The month of June finally comes to an end this week and as we sit and type out the words for this article, we are reminded about some of the breaking news and events we have shared with our "Top News Of The Week" series this month.

June has no doubt been a very busy month for our favorite K-Pop idols/groups and K-Drama actors, as it would seem that with every passing moment, there is a new story being released.

From marriage announcements to dating news, military enlistments to agency and artists conflicts, drama teasers, jaw-dropping campaigns, and ads, as well as record-breaking achievements by both idols and actors, the first three weeks of June has been a rollercoaster ride of information streaming out of the Korean entertainment industry, and in its 4th week, the month is perfectly wrapped up in a bow as it treats us with a week filled with interesting developments.

From the debut date of a new sub-unit of a famous group to the marriage news of a popular idol and the cast lineup of "Squid Game 2" here are the top news of the week.

 

K-POP NEWS

1. The new MONSTA X sub-unit ShowNu x HyungWon releases the official logo and debut information

SHOWNU X HYUNGWON
OFFICIAL LOGO #셔누 #SHOWNU#형원 #HYUNGWON#몬스타엑스 #MONSTAX #MONSTA_X

▶ https://t.co/kTl7bTsmG3 pic.twitter.com/55UX6SKfzp

— 몬스타엑스_MONSTA X (@OfficialMonstaX) June 26, 2023

The new unit will be making their official debut with the release of their first mini album "THE UNSEEN" on the 25th of July.

 

2. FIFTY FIFTY files an application to suspend their exclusive contract with their agency

The news comes as a shock to fans of the girl group as it's revealed that they are seeking to suspend their exclusive contract with ATTRAKT over a break in trust and unfair labor practices.

 

3. LE SSERAFIM shares dates and stops for their upcoming tour

The famous girl group are gearing up to treat global fans with amazing performances through their tours. It will start in August 2023.

 

4. Highlight's Son DongWoon announces marriage plans

Through a handwritten letter, the famous idol shared that he would be getting married in September. Congratulations to the idol!

 

5. TEEN TOP shares the tracklist for their upcoming album "4SHO"

After their long hiatus, the popular boy group are getting ready to greet fans with new music through the release of their new mini album which is scheduled to drop on the 4th of July.

 

6. Hwang MinHyun to hold mini-concert tours

The acting-dol will be greeting his global fans through his concert tour titled "UNVIEL" starting in August 2023.

 

7. TWICE's JiHyo is confirmed to make a solo debut

 

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A post shared by TWICE (@twicetagram)

JiHyo is officially the next TWICE member who will be making her solo debut as the idol is set to release her first mini album "ZONE" on the 18th of August.

 

8. ATEEZ earns 4th win for 'BOUNCY'

The 'BOUNCY' reign continues as ATEEZ took home their 4th win for the hit track this week. Congratulations to ATEEZ and ATINYs.

 

9. SEVENTEEN's Jun to release new digital single

The idol will be releasing his new digital single "PSYCHO" on the 4th of July.

 

10. ONF members complete their military service

The ONF members are back following the successful completion of their mandatory military enlistment. Congratulations and welcome back!

 

11. Comebacks and new releases

Choi YeNa - 'WICKED LOVE' 

VICTON's Han SeungWoo - 'Dive Into'

T5 - 'MOVE' 

SHINee - 'HARD'

Lapillus - 'Who's Next' 

U-KISS - 'The Wonderful Escape' 

WEi - 'OVERDRIVE'

8TURN - 'EXCEL'

 

12. ONF announces fan meeting

It's a week filled with exciting news for FUSE as ONF announces their first fan meeting in 2023. Titled "BE HERE NOW", the event will hold on the 29th of July 2023.

 

13. BTS' JungKook to release new digital single on the 4th of July

Big Hit Music shared that the famous idol will be releasing a new digital single "SEVEN" on the 4th of July.

 

K-DRAMA NEWS

1. tvN shares new teaser for "The Uncanny Counter 2"

The excitement and anticipation build rapidly for the drama as tvN shares more thrilling posters and teasers ahead of its release. The drama is scheduled to begin airing on the 29th of July.

 

2. SBS confirms the airing date for "The First Responders 2"

Starring Kim RaeWon, Gong SeungYeon, and Son HoJun, the crime thriller drama will begin airing on the 4th of August 2023.

 

3. Netflix unveils more cast members for "Squid Game 2" and shares pictures from script reading

Last week Netflix shared that Yim SiWan, Kang HaNuel, Park SungHoon, and Yang DongGeun will be joining cast members Lee JungJae, Lee ByungHun, Wi HaJun, and Gong Yoo in "Squid Game 2". This week, they shared additional cast members of the upcoming dramas which include Won JiAn, Lee JinWook, Park GyuYoung, Jo YuRi, Lee David, Roh JaeWon, and Choi SeungHyun.

