Hello and welcome back to SB Week in Review! We took a brief hiatus last week, but worry not, we’re back this week with all the news you might have missed!

Headlines

  • There have been many confusing, and conflicting developments following T.O.P.‘s  recent scandal.  We’ll have more comprehensive coverage on the situation soon, but for now here’s the basics of what we know:
    • T.O.P. tested positive for marijuana use from a hair sample taken before he enlisted. Following the reports, it was revealed that he smoked marijuana 2-4 times last year, reportedly with a YG trainee.
    • Given South Korea’s very strict drug and narcotics laws, T.O.P. will be facing prosecution without detention that could lead to prison time. He released a hand written apology for the incident. G-Dragon also issued an apology.
    • T.O.P. was discharged from his mandatory military service and will have to re-enlist.
    • On June 6, the singer was found unconscious and rushed to the ER where he was put in the ICU. Based on doctor’s reports and YG statements, T.O.P. overdosed on his prescribed medication — causing him to fall into a very deep sleep, but most likely not inflicting any brain damage.
    • T.O.P. regained consciousness on June 8, and has been transferred to a new hospital to undergo treatment. YG has since apologized for the incident, and for disappointing fans.
  • Gain took to Instagram to shut down critics regarding speculation about her mental health, the stigma of females visiting the doctor, and the harmful impact of shaming female celebrities for seeking help. Most notably, she posted screen shots her being offered marijuana by a friend of her boyfriend, Jo Ji-hoon. According to her caption, Gain used the screen shots to explain that although she is currently undergoing treatment for her mental health, she will not give into the temptation of illegal drugs. Given the implications in the posts, police are potentially following up with criminal charges against the friend who sent her the offer. Following media attention, Gain deleted everything from her Instagram.
  • Rapper KittiB filed charges against Black Nut for defamatory lyrics about her in his song, “Too Real.”
  • This week, we officially bid farewell to Sistar with their final broadcast performance on June 7th Show Champion.

Debuts & Comebacks

  • Check out all this week’s releases in the playlist above!
  • G-Dragon topped charts with the release of Kwon Ji Yong. Switching things up, the album was released on a USB drive, and not in CD form. So far, he’s released the MV for “Untitled, 2014” — no word yet on when (if) we’ll see an MV for the teased single, “Bullshit.”
  • BAP‘s Daehyun and Jongup teamed up for the special album Party Baby. A special MV for Daehyun’s track “Shadow” was released on June 8. Jongup will begin to promote his song “Try My Luck” next week.
  • Eddie Kim is back with the retro-jazzy “Heart Pound” — and the quirky MV is definitely worth a watch.
  • WJSN certainly nailed the pep in their recent comeback MV for “Happy.”
  • BTS‘ 2017 Festa is underway. To celebrate the group’s fourth anniversary, they’ve released Rap Monster and V‘s track “4 O’Clock” through SoundCloud, as well as multiple dance practice videos. More special releases and content are expected to follow.
  • FT Island also reached a huge milestone this week. The MV for “Wind” and new album Over Ten Years were both released on June 6 to celebrate the group’s tenth anniversary. Congratulations!
  • Former I.O.I. member Kim Chungha made her official solo debut with “Why Don’t You Know” and the mini Hands on Me.
  • Gummy is back with her first studio album in nine years, Stroke. Jaejoong stars in the MV for the album’s lead single, “I | Yo.”
  • Day6‘s June release is the emotional “I Smile.”
  • Top Secret took used “Mind Control” to take over their high school.

Teasers & Announcements

  • The teasers for NCT 127‘s “Cherry Bomb” are exploding with color… and slightly less questionable fashion choices than previous releases. The new mini drops on June 14 — how do you think the three different concepts will factor into the actual release?
  • Mamamoo also turned up the color in the first teasers for their new mini album Purple. If the preview of “Dad Jokes” is anything to go by, this definitely looks like a fun release.
  • Block B‘s Taeil will be dropping another solo single on June 12. “She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not,” will also feature Gugudan‘s Kim Sejeong, while fellow Block B member Park Kyung takes credit for production.
  • The teasers have begun for T-ara‘s final, four-member comeback “What’s My Name.”
  • Monsta X want to “Shine Forever” in their latest comeback teasers. The repackaged album is set for release on June 19.
  • John Park will return on June 14.
  • Ailee will feature on Clon‘s special 20th anniversary pre-release track “Bamdirarira.”
  • Black Pink plan to return some time between June 15 and 20. Though given the recent upsets at YG, no one would be surprised if the comeback is delayed.
  • Jang Hyunseung will make his first post-Beast solo comeback in July.
  • We might see an eight-member Super Junior comeback this fall.
  • Casting news:
    • Girl’s Day‘s Sojin will take on her first leading role in the upcoming web drama Humanitarian Supermarket.
    • DIA‘s Chaeyeon will star alongside Yeo Jin-goo and Lee Yeon-hee in the SBS drama Into the New World. 
    • Kim Sejeong (Gugudan) will be the female lead in the 2017 installment of the School series.
    • Go Ara and Song Seung-hun will be the leads in the new OCN drama Black.

Other News

  • Astro are turning their attention to Taiwan. The group signed with AVEX Taiwan in late may and plan to begin overseas promotions soon.
  • Momoland‘s Taeha was taken to the emergency room for severe stomach pains. Laboum‘s Solbin was also taken to the ER this week for the same reason. Hopefully, they both recover quickly!
  • Up10tion‘s Wooshin will be taking a break to focus on his mental health. The group is planning to come back with 9 members soon.
  • G Soul has left JYPE. He’s now joining fellow JYPE escapee, Jay Park at H1GHR MUSIC.
  • Pledis Entertainment will be taking strong legal action against malicious commenters of Seventeen.

(YouTube. Naver [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15], Nate: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6], TVReport, ISPlus, TOP Media, News1, XSportsNews, . Images via: RBW, YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, Pledis Entertainment.)