ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - 2024 ROUND UP (SPECIAL ARTICLE!) + GIVEAWAY

Polaris_Tae · Tuesday at 10:31 AM

JANUARY 1 - DECEMBER 31

Hi ICYMI enjoyers! Welcome to the 2024 edition of our annual ICYMI series. For our annual edition, our team worked hard to craft a dedicated summary of an entire year's worth of news, releases, achievements and more in one easy-to-digest article. We spend the final few months of the year sifting through both the forum, as well as the wider Asian Entertainment sphere, for the most relevant updates. This year, we saw several news-worthy updates such as the long-lasting NewJeans, Min Hee-jin & HYBE saga, Jin representing South Korea in the 2024 Paris Olympics torch relay and so much more. Additionally, we saw several artists make their return with new and interesting comebacks. You can see some of our top picks featured in the top releases section of the wrap-up. We hope you enjoy this wrap-up, and look forward to seeing you all in 2025 as well!

BY POLARIS_TAE

Disclaimer: the writing of this portion required a lot of reading and researching. Some stories deserved more than a short paragraph to be told completely; however, I had to keep some recaps relatively short. I hope that the information here will still be accurate enough, and if that isn't the case, then feel free to correct me in the comments section below!

JANUARY:

#1- We began the year with some prominent legal updates. The most important of which, concerned further updates related to the 2023 acquisition of SM Entertainment by Kakao. To start, Kakao shared that they would be conducting a complete overhaul of SM Entertainment's management structure a mere 10 months after the conglomerate acquired the company in 2023. The company would later dismiss several key figures in the team including Jang Cheol-hyuk, CEO, Tak Yeong-jun, COO, Lee Seong-soo, CAO (Chief A&R Officer), and Park Jun-young, CCO, and establish new leadership. Kakao shared via Market Insight that the group had engaged in "opaque measurement practices, leading to their dismissal. They initiated questionable investments in personal ventures without the consent of the parent company" which ultimately led to the downfall of the entertainment company despite previously advocating for "advanced management" and "transparent governance". Later that same month, Kakao issued a press release staunchly denying the rumors circulating that they were looking to sell SM Entertainment which picked up following the stock price manipulation scandal surrounding the purchase. As for HYBE, it was shared via industry insiders that the label, as well as SM Entertainment's founder and former majority shareholder Lee Soo-man were looking to acquire SM Entertainment following their failed attempt in 2023. Following this report, HYBE would purchase all of Lee Soo-man's remaining shares of SM Entertainment (3.68%) for 104 billion KRW (~$78.1 million USD). The label currently holds a 9.38% stake in SM Entertainment.

#2- Also in January we saw several high-profile line-up changes. BELIFT LAB shared via an official statement that Youngseo had officially left the label and ILLIT following the mutual termination of her contract. ILLIT would later debut in the first half of 2024 with 'Magnetic' as a 5-member group. Meanwhile, former Iz*one member Honda Hitomi said her goodbyes to AKB48 after nearly ten years with the group. It was later revealed that she would be joining the Kim Jaejoong-produced girl group, Say My Name. Finally, SM Entertainment shared an announcement in regards to Exo. The label shared that the group would be continuing group activities through the label and that the non-SM-associated Exo members would be conducting their individual activities through their respective agencies.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @MarketInsight via n.news.naver.com, News1 via n.news.naver.com, Edaily via v.daum.ne, @koreaboo via x.com, @balloon_wanted via x.com, @weareoneEXO via x.com, @kchartsmaster via x.com, @48RequestHour via x.com)

FEBRUARY:

#1- The FIFTY FIFTY poaching scandal from 2023 continued into 2024 as well. It was shared that ATTRAKT's criminal complaint against CEO of The Givers, Ahn Seong-il — the man who kicked off the chain of events surrounding FIFTY FIFTY, and their former members' legal troubles — had been forwarded to the prosecution. The case concerned ATTRAKT's criminal complaint against Ahn for interference with business and damaging or destroying data processors or special media records. ATTRAKT additionally shared that the criminal complaint had been officially recognized as a crime and court proceedings would now begin. Ahn, however, would not be liable for detention during this process. The following month, ATTRAKT's CEO was cleared of all charges against him related to the case that former FIFTY FIFTY members — Sio, Aran & Saena — filed against the agency head in 2023. Then later in the year, ATTRAKT shared that they would be re-organizing the group around Keena following the departure of the three former FIFTY FIFTY members. The group would officially mark their return in September as a five-member group with their 2nd mini album, LOVE TUNE.

#2- We also saw the dating scandal between æspa's Karina & Lee Jae-wook hit the tabloids in February. The news, however, was not taken well by various netizens within the idol's fandom. Lee Jae-wook's agency would announce legal action for the spreading of libel and malicious posts, while Karina herself felt forced to step out and apologize for being caught up in the scandal. In April, it was shared that the pair had officially parted ways as a couple.

It was announced in March that the father of Fantasy Boys' K-SOUL had sadly passed away at the end of February.

Record Producer and long-time EXID collaborator Sinsadong Tiger passed away on the 23rd of February. He was 40-years-old.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, soompi.com, @kchartsmaster via x.com, @theseoulstory via x.com)

MARCH:

#1- Our biggest story in March was related to Han Sohee and the controversy related to her relationship with her now ex-boyfriend Ryu Junyeol. News broke in mid-March that the actress was in a relationship with Ryu Junyeol and had been in a 'some'-type relationship with the Reply 1995 actor since late 2023. This happened while the pair was spotted on vacation abroad in Hawaii. The actress later confirmed her relationship with the actor via a now-deleted Instagram post. Ryu Jeon-yeol's label corroborated these details with an official statement confirming earlier news reports about the couple. Suspicions, however, began to arise related to the timeline of events that led to the beginning of the pair's relationship which would lead to Han sharing a detailed timeline of the pair's relationship. Additionally, Han Sohee was found to have been throwing shade at Ryu's long-time ex-girlfriend, Hyeri. This would cause Han Sohee to lose brand deals due to her behaviour. Additionally, Hyeri & Sohee would issue statements apologizing for their behaviour. A mere two weeks following the initial reports, Han Sohee & Ryu Jun-yeol announced their split as a couple.

#2- The fallout from the Johnny's abuse cover-up scandal continued throughout 2024. The label, began to distance itself from the disgraced (now-deceased) Japanese former label head, Johnny Kitagawa, by rebranding as SMILE-UP. The label head — and former Shonentai member — Noriyuki Higashiyama shared with the BBC that it was discovered that there were at least two more perpetrators of abuse at the label and that they were thought to still be alive. The SMILE-UP director revealed that he had not pursued contact with authorities despite this concerning discovery. He later shared that: "From a legal standpoint, I don't think we have the authority to do that," but further shared that "...If those involved file a criminal complaint, I imagine we would co-operate as much as possible." Additionally, a UNHRC council session heard about the 'deeply concerning issues' within the Japanese Entertainment Industry. This particularly related to the idol and animation sector following a report that discussed topics such as "young talents being coerced into signing contracts obliging them to comply with every demanding requirement of producers, advertisers, and agents, while also subjecting them to exorbitant penalties for non-compliance", which "fosters a culture of impunity and exacerbates sexual violence and harassment". It was also critical of Johnny's — now SMILE-UP — response to allegations of serial abuse against their founder, Johnny Kitagawa.

The Mangaka and creator of the Dragon Ball series, Akira Toriyama passed away in March due to an acute subdural hematoma. The manga creator was 68-years-old.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @xeesoxee on Instagram.com, @inquirerdotnet on x.com, @adoring_sohee on x.com, soompi.com, @theseoulstory on x.com, @PopBase on x.com, TokyoHive.com, bbc.com, @JPopProjectNews on x.com, @DB_official_en on x.com)

APRIL:

#1- The Min Hee-jin & HYBE dilemma officially kicked into full swing in April. ADOR, via Min Hee-jin, shared a statement claiming that several HYBE labels had purposefully committed plagiarism against Min Hee-jin, and ADOR's IP: NewJeans. This statement would later balloon into a scandal of insurmountable proportions filled with legal threats and misinformation where we would see over a dozen ongoing court cases against several parties including HYBE, ADOR, several current and former employees of both companies, as well as Min Hee-jin herself. Following the spread of misinformation, several HYBE labels including BigHit, BELIFT LAB, Source Music & ADOR each announced that they would be pursuing legal action against those found to be spreading slanderous content about their artists. It was later shared by ADOR's parent company, HYBE that they would be conducting an audit of ADOR after it was found that the label, Min Hee-jin and her associates had been seeking to annex the label — and NewJeans — from the HYBE Labels conglomerate.

