Saturday, July 4, 2026

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SNSD's Yuri is reportedly approaching the end of her current contract with SM Entertainment.

According to a report by TenAsia on the 4th, her exclusive contract with SM Entertainment is set to expire next month. This marks a notable moment, as SM is the only agency she has ever signed with since her debut.

According to the same report, Yuri is looking closely at companies that focus mainly on managing actors to help grow her acting career. Even so, she fully plans to keep promoting with the SNSD's unit Hyorisoo alongside Hyoyeon and Sooyoung, regardless of which agency she chooses. She is currently reviewing her future from multiple angles before making her final decision on the contract.

Yuri has a remarkably long history with SM Entertainment. Yuri first joined SM Entertainment all the way back in 2001 as a trainee, right after winning 'Best Dancer' at a youth talent competition. She trained for six long years before officially debuting with SNSD in 2007. This means she has been under SM Entertainment's roof for 25 years.

As a key member of SNSD, Yuri helped lead K-pop during it's golden era. The group released legendary hit songs like 'Into the New World,' 'Gee,' 'Genie,' 'Oh!', 'The Boys,' 'I Got a Boy,' and their recent comeback track, 'Forever 1.'

In 2016, she started expanding her acting career and has built a solid filmography since then, starring in hit dramas like 'Innocent Defendant,' 'Good Job,' 'Parole Examiner Lee,' 'Bossam: Steal the Fate,' and more.

SNSD Yuri's contract with SM Entertainment reportedly expires next month

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2AM's Jokwon just confirmed that he and Brown Eyed Girl's Gain (the iconic 'Adam Couple') are still as close as ever.

On the 3rd, Jokwon appeared as a guest in a video uploaded to Cao Lu's Youtube channel, where he got super honest about his time on MBC's 'We Got Married' and where he and Gain stand today. 

During the episode, Cao Lu pointed out how rare it is for couples from the show to actually stay in touch after it ends. Jokwon totally agreed, saying:

"We kept in contact even after the show ended. We don't meet very often, but we check in on each other. If our schedules line up, we'll have a meal or grab a drink together."

 

Jokwon also cleared up the most common misconception about how 'We Got Married' actually worked. He said, "It wasn't scripted like a drama," and explained that only the filming schedules and missions were planned in advance, while most of the dialogue and actions just happened naturally. He recalled:

"When I rewatched the old footage, I realized we actually kissed a lot more than I remembered."

 

He specifically reminisced about their very first kiss on the lips, which happened while they were skating at the Grand Hyatt Hotel ice rink. Naturally, Cao Lu asked the ultimate question: "Do you still kiss when you meet now?" Jokwon actually hesitated for a second, before giving the most honest answer:

"To be honest, if we've been drinking, sometimes we'll give each other a kiss on the cheek."

 

Jokwon also shared that they actually reunited last year, saying, "Our schedules didn't match for a while, but last year we finally met up. We had a meal, grabbed a drink, and even took some photobooth pictures together."

He added, "When I posted them on social media, the reaction was so much bigger than I expected. There were so many articles and comments that I joked to Gain Noona, 'Shouldn't we do something together?'"

For those who didn't know, Jokwon and Gain earned massive popularity for starring in 'We Got Married' back in 2009 to 2010. They even took home the Best Newcomer awards at the 2010 MBC Entertainment Awards. Their fictional marriage has turned into a real-life genuine friendship where they still support each other more than a decade later.

Jokwon shares surprising update on his relationship with Gain

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BIGBANG's Daesung and 2NE1's Sandara Park just exposed the hilariously tragic dating culture at YG Entertainment compared to SM Entertainment, and it's pure gold. 

On the 3rd, a new video titled 'Digging through YG's vault: The endless blessing of behind-the-scenes stories' dropped on Daesung's Youtube channel, ZIP Daesung. This episode was a special treat for long-time fans as former YG Family labelmates Se7en, Sandara Park, and Gong Minzy all came together to chat and look back on their old days at the agency.

While they were reminiscing, Daesung mentioned how close everyone used to be, saying, "Back then, we were all constantly together, bickering and having fun. There was great chemistry between everyone."

That's when Se7en decided to playfully tease them and asked, "Did anyone have a 'Some' with someone back then?" For those who are unfamiliar with the term, 'Some' is the popular Korean slang for that heart-fluttering, flirty stage right before two people officially start dating.

