KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

KPOPWORLD #3

KPOPWORLD #2 (Poster Version)

TNX (an acronym for The New Six) is a five-member boy group under P NATION. Originally debuting as six members, the group was formed through the SBS survival program LOUD, a collaboration project between J.Y. Park and PSY. They officially debuted on May 17, 2022 with their first mini album Way Up. The group’s lineup was finalized during the finale of LOUD in 2021, where Kyung Jun, Tae Hun, Hyun Soo, Jun Hyeok, Hwi, Sung Jun, and Tanaka Koki were selected for P NATION’s upcoming boy group. However, in January 2022, P NATION announced that Tanaka Koki would not debut with the team in order to continue training, leading the group to debut as six members under the name TNX. On their debut day, they also introduced their fandom name THX, meaning “Together with TNX.” Following their debut, TNX continued building their discography with releases such as Love Never Dies, Boyhood, and the digital single &quot;Fuego&quot;, while also participating in the survival competition Road to Kingdom : Ace of Ace in 2024. During this period, member Jun Hyeok temporarily paused activities due to anxiety before later returning to the group. In October 2024, it was announced that member Kyung Jun would enlist in the military and depart from the group following the completion of his service, reducing TNX to five members. The group continued activities with releases including the mini album For Real? in 2025 and the digital single &quot;Call Me Back&quot; in 2026, maintaining their growth under P NATION.

TNX는 4년 동안 퍼포먼스로 이름을 쌓아왔다. "Die Another Day"를 통해 그들은 그 이름을 전혀 새로운 곳에서 찾고자 했다

TNX, 록·라이브 보컬·그리고 물러서지 않겠다는 태도에 대해 말하다

K-pop을 넘어, P-pop 같은 동남아시아 장르가 국제적인 주목을 받고 있다. 그 흐름을 이끄는 보이그룹 SB19는 왜 그런지 직접 보여주기 위해 San Antonio를 찾는다.

KPOPWORLD Festival Spotlight: SB19

Jay Park는 첫 KPOPWORLD Festival의 헤드라이너를 맡는다. 그의 이야기를 알고 있다면, 이 섭외가 얼마나 완벽한지 금방 이해할 수 있다.

KPOPWORLD Festival Spotlight: Jay Park

두 번째 KPOPWORLD Festival 헤드라이너인 인디 록 밴드 The Rose는 신선한 진정성을 선보인다

KPOPWORLD Festival 스포트라이트: The Rose

WHIB is a seven-member boy group under C-JeS Entertainment, consisting of members Kim Junmin, Haseung, Jinbeom, UGeon, Leejeong, Jaeha, and Wonjun. Originally an octet, they debuted on November 8, 2023, with the single album Cut-Out. The group was first teased in November 2021 as the trainee group M.I.C, which stood for “Made in C-JeS.” On September 7, 2023, it was revealed that the group would debut as an eight-member group under the name WHIB, along with introductions to the new members. In 2025, members LeeJeong, Junmin and Wonjun competed on the Mnet survival show Boys II Planet, ranking 12th, 13th, and 62nd, respectively. On October 16, it was announced that member Inhong had departed from the group. WHIB released their first mini album, ROCK THE NATION, on January 29, 2026.

WHIB

모든 것을 완벽하게 해내야 한다는 필요에 이끌리던 그는 이제 자신의 강점을 믿고, 자신만의 스타일을 찾으며, 더 자유롭게 과정을 즐기는 법을 배웠다

WHIB의 WONJUN과의 인터뷰 – 자신을 믿는 법을 배워가는 완벽주의자

Wonder Girls were a girl group formed by JYP Entertainment, debuting in February 2007. The group — whose most well-known lineup included Sunye, Yeeun, Sohee, Yubin, and Hyerim — became one of the defining acts of second-generation K-pop. Their 2007 single &quot;Tell Me&quot; sparked a national dance craze in South Korea, with the retro choreography being replicated everywhere from schools to military barracks. Follow-up hits &quot;So Hot&quot; and &quot;Nobody&quot; were equally massive. Wonder Girls made history as the first K-pop group to enter the Billboard Hot 100, with &quot;Nobody&quot; charting in 2009 during their ambitious attempt to break into the American market. While their U.S. promotions had mixed results, the group&#x27;s pioneering efforts helped pave the way for future K-pop acts in the West. In their later years, Wonder Girls reinvented themselves as a self-playing band, releasing the critically acclaimed album &quot;Reboot.&quot; The group disbanded in 2017, but their legacy as trailblazers in K-pop&#x27;s global expansion is firmly established.