 

4. Netflix shares the first trailer and poster of "D.P. 2"

The thriller starring Jung HaeIn and Koo KyoHwan will be released on the 28th of July.

 

5. JTBC shares script reading for its upcoming drama "Behind Your Touch"

Starring Han JiMin, Lee MinKi, and EXO's SuHo the weekend drama will tell the story of a veterinarian with psychometric abilities & a detective teaming up to solve crimes.

 

6. JTBC shares more stills of upcoming fantasy drama "The Miracle Brothers"

Starring Bae HyeongSeong and Jung Woo the comedy fantasy drama tells the bromance story of two different people, one with mysterious special abilities. The first two episodes have aired.

 

BEST PERFORMANCES THIS WEEK

 

VARIETY SHOW RECOMMENDATIONS

 

Thanks to their stylists, idols always have the best outfits when they're on stage. It is thanks to their talent and those amazing outfits that idols shine so brightly during their performances. Even without being a fan of K-Pop fashion, or just fashion in general, nobody can deny the genius behind many stage outfits worn by idols.

And some colors just have the power to make an idol look outstanding, more than he or she usually is. One color that is always so stunning is blue. Blue is the color of the sky and the seas, such big elements of Earth, how can it not look amazing when an idol wears it? That is why today we'll take a look at 8 K-Pop idols who looked ethereal with their blue outfits.

Note: this is not a ranking

 

1. NCT DREAM's Chenle

Chenle is already stunning with his soft facial features, yet blue is a color that really highlights his charms. And especially here, with this blue T-shirt on top of that sparkling top, Chenle shined bright on stage once again. But the cherry on top had to be his reddish hair in contrast to his blue outfit, this way, Chenle never looked that good.

 

2. NMIXX's HaeWon

HaeWon is already as beautiful as a goddess, yet she keeps prettier each time we see her. Recently she wore a pair of jeans with various shades of blue, along with a blue and white crop top. Her top was quite unique in its center, as it was torn to represent a blue-tinted flower. With such a wonderful outfit HaeWon looked like a blooming flower.

 

3. U-KISS' KiSeop

Even if you're not a fan of U-KISS, you cannot miss out on KiSeop's blue outfit on one of their recent stages. The outfit is white and blue, but the cuts of both the top and pants are so unique, only KiSeop could look that good in it. And just like for Chenle, the red shade of KiSeop's hair highlighted his blue outfit in the best way possible.

 

4. STAYC's Yoon

Yoon always had that cute face, no matter what she wears, but recently, as STAYC won first place with their song 'Teddy Bear', the girls were dressed in super cute overalls on which was hung a little teddy bear. And if they all looked good in it, we found Yoon particularly stunning in it. The light blue of the overalls and white of her T-Shirt really suited her so well, especially with her dark hair put into two little buns, she looked the cutest.

 

5. MIRAE's SiYoung

Recently MIRAE made their comeback with the song 'Jump' which is a perfect summer song. It sounds fresh and energetic, and so looked the members' outfits. Especially SiYoung's outfits for one of their stages, as he wore a light blue shirt with a white pair of shorts. Not only did he look adorable in this outfit, but it was also a super nice summer fit.

 

6. ZEROBASEONE's Kim JiWoong

ZEROBASEONE got all eyes on them during their debut promotion. Stage after stage, they proved their talent and visuals, but they also showed just how much blue was their color. Indeed the group had many stages where the members wore blue outfits. Again, they all looked good, but JiWoong's amazing visuals stroke with this dark blue uniform.

 

7. DKZ's JongHyeong

Recently, a sub-unit of the group DKZ made its debut, and NINE to SIX rocked the stage for a few weeks during their promotion. And JongHyeong also rocked the blue color during this promotion. For one of their stages, he wore a light-blue jacket on top of a see-through shirt, and as expected he looked stunning. And of course, with his bright smile, JongHyeong shined just like the sun on stage.

 

8. DREAMCATCHER's SuA

With their unique concept, DREAMCATCHER is also a group that stunned everyone with their outfit along with their multiple comebacks. Yet, during their last comeback, they showed how blue was such a fitted color for them, especially SuA. With her oversized light blue jacket and her pair of short jeans, she looked amazing. And her long black hair only highlighted her jacket and her fair skin to make her look the prettiest.

 

Blue really is a magical color that only shows the best of our favorite idols, right? Which of these outfits was your favorite? let us know in the comments!