Daesung immediately put Dara on the spot, asking, "Noona, was there anyone? Be honest." Sandara denied it right away with a firm "No." She then pointed at an old photo of the YG Family lineup and joked, "Who was even there? Here?" which made everyone in the room burst out laughing. 

But the conversation got even more interesting right after that. Sandara pointed over to a group photo of SM Entertainment artists and said, "But if you look over there..." 

Daesung didn't even hesitate and jumped right in, saying, "There were a lot over there. It was paradise," and Se7en backed him up, adding, "From what I could tell, that place was heaven for people having 'Some.'"

Daesung then brought up an interesting rumor he had heard, "From what I've heard, they even encouraged people to date within the company if they were going to date anyone, because then they could manage it."

Meanwhile, Dara kept it real, replying, "Well, for us... There had to be someone to date in the first place." Even Minzy chimed in, stating, "There were none. Absolutely none."

Wrapping up the hilariously dry dating era, Daesung joked, "That's probably why people had no choice but to call us talented. We couldn't afford to get distracted."


Daesung, Sandara Park, Minzy, and Se7en compare the dating culture between YG and SM Entertainment

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Actor Lee Junyoung is opening up about the worst parts of his early career.

At the end of the broadcast of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' that aired on the 1st, they dropped the preview for the next episode featuring him. In the clip, he gets super honest about the cold treatment and hurtful stereotypes he encountered while transitioning from an idol to an actor. 

When host Yoo Jaesuk asked him, "What was the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to you?" Lee Junyoung revealed that someone actually told him:

"'Don't cause trouble for the actors.'"

 

He opened up about how people questioned his acting skills and even assumed he'd be a burden to the production and his co-stars simply because he was an idol. 

He also recalled the hardships he went through in his unknown years, sharing a story he's rarely ever spoken about:

"I was working part-time at a convenience store, and my manager came in to buy cigarettes. I was so embarrassed that I cried a lot."

As soon as that emotional preview aired, the internet went into full detective mode trying to figure out who said that to him. Speculations immediately pointed toward novelist So Jaewon, but he quickly refuted the rumors. 

On the 2nd, So Jaewon took to his social media to clarify everything, saying:

"I'm not the person who said that to actor Lee Junyoung."

He also explained, "It's true that Lee Junyoung appeared in one of my works. It was in 2018, when he was just beginning his acting career. I think that's why people misunderstood." In fact, the two actually worked together on the 2019 OCN drama 'Class of Lies,' which was adapted from So Jaewon's novel of the same name.

He added, "I have never said anything that degrading to any actor," and strongly criticized the people flooding his DMs with abusive messages based on speculations, calling their behavior 'extremely reckless.' He concluded:

"If what I'm saying isn't true, then Lee Junyoung or his agency is free to take action against me."

For a quick recap, Lee Junyoung first entered the entertainment industry in 2014 as a member of U-KISS, and later promoted with the group UNB. 

He started his acting career in the 2017 drama 'Avengers Social Club' and has since built up his filmography by starring in dramas like 'Class of Lies,' 'Good Casting,' 'Please Don't Date Him,' 'Imitation,' 'D.P.',  'Let Me Be Your Knight,' and more.

Right now, he is starring as the lead in JTBC's weekend drama 'Reborn Rookie,' where he plays two roles at once: a wealthy company chairman who gets into an accident and wakes up in the body of a young soccer player, forced to return to his own company as a rookie employee.

Lee Junyoung shares the most hurtful comment he received as an actor

Friday, July 3, 2026

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Super Junior's Choi Siwon has taken a legal action against malicious commenters online.

On the 3rd, it was confirmed that Siwon has filed lawsuits against individuals targeting him with malicious comments. He actually managed to unmask these anonymous users by getitng their private personal information directly through a U.S. court.

According to an exclusive report by Sisa Journal, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California officially granted Siwon's application for pretrial discovery on the 2nd. This legal approval targets 10 specific anonymous users across overseas platforms like X and Youtube.

If you aren't familiar with the term, discovery is a legal proedure that allows someone to gather evidence they need from the opposing side or third parties before the actual trial starts. 