As of now, Min Hee-jin has left HYBE and her position as CEO of ADOR. There have been several court cases filed against the former ADOR head scheduled to take place next year. These include defamation lawsuits filed by both Source Music & BELIFT LAB, as well as a lawsuit filed by a former ADOR employee who claims that they were dismissed following an incident of workplace harassment by one of the executives from Min's faction. As for NewJeans, the group has wholeheartedly sided with Min Hee-jin. In November they officially sent notice to ADOR explaining that the label would have two weeks to meet the group's letter of demand, or the group would move forward and seek to terminate their contract with the label. ADOR briefly responded by stating that they had received the notice and were currently in the process of reviewing the letter.

#2- SHINee's individual contract renewals were up in April! It was shared that two SHINee members would be officially departing SM Entertainment once their contracts were up. The group's leader, Onew — who recently returned from his health-related hiatus in May — confirmed his move to Griffin Entertainment. As for Taemin, it was shared that the youngest SHINee member had joined the MC Mong-founded label, Big Planet Made. As for Minho & Key, they've both renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment. SHINee is still signed as a group under SM Entertainment, so we can expect to see more music from them soon. However, their solo activities will now fall under their individual management labels.

#3- April was a month of goodbyes with groups including Cherry Bullet, Nature, Dempagumi.inc & the LDH group MOONCHILD all announcing their respective disbandments.

The Superstar K2-associated soloist, Park Boram passed away on the 11th of April. Her cause of death was later revealed to be acute alcohol poisoning, She was 30 years old.

Reita, the bassist of the Japanese Visual Kei rock band, The GazettE's passed away on the 15th of April. He was 42-years-old

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @dempagumi via x.com, @ldhegirlsintl via x.com, @OshiCircle via x.com, n.news.naver.com, @kchartsmaster via x.com, koreajoongangdaily.joins.com, asianjunkie.com, @sugatheartist via x.com, @Kpop_Herald via x.com, @balloon_wanted via x.com, soompi.com, bts_bighit via x.com, weverse.io/bts, @bpmentofficial via x.com)

MAY:

#1- We began the month of May with the news that the Kang Daniel-founded agency, KONNECT would be shutting down. This was due to the actions of KONNECT's largest shareholder, Mr. A, who held a 70% stake in the company. That same month, Kang Daniel filed a criminal complaint against the shareholder where he detailed a litany of charges including forgery of private documents, embezzlement, breach of trust, infringement on information and communications network, and computer fraud. A spokesperson for Kang Daniel shared that Mr. A had reportedly used the idol's name and company seal without his knowledge to sign an advance distribution contract worth over ₩10 billion in late 2022. Kang would only be made aware of this contract in 2023. Additionally, the shareholder has been accused of embezzling ₩2 billion from KONNECT corporate accounts and ₩1.7 billion from Kang's own personal account without the artists' authorization. Prior to its closure, it was shared that all KONNECT-associated artists — including GFRIEND's Yuju, We Dem Boyz & Chancellor — had amicably parted ways with the label.

#2- Also in May we discovered that Kep1er would be extending their contracts with WAKEONE after it was shared that the group members had officially come to an agreement between their respective labels & the groups' management. The duration of Kep1er's contract extension was not publicly disclosed. This came with a caveat, however, as it was shared that two of the group's members, Yeseo & Mashiro would be departing the group to debut with the newly-formed 143 Entertainment girl group, MADEIN. Meanwhile, another girl group member departed their group in May. AKB48's longest-serving active member, Yuki Kashiwagi said her final goodbyes to the group after a total of 17 years with the group.

Japanese voice actress Eiko Masuyama, who was most well-known for her portrayal of Fujiko Mine in the Lupin anime franchise passed away on the 20th of May from pneumonia. She was 88 years old.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @KoreanUpdates via x.com, @balloon_wanted via x.com, @Yukiriiiin__K via x.com, @JPopProjectNews via x.com, yomiuri shimbun, japannews.yomiuri.co.jp)

JUNE:

#1- SM Entertainment and Exo's Chen, Baekhyun & Xiumin (hereafter referred to as CBX) found themselves on opposing sides once again in June. The trio shared that they would be filing a complaint against SM Entertainment after it was discovered that a clause in the artists' contracts entitled the Kakao-owned Entertainment company to 10% of CBX's individual earnings despite not being individually contracted under SM Entertainment. The group held a press conference on the 10th of June detailing their complaints against SM. Following this, SM shared that they would be pursuing legal action against INB100 and CBX for failing to fulfill their contractual obligations. INB100 later responded by announcing a counter-suit and stating: "As a large entertainment agency, please stop making petty excuses to sway public opinion and reveal the basis for the dispute fairly and clearly." There have been no recent updates regarding either party's respective lawsuits as of the time of writing. CBX currently maintains their exclusive (group) contracts under SM Entertainment, while they have continued to pursue their respective solo activities under the Baekhyun-founded semi-independent label, INB100.

#2- 2NE1 commemorated their 15th anniversary this year with an announcement that the group would be re-uniting under YG Entertainment following their disbandment in 2016. All group members, including Minzy — who departed the group in 2016 following her departure from YG Entertainment — met with the YG founder and former CEO, Yang Hyunsuk in June to discuss potential plans for their 15th anniversary. This would later be announced to be a 2024-25 Asia tour beginning in October, the 2NE1 Welcome Back Tour, and a comeback next year in 2025.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @balloon_wanted via x.com, YG ENTERTAINMENT via YouTube.com, m.entertain.naver.com)

JULY:

#1- BTS' Jin was the first member of the global Kpop powerhouse to be discharged from the military. The eldest BTS member officially made his return to the public on the 12th of June. In July, the idol traveled to Paris in order to represent South Korea as an official torchbearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The idol traveled the route from Paris's Rue de Rivoli all the way down to the Place du Carrousel. Which houses the Arc de Triomphe, Paris's centerpiece for city planning. In total, Jin traveled around ten minutes prior to transferring the torch to Algerian French skier and Olympian, Sandra Laoura.

#2- Several celebrities shared nuptial announcements. Japanese-Korean rapper Chanmina & South Korean rapper Ash Island shared that they had recently gotten married and were expecting their first child together. They welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in November. Our second couple announcing a wedding in July was HyunA & former BEAST/HIGHLIGHT member, Yong Junhyung. The former labelmates shared that they would be getting married in October. The pair have since tied the knot. This was HyunA's first public relationship following her much-publicized relationship (and subsequent fallout) with former PENTAGON member Dawn. Yong Junhyung fell into hot water during the Burning Sun scandal after having admitted to [reportedly] unintentionally watching a molka (illegally filmed sex video) sent to him privately by Jung Joon-young. Prior to the former BEAST member's marriage to HyunA, he provided some context related to the scandal, while also apologizing for his past actions. He stated that: "All of these actions were extremely immoral, and I was very foolish. I treated it as something that is not a big deal, without thinking that it was a crime and an illegal act. It is also my fault for not stopping Jung Joon-young." He further detailed that: "Since late 2016, I have only maintained a relationship of simple greetings once in a while with Jung Joon-young. Even though I knew of what was happening at that time, I thought it was not a big deal and was too relaxed. I was a silent observer to this serious problem, where my actions could have led to even more victims."

#3- In July we saw more long-time favorites disband. We said goodbye to Pink Fantasy, Mirae & Favorite throughout the month of July.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @PopBase via x.com, @kchartsmaster via x.com, @minachanxx via Instagram, Yong Junhyung's statement translation via soompi.com)

AUGUST:

#1- One of our biggest scandals in August was the news of NCT127's Taeil being booted from NCT — and subsequently — his label, SM Entertainment, after it was discovered that the idol was being investigated for quasi-rape. The former idol was indicted in June for sexually assaulting a drunken woman, alongside two acquaintances. Which, in South Korea, is defined as an act of having non-consensual sexual intercourse with another person while they or either asleep or inebriated (thus unable to consent). Following the initial reports, it was shared that the former idol had been referred to the prosecution without detention. In October SM Entertainment shared that they had terminated Taeil's contract for breach of trust as he was "currently under prosecution investigation for a criminal case which is not only a reason for contract termination but he also broke his trust as an artist". As a reaction to the reports regarding Taeil, NCT member Haechan took to social media to share his thoughts through a long and detailed message. As for Taeil's case, the Seoul Metropolitan Police stepped out in mid-September to share that the former idol's case had been handed over to the prosecution without detention. The former idol was not deemed a flight risk and as such, would be able to remain within society while prosecutors continue their investigations into the matter.

#2- BTS' Suga found himself in trouble after it was reported that he was under investigation for violating road traffic rules by riding an electric scooter while intoxicated on the 6th of August. The following day, both BigHit & Suga released statements confirming the reports, while Suga additionally apologized for the incident. On the 8th of August, BigHit Music shared an additional apology clarifying that their artist was immediately sent home following the submission of a police breathalyzer test. Sharing that both Suga and his label [BigHit Music] were not aware that there were more procedures to follow and mistakenly believed the matter was closed. Suga later shared a second apology on the 25th of August once again apologizing for his actions and accepting any legal consequences that may come following the conclusion of the investigation.

