Hello everyone, and welcome back to another edition of SB Week in Review. Here is what you need to know before we head into a new week:

Headlines

  • The 2018 Winter Olympics kicked off in Pyeongchang on the 9th with a spectacular Opening Ceremony. While the K-pop presence was restricted to the DJ set during the athletes’ entrance, Korean singers Insooni, Guckkasten‘s Ha Hyun-woo, and Bolbbalgan4’s Ahn Ji-young, among others, made their mark. The main highlights of the event were the appearance of the joint North and South Korea team, and gold-medallist figure skater Kim Yu-na lighting not only the cauldron but also the hearts of millions around the world. Oh, and the reappearance of everyone’s favourite shirtless Tongan, Pita Taufatofua.
  • Actor Jung Suk-won was arrested for drug use on the 8th at Incheon Airport. He admitted to the charges and is currently cooperating with authorities. Jung’s wife, singer Baek Ji-young, also issued a public apology on his behalf.
  • Jo Kwon hit back at speculation that he had received preferential treatment during his studies at Kyung Hee University, citing unclear procedure and regulations, which led to the appearance of Jo Kwon not following the expected conventions for completing his degree. The university has been facing increased scrutiny following revelations surrounding CN Blue leader Yonghwa‘s acceptance into a postgraduate program despite not attending two different interviews for admission. Yonghwa, for his part, has announced his enlistment for March 5th, which is darkly amusing if you consider that the likely reason Yonghwa enrolled in the course was to delay said enlistment. I guess if you can’t beat them…
  • The nominees for the 2018 Korean Music Awards were announced, with IU receiving nominations in the three daesang categories (song, album, and artist) for Palette, while BTS got nods for Best Song and Best Artist. Both artists are also nominated in the pop album and pop song categories, alongside other K-pop acts like Taeyeon (album), Sunmi (song), Taemin (album), NCT 127 (song), and Red Velvet (both). The ceremony will be held on February 27th; check out the full list of nominees here.

Debuts & Comebacks

  • Check out this week’s music releases in our playlist, above!
  • Hyolyn got a lot done on her “To Do List,” and I got nothing done because I spent too much time rewatching the MV.
  • April‘s Naeun and Jinsol shared “My Story.”
  • Modern-day Trot queen Hong Jin-young dealt with a break-up in “Good Bye.”
  • Seventeen said “Thanks” with a new MV.
  • Tablo and Miso lent an assist on OffOnOff‘s “Cigarette.”
  • Mighty Mouth went on an “Uber” ride.
  • Dynamic Duo recruited Suran for “Bongjeseon.”
  • This week’s Station single saw Luna perform her debut solo single “Free Somebody” with Everysing winner Heda.

Teasers & Announcements

  • On the 12th, Roy Kim returns with “Only Then.”
  • On the 21st, Weki Meki hope to get Lucky with their 2nd mini album.
  • On the 22nd, CLC will be donning a Black Dress for their 7th mini album.
  • On the 27th, WJSN will Dream Your Dream in a new mini album.
  • Other February releases include:
  • TVXQ have renewed their contracts with SM, and will be dropping a new album in March.
  • Wanna One have arrived at their Golden Age, look out for their greatest hits album coming soon!
  • Infinite leader Sunggyu is currently preparing his third solo album for release.
  • ex-Dal Shabet member Subin has joined Key East Entertainment to continue her solo career.
  • The English-to-Korean remakes continue with MBC announcing that they will be taking on BBC‘s Luther.
  • And all that K-pop we missed in the Opening Ceremony will be very much present in the Pyeongchang Closing Ceremony, with Exo and CL set to perform.

Other News

  • So this section is just going to be a bunch of BTS updates:
    • leader RM underwent surgery for a deviated septum. We wish him a full recovery.
    • BTS’ new logos and brand identity were recognised at the 2018 iF Design Awards in Germany. Congrats to Big Hit!
    • If you have somehow managed to master Superstar BTS, then get ready for a new mobile game that will see you manage the group itself. Now you can criticise Big Hit’s decisions with the full knowledge that you can definitely prove to others how you can do better for BTS’ career.

(ABC, Comicbook, FNC Official Site, Instagram, Korea Bizwire, KMA Official Site, MK Sports, MyDaily, Newsen, Osen[1][2], Sports Chosun, Twitter[1][2][3], Xsports News, Yonhap[1][2][3][4][5][6], YouTube. Images via: Pool-Getty, Around Us Ent., Starship Ent., Big Hit Ent.)