Hello and welcome to SB Week in Review! We took a brief summer vacation the past couple of weeks, but we’re back to bring you all the news you might have missed!

Headlines

  • Late last month, iKON fans announced an impending boycott of all YG products if they did not receive an apology or explanation from YG regarding the poor management of promotions, schedules, and members’ health. After receiving only a vague promise of a future comeback, the fan union decided to go forward with the boycott. YG calls the incident a “misunderstanding.”
  • Details remain confusing in the aftermath of the charges of sexual assault that were brought and then dropped against Shinee‘s Onew last weekend. What we know so far is that Onew was very drunk in a Gangnam club, and touched a woman three times. The woman later dropped the charges, but revealed that she did so in part to avoid her identity being released and under the pressure of SM Entertainment. The case will move forward to the prosecution office, and Onew has assured his compliance with the investigation. Due to the scandal, Onew will no longer participate in Age of Youth 2. We’ll have more in-depth analysis of the incident soon!

Debuts & Comebacks

  • Taeyang made a long awaited comeback with the album White Knight and two MVs: “Darling,” and “Wake Me Up.”
  • Ahead of the group comeback on August 22, DIA subunits DIA LUB and BinChaenHyeonSeuS released MVs for “Darling My Sugar” and “Look,” respectively.
  • Following his debut earlier this month, Samuel Kim put out a follow up MV for “One Two Three.”
  • To celebrate a successful debut with “Energetic,” Wanna One shared a special performance MV. Members Kang Daniel and Yoon Jisung also announced plans to set up their own independent label under MMO Entertainment.
  • NCT Dream returned with the playful “We Young.”
  • SF9 filmed their own special MV for “Hide and Seek” to share with fans.
  • We have yet another Seo Taiji and the Boys cover with Suran‘s take on “Sad Pain.” The series of covers come as part of the special anniversary project 25. 
  • Our SM Station track of the week is Red Velvet‘s “Rebirth.”

Teasers & Announcements

  • Hyuna‘s sixth album Following will be released on August 29. In the meantime, we can appreciate the understated black and white concept photos.
  • Sunmi will make her first post-JYP comeback with “Gashina” on August 22.
  • A BTS comeback is on the horizon. What are your theories on the “Love Yourself” highlight reel teasers? Also, congrats to BTS for taking home the Choice International Artist award at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards!
  • Pristin shared the pre-teaser for their second single, “We Like!”
  • Got7‘s Jackson is gearing up for a solo debut with “Papillion.”
  • Momoland will return with “Freeze!” on August 22. What are the chances of them dabbing in this MV, too?
  • Highlight’s Lee Gikwang released teasers for his solo mini album ONE, due out on September 4.
  • C9 Entertainment‘s rookie girl group Good Day revealed the track list for their debut album, All Day Good Day. The album and MV for “Good Morning” will drop on August 30.
  • Victon are getting athletic in the teasers for their third mini album, Identity.
  • TS Entertainment plans to launch a new boy group later this year.
  • Casting News:
    • Jung Eunji will return to the small screen for the JTBC drama Untouchable.
    • Cosmic Girls‘ Bona will play the female lead in the KBS drama Lingerie Girls’ Generation.

Other News

  • On-screen turned real-life couple Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk confirmed their breakup due to busy schedules. On the flip-side, Reply 1988 co-stars Hyeri and Ryu Jun-yeol confirmed their relationship after Dispatch released photos of the couple.
  • Sunny Hill members have parted ways with Loen Entertainment.
  • Seventeen‘s Hoshi will be on a brief hiatus due to illness. Meanwhile, the group will continue their Diamond Edge tour as planned. Will any readers be attending a show?
  • Super Junior member Siwon returned from his military service this week. Siwon already has a drama role lined up for the tvN drama Revolutionary Love alongside Kang Sora. TVXQ‘s Changmin also completed his service this week!
  • After fans noticed her absence from BP Rania‘s teaser images and stages for “Beep Beep,” DR Music confirmed the departure of Alexandria Reid from the group. Alex joined the group back in 2015 and made waves as the first African American member of a K-pop group. Speculations of racist comments having an impact on her decision to leave have been raised, however DR Music claims the departure was for other reasons.
  • Some shady business appears to be going down at SM Entertainment regarding the contract renewal of SNSD members. Following a short comeback period, media reports that some members still haven’t re-signed their contracts with the agency, the group’s editing out of the DMZ Peace Concert broadcast, and the announcement that Tiffany plans to study acting in the United States, many fans are concerned about the future of the group.
  • The Idol Star Athletic Championship will never take a hint and stop broadcasting. But, this year they’ve added bowling!

(YouTube. Naver: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10], Facebook, Osen: [1] [2], Sports Today. Images via SM Entertainment, Cube Entertainment, C9 Entertainment.)