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  • TWICE to Headline Historic Solo Shows at Japan’s National Stadium

    TWICE will make history next April as the first foreign act to headline a solo concert at Japan’s National Stadium in Tokyo.

    The group’s agency announced on the 7th through its official Japanese SNS channels that TWICE has added new dates to their sixth world tour “THIS IS FOR,” confirming three solo shows at the National Stadium on April 25, 26, and 28 in 2026.

    The concerts will be staged in a massive 360-degree full-seating format, accommodating approximately 80,000 attendees per show and an estimated total of 240,000 across all three dates. This marks the first time a foreign artist will perform a standalone concert at the National Stadium.

    In September, TWICE drew a total of 400,000 attendees during their Japan dome tour, part of their ongoing world tour, affirming their status as one of the strongest ticket-selling K-pop girl groups. Their declaration at the final Tokyo Dome show—promising to “step onto an even bigger stage”—has now become a reality with this unprecedented National Stadium announcement.

  • CHICOR Opens New Hongdae Store Following Myeongdong Launch

    CHICOR will open its Hongdae store on the 11th in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, with a floor area of approximately 495㎡.

    Earlier on the 5th, the brand also opened a new 330㎡ store in Myeongdong, further expanding its footprint in major commercial districts.

    Both stores showcase one of the largest lineups in Korea, featuring around 230 beauty brands. The selection includes popular names such as TIRTIR, JUNGSAEMMOOL, and d’Alba, alongside rising brands like dasique, ARENCIEL, and isoi, allowing customers to experience a full spectrum of K-beauty trends. The Myeongdong store, known for its high volume of foreign visitors, highlights CHICOR’s strengths with a “Lip & Cheek Bar” and dedicated zones for skincare, perfume, and hair-body categories.

    The first floor of the Myeongdong store features a “Lip & Cheek Bar” offering over 20 lip and cheek products, presenting an interactive way to explore the latest makeup trends. The second floor includes skincare, perfume, and hair-body zones designed to accommodate the preferences of international shoppers.

    The Hongdae store presents a “K-Perfume Station” on the first floor with over 20 Korean fragrance brands, reflecting the rapid growth of the perfume market. The store layout continues with a makeup and tools zone on the second floor and a skincare-focused third floor.

    Both branches offer 1:1 K-makeup services and CHICOR’s “Beauty Lab,” where AI scalp diagnostics are available. To celebrate the grand openings, special gifts and promotional discounts will be offered based on purchase amounts.

  • Jungkook and Winter Dating Rumors Spread, Agencies Remain Silent

    Recently, various online communities and social media platforms have been buzzing with evidence related to the dating rumors between BTS’s Jungkook and aespa’s Winter.

    Netizens have pointed to several items as evidence to support the dating rumors, such as similar tattoos featuring three dog faces in the same spot, matching shorts, slippers, bracelets, in-ear monitors, and other accessories. Additionally, they highlighted that both Jungkook and Winter had their nails done on their ring fingers just one day apart.

    Further fueling the rumors, reports resurfaced about Jungkook visiting aespa’s concert during his military service. It’s been noted that Jungkook had never attended concerts of other girl groups under HYBE’s labels, which has led to speculation about a special relationship between the two.

    However, both BigHit Music (Jungkook’s agency) and SM Entertainment (Winter’s agency) have remained silent on the issue.

    This silence from the agencies has led many to speculate that the lack of denial could be seen as an implicit acknowledgment of the relationship.

  • Netflix’s K-pop Demon Hunters Pop-Up Opens in Seoul

    The official Seoul pop-up for Netflix’s animation K-pop Demon Hunters opened on the 3rd in Seongsu-dong, offering an immersive offline experience that expands the show’s universe into a physical space.

    The pop-up spans three entire floors, each connected as one continuous world-building journey.

    On the third-floor showroom, visitors can experience the product concept before the main tour begins. The second floor features themed OST zones such as “How It’s Done” and “Soda Pop,” along with various exhibition and interactive areas that deepen immersion into the full storyline. On the first floor, guests can pick up purchased items, customize keyrings and patches, and conclude their visit at the “Golden Stage,” where they complete “혼문 (Honmun),” the core narrative of the universe.

    The pop-up also includes multiple special events.

    These include a stamp mission where collecting four stamps earns visitors an exclusive “Deopy Balloon” reward, a random draw event for emoji purchasers, and a photo frame zone where fans can take pictures with characters from the animation.

    BeMyFriends, Netflix’s official partner overseeing the pop-up, stated, “Since this is being held in Seoul, the birthplace of K-POP, we prepared meticulously to showcase the essence of K-POP fandom culture.” They added, “This pop-up isn’t just an exhibition, but a fully integrated fan-experience space that combines platform, merchandise, and on-site events. We mobilized all our global fandom business expertise to create a deeper connection between the show and its fans.”

  • Digital Photocard Tickets Rise as the New K-POP Concert Trend

    A new trend is taking hold in the K-culture boom: concert tickets are becoming collectible goods.

    The digital photocard ticket, which merges a photocard-style design with NFC-based digital technology, is rapidly spreading across KPOP concerts, combining convenience, high collectible value, and anti-counterfeiting features into a new ticket culture.

    These tickets contain an encrypted NFC chip that allows entry with a simple tap. Since audience information is verified through a central system, reissuance is possible, solving the limitations of traditional paper tickets. Fans have praised the tickets, saying they are “easy to store,” “valuable as memorabilia,” and “pretty,” acknowledging their appeal as goods.

    The technology is being adopted not only for large-scale concerts featuring BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, and NCT DREAM, but also for fan meetings for various singers and actors, expanding rapidly across the market. Ticket developer Booster Lab Co., Ltd. stated that annual card issuance has increased two to threefold, with adoption expanding into Japanese concerts as well. The company plans to further extend the technology into musicals, exhibitions, and sports events.