#3- Also in August former Exo member and Chinese soloist Huang Zitao came clean about his relationship with former SM Entertainment trainee Xu Yiyang. The pair went official in July before swiftly announcing their engagement the following month in August on the set of the variety show, Dare or Not. Then a few months later in December, the couple announced that they had officially tied the knot!

#4- We had a few line-up changes and disbandments during August. Tempest's Hwarang was unceremoniously booted from TEMPEST by his label. The idol had been on hiatus since early March after he was found to have been clubbing by a fan of the group. The idol defended himself by sharing that he didn’t do anything bad and that he had only gone to the club for the music. In their August announcement, the idol's label, Yuehua Entertainment shared a statement detailing that they had been engaged in "deep discussions" with the idol related to his future activities. It was ultimately decided that the idol would conclude his activities with both TEMPEST and the label following a mutual termination of his exclusive contract. One of the final few vestiges of ioi also ended up concluding their activities as a group in August. The Fantagio-produced girl group, Weki Meki whose line-up included two former ioi members, Doyeon & Yoojung, shared that they had officially disbanded on the 8th of August. Several group members, including Elly, Sei, Lua, Rina, Suyeon, and Lucy decided not to renew their contracts with the label, while Doyeon & Yoojung stayed signed on to Fantagio.

Japanese voice actress Atsuko Tanaka — and mother of fellow voice actor Hikaru Tanaka — passed away in August following a prolonged battle with an unspecified illness. The actress was 61 years old. She was best known for her portrayal of Motoko Kusanagi in the Ghost in the Shell franchise. A memorial exhibition dedicated to the voice actress opened on November 14, 2024, at the Historia Maebashi.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @SMTOWNGLOBAL via x.com, m.entertain.naver.com, @balloon_wanted via x.com, @HikaruTanaka_va via x.com, lysn.com, edaily.co.kr, @dramapotatoe via x.com, weverse.io/bts)

SEPTEMBER:

#1- Former IZ*ONE member & AKB48 alum, Honda Hitomi became the most recent IZ*ONE member to re-debut in Korea. It was announced that the Japanese idol would be joining the Kim Jaejoong-produced 7-member idol group, Say My Name in October. The group officially made its debut in October with 'WaveWay'.

#2- Also in September, we had a few BLACKPINK updates. Jennie's label, OddAtelier took to social media to announce the name of the artists' solo fandom name, Rubies. Then later in the month, fellow BLACKPINK member Rosé personally shared via her Instagram account, @roses_are_rosie, that she had signed with the US-based record label, Atlantic Records, for her solo activities.

Japanese voice actress Emi Shinohara known for her roles as Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon & Kushina in Naruto & Naruto Shippuden passed away on the 8th of September while undergoing treatment for an undisclosed condition. The actress was 61 years old.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @KoreanUpdates via x.com, @oddatelier via x.com, @sa2m2nam3 via x.com, @ToeiAnimation via x.com)

OCTOBER:

#1- In October SM Entertainment shared that Seunghan would be rejoining RIIZE following his extended hiatus. The group's Korean fanbase, however, was anything but happy with this announcement. The idol has since announced his departure from the group due to fan pressure. The following month, it was shared that the former RIIZE member would be continuing under SM as a soloist. He is slated to debut during the second half of 2025.

#2- NewJeans Hanni was called to the South Korean National Assembly in October after the idol shared via a live-stream in September that she had undergone workplace bullying and harassment from an employee working with BELIFT's newest girl group, ILLIT. According to the idol, the BELIFT manager had told the ILLIT members to ignore the idol. Several NewJeans fans responded to this claim by filing reports with the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee. The department later called on Hanni, as well as ADOR's newly appointed CEO, to testify on the issue and later investigated the matter to rule whether or not the manager had bullied Hanni. The case was ultimately dismissed in November with the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee stating that: "Due to the content and nature of the management contract signed by Hanni, it is difficult to consider her a worker under the Labor Standards Act, which provides work for wages in a use-subordination relationship". This has essentially set a precedent for the idol industry, idols or trainees are effectively barred from filing for, or claiming, workplace bullying and harassment. Even idols who have legitimate concerns related to harassment at their workplace will now have to pursue different avenues when seeking justice or compensation.

Japanese voice actress Nobuyo Oyama, known by generations as the voice of the titular character Doraemon from the beloved Japanese anime series passed away on the 29th of September from old age. She was 90 years of age. The voice actress portrayed the character for a total of 26 years from its first broadcast on the TV Asahi network in 1979 until her departure from the role in 2005.

(Main sources: japannews.yomiuri.co.jp, n.news.naver.com, @juantokki via x.com, @SMTOWNGLOBAL via x.com, @RIIZE_official via x.com)

NOVEMBER:

#1- We're starting our November updates with several NewJeans and Min Heejin-related news. The ADOR former CEO shared that she had officially resigned from HYBE effective immediately. Following her resignation, the Min announced several lawsuits against her former employer and their associates. The former NewJeans visual director shared that she had filed a suit against several BELIFT executives & HYBE's COO for defamation. She is seeking over USD 3.5 million in compensation. During the final weeks of November, Min Heejin announced yet another lawsuit. This suit was aimed at the HYBE CCO & head of PR for breach of duty and extreme damages towards NewJeans. Additionally, it was also announced that she had filed a criminal complaint against them via the Yongsan Police Station. Meanwhile, a collective group of Tokki's — known through the collective, Team Bunnies — shared that they had filed charges against the new ADOR CEO for perjury following their appearance at the South Korean National Assembly for an investigation related to the handling of Hanni's claim of workplace bullying and harassment. Then on the 13th of November, NewJeans officially sent notice to ADOR that they would be seeking contract termination if the label did not meet their demands and stipulations within the two-week notice period. Two weeks later on the 28th of November, NewJeans held a press conference sharing that they had officially departed ADOR. As of the time of writing NewJeans has yet to formally file a suit for contract termination and ADOR has stated that the group still belongs to their label, while also filing a suit seeking answers related to the validity of NewJeans exclusive contract. Following their [unofficial] departure from ADOR, the group has been undertaking their remaining ADOR-scheduled activities. However, it's unknown whether any activities scheduled by third parties outside of ADOR will remain legal as, in most contract termination cases, artists are forbidden from participating in schedules until their contract disputes have been solved.

#2- Moving on to other HYBE-related updates, we have updates related to BigHit Music & fromis_9. HYBE has appointed long-time employee and former head of HYBE's T&D (Training & Development) team as the new CEO of BigHit Music, an independent label within the HYBE conglomerate. Home to artists including BTS, 8ight's Lee Hyun & TXT. It was also announced that BigHit Music's outgoing CEO would be moving on to a role as the CEO of HYBE Music Group APAC. This position oversees the businesses within HYBE’s music labels in Korea and Japan. As for fromis_9, it was shared that the girl group would be leaving PLEDIS Entertainment following the expiration of their contract in December. It has not been shared whether the group will be continuing following their departure from PLEDIS, or disbanding following their final schedules with the label.

South Korean actor Song Jae-rim passed away on the 12th of November. The actor was known for his roles in dramas such as Surplus Princess & Clean With Passion For Now. The actor was 39 years old.

(Main sources: m.entertain.naver.com, @juantokki via x.com, @kchartsmaster via x.com, @newsen_t via x.com, @mhereonlyforbts via x.com, @realfromis_9 via x.com, @soompi via x.com, @newjeans_loop via x.com)

DECEMBER:

#1- VCHA's KG shared via her personal Instagram that she had filed a suit against JYP America following several cases of abuse and mistreatment from various staff members. She shared that she had decided to seek her release from the company in May and still has yet to be released from her contract in December. She closed out her announcement by thanking fans for their support and stated that she hoped the fans continue to support the group regardless of her status as a member.

#2- We saw several groups announce their disbandments or departure from their labels in December. In the first week of December, C9 shared that their group, Cignature, had officially come to an end as a group. Also sharing a disbandment announcement that same week was Beauty Box. The group, which debuted in 2021, consisted of four members at the time of their disbandment. Three of these members — Gahyun, Sori & Chaeeun — terminated their exclusive contract following their disbandment, while the group's final member, Via, will remain with the label to debut in a new project. Our final disbandment of the year was the Road To Kingdom promotional boy group, TheCrewOne. The group, consisting of members from the IST boy group ATBO & BlueDot's JUST B joined forces to compete in season 2 of M-net's Road To Kingdom. Following their elimination from the competition series, the group shared that they had officially disbanded and would continue their activities separately as ATBO & JUST B. Now moving on to contract terminations. We have two groups with members moving on from their current agencies. Several members of Rocket Punch & Golden Child will be leaving Woolim on the same day. The label recently shared that Rocket Punch's Yeonhee, Yunkyung, Sohee & Dahyun would be departing the label, while Golden Child members Lee Daeyeol, Y, Bae Seungmin, Bong Jaehyun & Kim Donghyun would also be leaving Woolim Entertainment. Their contracts concluded with the label on the 31st of December.