Since these platfoms are based in the U.S., Siwon's legal side petitioned the U.S. court to order them to hand over the users' real names, dates of birth, and addresses. His lawyers sargued that because the comments were written in Korean and the account data pointed overseas, there was no reason to believe any of these anonymous users were American citizens or living in the U.S.

The U.S. court completely agreed and granted his request. The judge explained that the First Amendment's free speech protections do not apply to foreign citizens living outside the U.S. Since the malicious comments targeted a South Korean resident and there was no proof the accounts belonged to Americans, the court ruled that ordering the companies to share the user data would not violate anyone's constitutional rights. Now that Siwon has obtained this private information, he can easily move forward with his lawsuits and claim damages in South Korea.

So, how did this whole mess even start? According to court records, Siwon had been dealing with a constant wave of malicious comments ever since former President Yoon Sukyeol declared martial law back on December 3.

The online attacks got much worse in February after Yoon Sukyeol was sentenced to life in prison during his first trial on insurrection charges. Right around that time, Siwon posted a Bible verse on his social media alongside a Chinese idiom that means, 'The unjust will inevitably perish, collapsingcompletely like crumbling earth and shattered roof tiles.'

The public viewed this as a political statement. While it sparked a lot of controversy, it also led conservative Youtuber Jeon Han-gil to pulicly speak up and express support for Siwon.

After that post, X and Youtube were flooded with thousands of hateful comments attacking Siwon's political views, religion, appearance, and career. Some netizens left comments like 'Leave Super Junior,' 'If you want to do politics, become a politician,' and 'Are you clinging to the idol title just for the money?', while others took low blows by attacking his religious beliefs.

Siwon was clearly not having it. By May, he filed a civil lawsuit against 10 of these individuals at the Seoul Central District Court, seeking major damages for defamation and insult.

His agency, SM Entertainment, is fully supporting him. In February, SM Entertainment released a statement, saying:

"We have recently confirmed the continued and repeated posting of malicious content, including personal attacks and insults, targeting our artists. We take these matters very seriously."

The agency also added that they will continue to collect evidence of the creation and distribution of false information, as well as posts that mock their artists across online communities and social platforms. After reviewing everything, they plan to gradually expand their criminal complaints and legal actions against anyone targeting their artists. 

Super Junior's Choi Siwon wins U.S. court approval to unmask malicious commenters

Thursday, July 2, 2026

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SOURCE: (1) 어도어 "민희진, 뉴진스 라이브 방송 지시했다" (2) "민희진, 뉴진스 라이브 방송·'전속계약 해지선언'까지 지시"

The ongoing legal battle between ADOR, NewJeans, and former ADOR CEO Min Heejin (who is now the CEO of OOAK Records) just took an absolutely wild turn.

On the 2nd, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Agreement Division 31 held the third hearing for ADOR’s damages lawsuit against Danielle, her family, and former ADOR CEO Min Heejin.

ADOR is suing them for alleged breaches of exclusive contract, and while they originally demanded 43.1 billion KRW, they’ve trimmed it down to 33.09 billion KRW. To back up the case, ADOR just dumped a mountain of evidence claiming that Min Heejin orchestrated a scheme to lure the girls away from the label. According to ADOR, Min Heejin was actively encouraging the members to terminate their contracts while she was an internal director and kept doing it even after she stepped down.

ADOR submitted a transcript from September 2, 2024 to the court. In it, Min Heejin allegedly persuaded the NewJeans’ members’ parents to push forward with that sudden emergency livestream they did. Her exact words were apparently:

“We need to create evidence for the contract termination lawsuit.”

It turns out that Min Heejin originally wanted to be in the livestream herself, but she explicitly stated that she had to remain completely separate from it because of tampering risks, which ADOR argues proves she knew exactly how legally dangerous her involvement was. About ten days later, the girls held the livestream demanding Min Heejin to be reinstated as CEO. This completely contradicts everything Min Heejin said before about trying to stop the members from doing the livestream.

ADOR also claims that around October 20, 2024, Min Heejin was aggressively pushing the parents to terminate the contracts. She promised them that even in the worst-case scenario, they wouldn’t suffer from any financial disadvantages and promised that if they left HYBE, she would personally prepare compensation to cover any potential lawsuit costs. ADOR slammed her for this, calling it ‘unthinkable behavior’ for someone who was serving as an internal director at the time

ADOR also submitted chat logs between Min Heejin and the parents from March 2025, where she allegedly told them:

“Let’s demand things ADOR can’t possibly accept and record the conversation.”