Wonder Girls

Sunmi는 "Forever July"에서 특유의 강렬한 에너지 대신 한층 부드러운 분위기를 꺼내 든다. 이 곡은 불면, 비, 그리고 끝내 완전히 답하지 못하는 질문을 중심에 둔다.

'Forever July'에서 Sunmi, 여름 팝 대신 여름비를 택하다

4년간의 침묵 끝에, Choi Yoojung이 자신이 정확히 무엇을 겨냥하고 있는지 밝히며 그 침묵을 깼다. "Perfect Target"은 그녀가 직접 작사·작곡한 첫 번째 곡이다

4년 후, Choi Yoojung은 마침내 자신의 완벽한 타깃을 말하다

K-EXPO INKIGAYO는 82MAJOR, Hearts2Hearts, Stella Jang, MONSTA X, NCT WISH의 에너지 넘치는 무대와 Taemin의 압도적인 피날레로 세대를 아우르는 강렬한 라인업을 선보였다

K-EXPO INKIGAYO in Paris: K-Pop의 과거와 현재가 같은 무대에 섰던 순간

ATEEZ is an eight-member boy group formed by KQ Entertainment, consisting of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. They debuted in October 2018 with Treasure EP.1: All to Zero, launching a pirate-and-treasure storyline that gave their early music a cinematic frame. ATEEZ stood out because their performances felt oversized in the best way. Even before they had the company power of larger labels behind them, the group built attention through intense facial expressions, full-bodied choreography, live-stage energy, and songs designed to explode in concert. &quot;Wonderland,&quot; &quot;Answer,&quot; &quot;Guerrilla,&quot; &quot;Bouncy,&quot; and &quot;Crazy Form&quot; all show that instinct for scale: big chants, dramatic builds, and a sense that every chorus is meant to be shouted back. The members&#x27; roles support that theatrical style. Hongjoong anchors the group as leader and producer, Mingi gives the rap line a deep tone, Jongho brings unusually strong high notes, and San, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, and Wooyoung shape much of the performance identity. ATEEZ&#x27;s fanbase, ATINY, became known for strong international support, helping the group grow from a smaller-agency act into a major global touring name. ATEEZ&#x27;s significance comes from proving how far performance identity can carry a group when it is consistent. Their concepts can be loud, dark, playful, or rebellious, but the core remains theatrical and physical. They made intensity feel like a worldview, not just a comeback style.

ATEEZ

ATEEZ는 6월 28일 BST Hyde Park의 Great Oak Stage 헤드라이너로 오른 세 번째 K-pop 아티스트가 됐다. 앞서 헤드라이너를 맡았던 BLACKPINK와 Stray Kids는 이후 유럽 스타디움 헤드라이너로도 무대에 올랐다.