Renowned "Golden Age" idol singer and actress Miho Nakayama passed away on the 6th of December. She was found to have died from a "freak accident" while bathing. On 12 December, Nakayama's remains were cremated at a private funeral. The singer-actress was 54 years old.

(Main sources: hallyuplus.net, @vchaglobal_a2k via x.com, @iamkgcrown via Instagram.com, @nugupromoter via x.com, @the_crewone via x.com, @realfromis_9 via x.com, @JPopProjectNews via x.com)

Polaris_Tae · Tuesday at 10:32 AM

BY POLARIS_TAE

During the final few months of 2024, our writers worked hard to select songs that we felt accurately represented the year that was 2024. Just like last year, we've tried to select an equal ratio of male-to-female artists. We know that no such list can be completely unbiased, however, we hope that the songs we've chosen can accurately represent the year in East Asian pop. We hope you will enjoy our selection, and in case your favorite song didn't make it on the list, don't hesitate to promote it in the comments! You can find a playlist for this year's best releases here!

#1- LE SSERAFIM / CRAZY (AUGUST 30)
In what seems to be more of an annual, how many HYBE groups can I force into a single article section of In Case You Missed It these days? We'll be starting off the list with LE SSERAFIM, who made their return in August with the title 'CRAZY' from their 5-track EP of the same name. This was the group's first Korean comeback following the much-criticized Coachella appearance related to the group's vocal stability at the music festival. The album, in addition to 'CRAZY' features four distinct b-sides: the 13-produced introduction track, 'Chasing Lightning', the 'Hitman' Bang-penned 'Pierrot', the previously shared '1800-hot-n-fun' & 'Crazier'. The group's title track 'CRAZY' is an energetic EDM-influenced house track with an addictive hook and an equally 'CRAZY' music video. According to Kazuha, the title track is about the "moments when you discover something that you can go crazy about." One aspect of the music video that I found enjoyable about the music video for this release was the inclusion and display of African American-created sub-cultures and trends throughout the music video. However, rather than tokenism, we see them instead as the centerpoint of their choreography with the use of vogueing with the culture that created the movement at the forefront. Kpop has often been accused of piggybacking from other cultures in the past — particularly from South Asian and African American cultures — so I felt like the inclusion of this aspect was a nice touch to the video. As for the b-sides, I found myself enjoying the 'Hitman' Bang-produced 'Pierrot' & the Coachella-premiered '1800-hot-n-fun' the most. 'Pierrot' is an experimental hip-hop anthem that samples the 'Korean Madonna' Kim Wansun's 'Pierrot Smiles at Us' that, similarly to labelmates BTS' 'AM I Wrong', completely changes up the tone of the sample.'1800-hot-n-fun' is an attitude-filled rock-based b-side with an addictive guitar riff. For this release, the group worked alongside frequent Justin Bieber & Lady Gaga producer BloodPop® alongside AOBeats. For this track, the group has made a play on the US toll-free number with the message: "Call us at '1-800-hot-n-fun" and is a song with a message about having fun with each other. Overall, 'CRAZY' is a fantastic release with absolutely zero skippable tracks and made LE SSERAFIM another group from HYBE that I'm on the cusp of adding to my list of HYBE-related bias groups (alongside BOYNEXTDOOR).

#2- SF9 / BIBORA (JANUARY 8)
SF9's calendar year in 2024 began with a new comeback in the form of their 13th EP, Sequence. the mini album consists of a total of six new releases. The lead single, 'Bibora', along with five accompanying b-side singles: 'Midnight Sun', 'Domino', 'Strings', 'Morning Coffee' & the Dawon solo single 'Superconductor'. This album marked the group's first release following the departure of Rowoon in 2023. Who left the group in order to focus on his individual acting activities. Additionally, it also marked the return of Youngbin & Inseong to the group following the conclusion of their mandatory military service in late 2023. Jaeyoon was unable to participate in promotions for Sequence due to his mandatory military service duties. As for today's feature, SF9 has created an addictive anthem straight from the get-go with 'Bibora'. The single, with lyrical contributions from members Zuho, Youngbin & Hwiyoung is a deep-house/dance fusion. The song discusses the push-and-pull feelings that come following the breakdown of a relationship. As for the track itself, 'Bibora' perfectly blends the bass elements with its airy vocals and addictive hook to create an overall addictive track.

#3- CREEPY NUTS / BLING-BANG-BANG-BORN (JANUARY 20)
Creepy Nuts is a Japanese hip-hop duo formed in 2013 by the rapping-producing duo R-Shitei (rapper) & DJ Matsunaga (producer) and later made their major label debut with Koukou Debut, Daigaku Debut, Zenbu Shippaishita Kedo Major Debut — High School Debut, College Debut, All Failed But Now Major Debut — in 2017. Prior to the group's formation, the two members had been slowly making a name for themselves in individual competitions within their respective fields. R-Shitei, for instance — whose stage name translates to R-Rated — took part in and won several titles from the ULTIMATE MC BATTLE between 2009 and 2014 prior to his retirement from professional freestyling in 2014. Additionally, DJ Matsunaga has participated in several competitions such as the World DJ Championships, and has won the Japan championships twice. In January, the group dropped probably what became one of the most infamous anime OSTs with the release of 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born'. The OP to the second season of the Harry Potter-esque shonen wizarding anime, Mashle. About a teen born without a single cell of magic in a world full of wizards who must survive with his wits and muscles alone, or face certain death should his lack of abilities be discovered. The Japanese hip-hop duo has been gradually gaining more attention throughout the year with their back-to-back smash-hit anime OP's for Mashle season 2, or more recently DAN DAN DAN's 'Otonoke'. Or if you're more into mainstream non-anime jpop releases, tracks such as 'Bad Orangez' (one of my personal favorites) or the addictive 'Gohotekitobikatanosusume' might be right up your alley!

Now if I had to describe 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' in a single phrase, it would be as an experimental, but also extremely addictive masterpiece. The track is a xylophone-centric jersey club mix that blends unique elements such as guttural shouts, a sound that seems to emulate a rubber ducky, and more. The song became a hugely viral sensation both in Japan, as well as the wider anime-watching community abroad due to its unique instrumental and popular dance challenge and brought the group further success by shooting to #8 on the Billboard Global Top 200 Chart. Overall, 'BLING-BANG-BANG-BORN' is, in my opinion, probably one of the best anime-related releases and will be shooting to the top of my list of anime favourites alongside BURNOUT SYNDROMES' 'Fly High', 'Hikari Are' & YOASOBI's 'IDOL'. What was your favourite anime-related release of 2024?

#4- æspa / WHIPLASH (OCTOBER 21)
Regardless of what you think of the group, æspa had a very good year this year. They began 2024 by kicking off their world tour — SYNK: Parallel Line — in July, while at the same time, the group's first LP, Armageddon smashed all kinds of records for the group. Its pre-release single, 'Supernova' is an experimental EDM-Hip-Hop release that samples the classic 80s American Electro-Funk/Hip-Hop collective Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force's 'Planet Rock'. The single ended up being the standout release of the album by earning the group a total of 317 PAKs, the most PAKs among all SM-associated, and former-SM acts period. The group later returned in October with a 6-track mini album, WHIPLASH alongside the title track of the same name, a fast-paced EDM single with a perfectly cut music video to accompany it. With this release, the group has chosen to stick with their EDM-focused sound throughout the final quarter of the year as well. æspa's music, similarly to their sibling group NCT, often creates music that you'll either love or hate with no in-between. And 'Whiplash' nails this to a T. Its instrumental is both unique and technically complex. 'Whiplash' is an impressive release that ultimately failed to surpass the hype of May's 'Supernova'. But with a PAK record like 'Supernova', that's to be expected. This gives us what is essentially an instrumentally stunning, but vocally stagnant release. Nevertheless, it's a fantastic release and we're looking forward to seeing even more great releases by the group in 2025 as well!

