Welcome to another edition of SB Week in Review. Here’s all the news you might have missed over the past week:
Headlines
- Cube Entertainment stated that they are negotiating with (G)I-dle’s Soyeon about her contract renewals with the agency. XportNews had previously reported that Soyeon would leave Cube after her contract expires in November.
- FTIsland’s Minhwan suspended media activities after his ex-wife Yulhee (formerly of Laboum) posted a video alleging that he frequented adult entertainment establishments.
- Hybe COO Kim Tae-ho testified in front of the National Assembly in the continuing audit of K-pop companies business practices.
- In the process, internal communication records were revealed that showed Hybe monitoring of other companies’ groups and business strategies based on netizen reactions/trends.
- The company also addressed accusations of sajaegi, which it denied doing, though the internal records hinted at questionable bulk buying practices.
Debuts & Comebacks
- Aespa brought the dance beats for “Whiplash.”
- Illit followed up their debut with “Cherish (My Love)”. Don’t miss our review!
- POW interpolated Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” in their single “Boyfriend.”
- Dxmon came back with the Dem Jointz-produced track “Zip Zip Zip.”
- Purple Kiss returned with a rock sound for “On My Bike.”
- Ampers&One charmed with “He+She=We”.
- TripleS’s dance-based unit, Visionary Vision, debuted with “Hit the Floor.”
- NCT’s Jaehyun released “Unconditional” prior to his November enlistment.
- Jin dropped the joyful “I’ll Be There” ahead of the November 15 release of his album Happy.
Teasers & Announcements
- The Boyz released teasers for their MV “Trigger,” from their album of the same name, out on October 28.
- Itzy put out spooky trailers for “Imaginary Friend,” also due for an October 28 release.
- StayC will drop digital single “…I” on October 30.
- A.C.E will also come back that day with the dystopian-themed Piñata.
- Members of BtoB will release digital single “Please Stay” on October 31.
- Babymonster continued to preview tracks from their November 1 album Drip.
- Kep1er’s November 1st comeback Tipi-Tap will be their first with 7 members.
- Shinee’s Minho teased his first full album Call Back, out on November 4.
- TXT created a series of short videos to promote The Star Chapter: Sanctuary, also out on November 4.
- Day6’s Sungjin will release his first solo album <30> on November 5.
- Epex will drop Youth Chapter 2: Youth Deficiency on November 6.
- Viviz will share their Voyage on November 7.
- Enhypen’s Romance: Untold -daydream-, a repackage of their similarly named album from July, will come out on November 11.
- NCT Dream will come back as a full team of 7 with Dreamscape on November 11.
- Class:y’s November 14th release Love X X will be their first comeback in two years.
- Ateez announced that Golden Hour Part 2 will drop on November 15.
- Twice will return with Strategy on December 6.
Other News
- P Nation announced that Kyungjun from The New Six will enlist in the military and then end his contract following his service.
- Attrakt filed a 20 billion won lawsuit against Warner Korea for tampering, citing a meeting with the parents of Fifty Fifty members last May.
- Jessi apologized a second time for her response to an assault incident involving a fan.
- Lee Soo-man introduced his new company A2O Entertainment with a video of their trainees.
(YouTube. Daum. Naver: [1][2][3], The Korea Herald, The Korea Times. Images via YG Entertainment, IST Entertainment, Cube Entertainment, P Nation).