Hello everyone, and welcome back to another edition of SB Week in Review. This week will go down in history for its political news, but we still have your Hallyu updates:

Headlines

Park Geun-hye‘s impeachment is now official, after the eight judges of South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously voted to uphold the impeachment bill passed by the National Assembly on December 9. Police were on high alert as protesters and Park Geun-hye supporters turned out in large numbers ahead of the announcement. While many Koreans, like Love X Stereo‘s Annie Ko, welcomed the decision, at least two people have died protesting against the ruling.

Meanwhile, in the world of entertainment:

  • Eight entertainment agencies — SM, YG, JYP, Loen, FNC, Cube, DSP, and Jellyfish —  have been pulled up by the Korean Fair Trade Commission for unfair clauses in their artist agreements.
  • Mamamoo landed themselves in hot water with Korean and international fans alike when they put on blackface and brownface for a recent concert VCR. It took a couple of tries, but an apology was given by RBW.

Debuts & Comebacks

  • G-Friend are back! How are you liking their signature sound paired with a different image?
  • The comeback schedule may not have been strictly followed, but Ailee‘s “Reminiscing” is so good that we don’t mind.
  • BtoB have also returned, and our reviewer is loving the jazzy turn taken for “Movie.”
  • B.A.P‘s single album Rose seems to have been received well by fans.
  • Are you “Rollin'” with Brave Girls?
  • I.O.I‘s Sohye stars in the MV for Ra.D‘s “Look Into Your Eyes.”
  • Eric Nam duets with Somi in “You, Who?” Yes, who thought this vaguely romantic pairing was a good idea?
  • Romeo can’t make this comeback a success “Without U.”
  • Mamamoo’s Whee-in features in Jung Key’s “Anymore.”
  • Produce 101 Season 2 has previewed its male trainee line-up ahead of the show’s premiere. Host BoA introduced the contestants, of which a number have already amassed fans. I’m so here for long-haired guy who’s friends with BTS‘ V, which means he’s making it to the finals, at least — so long as he stays on the good side of Mnet‘s editors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoei2k1R8LU

Teasers & Announcements

  • Henry will be blessing us with a special single on the 11th. Comedic ballad “What Should I Do” was basically created off the cuff by Henry during his time on variety show I Live Alone, and is being released as a full song following fan request.
  • Kcon will be taking place in Mexico for the first time on the 17th and 18th! The convention will also be expanding to Australia in September — will I be seeing you there?
  • CN Blue have announced the schedule for their impending comeback on the 20th.
  • IU will be putting out a pre-release single on the 24th, ahead of her April comeback.
  • Glam leader Jiyeon has been reincarnated as singer-songwriter Lucy, and will debut under KQ Produce later this month.
  • Former Nine Muses member Hyuna will also be releasing new music this month.
  • NCT 127‘s Jaehyun and Johnny will become hosts for a new SBS late night radio show aimed at the young adult market. NCT’s Night Night will also be broadcast on V App and YouTube to reach international K-pop fans audiences.
  • Bad news for Lay fans: the Exo member will not be appearing in the group’s upcoming concerts.
  • Lee Hi will be joining MAC‘s Future Forward campaign, releasing a red matte lipstick for the brand in late June.
  • Netflix have teamed up with Signal writer Kim Eun-hee for a zombie thriller sageuk. Does Kingdom sound like something you would stream?
  • Mnet’s Superstar K will not air this year due to decreasing ratings.

Other News

  • BTS broke the Gaon record for highest monthly sales, with over 700,000 copies of Wings: You Never Walk Alone sold!
  • It’s Spring in South Korea, which means Busker Busker‘s “Cherry Blossom Ending” is shooting up charts again.
  • Meanwhile, Girl’s Day‘s “Female President” has also experienced a surge following the ousting of Park Geun-hye from office.
  • KBS also cancelled Music Bank this week in anticipation of the court ruling.
  • We have a couple… of break ups this week:
    • Sulli and Dynamic Duo‘s Choiza have split after almost three years together.
    • Miss A‘s Min and G.Soul let us know that they have also gone their separate ways.
  • Mnet’s latest hip hop-themed show, High School Rapper, made headlines after lyrics captioners made the dreaded mistake of leaving off one of the ‘p’s in the word ‘rapping.’
  • And while Vogue isn’t as woke as its Teen edition, they know how to tap into potential market segments — the magazine crowned Exo’s Sehun as best dressed at Luis Vuitton‘s recent Paris show.

(Billboard, Instagram, Korea Joongang Daily, Tumblr, TV Report, Twitter[1][2][3], Xsports News, Yonhap[1][2][3][4][5][6][7], YouTube[1][2]. Images via: Naver, Huffington Post Korea)