#5- JIMIN / WHO (JULY 19)
BTS' Jimin made his first official solo comeback in July with his second solo EP, MUSE alongside the lead single 'Who'. The idol's latest contribution to BTS' Chapter 2 promotional concept. Which is the group's ongoing overarching concept following the conclusion of their 'Reflection of Youth' series in 2023 with PROOF. With the announcement of this concept, HYBE shared that the primary focus moving forward would be around the group members discovering more about themselves through their solo work (through both collaborations with other artists and pure solo activities) as the members prepare for (and are now in the midst of undertaking) their mandatory military service. The group is set to reunite in 2025 following the discharge of the four currently enlisted members: Jimin, RM, Jungkook, V & Suga. Now pivoting back to Jimin and MUSE contains a total of seven tracks: its title track, 'Who', the previously released fan song, 'Closer Than This' & the Loco collaboration pre-release track 'Smeraldo Garden Marching Band', and four new accompanying b-sides: 'Rebirth (intro)', 'Interlude (Showtime)', 'Slow Dance (ft. Sofia Carson)' & 'Be Mine'. The idol, who has a little over six months left of his military service, pre-recorded the entire album prior to his enlistment in December of last year alongside frequent collaborators GHSTLOOP & PDOGG. Its title track, 'Who' is a '90s - '00s inspired R&B hip-hop anthem. As I previously shared in my initial review of the single, the title track honestly feels like it could have come directly out of the '00s boyband anthem era with its heavy bassline and throwback sound and tells us a story of the conflicting emotions of missing someone that you've never met before. Overall, it was a great release with several addicting b-sides such as 'Slow Dance', 'Be Mine' & the December pre-release single, 'Closer than This'. Did you enjoy MUSE & 'Who' as much as we did?

#6- STRAY KIDS / STRAY KIDS (AUGUST 2)
STRAY KIDS made their comeback in July with their masterpiece ninth EP, ATE alongside its lead single, 'Chk Chk Boom' The group, who recently embarked on their DominATE world tour in August, which I was lucky enough to see in person earlier this year in October. The group made their return with the 8-track EP written, composed (and supervised) by the group's 3RACHA production trio — Bang Chan, Changbin & Han — alongside other contributions such as fellow Stray Kids member Felix, who helped write and compose the 5th track on the album, 'Runners'. The EP — sans the group's title track 'Chk Chk Boom' and its remix, 'Chk Chk Boom (Festival ver.)' — consists of five distinct b-sides: 'MOUNTAINS', 'JJAM', 'I Like It', 'Runners', 'Twilight' & 'Stray Kids'. The subject of today's feature is the 7th overall track on the album, the eponymously named 'Stray Kids'. This single, titled after the group's name is a drum and bass anthem that chronicles the personal journey of the members from their debut to today. Showcasing their struggles, issues related to self-esteem and their ambitions for the future and references several past Stray Kids hits such as 'Hellevator', 'Lonely St.', 'Miroh' and more throughout. In addition to 'Stray Kids' and the previously reviewed 'Chk Chk Boom', I found myself enjoying the Felix-Bang Chan English-language co-production, 'Runners' with its 8D audio manipulation and EDM influence and the poppy upbeat 'I Like It'.

#7- TEAM SHACHI / ENRAN (MARCH 4)
TEAM SHACHI — formerly known as Team Syachihoko — is a four-member Japanese idol group formed in 2012 by Stardust Promotions — known for its groups such as Momoiro Clover Z, M!LK & Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku — based out of the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. The group, which is the younger sister group of both Momoiro Clover Z & Shiritsu Ebichu Chuugaku follows a concept of 'Super tough, strong energy, positive exciting soul from Nagoya'. The group came back in March with 'Enran' directly following the release of their 2nd LP, Waraukadoniwa Fuku Kitaru in February. The group's March release, 'Enran' blends traditional music alongside futuristic aspects and is a very complex and convoluted release that tells a complicated tale about the fictional city of Neo-Nagoya. According to the TEAM SHACHI member Oguro Yuzuki the music video for 'Enran' has a "very deep meaning". We enter a futuristic city called Neo-Nagoya in the music video during the preparations for 'Enran' on the horizon, which is a once-in-a-thousand years festival as each of the members gather throughout Neo-Nagoya to celebrate the upcoming festival. This is seen through the symbolism of each of the group members standing and performing atop very distinct Nagoya landmarks: Oguro Yuzuki is on the Oasis21 Shopping Mall, Nao Sakura on the Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER, Haruna Sakamoto is atop Nagoya Station's Gold Clock & Honoka Akimoto is at the Nagoya Castle. As for the lyrics, the members sing about not being able to do anything during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now that the panic surrounding coronavirus is mostly resolved and things have gone back to normal we can now freely participate in exciting activities such as festivals. Overall it's a fantastic release that, to quote Oguro Yuzuki, you should watch "50 times" before bed!

#8- ILLIT / CHERISH (MY LOVE) (OCTOBER 21)
One of my personal favorite girl groups, ILLIT, made their first official comeback this October with 'Cherish (My Love)' from their 2nd EP, I'LL LIKE YOU. The BELIFT LAB-managed girl group, who were formed via the HYBE-JTBC 2023 audition program, R U NEXT? made their debut in March with 'Magnetic' only to be caught up in a ploy of corporate espionage following ADOR & Min Hee-jin's statements accusing the group — and BELIFT LAB — of plagiarism against the Min Hee-jin-produced girl group and fellow HYBE labelmate, NewJeans. According to the album's MelOn description, I'LL LIKE YOU tells the story of "Me and You" in order to expand on the story of the "Real Me" they sang about during their debut EP, SUPER REAL ME. I'LL LIKE YOU has a total of five tracks on the EP. Their title track, 'Cherish (My Love)', alongside four b-sides: 'I'll Like You', 'IYKYK (If You Know You Know)', 'Pimple' & 'Tick-Tack'. Their title track, similar to March's 'Magnetic' is a dreamy pop single that explores themes of love and places emphasis on deep and meaningful relationships. This can be seen through the themes of the group's music video, where the director equates devotion to a meaningful relationship through the metaphors and symbolism of dental health, as just like a love interest, dental care also requires devotion to keep your teeth healthy for as long as possible. As for the b-sides, 'IYKYK (If You Know You Know)' stands out as the best track on the album — perhaps even more than its title track — with its 2-step garage sound and incredibly addictive hook. The group also presented an addictive synth-filled pop track through the album's 'I'll Like You' intro for an album that feels like a much more cohesive product compared to their SUPER REAL ME debut.

#9- ATEEZ / WORK (MAY 31)
ATEEZ began their Golden Hour album series earlier this year with the release of their 10th EP, GOLDEN HOUR: Part 1 in May and its lead single, 'Work'. With this release, we continue to see members Hongjoong & Minggi develop as songwriters, with lyric credits for all but one b-sides alongside the group's title, 'Work'. The track, particularly when paired with their eclectic and all-over-the-place music video only further goes to showcase the groups' growth as artists. Their May EP, GOLDEN HOUR: Part 1 consists of a total of 6 tracks: 'Golden Hour', 'Blind', 'Work', 'Empty Box', 'Shaboom' & 'Siren'. Now moving on to the group's title track. 'Work' is a mid-tempo hip-hop release penned by ATEEZ members Hongjoong & Mingi that, at the time, felt quite unlike most of ATEEZ's previous titles. The group's 2023 hit single, 'Crazy Form' was a heavy-hitting stadium anthem while 'Work' is quite the opposite. Acting as a truly 'vibes' style hype song over the more in-your-face hip-hop sound. Essentially becoming reduced to a hype song without any heavy-hitting hooks in a similar vein to Big Bang's 'Bang Bang Bang'. This fact, however, does not make 'Work' a bad song at all. It's probably one of my favorite recent titles from the group, with only 'Crazy Form' pulling ahead. What were your thoughts on 'Work'?

#10- FANTASY BOYS / PITTER-PAT-LOVE (MAY 2)
In May, Fantasy Boys made their return with 'Pitter-Pat-Love'. The lead single from the group's 3rd EP, MAKE SUNSHINE. This was the group's first release since 2023's Potential and, as of the time of writing, their only Korean release of 2024. The groups' sole Chinese member, KSoul was sadly — and still is — absent from group promotions after it was shared that the idol would be returning to China to take care of his ailing father — who has since passed — and grandmother. For their 2024 release, the group switched up the tone from their previous release and opted to go for a more 'fresh' concept with the upbeat and summery feel of 'Pitter-Pat-Love'. A song that displays similar vibes to Wannaone's debut title track, 'Energetic'. This release showcases the struggle of coming to terms with their feelings about a first love. Now let's move on to the b-sides! For this EP, the group has additionally shared two unique b-sides: the equally bright bubblegum-pop-sounding 'Make Sunshine' & the Hikaru-produced EDM masterpiece, 'Feeling'. Overall, I found myself enjoying 'Feeling' the most out of the three tracks, with 'Pitter-Patter-Love' trailing closely behind. With this year's comeback, the group has showcased their strengths in being able to pull off a variety of concepts and added another fantastic addition to their small but stellar discography with MAKE SUNSHINE.