She followed them up by saying, “We need to get them to reject requests they were never going to agree to anyway. It’s not that we actually want to negotiate, we just need to build a justification or not going back.”

ADOR claims that even after losing their initial injunction case, Min Heejin was telling the parents of Minji and Danielle to use these exact tactics to create circumstances that would justify the girls not returning to ADOR.

The court also shed light on how deep Min Heejin’s hands were in the legal paperwork. During an injunction hearing on March 7, 2025, Min Heejin allegedly instructed NewJeans’ legal team to write:

“Please add that the debtor mocked us through their words and actions.”

This specific note was tied to the infamous ‘ignore her’ incident, where NewJeans’ attorney argued a BELIFT Lab manager told other artists to ‘ignore her and walk past’ Hanni, leading to a massive online hate toward ILLIT.

However, the court actually looked at CCTV footage and KakaoTalk messages and concluded that the phrase ‘ignore her’ didn’t even come from Hanni, but it was first introduced by Min Heejin.

When Hanni told Min Heejin that she thought she heard the manager say to ‘just pretend not to know her and walk past,’ Hanni literally added, “I don’t remember the exact wording, but it was something like that.” Min Heejin replied, “‘Ignore her’? Is that what they said?” The court noted that Hanni even admitted that one of the ILLIT members avoided eye contact but another actually greeted her, meaning the group did greet her, and the whole narrative was spun by Min Heejin.

Even after losing the injunction case, ADOR claims Min Heejin completely went rogue and led NewJeans’ into independent entertainment activities. She allegedly produced their performance at ComplexCon Hong Kong, created new music, set up NJZ profile photoshoots, and arranged a solo pictorial for Danielle.

Regarding ComplexCon, ADOR noted that Min Heejin directed the choreography, styling, and merch. They also revealed that she was set to receive US$500,000 as the event’s producer, which is significantly more than the $US350,000 all five NewJeans members were going to make combined. ADOR explained:

“It appears they considered to write this up as a separate consulting service contract, but abandoned the idea because it could be disadvantageous in future lawsuits, so they rolled it into the members’ contracts instead.”

To top it off, ADOR also submitted evidence that showed Min Heejin personally editing an email to the organizers asking them to block ADOR staff from entering the venue. This happened just two days before the concert, right after the court had legally ruled that ADOR’s contract with NewJeans was still 100% valid, leading ADOR to send staff over to support the girls’ performance.

Previously, Min Heejin’s side has consistently denied all allegations of ‘NewJeans tampering.’ In press conferences and other public statements, they’ve repeatedly maintained that ‘CEO Min Heejin bears zero responsibility for any alleged tampering regarding NewJeans.’

ADOR submits new evidence alleging Min Heejin masterminded NewJeans' contract termination strategy

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'Teach You a Lesson' star Kim Muyeol and his wife, Yoon Seungah, just shared the absolute cutest stories about their son, Won.  

During the broadcast, his wife Yoon Seungah also revealed that apparently, this tiny human already fully knows what 'protein' means. In the episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' that aired on the 1st, Yoon Seungah shared:

"Our son knows the word 'protein.' Since his dad eats protein every single day, he also knows that eating protein helps you build muscles."

Recalling the time when Kim Muyeol was bulking up for a role, Yoon Seungah exposed him and said that he drinks blenderized chicken shake. She said: 

"There was even a chicken-based shake. They even have a strawberry-flavored one. Watching him drink it made me think 'Wow, he really goes through so much.' I guess that's why Won naturally came to associate protein with muscles." 

 

Apart from learning some advanced vocabularies like 'protein,' Won is also super protective of his dad. Kim Muyeol shared a hilarious new trend that has taken over his son's kindergarten class:

"My son just turned three recently. One thing that's been making me especially happy lately is that there's a new catchphrase going around his class: 'Won's dad.'"

Kim Muyeol explained that when he visited his son's kindergarten, one of the kids spotted him and excitedly shouted, "Won's dad!" Sparked by a wave of jealousy, Won immediately shouted back even louder, "Won's dad!' to assert that Kim Muyeol was his father. He added:

"Then it spread like a competition, so now whenever I go to pick him up, all the kids in the class would shout, 'Won's dad!'"

