Hello everyone, and welcome back to another edition of Week in Review! As we head into the new week, here’s what you need to know:

Headlines

  • After 10 years, the Wonder Girls have officially disbanded. Yubin and Lim will be staying with JYPE, while Yeeun and Sunmi will be leaving the company as they focus on the next chapter of their careers. JYPE released a special video along with the announcement; a special farewell single, “Thank You For Being So Wonderful,” will be released on the 10th to coincide with the group’s anniversary.
  • Jaejoong got into hot water for remarks made during his recent concert, wherein he appeared to reference South Korea’s low birth rate to encourage female fans to enter into relationships, and thus also allow him to date as well. A number of attendees apparently took issue with the comments regarding the birth rate, for which Jaejoong quickly apologised. There has also been an issue with media outlets running with an unverified version of events obtained from an attendee’s Facebook post.
  • A rapper by the name of Kwon Ta-mil, a labelmate of Bulldok‘s, released a song called “I’m Chigga” with $hany RP, in which the N-word is said. Needless to say, this sparked enormous backlash and the video is now missing from his Facebook page.
  • The Chinese Hallyu ban appears to be affecting artists sporadically, with some artists being able to work in the country while others have had to drop projects.

Debuts & Comebacks

  • 2NE1 released final single “Goodbye” on the 21st, which brought with it some fresh drama. CL revealed that the song was written following Minzy’s departure from the group, while Minzy herself took to social media to express hurt that she wasn’t asked to be involved in the final single. Meanwhile, YG’s not-CEO Yang Hyun-suk claimed that 2NE1 had to be disbanded because of Bom’s health issues. A few days later, Bom posted on social media that she would be releasing music later in the year.
  • Suzy has finally made her solo debut: check out our review of the Wong Kar Wai-inspired “Yes No Maybe” here.
  • That Tablo, Gallant, and Eric Nam collab, “Cave Me In,” is here!
  • Jessi released “Don’t Make Me Cry.”
  • Another team up we saw this week was Dynamic Duo and Exo‘s Chen for “Nosedive.” Do you agree with our review?
  • Gain also played the collab gain, this time with Jeff Bernat for “Pray.”
  • Aaaand Cheetah got an assist from Hanhae for “Blurred Lines.”
  • MelodyDay‘s “You Seem Busy” features BtoB‘s Ilhoon.
  • Puer Kim released an English ballad, “How Are You, The Love of My Life.”
  • Sam Kim and Loco melt hearts in “Think About’ Chu.”
  • San E is back with Season of Suffering.
  • Pentagon take a turn for the cuter in “Pretty Pretty.”
  • Two Station releases this week:
    • Yesung‘s “Darling U” with Seulgi
    • and Punch‘s OST for Missing 9.
  • If we ever get the chance to interview Ailee again, we’re so going to be barred from asking her about her mindbogglingly bad US debut.
  • And Zhang Li-yin has made a recent appearance on her YouTube channel, covering the OST from Goblin. Is this a sign that her career is no longer AWOL?

Teasers & Announcements

  • Following BTS, Hyuna, and Hyolyn, Shinee are the next K-pop act to tour the US! I pray for your wallets.
  • Zion.T has been busy teasing his comeback under YG‘s The Black Label on Instagram, look out for OO on the 1st!
  • Red Velvet will also be back on the 1st with mini album Rookie. SM is also fielding suggestions for the group’s fanclub name — do you have any suggestions?
  • Block B will be coming back as a full group on the 6th.
  • SF9 will also be dropping their first mini album, Burning Sensation, on the 6th.
  • Cross Gene will be returning with “Mirror” on the 8th.
  • Super Junior, Secret, and more have been teasing 2017 comebacks.
  • TV channel Viceland will be featuring K-pop through Noisey: watch for a glimpse of the Justin Bieber of Korea… Taeyang. Or not, since the video seems to have been taken down.
  • Black Pink‘s Jisoo and Got7‘s Jinyoung are the new Inkigayo MCs.
  • Bae Doo-na and Jo Seung-woo will be making their small screen comeback in tvN’s Forest of Secrets.
  • Some remake news:
    • Paula Patton will be taking on Lee Bo-young‘s lead role in an American adaptation of God’s Gift: 14 Days. Titled Somewhere Between, the ABC show will remain faithful to the K-drama format as a 10-episode miniseries. Here’s hoping we get a better resolution here than in the original.
    • Emila Clarke has been cast as the lead in The Beauty Inside, playing the lover of a man who wakes up each day in a different body. Han Hyo-joo assayed the role in the 2012 Korean film, which itself was a remake of a 2012 Intel–Toshiba collaboration starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
    • That Good Doctor remake is inching closer towards reality, with House writer David Shore helming the project for Sony Pictures Television, to air on ABC. If the pilot is successful, expect the show to hit screens in September.
  • And Running Man is apparently uncancelled, and won’t be adding any new cast members, like Kang Ho-dong.

Other News

  • Secret‘s Hana has opened her own V Live channel — does this mean more solo activity from the rapper?
  • Some break-ups this week:
    • After School‘s Uee and actor Lee Sang-yoon have called it quits after a year together.
    • IU and Jang Ki-ha split after almost four years together.

(10Asia, Chosun Ilbo, The Hollywood Reporter[1][2], Ilgan Sports, Instagram, Joongang Ilbo, Korea Herald, Mashable, Osen, Sports Donga, Twitter[1][2][3][4][5]. Yonhap[1][2][3], YouTube)