#11- F5VE / UNDERGROUND (JULY 12)
One more Japanese group I'd like to highlight today is F5VE. An LDH Japan-associated girl group co-managed by the label alongside the group's global management firm, Three Six Zero Recordings, which also manages Jaden Smith, son of Hollywood actor Will Smith. The group consists of select members of iScream & the now-disbanded Happiness. F5VE, which is globally represented by WME, was formed in 2022 as SG5/Sailor Guardians 5 and made their debut the following year with the Sailor Moon-themed concept, 'Firetruck'. The group rebranded earlier this year as F5VE with the release of 'Lettuce'. In addition to their name change, the group shared that they would be changing their overall concept. The label shared that F5VE's concept would be "inter-dimensional dream agents from Tokyo, Japan, and their mission would be to infiltrate the subconscious mind in order to eradicate self-doubt and negative energy." They recently made their return with the hyper-pop single, 'Underground'. The group's producer, BloodPop® acts as both the group's creative director and their executive producer. Having previously written tracks for artists such as Justin Bieber, LE SSERAFIM & Lady Gaga. In addition to his contributions towards 'Underground', BloodPop® has also participated in all of the group's releases since their 2023 debut. Now moving on to 'Underground'. The single is a hyper-pop anthem with a unique concept that describes the stress that comes with the one-note life of an overworked salary worker counting down the hours until they can clock off for the day: "4:30 in the evening / Can't leave yet, yet, yet, yet"... "Every day I come home and I collapse / I fall asleep fast while suppressing my tears". To sum it up, 'Underground' is, at least in my eyes, one of the most unique concepts of the year, that perfectly compliments each of the F5VE members to become one of the defining releases from July!

#12- CIGNATURE / POONGDUNG (JUNE 10)
In June we saw Cignature make their (final) return with their four-track EP, Sweetie But Saltie, and its lead single, 'Poongdung'. This was the group's first release after almost a year following 2023's Us In The Summer. The group continued the Summery vibes of Us In the Summer into Sweetie But Saltie and 'Poongdung'. The title track is a synth-filled bright and summery pop track where the group talks about having fun in the sun or at the beach. In addition to the lead single, the group's b-sides are also quite strong. 'I Like I Like' is a Ryan Jhun-produced storytelling-themed synth-filled confession song, while 'Melody' is a synth-pop ballad with a stunning instrumental. During my initial review of the song, I stated that I found 'Poongdung' to be the weakest of the three distinct singles. Now revisiting this statement in November, I still believe this to be the case as 'I Like I Like' is simply too strong of a song for 'Poongdung' to keep up. Regardless, that doesn't mean that their title track is a weak song at all, as the entire Sweetie But Saltie EP was able to showcase its strengths with only three official songs to its name.

Polaris_Tae · Tuesday at 10:34 AM

BY POLARIS_TAE

SPOTIFY

#1- BTS was once again the biggest Kpop artist on Spotify for 2024. The group surpassed 39 billion streams on Spotify across all credits. They also maintained their #1 position as the most-streamed group globally, and the global top Kpop act in 2024. Jungkook, Jimin & V also placed in the top 10 global top Kpop acts in 2024 at #2, #4 & #7 respectively. As for the top global Kpop songs of 2024, Jimin's 'Who' took the #1 position of 2024, while other BTS-associated singles such as V's 2023 release 'Love Me Again' (#4), his 2024 single, 'FRI(END)S' (#7), Jimin's 'Like Crazy' (#8) or Jungkook's 2023 trio: 'Seven (ft. Latto)' (#2), 'Standing Next To You' (#3) & '3D (ft. Jack Harlow)' (#9) all also placed on the list. As for newer 2024 releases, only ILLIT's 'Magnetic' (#5), the Rosè & Bruno Mars collab, 'APT' (#6) & Lisa's 'Rockstar' (#10) managed to place on the top global Kpop songs of 2024. Additionally, ILLIT's 'Magnetic' was able to surpass 500 million streams on the Spotify platform. While Jimin's newest title track, 'Who' became the first 2024 BTS-associated single to surpass 1 billion streams.

BIGGEST ALBUM SALES - HIGHEST ALBUMS SALES & PERSONAL BESTS

#1- It was a big year for the Gaon (Circle) chart this year! Several boy groups — including SEVENTEEN, STRAY KIDS, ENHYPEN & NCT DREAM — crossed the 2 million sales threshold within 2024. SEVENTEEN's 13th EP, Spill the Feels became the best-selling album of 2024 with over 3.7 million units sold. Also on the chart was the group's compilation album, 17 Is Right Here with over 3.6 million copies sold. Meanwhile, STRAY KIDS' July EP, ATE (3.09 M), ENHYPEN's Romance: Untold (2.9 M) & NCT DREAM's Dream()scape (2.5 M) all moved over 2 million copies throughout 2024 as well. Moving on to girl groups and IVE & (G)I-DLE had the highest-selling girl group albums with Ive Switch (1.7 M) & 2 (1.6 M) respectively.

#2- SEVENTEEN achieved a new personal — and industry — best this year after the group was able to surpass 30 million total albums sold on Hanteo. Additionally, the group became the first artist to achieve such a feat.

PERFECT ALL KILLS

Only six songs this year were able to reach the status of receiving a Perfect-All-Kill (PAK). To successfully obtain a PAK, a song is required to simultaneously hit #1 on all South Korean major music platforms including MelOn, FLO, Instiz, Genie, and more.

#1- IU gained the first PAK of the year in January with the release of her The Winning pre-release single, 'Love Wins All'. With a music video co-starring BTS' V. This release once again secured IU's place at the top with a record number of 22 total PAKs.

#2- Several artists were able to attain their first official PAKs since beginning their careers in the Korean entertainment industry. BLACKPINK's Rosé achieved her first solo PAK with her Bruno Mars collaboration single, 'APT'. BIBI, ILLIT & DAY6 all also attained their first PAKs with 'BAM YANG GANG', 'Magnetic' & 'Happy' respectively.

#3- Two other female girl groups added to their list of PAKs in 2024. æspa's pre-release single, 'Supernova' became the group's second overall PAK since 2021's 'Savage', while (G)I-DLE added their substantial list of achievements with their fourth PAK, 'Fate'. 'Fate' becomes the group's first PAK since their June 2023 smash hit 'Queencard'.

ON THE CHARTS - BILLBOARD & MELON ACHIEVEMENTS

#1- BTS' 'Spring Day' reached some new personal milestones on the MelOn chart this year! The track became the first song on the platform to surpass 1 billion streams. Then in October, the song became the first ever song to spend 400 consecutive weeks on the MelOn Weekly Chart.

#2- Moving on to Billboard, we have a few more exciting updates! Three Kpop artists were able to make it onto Billboard's list of the top 100 highest-grossing tours of 2024: Seventeen, ENHYPEN & TXT. Seventeen took 31st place with a gross profit of USD 98.4 million earned over a total of 24 shows, ENHYPEN ranked at #50 with USD 63 million across 36 shows, while TXT earned USD 58.1 million over a total of 26 shows. As for the two main billboard charts, BTS' Jimin was shown to be the most successful Kpop act in 2024. The idol's 2024 title track, 'Who' peaked at #12 — the second highest peak for a Kpop act in 2024 — and has spent a whopping 22 weeks (and still counting) on the chart, while his 2nd EP, MUSE took the #2 spot and has been continuously charting for 21 weeks so far. As for other Kpop acts, Rosè's collaboration with Bruno Mars, 'APT' reached the highest peak for a Kpop act on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024 at #8 and has remained charting on the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 weeks. As for the Billboard 200 album chart, ENHYPEN's Romance Untold & STRAY KIDS' ATE became the second and third longest charting Kpop albums of 2024 with a chart history of 15 & 16 weeks respectively.

OTHERS - CERTIFICATION ACHIEVEMENTS, SPOTIFY MILESTONES, NON-MUSIC ACHIEVEMENTS

#1- The Crunchyroll Anime Awards were held in March. Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen took home the top honor of the night after winning Anime of the Year. Additionally, One Piece took home the award for Best Continuing Anime Series, Chainsaw Man took home the award for Best New Anime, Suzume no Tojimari for Best Animated Film & finally Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith Village Arc took home the prize for Best Animation.

#2- Hayao Miyazaki bagged his second official Academy Award this year with his semi-biographical film, 'The Boy and the Heron'. This is the director's first Oscar in over 20 years since 2003's 'Spirited Away'.

Our biggest achievers for RIAA Certifications this year were by far STRAY KIDS & BTS. STRAY KIDS were able to attain a whopping five certifications to their name this year including RIAA Gold (Album) for ATE & Rock-Star in October and February respectively, while they also attained RIAA Gold certifications for their singles, 'Maniac', 'Back Door' & 'Thunderous'. As for BTS, the group's smash-hit English-language single, 'DYNAMITE' hit 5x RIAA Platinum in May, while their Benny Blanco collab, 'Bad Decisions' attained gold in July. Our final RIAA artist this year was BLACKPINK's Jennie, whose The Idol collaboration single with Lily Rose Depp & The Weeknd, 'One of the Girls' hit RIAA Platinum in June.