 

On Jun. 28, 2023, boy group U-KISS made their 15th anniversary comeback with their mini album, “PLAY LIST”, and their title song ‘The Wonderful Escape’. Out of U-KISS’ total ten members, SooHyun, Hoon, KiSeop, Alexander, Eli and AJ participated in the comeback. It was the group’s first release in five years and six months and their first time on music show broadcasts in seven years, making the comeback all the more significant for their fans, KISSme. 

Over the years, many of the U-KISS members left the group and led their own lives, both within and outside of the entertainment industry. After leaving the group, Alexander completed a double major in Media and Communications and Business Administration at Korea University. He has also been active as a solo musician, actor, host, model and has appeared in many variety shows. Eli had been working as a manager at his father’s restaurant in the US and is preparing to run a restaurant in Korea. AJ graduated with a psychology degree from the prestigious Columbia University. He also has been active as a solo artist releasing music and competing in the survival show “The Unit” in 2017. Up until the comeback, he had been working as a research assistant for financial analysts in the US. 

Not only was the comeback a meaningful time for KISSme but it also gave the members an opportunity to gather after a long period. Being together again, they were able to talk about past matters, resolve misunderstandings and rekindle their bond. The former members were initially hesitant to participate in the comeback but it has allowed the members to reconnect.

 

Their mini album, “PLAY LIST”

U-KISS’ comeback mini album, “PLAY LIST”, consists of six tracks; ‘Party Tonight’, ‘The Wonderful Escape’, ‘My Favorite’, ‘The Way You Are’, ‘Dear. Mom’ and ‘Memories’. The tracks on the album were intended for easy listening while delivering genuine and relatable messages.

The title song, ‘The Wonderful Escape’, is the perfect song for the hot Korean summer when the heat calls for something refreshing. It is the kind of song that is suited for a poolside party under the warm sun and it has a light and bouncy choreography to match. What makes it even more charming is that it is reminiscent of their iconic 2nd generation sound that makes U-KISS who they are.

 

Music show performances

The fun and bright nature of their title track was expressed in each of their music show performances. Being their first performances in a long time, each of the members gave it their all to bring the energy of summertime and the joy of escaping the stresses of daily life to their fans. Their happiness to perform is visible in their facial expressions and their commitment to the stage.

U-KISS also took fans down memory lane with their performances on “Killing Voice” and “KILLING DANCE”. 

On “Killing Voice”, they sang their most iconic songs including ‘Man Man Ha Ni’, ‘0330’, ‘Standing Still’ and ‘NEVERLAND’.

On “KILLING DANCE”, the members showed that they’ve still got it in them to execute their powerful choreography.

U-KISS also made an appearance on “it’s Live”, the live music show that has become a pillar in showcasing the talent of the Korean music industry with its live band, high-resolution audio and minimalistic stage design.

They also performed a medley of their top hits on “Music Universe K-909”.

 

Radio show appearances

On their radio show appearances, they got the chance to talk about their lives outside of U-KISS, the preparation process for the comeback, their feelings about performing after a long time and their experiences during the promotion period. 

Of their radio show appearances, the most notable was their time on the well known “Cultwo Show”.

 

TikTok dance challenge

U-KISS also hopped onto the TikTok dance challenge trend. Many idols have joined the members to dance to ‘The Wonderful Escape’, the likes of which include MONSTA X’s JooHoney and Lee ChaeYeon. This was the first time that U-KISS has had their own TikTok challenge and they’ve made the most out of the trend. 

갈래! 챌린지 @OfficialMonstaX 🧡

➡https://t.co/ULNMbtMDff
➡https://t.co/EoVeKZMbAb#갈래! #챌린지 #TheWonderfulEscapeChallenge #몬스타엑스 #주헌 #MONSTA_X #JOOHONEY #유키스 #수현 #기섭 #UKISS #SOOHYUN #KISEOP

— UKISS__official (@__UKISS_) June 30, 2023

갈래! 챌린지 @official_LCY 💙

➡https://t.co/GIiMHXMUh4
➡https://t.co/dYaDB3VvGn
➡https://t.co/ZabO2qtEI3#갈래! #챌린지 #TheWonderfulEscapeChallenge#이채연 #LEECHAEYEON #유키스 #훈 #기섭 #UKISS #HOON #KISEOP

— UKISS__official (@__UKISS_) July 3, 2023

Comeback concert in Japan

U-KISS will also be holding their 15th Anniversary Comeback Concert in Japan. They will be performing in Tokyo on Jul. 28 at Zepp Hanada and in Osaka on Jul. 30 at Zepp Namba. As Japan has been key to U-KISS’ career, returning to the country for their concerts should be a memorable moment for the members and the fans.