BST Hyde Park의 ATEEZ: 완전히 자격을 갖춘 헤드라이너 슬롯

SHINee is a boy group formed by SM Entertainment, debuting in May 2008 with &quot;Replay.&quot; The group consists of Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, and Taemin. SM promoted them as a &quot;contemporary band,&quot; a phrase that fit their role as trendsetters in music, choreography, styling, and performance. SHINee&#x27;s catalog moved quickly from the smooth youthfulness of &quot;Replay&quot; into sharper electronic pop and hybrid performance tracks. Later records like &quot;View&quot; and &quot;1 of 1&quot; showed how far they could push taste while staying accessible, bringing deep house, retro R&amp;B, and fashion-conscious presentation into mainstream idol pop. Their dances were often technical without feeling stiff, and their vocals gave even experimental tracks a polished center. The members built unusually strong individual identities: Onew as a warm vocalist, Jonghyun as a songwriter and one of K-pop&#x27;s most expressive singers, Key as a style and variety standout, Minho as an athletic performer and actor, and Taemin as a solo performer whose work influenced later idols. Jonghyun&#x27;s death in 2017 remains an important and painful part of SHINee&#x27;s history, and the group&#x27;s later activities are often understood through both grief and continuity. SHINee&#x27;s fandom is known as Shawol. Their legacy is deep because they were not only popular; they were influential in ways that became part of K-pop&#x27;s basic vocabulary. Later groups inherited their emphasis on difficult choreography, distinctive styling, strong solo identities, and the idea that idol pop could be both polished and genuinely adventurous.

SHINee

BST Hyde Park에서 전설적인 TAEMIN은 6월 28일 Great Oak Stage에 두 번째로 올라, ATEEZ의 헤드라이닝 무대를 앞두고 공연을 펼쳤다. 그는 지난 10년간 가장 잘 알려진 솔로 K-pop 타이틀곡들로 구성된 40분 세트리스트를 선보였다

BST Hyde Park의 TAEMIN: 아이돌의 아이돌은 이렇게 보인다

TOMORROW X TOGETHER, often shortened to TXT, is a five-member boy group under BIGHIT MUSIC. The group consists of Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai. They debuted in March 2019 with The Dream Chapter: Star, becoming BigHit&#x27;s first boy group after BTS and immediately attracting heavy attention. TXT&#x27;s early identity centered on youth, friendship, imagination, and the strange emotional weather of growing up. Instead of debuting with a hard-edged performance image, they leaned into brightness, fantasy, and vulnerability on songs such as &quot;Crown,&quot; &quot;Run Away,&quot; and &quot;Blue Hour.&quot; That made the group feel distinct within fourth-generation boy-group trends, especially because their storytelling often treated adolescence as magical, confusing, and a little unstable. As their catalog developed, TXT added sharper pop-rock, emo, and dance influences through songs like &quot;0X1=LOVESONG,&quot; &quot;LO$ER=LOVER,&quot; &quot;Sugar Rush Ride,&quot; and &quot;Chasing That Feeling.&quot; The members&#x27; strengths map cleanly onto that evolution: Soobin&#x27;s calm leadership, Yeonjun&#x27;s performance charisma, Beomgyu&#x27;s color, Taehyun&#x27;s vocal focus, and Huening Kai&#x27;s bright tone all help the group move between softness and intensity. TXT&#x27;s fandom is known as MOA, short for Moments of Alwaysness. The group&#x27;s significance is tied to how carefully they built a coming-of-age identity across albums, videos, and performances. Rather than defining themselves through a single sound, TXT became a group about transition itself: childhood into adulthood, fantasy into reality, and polished idol pop into something more emotionally restless.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER

TOMORROW X TOGETHER는 "7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns"에서 지금까지 그들 자신처럼 들린 적이 없다. 긴박함을 고요함으로 바꾸고 테크노가 가미된 전자음악 프로덕션에 기댄 이번 작품은 그룹이 이제껏 해온 어떤 시도와도 다르다.