Polaris_Tae · Tuesday at 10:35 AM

The Social Media Team spent the past few days collecting messages on behalf of the staff team!

sm maid: Happy New Year, H+! It's so good to see that we're still thriving into our 6th year as a community. It's so nice to see new people joining, regulars staying, and especially the people who have decided to come back after a hiatus. This proves that H+ is a fond memory to many people who have been here at some point, and that's motivation for us to keep going as staff and improving the site. Let's stick together in 2025 as well, love you all!

Polaris_Tae: Hello Hallyuplussers! Happy 2025! I hope everyone has had an exciting year both on and off the forum! Now that the year is over, we'd like to thank everyone who constantly engages with our content both on the forum and on Social Media (UMJI MOODS looking at you!

) This year we started updating the site with new content formats, such as our sponsored press releases, as well as older much-missed articles such as artist interviews, of which we've published 9 in 2024, playlists & User Interviews, which you can expect to see our latest edition of very soon! Next year, we hope to be more consistent in our releases, and expand our collection of artist interviews as well! We hope to see you all throughout 2025 as well!

soozie: Happy New Year everyone!! Wishing 2025 will be a fantastic year for you all. As part of Events, I just want say thank you so much to our gamers and +card addicts for participating in our games in the past year. We hope you had fun, and we’ll strive to bring even more events for you in the coming year so stay tuned!

Vampire: Hi, everyone! Thank you all for making Hallyu+ what it is. I think it's great we ended the year with such a burst of activity, and I hope we'll be able to continue running all throughout 2025. May your holidays have been pleasant, and have a Happy New Year! ♡

Chiharu: Happy New Year, ppl! I'm glad to see this community is still holding on even if it's not anywhere near as active as it used to be. It's nice to see that there are some new members joining, and I hope we will continue to get new members and that the current ones will keep being active. I hope 2025 treats everyone well and u can all accomplish any resolutions you set for yourselves. And remember to bow down before Princess Wonyoung.

This brings us to the end of our journey into the year that was 2024. We hope to see you all throughout 2025 as well! As always, we'd like to thank our users for continuing to support Hallyu+ throughout the years, and we hope to see you in 2025 with even more great content, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for that!

We'd like to give a special shout-out to all of our staff members, both past and present, who helped define the year that was 2024 with the various events, themes, content and more published across Hallyu+. We also welcome any constructive feedback to this article, our team in general, or any of our past publications as well. Our team — alongside the GFX team — spent various weeks preparing this article for publication and would like to thank you for sticking with us

+

As always, we have a special raffle planned for those of you who made it to the end of 2024! All you have to do is leave a comment and tell us what you most liked/disliked about 2024 and you'll go in the running to win ⨭ 150,000 + 1 Ørb each. The top three winners will be determined by RNG, so don't forget to drop us a comment!

GFX: @yerm
FEATURED ARTISTS: Soyeon, Dawon (SF9), Sakamoto Haruna (Team Shachi), I.N (Stray Kids), Huh Yunjin (LE SSERAFIM), San (ATEEZ), Semi (Cignature), Jimin (BTS) & Minju (ILLIT)

2024 YEARLY ROUND-UP

fromisEJel · Tuesday at 11:07 AM

Polaris_Tae said:
As always, we have a special raffle planned for those of you who made it to the end of 2023! All you have to do is leave a comment and tell us what you most liked/disliked about 2023 and you'll go in the running to win ⨭ 150,000 + 1 Ørb each. The top three winners will be determined by RNG, so don't forget to drop us a comment!

Don't you mean 2024? XD

Chococo · Tuesday at 11:47 AM

Thank you for your hard work, Popo! And for everything that you have been doing for the last couple of years! You have done such an amazing job for social media :heartublob:

To fellow H+ users, happy 2025 and may you have a wonderful year ahead of you! I wish you lots and lots of happiness!

fromisEJel · Tuesday at 1:23 PM

Thank you for your hard work for this special article roundup!

What I hate about 2024 is that it is filled with so many girl groups disbandment, the fight between ILLIT, LESSERAFIM and New Jeans fandoms..

Vampire · Tuesday at 7:51 PM

I hope those we lost this year may rest in peace. It felt like a lot... ):

Polaris_Tae said:
#2- SHINee's individual contract renewals were up in April! It was shared that two SHINee members would be officially departing SM Entertainment once their contracts were up. The group's leader, Onew — who recently returned from his health-related hiatus in May — confirmed his move to Griffin Entertainment. As for Taemin, it was shared that the youngest SHINee member had joined the MC Mong-founded label, Big Planet Made. As for Minho & Key, they've both renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment. SHINee is still signed as a group under SM Entertainment, so we can expect to see more music from them soon. However, their solo activities will now fall under their individual management labels.

Love Taemin, but I felt like his comeback fell flat this time, and I don't know how much moving over to Big Planet Made contributed to that or not. :think:

Hoping the next one does better. Key has been killing his solo work, though!

Polaris_Tae said:
#1- SM Entertainment and Exo's Chen, Baekhyun & Xiumin (hereafter referred to as CBX) found themselves on opposing sides once again in June. The trio shared that they would be filing a complaint against SM Entertainment after it was discovered that a clause in the artists' contracts entitled the Kakao-owned Entertainment company to 10% of CBX's individual earnings despite not being individually contracted under SM Entertainment. The group held a press conference on the 10th of June detailing their complaints against SM. Following this, SM shared that they would be pursuing legal action against INB100 and CBX for failing to fulfill their contractual obligations. INB100 later responded by announcing a counter-suit and stating: "As a large entertainment agency, please stop making petty excuses to sway public opinion and reveal the basis for the dispute fairly and clearly." There have been no recent updates regarding either party's respective lawsuits as of the time of writing. CBX currently maintains their exclusive (group) contracts under SM Entertainment, while they have continued to pursue their respective solo activities under the Baekhyun-founded semi-independent label, INB100.

Every now and then, I remember this happened, and then I'm confused by the lack of... like, any updates. There isn't even any click-bait, dramatic headlines. It's just quiet. :omfgpepe:

Polaris_Tae said:
#1- One of our biggest scandals in August was the news of NCT127's Taeil being booted from NCT — and subsequently — his label, SM Entertainment, after it was discovered that the idol was being investigated for quasi-rape. The former idol was indicted in June for sexually assaulting a drunken woman, alongside two acquaintances. Which, in South Korea, is defined as an act of having non-consensual sexual intercourse with another person while they or either asleep or inebriated (thus unable to consent). Following the initial reports, it was shared that the former idol had been referred to the prosecution without detention. In October SM Entertainment shared that they had terminated Taeil's contract for breach of trust as he was "currently under prosecution investigation for a criminal case which is not only a reason for contract termination but he also broke his trust as an artist". As a reaction to the reports regarding Taeil, NCT member Haechan took to social media to share his thoughts through a long and detailed message. As for Taeil's case, the Seoul Metropolitan Police stepped out in mid-September to share that the former idol's case had been handed over to the prosecution without detention. The former idol was not deemed a flight risk and as such, would be able to remain within society while prosecutors continue their investigations into the matter.

Awful and I'm still shocked by it, tbh. Not that I ever really cared a whole lot about Taeil anyway, if I'm being honest, but it's just... yeah, just shocking. :omfgpepe:

Polaris_Tae said:
Regardless of what you think of the group, æspa had a very good year this year.

Hell yeah! I've become a bit of a casual fan after their releases last year and this year. :catvibing:

Polaris_Tae said:
#10- FANTASY BOYS / PITTER-PAT-LOVE (MAY 2)
In May, Fantasy Boys made their return with 'Pitter-Pat-Love'. The lead single from the group's 3rd EP, MAKE SUNSHINE. This was the group's first release since 2023's Potential and, as of the time of writing, their only Korean release of 2024. The groups' sole Chinese member, KSoul was sadly — and still is — absent from group promotions after it was shared that the idol would be returning to China to take care of his ailing father — who has since passed — and grandmother. For their 2024 release, the group switched up the tone from their previous release and opted to go for a more 'fresh' concept with the upbeat and summery feel of 'Pitter-Pat-Love'. A song that displays similar vibes to Wannaone's debut title track, 'Energetic'. This release showcases the struggle of coming to terms with their feelings about a first love. Now let's move on to the b-sides! For this EP, the group has additionally shared two unique b-sides: the equally bright bubblegum-pop-sounding 'Make Sunshine' & the Hikaru-produced EDM masterpiece, 'Feeling'. Overall, I found myself enjoying 'Feeling' the most out of the three tracks, with 'Pitter-Patter-Love' trailing closely behind. With this year's comeback, the group has showcased their strengths in being able to pull off a variety of concepts and added another fantastic addition to their small but stellar discography with MAKE SUNSHINE.

@sm maid YOUR BOYS GOT A WRITE-UP!!!

