Thursday, July 9, 2026

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Actor Kim Youngdae has officially been selected to join the Republic of Korea Army's military band.

If you missed the news, he enlisted as an active-duty soldier back on April 20 and completed his basic military training at the Korea Army Training Center. Right after finishing the training, he took the army band selection test at the end of June, and he successfully passed. Now, he has been assigned to his official post, serving as a member of the 12th Infantry Division's military band. 

What makes this news even more interesting is that the 12th Infantry Division is the exact same place where NCT's Doyoung is currently serving as a drill instructor. Since they are both '96-liners, fans are so excited to see them ending up in the same division together. 

Looking back at his career, he made his official debut in 2017 through a web drama 'Drama Special: The Expiration Date of You and Me' before shooting to fame and gaining massive recognition through hit dramas like 'Extraordinary You' and 'The Penthouse.' He stayed incredibly busy with back-to-back projects all through last year and early this year before finally heading to the army. For those who are counting down the days until his return, Kim Youngdae is scheduled to be discharged in October next year.

Kim Youngdae to join NCT's Doyoung in the 12th Infantry Division after passing army band audition

RESCENE just accomplished what many thought was impossible for a small agency.

As of 10 PM (KST) on July 8, their track 'Love Attack,' climbed all the way to No. 1 on the Melon's TOP100 chart, which is South Korea's biggest music streaming platform. What makes this so wild is that the song actually came out in August 2024, which means it finally hit the top spot nearly two years after it was first released. 

And the hype doesn't stop there. The track is quickly taking over every other major Korean music streaming platform too, locking in No. 3 on Melon's daily chart, No. 3 on FLO, No. 4 on the Genie Music TOP200 real-time chart, No. 5 on Genie's daily chart, and No. 4 spot on both Bugs' real-time and daily charts.

To top it all off, RESCENE actually just dropped a new remake single called 'Pretty Girl' on the exact same day, and the response from the public is wild. Right after it came out, 'Pretty Girl' debuted at No. 1 on Melon's HOT100 chart and flew straight to No. 4 on the main TOP100 chart. On other platforms, it reached No. 2 on Bugs' real-time chart and No. 11 on Genie Music TOP200.  

Because everyone is loving them right now, their previously released tracks like 'Pinball' and 'Deja Vu' have also started climbing back onto the music charts, keeping their momentum going strong.

The whole thing happened so fast that it completely caught the members off guard. Later that day, the girls held a quick, surprise livestream on their official channel. They literally rushed in front of the camera wearing baseball caps right before their next schedule, completely unable to hide their emotions. Bursting into tears, they told fans:

"We were asleep when we heard we reached No. 1. We immediately turned on this livestream. It really feels like a dream."

They poured their hearts out to their fans, adding, "It's all thanks to our fandom, Remine, who stayed up streaming for us until dawn. Thank you for giving us the confidence to walk proudly wherever we go." Trying to hold back the rest of their tears, they laughed and said, "If we cry any more, we'll be in trouble. We have to go get ready for our music show performance now," before ending the stream with endless gratitude. 

Honestly, RESCENE has been steadily growing their fanbase for a while now with their unique concept and style, but this huge moment just firmly established them in the eyes of the general public. Up next, RESCENE is set to perform 'Pretty Girl' for the first time on M Countdown on July 9.

RESCENE tops Melon TOP100 with 'Love Attack' nearly 2 years after release

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Lee Junyoung looked back on his early days with U-KISS and got incredibly honest about his career struggles on the episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' that aired on the 8th. 

Lee Junyoung joined U-KISS as a new member back in 2014. To get ready for the stage with the rest of the group, he had to quickly memorize the choreography and lyrics for over 20 songs right before his debut. But it turned out that hard work was nothing compared to what came next.  As the group's domestic promotions started to decline, he was forced into a long hiatus. He admitted:

"When I watched the big year-end award shows, my friends were up on stage receiving cheers from the crowd. I kept wondering, 'We are in the same line of work, so why am I just sitting here instead?'"