    Whether digital photocard tickets will bring new innovation to the performance market is now a key point of interest.

  • New Landmark: Incheon’s Record-Breaking Bridge to Open Soon

    A new route connecting the city and nearby islands is about to be unveiled in Incheon. Set to open early next year, the Incheon 3rd Crossing Bridge is drawing attention not just as a transportation link but as a rare experiential tourism bridge in Korea.

    The bridge offers more than a simple roadway. Its signature feature is a 184.2-meter-high main-tower observatory, already certified by the World Record Committee (WRC) in the United States as the world’s highest observatory on a sea bridge, gaining worldwide attention even before the opening.

    Building on this recognition, the city of Incheon is now seeking official registration with Guinness World Records, raising expectations that the observatory could become a major landmark for both domestic and international visitors.

    Complementing the observatory, a waterfront deck path and nighttime lighting display will create a new scenic route where visitors can enjoy the glow of the city from above the sea. In particular, the sunset-to-night lighting show is expected to deliver an atmosphere never before seen in existing sea bridges.


  • Japanese Idol Group FRUITS ZIPPER Completes Successful Korea Concert

    Japanese girl group FRUITS ZIPPER has successfully completed the Seoul stop of their first-ever Asia tour, marking a meaningful milestone since their debut.

    On the 29th, the group held “FRUITS ZIPPER 1st ASIA TOUR 2025 ‘We are FRUITS ZIPPER’” at Donghae Culture and Arts Center at Kwangwoon University, meeting Korean fans for the first time.

    “We are FRUITS ZIPPER” is the group’s first Asia tour since debut, with Seoul serving as the grand finale following performances in Taipei and Shanghai.

    The concert opened with “かがみ”, the title track from their 15th digital single released in January. The members also captured attention by greeting fans with “안녕!” in Korean and even modifying parts of the lyrics for their Korean audience.

    They then performed a series of their major singles, including ‘ぴゅあいんざわーるど’, ‘はちゃめちゃちゃライフ!’, ‘RADIO GALAXY’, ‘We are Frontier’, ‘Re→TRY & FLY’. Notably, their mega-hit “わたしの一番かわいいところ”, which has surpassed 3 billion views on TikTok, and their signature track “NEW KAWAII” drew explosive cheers from fans.

    FRUITS ZIPPER performed a total of 19 songs including two encore tracks. After the show, the group held a farewell session, personally thanking each fan who attended.

  • Olive Young Reveals 2025 Awards Highlighting Key K-Beauty Trends

    Olive Young has released the 2025 Olive Young Awards, a comprehensive summary of this year’s K-beauty and wellness trends based on 1.8 billion annual customer purchase data points.

    The awards analyzed data from July 2024 to June 2025 and selected 166 top products across 40 categories, reaffirming Olive Young’s position as Korea’s leading beauty authority.

    Reflecting rapidly evolving consumer behavior, the award categories were significantly expanded this year. New additions include the Self-Beauty (Home Care) category, the Lifestyle category that captures preference-driven consumption, a newly established Hand Care category in response to rising attention to hand treatments, and an Oral After-Care category focused on post-brushing breath care, showcasing finely segmented customer needs.

    With the global influence of K-beauty continuing to grow, the Global category was also strengthened. Three new subcategories—Best Performer, Rising, and Rookie—were added. The results reflect both domestic offline purchase data and global insights from Olive Young Global Mall, which serves users across 150 countries.

    Winners of the 2025 Awards will be available starting on the 30th through the Olive Young online mall.

  • Jungwoo Unveils Animation-Like Visuals Ahead of ‘SUGAR’ Release

    Jungwoo NCT memberikan hadiah spesial untuk para penggemar menjelang wajib militernya.

    Pada tanggal 28, Jungwoo akan merilis single pertamanya ‘SUGAR’ melalui berbagai platform musik. Dengan jadwal wajib militer pada 8 Desember, ini menjadi single solo pertamanya sejak debut, sehingga menarik perhatian besar. Foto teaser yang dirilis bersamaan langsung mencuri perhatian karena visual Jungwoo disebut mirip “Saja Boys Baby” dari animasi Netflix populer K-pop Demon Hunters. Visualnya yang seolah keluar dari animasi, dipadukan dengan rambut mint, membuat antusiasme untuk lagu baru semakin tinggi.

    Jungwoo juga akan merayakan hari perilisan bersama para penggemar. Pada 28 November pukul 15.00 dan 20.00, ia akan menggelar fanmeeting solo pertamanya, ‘Golden Sugar Time’, di Ticketlink Live Arena (Gymnasium Bola Tangan), Olympic Park, Seoul.

  • Kimchi Probiotics Proven Effective for Joint Health

    The World Institute of Kimchi has transferred its joint-health improvement technology, developed using kimchi-derived probiotics, to ACE Biome, accelerating the development of functional bio-health materials.

    As aging accelerates and high-intensity exercise becomes more common, demand for joint-care solutions is rapidly increasing. This has positioned kimchi-based probiotic ingredients as a high-growth sector in the next-generation functional food market.

    The technology is based on experimental findings showing that Lactobacillus plantarum WiKim0175, isolated from kimchi, suppresses inflammatory responses and alleviates cartilage cell damage. Along with the technology transfer, the institute signed an MOU with ACE Biome for joint research, academic cooperation, and technical consulting, establishing a framework for commercialization. The achievement is regarded as a promising scientific step toward slowing the progression of arthritis.

    Both organizations plan to pursue step-by-step commercialization, including product development, functionality evaluation, human clinical trials, and official health functional food certification. Human trials, in particular, are essential for ingredient approval, and scientifically verified results are expected to lead to highly reliable joint-health products entering the market.