Entertainment giant Live Nation and Korea’s Busan Metropolitan City have revealed plans to develop an arena and multi-cultural entertainment complex in Busan. The city is South Korea’s second most populous city after capital Seoul and the new entertainment destination will include a 20,000-capacity arena, an exhibition centre, hotels and an educational facility. There are three …
Hybe to sell SM Entertainment stake to Kakao
South Korean music label Hybe, which manages K-pop boy band BTS, has said it aims to sell its entire stake in entertainment company SM Entertainment, by accepting a tender offer from South Korean internet giant Kakao. According to a report from Reuters, Hybe will sell its 15.8% stake in SM Entertainment for 564 billion won …
Europe is K-pop’s fastest growing market – report
Europe is K-pop’s fastest growing market, according to a new report. While countries in Asia and Oceania were still the predominant market for Korean pop culture content, otherwise known as ‘hallyu’, Europe has seen a 37% increase in K-pop fans compared to the year before. According to non-profit organisation Korea Foundation’s Global Hallyu report, which …
Coventry Building Society Arena welcomes record crowd
Coventry Building Society Arena welcomed a record crowd for a sporting event yesterday (Sunday), with 32,128 spectators watching England Women take on Italy. The match was part of a double-header for the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup, with Belgium facing South Korea in the second fixture. Sunday’s attendance beat the previous record figure of 32,019 for …
Online giant Kakao announces major investment in K-pop leader SM Entertainment
Korean online media giant Kakao has bought an almost 10% stake in major K-pop agency SM Entertainment, whose clients include Aespa and SuperM. The acquisition of a 9.05% stake for an estimated $172.8m makes Kakao – which has interests in social media, banking and technology development – the second largest shareholder of SM Entertainment. The …
J-Hope becomes first South Korean artist to headline Lollapalooza
Artist J-Hope, who is also a member of the K-pop band BTS, has become the first South Korean performer to headline at Lollapalooza. The festival, which took place in Chicago’s Grant Park, was closed out last night (Sunday) by J-Hope on the Bud Light Seltzer stage. Adjacent stages also hosted performances from band Green Day …
Tickets on sale for Seoul’s first e-prix
Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Formula E e-prix in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is set to welcome the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the first time, for the final round of the motorsport’s Season 8. The Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix will take place on August 13-14 at Jamsil Stadium Complex. …
1.5 million fans try to buy NCT Dream tickets
Some 1.5 million fans tried to purchase tickets at the same time for the latest shows from K-pop boyband NCT Dream. The fans were trying to access Yes24, a Korean online ticketing site, to purchase tickets for ‘The Dreamshow2: In a Dream’ tour. Fans have described how after logging on to the website when tickets …
South Korea crowds able to cheer again
South Korea’s music and sports fans will be able to cheer and clap once more, after COVID-19 measures which saw attendees unable to share their appreciation were removed. Last month as K-Pop superstars BTS (pictured) took to the stage in their hometown of Seoul, a 10,000-strong crowd was only able to support the band by …