Having publicly confirmed they were dating in 2012, Kim Muyeol and Yoon Seungah got married in 2015. Eight years later, they welcomed their beloved son, Won, in June 2023.

Kim Muyeol and Yoon Seungah share adorable stories about their son, Won

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THE BOYZ's Q (Ji Changmin) is officially making his acting debut with his very first lead role. 

MBC Plus just announced that his upcoming drama, 'My Idol, My Debut,' is set to premiere on July 16. The drama's main poster and teaser trailer were just dropped at noon today (the 2nd) through MBC every1's official Youtube channel ALL THE K-POP and the Idol Champ app. 

The drama follows the time-traveling, coming-of-age story about a passionate fan who slips eight years into the past. She becomes an idol trainee in a desperate race against time to change destiny and prevent a tragic accident from happening. 

Furthermore, the production team is using an 'expanded IP model' for the project, which means the fictional idol group featured in the drama is actually going to release real music and perform on stage.

The main teaser starts off with Han Jaeha (played by Ji Changmin), a key member of this massive popular boy group called Boy the Moon, performing on stage, delivering this line: "Back in school, there was someone who gave me courage."

But then, the mood shifts instantly when Han Jaeha is violently attacked by an assailant right in the middle of the performance and collapses on stage covered in blood. Despreate to rewrite history, his ultimate fan, Choi Aeni (played by Hwang Jia), time-travels from 2026 back to 2018 to save his life.

If you want to watch the drama, the domestic and international broadcast schedule is officially set. Episodes 1 and 2 will be available on MBC DramaNet at 11.30 PM (KST) on July 16, followed by Episodes 3 and 4 at the same time on July 23. If you miss those, MBC M will air the episodes individually at 10.30 PM (KST) on July 21, 22, 28, and 29. The drama will also be available in Japan on Lemino, while viewers in South Korea can watch it on Wavve, TVING, and Watcha shortly after the episodes air on TV.

THE BOYZ's Q officially makes acting debut as lead in 'My Idol, My Debut'

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Ok Taecyeon is officially making a cameo appearance in SBS' new Friday-Saturday drama 'Agent Kim Reactivated.'

If you haven't started watching 'Agent Kim Reactivated' yet, the drama follows the story of an ordinary father who transforms into a highly dangerous man to rescue his only daughter. 

The drama just premiered on June 26, and the ratings are already insane. With just two episodes, it reached a peak nationwide viewership rating of 18.1%. It also topped the charts by scoring a peak 20-49 demographic rating of 7.17%, ranking No. 1 across every single network and genre that week.

Anyway, back to Taecyeon. He is playing Park Youngkwang, a powerful supporting character who teams up with Manager Kim (So Jisub) for some high-stakes, life-or-deat action scenes. The newly released stills of his special appearance are already everywhere, and they look incredible. 

The production team shared that Taecyeon used his athletic build and high energy to perfectly nail the special forces training and deployment scenes, making everything look immersive. Even though it's just a short appearance, it's expected to be the highlight of the episode, especially with the awesome bromance chemistry between him and So Jisub.

Taecyeon also shared his excitement, saying:

"I was so excited to have the opportunity to act alongside So Jisub Sunbaenim. That's why I decided to join without any hesitation."

He added that the vibe on set was incredibly welcoming, mentioning, "Everyone was so considerate that I had an amazing time filming. I was truly happy to be part of 'Agent Kim Reactivated.' I hope viewers will enjoy all the different sides the drama has to offer."

2PM's Ok Taecyeon to make special cameo in 'Agent Kim Reactivated'

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NewJeans' Haerin and Hyein were recently spotted filming a mysterious new project.

Recently, a netizen posted a video on social media with the caption 'Ran into NewJeans by chance' and it's quickly spreading everywhere. In the clip, Haerin and Hyein were seen hanging out and chatting, but the real giveaway is the staff members holding cameras right next to them, which makes it pretty clear that they are officialy working on something.

This comes exactly two months after Haerin and Hyein were spotted all the way in Denmark back in April. At first, everyone assumed it was just a trip for the two of them, but it turns out that Hanni was actually there with them too, which immediately sparked comeback rumors.