 

With U-KISS on a long break and no individual schedules coming in, he wasn't making any money at all. To get through the tough financial times, he secretly started working the night shift at a convenience store right near his house. 

The hardest, most heartbreaking moment came one night when he unexpectedly ran into his own manager. He recalled:

"My manager came in to buy cigarettes, and I was so embarrassed. I never wanted him to find out. I couldn't say a word, and I just cried my eyes out."

It gets even more emotional. He later found out that after his manager drove him home that night, the manager was so heartbroken that he cried in the car too. 

Despite having to work a part-time job just to make ends meet, Lee Junyoung refused to give up on his dreams. During that tough hiatus, he decided to try acting. Without any connections, he had to find scripts on his own and teach himself how to act from scratch.  He confessed:

"Becoming an actor wasn't easy either. I failed more than 100 auditions. But I endured because I believed I just had to keep moving forward. I survived by telling myself, 'You can't let yourself get exhausted. You have to keep going.'"

 

And thank God he did, because his hard work completely paid off. He gradually built a strong acting career, starring in hit dramas and movies like 'Mask Girl,' 'When Life Gives You Tangerines,' 'Weak Hero Class 2,' and more. To top it all off, his latest drama 'Reborn Rookie,' recently wrapped up with a nationwide viewer ratings of 13.6%. Following this project, he is officially set to enlist in the military on the 21st.

Former U-KISS' Lee Junyoung reveals he secretly worked at a convenience store during career slump

Wednesday, July 8, 2026


Lee Joon got incredibly honest about his past relationships in the latest episode of JTBC's 'Love War' that aired on the 7th. 

While the cast was discussing a story about a man struggling because his girlfriend wouldn't stop bringing up marriage, Lee Joon blurted out, "I can relate to him 100%," catching everyone's attention. This led Lee Hyori to ask him, "Have you ever had a girlfriend who pressured you to get married?" Lee Joon replied:

"Quite a few. Every time they talked about marriage plans, I felt like my heart was being squeezed. It really hurt, and I felt a lot of pressure." 

He explained that while he understands where they're coming from, constant talk about marriage only makes the pressure build up until it becomes unbearable. He even confessed that he has broken up with someone in the past simply because he wasn't ready for marriage, saying:

"I don't think it's right to make promises you can't keep. Saying you'll get married just because you're in a good mood or because you want to smooth things over at the moment is just irresponsible."

In this episode, Lee Joon also opened up about his dating style. He revealed that when he argues with a partner, he focuses strictly on facts rather than emotions. He said, "Even if my girlfriend cries, I calmly explain the facts."

He also made it clear that he has some very strict dealbreakers, noting, "I don't think I could date someone with extreme mood swings or someone who completely cuts off communication after a fight. I like somoene I can trust."

Interestingly, he explained that even though his MBTI personality type heavily leans toward T, he turns into a total softie when he's actually with his girlfriend. He admitted, "My voice gets higher when I'm talking to my girlfriend." 

Previously, Lee Joon dated actress Jung Somin for around three years. The two originally met on the set of the 2017 drama 'My Father is Strange.' The couple officially announced their breakup back in 2020. 

Lee Joon confesses he broke up with an ex-girlfriend over marriage pressure

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TWICE's Sana is officially making her acting debut on the big screen, taking on her very first acting role 11 years after she first entered the entertainment industry as an idol.

On the 8th, Korean media outlet OSEN exclusively reported that Sana recently received an offer to star in the upcoming film 'Nyangi' (working title). Her agency, JYP Entertainment, immediately confirmed the news:

"Sana has confirmed her appearance in the new film 'Nyangi'."

 

'Nyangi' is a major Korea-Japan co-production, and Sana will star as the female lead alongside famous Japanese actor Takeru Satoh. It will be directed by Kwon Hyukchan and produced by Korean companies Cokes and NPIO, along with Japan's JACON. Filming is set to begin in Japan later this year, and the entire production crew will consist of Korean staff members.

