Welcome to another edition of SB Week in Review! Here’s all the news you might have missed!


Headlines

  • On March 1, South Koreans celebrated Samiljeol or Independence Movement Day in honor of the 1919 uprising against Japanese colonial rule. The uprising lasted over a month, and protesters across the nation were met with suppression and violence by the Imperial Japanese Army. It’s still not known exactly how many South Koreans were killed by Japanese forces, but estimates range from hundreds to thousands. The movement was one of the first large-scale uprisings against Japanese occupation and, for many, marks the beginning of the Korean Independence Movement.
  • Kevin will be leaving U-Kiss and NHemg following the completion of his contract. He left a heartfelt goodbye message to Kiss-me in the group’s fan cafe.
  • 2PM member Jun.K was injured after falling from a moving platform during a concert. JYP confirmed that Jun.K received surgery on the broken bones in his elbow and is resting. The company also canceled two upcoming 2PM concerts in order to give him proper recovery time.
  • The hotel Kyuhyun (Super Junior) was staying at in Taiwan caught fire on February 25. The fire was put out without any injuries. However, after the manager posted a shot to Instagram following the evacuation, fans accused the manager of leaving Kyuhyun behind. Kyuhyun later clarified that he intentionally stayed behind to avoid smoke inhalation after the fire had already been put out.
  • The 14th Korean Music Awards were held on February 28. Some big winners included Bolbbalgan4, Jay Park, Wonder Girls, and Jo Dong Jin.

Debuts & Comebacks

  • Check out all of this week’s releases in the playlist above!
  • Lovelyz‘ latest “Wow” is cute, for sure; but it also rings a little too familiar to their last single, “Destiny.”
  • Gugudan showed improvement with Act 2 Narcissus and the single “A Girl Like Me.” 
  • Ailee stunned yet again with “Reminiscing.”
  • Things appear to be more than “Fine” for Taeyeon, who achieved a perfect all-kill with the release of her first solo LP My Voice. Anticipate our reviews of both the lead single and album soon!
  • Imfact released the candid MV for “Please Be My Love.”
  • High4 hit the red carpet for “Love Line.”
  • Suzy participated in another cutsey duet — this time with Park Won. How do you think “Don’t Wait for Your Love” compares to “Dream”?
  • Code Kunst pulled in some big names — Tablo and G Soul — for “Fire Water.”
  • K.A.R.D. dropped a “hidden version” MV of “Don’t Recall” for our English listening pleasure.
  • Live and Dean teamed up for “Know Me.”
  • Victon brought out all the visual effects for “Eyez Eyez.”

Teasers & Announcements

  • Day6 ask “How Can I Say” in the MV teaser for their March single.
  • Before his March 28 enlistment, Seo In-guk will gift fans a self-composed single.
  • Contrasting concepts seems to be a trend for boy groups this year, with Romeo releasing both Day and Night versions of teasers for their fourth mini album Without U.
  • The mystery continues in the latest MV teasers for BAP‘s “Wake Me Up.” We don’t have to wait much longer to put all the pieces together, as Rose drops on March 7.
  • GFriend are changing up their style for “Fingertip” and it looks like a lot of fun. Are you ready for The Awakening on March 7?
  • K-Much are now Be.A. They’ve also added a new member: BomB from Boys 24.
  • Highlight (formerly Beast) will drop their first mini album under Around Us Entertainment on March 20. Can you feel the excitement?
  • Got7‘s Flight Log: Arrival is set for release on March 13. Are you keeping up with the teaser images for “Never Ever”?
  • Pledis Entertainment‘s rookie girl group Pristin will debut with Hi! Pristin on March 21.
  • Brave Girls are “Rollin’” with a new 19+ teaser video. Their comeback track has already been deemed unfit for broadcast by KBS, and Brave Entertainment is currently re-working the lyrics before the release on March 7.
  • Girls Day confirmed a late March comeback. Can we trust Dream Tea Entertainment this time?
  • Psy is planning for an April return.
  • Looks like BtoB is headed in an intense — and perhaps magical — new direction with the teasers for Feel’eM and Movie. Based on Sungjae‘s first teaser, we might expect seven mini films as part of the comeback. Excited?
  • Sistar‘s Hyorin broke new ground this week when she signed with international EDM label Spinnin’ Records. We can expect a collaboration with Justin Oh this month.
  • Casting news:
    • Yang Yeoseob will become a fixed MC on Fantastic Duo.
    • Gong Seung-yeon will star in the upcoming tvN drama Circle. 
    • Exo‘s Kai will be heading abroad to star in the upcoming Japanese drama Spring has Come.
    • A Pink’s Hayoung will make her acting debut in KBS‘ Find Her.

Other News

  • P.O will be sitting out the remainder of Block B‘s Live Blockbuster in Europe tour due to health issues.
  • Astro‘s Eunwoo will also be taking a break from Winter Dream promotions to focus on his mental health.
  • Jo Jung Chi and Jung In welcomed their first child into the world this week. Congrats!
  • Actors — and co-stars — Jo Yoon-hee and Lee Dong-gun confirmed their relationship.
  • Infinite‘s Dongwoo might have been caught on a date — but Woollim is denying it for now.
  • TOP Media isn’t ready to let go of Teen Top‘s L.Joe, and their case is being sent to the Korea Entertainment Management Association for review.

 

(YouTube. Naver: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16], Nate: [1] [2], Facebook, Osen, Daum. Images via Source Music, SM Entertainment, CT Entertainment, Fantagio.)