘Bvndit, Be Ambitious’ and debut single ‘Hocus Pocus.’ MNH Entertainment is also home to soloist Chungha. The agency’s first-ever girl group was commonly known as “little sister group of Chungha.”…

BTS is the most popular K-Pop artist in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in March-June 2022 on Spotify, the music streaming service revealed. Based on April 2022 data, most K-Pop streamers in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE are between 18-24 years of age. BTS dethrones TOMORROW X TOGETHER, or TXT, the male quintet from the same music label as BTS, also made it on the ranking, placing as the fifth top act in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. JYP Entertainment’s all-male group Stray Kids landed second in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and third in Egypt. Its bandmates…

Mashiho and Bang Ye-dam have left the band Treasure and YG Entertainment. “After a long and careful discussion with Mashiho and Bang Ye dam was mutually agreed to conclude the contracts between the two and YG Entertainment,” the agency has announced on fan community platform Weverse.   The reason for Mashiho’s departure is so he “could have enough time to recover from his health condition,” whereas Bang is choosing to “pursue his career as a producer.” Treasure will now be active as a 10-member group: Choi Hyun-suk, Jihoon, Yoshi, Junkyu, Yoon Jae-hyuk, Asahi, Haruto, Doyoung, Park Jeong-woo and So Jung-hwan. “Knowing…