For anyone unfamiliar with Takeru Satoh, he is best known for playing the lead role in the famous Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies and has a huge fanbase in Korea thanks to hit shows like Netflix's 'First Love' and the Japanese adaptation of 'Marry My Husband.' Because he is known as a master of romance, fans are incredibly excited to see his on-screen chemistry with Sana. 

Meanwhile, Sana's shift into acting is a big step for the group. Since their debut in 2015, TWICE has kept all nine original members without any changes. Even after ten years together, they are still incredibly popular worldwide. Recently, the members have started expanding their personal careers alongside their group music activities, with Dahyun, Jeongyeon, and now Sana leading the way. 

However, group activities are not stopping anytime soon. TWICE is currently in the middle of their 'THIS IS FOR' world tour, and they will be holding their final encore concerts from the 10th to the 12th at the KSPO Dome. 

TWICE's Sana confirmed to make her acting debut alongside Takeru Satoh

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

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Former MOMOLAND member Hyebin recently spilled how the K-pop industry actually works financially.

On the 6th, Hyebin posted a video titled 'Why Idols Don't Make Money' on her Youtube channel and completely stripped away the glamorous illusion of idol life. She started off by saying, "It's been over 10 years since I became an idol. A lot of people wonder how much idols earn," and added:

"People think idols make a lot of money, but that's not the case."

Then, she broke down the infamous trainee debt system. A lot of people assume that trainee life is totally free, but Hyebin clarified that unless you are lucky enough to be at a Big 4 major agency, it absolutely isn't.

She explained, "While you're a trainee, the company charges you for your lessons, meals, housing, and even practice room rentals. In simple terms, it's a 'pay later' system. So when you make your debut, you already owe them hundreds of millions of KRW," and added:

"People think you'll start making money once you debut, but you only do if you become successful."

To show what it's actually like, Hyebin revealed that even though MOMOLAND won first place on a music show just two years after debuting thanks to their hit songs 'Bboom Bboom,' 'BAAM,' and 'Thumbs Up,' it didn't immediately turn into profits. She admitted:

"At the time, we were called 'the miracle of a small agency idol group,' but that didn't mean we were making money yet."

The math behind it is honestly crazy. Hyebin broke down the financial structure, explaining, "Basically, idols split all expenses with the company. That includes song production, music videos, managers' salaries, gas, hair, and makeup."

Hyebin also revealed that a single music video can easily cost hundreds of millions of KRW. She explained, "The company pays half, and the other half is divided among the members." She confessed that because of this system, she ends up being responsible for tens of millions of KRW every time she films a music video.

She even broke down how festival and event appearances work, and the math is incredibly depressing. Hyebin described how income from these shows is divided, explaining, "Even if an idol group receives around 50 million KRW (which is around $32,700) for an event, you first split that with the company, then divide the rest among the members."

After subtracting for the hidden costs behind every performance, the actual money she takes home shrinks drastically. She revealed, "After taking out hair, makeup, styling, meals, transportation, and other expenses, I end up taking home about 2 million KRW (which is around $1,308) per event."

To make matters worse, that small chunk of event money doesn't even stay in your pocket. Hyebin added, "That money gets reinvested into the next music video."

It took MOMOLAND two years to finally hit it big, and during that time, they filmed four music videos. "The company probably invested billions of KRW in us," she explained. Because of how the system works, the members don't see any of that cash upfront. She revealed:

"We don't receive settlements until the members have paid back all of that investment."

Reflecting on just how intense the industry is, Hyebin dropped some real numbers, saying:

"Among the general public, only the top 1% become trainees. Of those trainees, only the top 1% debut. And among those who debut, only the top 1% actually make money. I wasn't part of that 1%."

Sharing an update on her life today following MOMOLAND's official disbandment in 2023, Hyebin revealed, "Right now I don't have much work, so I'm doing YouTube. YouTube has become my new job."

Meanwhile, MOMOLAND actually held a fan meeting in Japan this past March while trying to balance their own solo projects and group activities. 

