Welcome to another edition of SB Week in Review! While this week was a little short on releases, it definitely wasn’t short on big news:

Headlines

  • A third inter-Korean summit is coming up. South Korean President Moon Jae-in — as well as artists like Zico and Ailee — will be traveling to Pyeongyang from September 18 to 20.
  • Big Hit landed themselves in hot water with Army this week after revealing that controversial Japanese producer and lyricist Yasushi Akimoto would be working with BTS for their upcoming Japanese single “Bird.” After the news broke, Korean Army took to email, fan cafes, and the Big Hit building to make their displeasure known. After a few days of silence from the company, Big Hit announced on September 16 that they heard fans concerns and decided to remove the single from the album.
  • Big Hit wasn’t the only entertainment company back-stepping this week: Cube Entertainment also enraged fans — and shareholders — with the September 13 announcement that both Hyuna and E’Dawn would be expelled from the company. Reportedly neither Hyuna nor E’Dawn had been notified prior to the official statement and found out through news reports. Almost as soon as Cube released their first statement, stocks in the company saw a significant drop, which forced Cube to retract the statement and instead say that Hyuna and E’Dawn’s futures with the company are undetermined. Although an official decision will be reached during a board meeting next week, it appears that fans and Hyuna’s team have already turned their backs on Cube.
  • Goo Hara is under assault investigations after an altercation with her boyfriend on September 13. According to the unnamed male, Hara attacked him after he tried to break up with her. According to Dispatch‘s investigations, Hara defended herself after the boyfriend showed up at her apartment drunk and attempted to kick her awake. Hara’s agency, Content Y, has been unable to reach her for an official statement, but did confirm that she is currently in the hospital undergoing treatment for the injuries she obtained during the incident. However, no official judgement can be reached before both Hara and the male undergo questioning with investigators — a request both have postponed for the time being.
  • B.A.P.‘s Himchan was charged with indecent assault this week over an incident that occurred back in August with a female acquaintance. After the news broke, T.S. Entertainment released a statement saying the incident was a misunderstanding and further denied the charges.

Debuts & Comebacks

  • Check out our playlist of all this week’s releases above!
  • Shinee‘s “Countless” concluded their Story of Light series, and the celebration of their 10th anniversary. You would think for something so significant, SM would have put a little more effort into promoting the repackage.
  • Pentagon channeled their signature playful style for “Naughty Boy,” featuring lots of frogs, chicken, and those weird inflatable dancing things.
  • Oh My Girl charmed in the day-dreamy MV for “Remember Me.”
  • Day6‘s “Beautiful Feeling” was a special thank you to fans.
  • The short solo MV’s for Got7‘s Present: YOU continue to roll out. This week Mark, JB, Yugyeom, and Jinyoung all had their moments in the spotlight. The full album is set for release on September 17.
  • Uni.t released the MV for “Begin with the End,” off their upcoming album of the same name. The teaser for the title track “I Mean” off their final album promises some retro fun.
  • Jay Park shared his first Korean MV in a while, “V.”
  • Hanhae joined Hoya for his latest single, “Baby U.”
  • Neon colors abound in Hyomin‘s “Mango.”
  • Exo‘s Chanyeol and Sehun declared “We Young” in the latest SM Station release. Speaking of Exo, the group also filmed their comeback MV this week.
  • A.C.E. collaborated with the french artist DJ Hcue for the English language track, “I Feel So Lucky.”

Teasers & Announcements

  • WJSN‘s WJ Please? looks enchanting so far. The MV for “Save Me, Save You” will come out on September 19.
  • The teaser for Dreamcatcher‘s “What” promises an intriguing new saga for the group. The new album Alone in the City is slated for September 20.
  • iKon will return on October 1 with New Kids: The Final. 
  • We have a handful of October comebacks ahead, all without official release dates:
  • KNK dealt fans a couple of hard blows this week: The first being the announcement that they have left YNB Entertainment, and the second that member Youjin has left the group.
  • Casting news:
    • Upcoming Netflix release Because it’s My First Love is ready for filming with Jung Chaeyeon (DIA), Ji-soo, and Jinyoung (B1a4) confirmed for the lead roles.
    • Also coming to Netflix is the YG partnered reality-sitcom, YG Strategy Center starring Seungri.
    • Minho will star alongside Megan Fox in the historical film, Jangsa-ri 9.15.
    • IU and Bae Doona will participate in Mystic Entertainment‘s first short film series about tennis.
    • There will be a second season for Got7’s Mnet variety series Hard Carry. Check out the teaser here.
  • Royal Family‘s Boys Republic will be going on an indefinite hiatus.

Other News

  • An undisclosed entertainment agency is under investigation for tax evasion: let the speculating commence.
  • The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism will officially look into digital chart manipulation following suspicious chart topping singles from Shaun and Nilo. The agencies of both artists requested the investigation to prove that there was no manipulation involved in the artists’ surprise successes.
  • Ban Min-jung came forward as the previously anonymous sexual assault victim of Jo Deok-jae. Jo assaulted Ban Min-jung while filming a movie together back in 2015, and has had two trials over the incident since — one in 2016 and another in 2017. Following the denial of Jo’s appeal on September 13, the actress decided to reveal her identity and share the unfair consequences she has faced in her search for justice over the past three years. She also wanted to express her solidarity with other victims of sexual assault.
  • Yeeun (Ha:tfelt) broke her silence on the charges her father faces for sexual assault and fraud. Yeeun clarified that she and her father have had a strained relationship for most of her life, and while she has made attempts to keep him in her life, she has never participated in any of his illegal activities. She offered a heartfelt apology to the victims, and stated that she felt horrible if her name was used without her consent for such horrible acts.
  • H.O.T. will be unable to use their official logo and group name for their upcoming reunion concert; instead, the concert will be titled Forever High-Five of Teenagers. Apparently, a former SM producer who worked with the group back in the 90’s owns the trademark rights and refuses to license them to the group without royalties paid. Even though H.O.T. appear to have found a work-around for now, there is still the potential of legal action following the concert.

(YouTube [1] [2]. Naver: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17], Nate: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6], X Sports News: [1] [2], Newsen: [1] [2] [3]. Images Via: Cube, Marie Claire, Culture Industry Company, Amoeba Culture.)