TXT, 여덟 번째 미니 앨범으로 가시까지 안고 여전히 서 있다

JUSTB, formerly stylized as JUST B, is a South Korean six-member boy group under Bluedot Entertainment. They debuted with their first mini album, Just Burn, marking the beginning of their activities in the music industry. The group was formed following the transfer of several PlayM BOYS trainees to Bluedot Entertainment, with the full lineup revealed sequentially ahead of debut. Prior to their official launch, the members engaged with fans through early promotional content and live audio interactions, building anticipation for their debut. They officially debuted with Just Burn, followed by their first single album Just Beat later that year. In 2022, they continued to expand their discography with their second mini album Just Begun and third mini album = (Neun), further developing their musical identity. In 2023, the group launched the “JUST Be with you” project, collaborating with other artists and releasing various digital and special singles, including “Camellia” and I Luv You Merry Christmas. They also released their fourth mini album ÷ (Nanugi), showcasing continued growth in both concept and sound. In 2024, they released the English digital single “Daddy’s Girl” and participated in the project group The CrewOne alongside ATBO. During this period, member Siwoo temporarily suspended activities before later returning. In 2025, the group released the digital single “Still I Luv You,” followed by additional releases including a digital album and English singles. They also adopted the stylization JUSTB and continued their activities with further music releases, including their fifth mini album Snow Angel, accompanied by a pre-release track.

JUSTB

JUSTB의 첫 유럽 투어가 런던에 상륙했고, Islington Assembly Hall을 마치 아레나처럼 느껴지게 만들었다

JUSTB의 AQUA HALO 투어: K-팝에서 가장 쿨한 팀의 등장

IZ*ONE was a twelve-member project girl group formed through the Mnet survival show &quot;Produce 48,&quot; a collaboration between Korean and Japanese entertainment industries, debuting in October 2018. The group combined members from Korean agencies and Japan&#x27;s AKB48 system, including future stars Jang Wonyoung, An Yujin, Kim Chaewon, and Miyawaki Sakura. Their debut mini-album &quot;COLOR*IZ&quot; broke sales records for a K-pop girl group at the time. During their two-and-a-half-year contract, IZ*ONE became one of the best-selling girl groups in K-pop history, with releases like &quot;La Vie en Rose,&quot; &quot;Violeta,&quot; and &quot;Fiesta&quot; achieving critical and commercial success. Despite the &quot;Produce&quot; series vote manipulation scandal casting a shadow over their formation, the group&#x27;s talent was undeniable. IZ*ONE disbanded in April 2021 as planned, but their members went on to lead some of the biggest acts in K-pop&#x27;s fourth generation, including IVE, LE SSERAFIM, and more. Their fandom, WIZ*ONE, remains active and nostalgic.

IZ*ONE

YENA의 "Catch Catch"는 2세대 K-pop을 정확히 잘 살린 곡이다

BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Music in 2010 and debuting on June 12, 2013, with the single album &quot;2 Cool 4 Skool&quot;. The group consists of seven members: RM (leader), Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The name BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan (“Bulletproof Boy Scouts”), reflecting the group’s original concept of resisting societal expectations and criticism aimed at youth. Members RM, Suga, and J-Hope have played significant roles in songwriting and production throughout the group’s career. BTS first gained widespread attention with the [The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 era], particularly the single I Need U, which earned the group their first Korean music show win in 2015. Their international breakthrough followed with releases such as Wings and the Love Yourself series. In 2018, &quot;Love Yourself: Tear&quot; became the first album by a Korean act to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The group achieved further global success with singles including &quot;Dynamite&quot;, &quot;Butter&quot;, and &quot;Permission to Dance&#x27;&quot;, all of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. BTS is among the best-selling artists in South Korean history and has received numerous international awards, while also participating in global initiatives such as the UNICEF Love Myself campaign. Between 2022 and 2025, BTS paused full-group activities as the members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. The last member, Suga, was discharged in June 2025, marking the completion of service for all seven members. Following their reunion, the group confirmed they were preparing a new album and world tour for 2026. Their tenth studio album, &quot;ARIRANG&quot;, recorded between July and November 2025, was released on March 20, 2026, marking their first group release in more than three years. The album will be supported by the Arirang World Tour, beginning in April 2026.