Former MOMOLAND's Hyebin shares the financial reality behind K-pop idol life

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2PM's Nichkhun recently shared how far he went to change his image because of comments he read online. 

On the episode of SBS' 'AGJ' that aired on the 6th, the 2PM members (Jun. K, Nichkhun, Ok Taecyeon, Jang Wooyoung, and Hwang Chansung) showed up as a full-group and dropped some funny, honest stories from behind the scenes. 

The hosts brought up Nichkhun's legendary visuals from the group's debut era back in 2008. They looked at his old photos and talked about how much attention his looks received at the time. Wooyoung also agreed, mentioning, "We were completely amazed by his visuals back then." 

However, the conversation took a very blunt turn. Host Tak Jaehoon asked Nichkhun, "People have been teasing you lately for gaining weight." Lee Sangmin also asked, "I wanted to ask that too. Why have you gotten so chubby?"

Nichkhun replied, "A video of me from a while ago recently resurfaced on Youtube. If you watch it, I look like a completely different person compared to how I look now." He explained:

"At the beginning of the year, I didn't have many schedules, so I decided to go back home to Thailand and ended up eating way too much."

He continued, "After seeing that, I thought, 'Wow, I really am getting older.'" Apparently, he was so shocked by how much attention his weight gain was getting online and decided to take action.

"Right before our recent concert in Japan, I lost weight by eating only three eggs over the course of three days."

The recent discussion about his weight started in May, after 2PM's official YouTube channel uploaded a new video. Fans noticed his fuller appearance compared to before, and it quickly became a popular topic on online communities.

But honestly, Nichkhun looks great now as 2PM is celebrating their 18th debut anniversary this year. The full group is scheduled to meet fans at their '2026 2PM Concert 'THE RETURN' in INCHEON' this coming August at the Inspire Arena.

Nichkhun opens up about the comments he received online because of his weight gain

Monday, July 6, 2026

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Actor Jisoo's school bullying scandal back in 2021 caused absolute chaos, and the mess from his sudden exit from the KBS drama 'River Where the Moon Rises' is finally over, but it's costing his old agency a fortune. 

According to the legal community on the 6th, Jisoo's former agency, KeyEast, withdrew their final appeal to the Supreme Court back on June 25. Because they dropped the fight, the previous court decision is now final, meaning KeyEast has no choice but to pay the drama's production company, Canvas N (formerly Victory Contents), a staggering 880 million KRW (which is around $573,900) in damages.

To understand why the damages were so high, it helps to look back at the situation behind the scenes when the bullying allegations first surfaced online. Jisoo admitted to some of the accusations and voluntarily stepped down from the show while it was literally still airing. 

The biggest issue was that filming had already been finished all the way through episode 18 of the 20 episodes. Since they had no choice but to reshoot everything, the production company brought in Na Inwoo at the last minute to replace him and save the show. 

They had to re-film almost the entire series while keeping up with the broadcast schedule. Na Inwoo took over starting from episode 7, and they reshot everything from that point forward. Once things finally calmed down a bit, they went backward and re-filmed episodes 1 through 6 just to keep the whole show consistent. 

Because of the massive extra costs, Canvas N sued KeyEast for 3 billion KRW (which is around $1,957,200). They argued that they suffered severe financial losses from having to redo everything from scratch, including extra staff costs, location and equipment rental fees, cast fees, art department expenses, and a ton of other production costs. 

The legal battle went back and forth for a while. At first, the court agreed with the production company and ordered KeyEast to pay 1.42 billion KRW (which is around $926,400). But then, when the case went to a higher appeals court, that amount was cut down to the final 880 million KRW. 

Since Canvas N wasn't happy with that reduction, they tried to take it to the Supreme Court, but the court completely dismissed their request. Now that KeyEast has also dropped its own appeal, this long legal battle is officially over, leaving the agency with a very expensive bill.

Jisoo's former agency ordered to pay 880 million KRW over his sudden exit from 'River Where the Moon Rises'