At the time, ADOR put out a statement to calm everyone down, explaining:

"The visit to Copenhagen was part of the pre-production process for NewJeans' new musical narrative. The members are preparing for activities according to their individual conditions, and future plans will be officially announced at the appropriate time."

This new sighting is such a big deal because of the intense legal drama the group has been dealing with lately. Back in November 2024, the members declared their contracts with ADOR terminated and began independent activities. After losing their initial lawsuit to confirm the contract termination, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni decided not to appeal and return to the agency. 

Meanwhile, ADOR officially terminated Danielle's contract in December 2024 and hit her, one of her family member, and former ADOR CEO Min Heejin with a massive lawsuit seeking around 43.1 billion KRW (roughly $27.7 million) in damages.

On the other hand, Minji is still reportedly negotiating the specific terms of her own to return to ADOR. Her decision will ultimately determine whether NewJeans moves forward as a four-member or a three-member group. While ADOR is keeping tight-lipped about her status, they did celebrate her birthday on NewJeans' official account back in May, leading fans to speculate that she has essentially returned to the group.

NewJeans' Haerin and Hyein spotted filming mysterious new project in the U.S.

Rising girl group RESCENE is driving massive numbers online after being appointed as honorary ambassadors for Gyeongju City. 

According to the city officials on the 2nd, promotional campaigns featuring RESCENE has completely gone viral, reaching over 3.27 million combined views in just 10 days.

The city government dropped two short-form videos that netizens online are absolutely obsessed with, largely because they love how approachable and friendly the city officials made everything look by fully embracing internet culture and memes.

The first one titled 'We'll keep doing the Para Para dance until RESCENE comes' was posted back on June 22. It was a total teaser meant to spark curiosity before the official ambassador announcement. It parodied Minami's viral 'Para Para dance' to show how hyped the city was for the group to arrive. It reached 1.38 million views in total (660,000 on Instagram and 730,000 on Youtube).

Following that up on June 29, the second video quickly pulled 1.88 million views across Youtube and Instagram uner the title 'Gyeongju Ya~ho~ RESCENE has arrived as Silla Princesses.' It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the staff from Gyeongju City's Public Relations Office personally traveling all the way to Seoul to hand-deliver the official honorary ambassador appointment certificates straight from Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nakyoung to the girls. 

If you want to see how the whole fun, chaotic process actually went down, you can watch the full behind-the-scenes video on Gyeongju City's official Youtube when it drops on July 10.

Mayor Joo Nakyoung even put out a statement to celebrate, saying:

"We sincerely thank all the citizens who have shown so much interest in and support for RESCENE. Going forward, we will continue delivering city news in an easy and entertaining way through a variety of social media content."

 

For anyone new to RESCENE, they originally debuted back in March 2024. They've been getting a lot of attention lately, especially with a huge surge in popularity coming from member Woni's Youtube channel. On top of that, 'LOVE ATTACK' which was released back in August 2024 has made a surprise comeback, blowing up online nearly two years after its release. 

RESCENE's promotional campaigns for Gyeongju City goes viral with over 3.27 million views in just 10 days

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Cha Eunwoo is making headlines with a major life update from the military. It has been reported that he officially received Catholic baptism last month.

His agency, Fantagio, quickly confirmed the news, stating:

"It is true that Cha Eunwoo was baptized into the Catholic Church in June."

Right now, Cha Eunwoo is serving in the Ministry of National Defense's military band. He reportedly attended a baptism ceremony held on base as part of the military's routine religious activities. His official Christian name is now John the Apostle.

This news is causing a huge stir online because he has never publicly identified with any religion before. This marks his first step as a Catholic, and he did it all while quietly doing his time in the military. As a quick refresher, he enlisted in July last year and is scheduled to be discharged in January 2027.

Previously in January, Cha Eunwoo got heavily embroiled in allegations of tax evasion. The National Tax Service launched an intensive audit into the one-person agency established by his mother, questioning whether it operated as a paper company to alter income distribution. As a result, Cha Eunwoo was hit with a notice for a massive additional income tax assessment. 

Cha Eunwoo didn't drag it out, though. After getting the assessment notice, he paid the full additional tax bill of 13 billion KRW (which is around $8.3 million) back in April, completely wrapping up the legal tax procedures. Since then, he has just been quietly focusing on his service.

Cha Eunwoo officially baptized as a Catholic during military service

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Singer Dawn shocked everyone with his thoughts on leaving the industry.