2026년 3월 20일 BTS의 오랜만의 완전체 컴백을 앞두고, 밴드의 백카탈로그를 시대별로 되짚어봅니다

BTS 회고: Proof 재검토

EVERGLOW is a South Korean girl group under CHXXTA Company, currently consisting of E:U, Sihyeon, Onda, and Aisha. The group debuted under Yue Hua Entertainment on March 18, 2019 with &quot;Bon Bon Chocolat,&quot; arriving as a six-member team that also included Mia and Yiren. From debut, EVERGLOW was built around scale: large choruses, high-impact choreography, and music videos designed for global replay. &quot;Bon Bon Chocolat&quot; gave them immediate international attention, while &quot;Adios&quot; turned that early interest into a clearer group identity. Their first music show win with &quot;Adios&quot; helped establish them as one of the more visible performance-driven girl groups of the late 2010s. The group&#x27;s sound often favors EDM, electro-pop, and dramatic girl-crush production, but their best-known moments work because the songs give each member a strong visual and performance role. Tracks like &quot;Dun Dun,&quot; &quot;La Di Da,&quot; and &quot;First&quot; pushed different sides of the same image: cinematic, confident, and built for stages where the hook and choreography land together. EVERGLOW entered a transition period after their contract with Yue Hua ended in 2025, with Mia and Yiren not continuing in the current four-member lineup. The fandom is known as FOREVER. The CHXXTA era continues the group after a major reset, while the original six-member history remains central to how EVERGLOW became known.

EVERGLOW

EVERGLOW가 “CODE”로 돌아왔다 – YUEHUA Entertainment와 결별한 후 CHXXTA 소속 4인조로 발표하는 첫 작품이다

EVERGLOW, “CODE”로 통제된 혼돈 속에서 재부팅하다

BLACKPINK is a four-member South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. They debuted on August 8, 2016 with Square One, led by &quot;Boombayah&quot; and &quot;Whistle,&quot; and arrived as YG&#x27;s first new girl group after 2NE1. From the beginning, the group was presented less as a large idol ensemble and more as four sharply individualized performers, each with a distinct vocal tone, visual identity, and public role. The group&#x27;s name captures the tension that became central to their image: &quot;black&quot; for a harder, more self-assured edge and &quot;pink&quot; for glamour, playfulness, and pop accessibility. Their music often builds around that contrast. Jennie and Lisa&#x27;s rap sections give many songs a clipped, percussive center, while Jisoo and Rosé&#x27;s vocals provide melodic lift and emotional color. This structure made BLACKPINK songs easy to recognize even across different producers, languages, and markets; the group could move from the spare whistle hook of their debut to the maximal drops of &quot;DDU-DU DDU-DU&quot; and still feel like the same act. BLACKPINK&#x27;s rise was also shaped by scarcity. Compared with many idol groups, they released relatively few songs in their first several years, which made each comeback feel closer to an event than a routine promotional cycle. That strategy had tradeoffs, but it concentrated public attention on a small set of songs, videos, styling choices, and stage moments. Tracks such as Kill This Love, How You Like That, Pink Venom, and Shut Down became reference points for a global-facing K-pop style built around impact, visual clarity, and immediately repeatable hooks. Their international growth came from more than chart performance. BLACKPINK connected K-pop&#x27;s idol system with the language of global pop, luxury fashion, digital fandom, and festival stages. They were the first Korean girl group to perform at Coachella in 2019 and returned in 2023 as the first K-pop act to headline the festival. Collaborations with Western pop artists, major fashion-house relationships, and an unusually large YouTube and social-media footprint helped make the members visible to audiences who did not necessarily follow Korean music closely. As individual artists, all four members developed major careers in music, acting, fashion, and brand work, making BLACKPINK one of the clearest examples of a modern K-pop group whose group identity and solo identities reinforce each other. After renewing with YG for group activities, the members&#x27; individual paths became more independent while BLACKPINK remained active as a shared brand and performance unit. Their significance is not only that they broke records, but that they helped normalize a model where a K-pop girl group could operate simultaneously as an idol act, a global pop project, and a set of four standalone celebrity careers. The fandom is known as BLINK.

BLACKPINK

거의 네 해 만에 완전체 프로젝트 없이 지나온 뒤, BLACKPINK는 DEADLINE으로 돌아왔다 — 기대감만큼이나 사운드로도 형성된 다섯 트랙의 EP다

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