On the 30th, Dawn made a guest appearance on the TEO Youtube show 'Salon Drip' alongside NCT127's Johnny and casually dropped a major hint about his five-year plan. When host Jang Doyeon asked if he had already planned his retirement, he straight up answered:

"I'm thinking about trying it within the next five years."

Hearing that, everyone on set was completely stunned. Jang Doyeon told him, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Why would you make a plan like that?" which just made Dawn laugh and ask, "Why? Is that not allowed?"

When Jang Doyeon pointed out that retirement is an incredibly major life decision, Dawn explained that he doesn't look at it that way, saying:

"I don't see it as something that heavy. Within the next five years, I might discover another new dream. I love dreaming up new things."

This whole conversation actually started when he was breaking down his stage name. He explained that he chose 'Dawn' because the Chinese character 'Hyo' (曉) in his real name, Kim Hyojong, literally means dawn.

"At first, I thought I had chosen the wrong name. Whenever I searched 'Dawn' on portal sites, so many unrelated results came up. I regretted it."

However, his persepective completely flipped because of his retirement plans. He added with a smile:

"But now, I actually like it. It means I'll disappear from searches more quickly."

He also openly admitted that when he does finally retire, he wants people to forget him quickly, noting, "Thinking that way made me feel that it would be nice for my name to disappear quickly."

Looking back, Dawn originally debuted in 2016 as a member of Pentagon, where he was active as both a rapper and a producer. He even participated in creating their massive hit song, 'Shine.' Later on, he formed the iconic project unit Triple H alongside Hui and Hyuna. After transitioning into a solo artist, he went on to release songs including 'MONEY,' 'DAWNDIDIDAWN,' and 'Dear My Light.'

Dawn reveals he may retire from the entertainment industry within five years

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2AM's Jokwon just had the most honest, unfiltered conversation about money with TVXQ's Max Changmin, 2PM's Jun.K, and GOT7's Jay B in the latest video posted on 'Saego_F5' Youtube channel on the 30th.

It all started off when Changmin asked the three former JYP artists about their very first paychecks. The contrast between how they started out vs. how the system works now is actually insane. 

Jokwon dropped the biggest shocker, revealing that his first-ever paycheck after debuting was 240,000 KRW (which is only about $154 today). He explained how brutal the old contract system was:

"I trained for about eight years. Back then, trainees had to repay the company for every single cent invested in them out of their earnings." 

He continued, "Around 2008, right after I debuted, the Korea Fair Trade Commission changed the rules so companies had to absorb those trainee investment costs. However, until Jun.K and I debuted, those costs were still our responsibility."

Because of that debt, Jokwon didn't receive his paychecks until exactly three years after his debut. During those three years, he was literally everywhere. He had become hugely popular through his iconic 'Kkap Kwon' character and 'We Got Married.' He said:

"I remember my first settlement statement perfecly because it was the first time it didn't have a minus sign. It was 240,000 KRW. Even though it was tiny, I was incredibly grateful."

He added, "The very next day, I ran straight to a mobile phone store to pay my phone bill with money I had earned myself for the first time."

Jun.K had a slightly different experience. He trained for about four years, which was the longest among the 2PM members. He said, "Thankfully, 2PM received a ton of attention right from our debut song, '10 Out of 10," but added:

"But we barely received any paychecks for about two years. I think I got my first paycheck around 'I'll Be Back' or 'Without You' promotions. It was about 5 million KRW (which is around $3,220 now)." 

Meanwhile, Jay B had a much smoother financial start because he debuted after the Fair Trade Commission rules had already changed. He recalled:

"After getting my first paycheck, I talked it over with my parents and decided to save it all in one account instead of spending it. I still manage my money the exact same way today."

 

Hearing all these stories, Changmin couldn't help but realize how different things were over at SM Entertainment. He said:

"Thinking about it now, our first paycheck was actually quite large."

He admitted that because he didn't really have anything specific he wanted to buy at the time, he simply gave all of that money straight to his parents.

Honestly, hearing them look back on those early idol days makes you realize just how much the industry has evolved. I mean, imagine being one of the biggest stars on TV and only taking home enough to cover your phone bill.

Jokwon reveals he didn't receive a paycheck until three years after debut: "It was 240,000 KRW (~$154)"