Polaris_Tae said:
BY POLARIS_TAE

SPOTIFY

#1- BTS was once again the biggest Kpop artist on Spotify for 2024. The group surpassed 39 billion streams on Spotify across all credits. They also maintained their #1 position as the most-streamed group globally, and the global top Kpop act in 2024. Jungkook, Jimin & V also placed in the top 10 global top Kpop acts in 2024 at #2, #4 & #7 respectively. As for the top global Kpop songs of 2024, Jimin's 'Who' took the #1 position of 2024, while other BTS-associated singles such as V's 2023 release 'Love Me Again' (#4), his 2024 single, 'FRI(END)S' (#7), Jimin's 'Like Crazy' (#8) or Jungkook's 2023 trio: 'Seven (ft. Latto)' (#2), 'Standing Next To You' (#3) & '3D (ft. Jack Harlow)' (#9) all also placed on the list. As for newer 2024 releases, only ILLIT's 'Magnetic' (#5), the Rosè & Bruno Mars collab, 'APT' (#6) & Lisa's 'Rockstar' (#10) managed to place on the top global Kpop songs of 2024. Additionally, ILLIT's 'Magnetic' was able to surpass 500 million streams on the Spotify platform. While Jimin's newest title track, 'Who' became the first 2024 BTS-associated single to surpass 1 billion streams.

BIGGEST ALBUM SALES - HIGHEST ALBUMS SALES & PERSONAL BESTS

#1- It was a big year for the Gaon (Circle) chart this year! Several boy groups — including SEVENTEEN, STRAY KIDS, ENHYPEN & NCT DREAM — crossed the 2 million sales threshold within 2024. SEVENTEEN's 13th EP, Spill the Feels became the best-selling album of 2024 with over 3.7 million units sold. Also on the chart was the group's compilation album, 17 Is Right Here with over 3.6 million copies sold. Meanwhile, STRAY KIDS' July EP, ATE (3.09 M), ENHYPEN's Romance: Untold (2.9 M) & NCT DREAM's Dream()scape (2.5 M) all moved over 2 million copies throughout 2024 as well. Moving on to girl groups and IVE & (G)I-DLE had the highest-selling girl group albums with Ive Switch (1.7 M) & 2 (1.6 M) respectively.

#2- SEVENTEEN achieved a new personal — and industry — best this year after the group was able to surpass 30 million total albums sold on Hanteo. Additionally, the group became the first artist to achieve such a feat.

PERFECT ALL KILLS

Only six songs this year were able to reach the status of receiving a Perfect-All-Kill (PAK). To successfully obtain a PAK, a song is required to simultaneously hit #1 on all South Korean major music platforms including MelOn, FLO, Instiz, Genie, and more.

#1- IU gained the first PAK of the year in January with the release of her The Winning pre-release single, 'Love Wins All'. With a music video co-starring BTS' V. This release once again secured IU's place at the top with a record number of 22 total PAKs.

#2- Several artists were able to attain their first official PAKs since beginning their careers in the Korean entertainment industry. BLACKPINK's Rosé achieved her first solo PAK with her Bruno Mars collaboration single, 'APT'. BIBI, ILLIT & DAY6 all also attained their first PAKs with 'BAM YANG GANG', 'Magnetic' & 'Happy' respectively.

#3- Two other female girl groups added to their list of PAKs in 2024. æspa's pre-release single, 'Supernova' became the group's second overall PAK since 2021's 'Savage', while (G)I-DLE added their substantial list of achievements with their fourth PAK, 'Fate'. 'Fate' becomes the group's first PAK since their June 2023 smash hit 'Queencard'.

ON THE CHARTS - BILLBOARD & MELON ACHIEVEMENTS

#1- BTS' 'Spring Day' reached some new personal milestones on the MelOn chart this year! The track became the first song on the platform to surpass 1 billion streams. Then in October, the song became the first ever song to spend 400 consecutive weeks on the MelOn Weekly Chart.

#2- Moving on to Billboard, we have a few more exciting updates! Three Kpop artists were able to make it onto Billboard's list of the top 100 highest-grossing tours of 2024: Seventeen, ENHYPEN & TXT. Seventeen took 31st place with a gross profit of USD 98.4 million earned over a total of 24 shows, ENHYPEN ranked at #50 with USD 63 million across 36 shows, while TXT earned USD 58.1 million over a total of 26 shows. As for the two main billboard charts, BTS' Jimin was shown to be the most successful Kpop act in 2024. The idol's 2024 title track, 'Who' peaked at #12 — the second highest peak for a Kpop act in 2024 — and has spent a whopping 22 weeks (and still counting) on the chart, while his 2nd EP, MUSE took the #2 spot and has been continuously charting for 21 weeks so far. As for other Kpop acts, Rosè's collaboration with Bruno Mars, 'APT' reached the highest peak for a Kpop act on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024 at #8 and has remained charting on the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 weeks. As for the Billboard 200 album chart, ENHYPEN's Romance Untold & STRAY KIDS' ATE became the second and third longest charting Kpop albums of 2024 with a chart history of 15 & 16 weeks respectively.

OTHERS - CERTIFICATION ACHIEVEMENTS, SPOTIFY MILESTONES, NON-MUSIC ACHIEVEMENTS

#1- The Crunchyroll Anime Awards were held in March. Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen took home the top honor of the night after winning Anime of the Year. Additionally, One Piece took home the award for Best Continuing Anime Series, Chainsaw Man took home the award for Best New Anime, Suzume no Tojimari for Best Animated Film & finally Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith Village Arc took home the prize for Best Animation.

#2- Hayao Miyazaki bagged his second official Academy Award this year with his semi-biographical film, 'The Boy and the Heron'. This is the director's first Oscar in over 20 years since 2003's 'Spirited Away'.

Our biggest achievers for RIAA Certifications this year were by far STRAY KIDS & BTS. STRAY KIDS were able to attain a whopping five certifications to their name this year including RIAA Gold (Album) for ATE & Rock-Star in October and February respectively, while they also attained RIAA Gold certifications for their singles, 'Maniac', 'Back Door' & 'Thunderous'. As for BTS, the group's smash-hit English-language single, 'DYNAMITE' hit 5x RIAA Platinum in May, while their Benny Blanco collab, 'Bad Decisions' attained gold in July. Our final RIAA artist this year was BLACKPINK's Jennie, whose The Idol collaboration single with Lily Rose Depp & The Weeknd, 'One of the Girls' hit RIAA Platinum in June.

Holy shit... I did NOT know that ENHYPEN does that well! Slay... I've been really enjoying their discography. :omfgpepe:

Polaris_Tae said:
As always, we have a special raffle planned for those of you who made it to the end of 2024! All you have to do is leave a comment and tell us what you most liked/disliked about 2024 and you'll go in the running to win ⨭ 150,000 + 1 Ørb each. The top three winners will be determined by RNG, so don't forget to drop us a comment!

As far as K-Pop goes, I was so relieved when Baekhyun came back, and I enjoyed it as much as I did. I thought the song was just right for him and I loved the MV! I'm now a fan of Xdinary Heroes, too~ Normally, I listen to a lot of older releases for Japanese music, but this year, I became interested in the newly debuted girl group, Phantom Siita! They've started to add a lot of Ensemble Stars music to the global version of Spotify and omg, I've been obsessed! Wrapped said 2 of the songs from that series were in my top 5 for this year~ I liked that I was able to play a lot of games this year, too, (like Baldur's Gate 3!!!) and that I did well in school. What I didn't like was Taeyong and Jaehyun enlisting. At times, school was incredibly stressful, and I also had to go to the hospital in August. :marge:

I'm okay, though!! Um... yeah, I kinda feel like I just word vomitted aimlessly, so I'll leave it at that!

choively · Tuesday at 8:09 PM

THIS IS A SPECIALLL EDITION !!! (JUST REALIZED)

Polaris_Tae · Tuesday at 8:13 PM

Vampire said:
Holy shit... I did NOT know that ENHYPEN does that well! Slay... I've been really enjoying their discography.

Of everything, I think it's the achievements section that requires the most external research every year. Since only the major updates like PAKs or streaming milestones get updated.

I thought that touring updates would be a nice addition and I had genuinely no idea that ENHYPEN's latest tour was so successful. Then there's the certifications as well. I've been liking most of their titles post-Bite Me, so it's great to see their success!
:blushblob:

Vampire said:
Every now and then, I remember this happened, and then I'm confused by the lack of... like, any updates. There isn't even any click-bait, dramatic headlines. It's just quiet.

Yep, the CBX/SM lawsuit drama just seems to have fizzled out. Like... they filed a lawsuit, but where the hell is it shdhj
Usually, you'd be able to look up court documents, but since it's Korea, they're probably in another damn language, and I have no idea where to start to begin with
:oxygen:

Polaris_Tae · Tuesday at 8:38 PM

Y'all can thank Chomi for the Bibora feature. Perhaps I missed one of the best bg songs of the year by skipping out on Kpop releases in January :BoredPar:

Chococo said:
Thank you for your hard work, Popo! And for everything that you have been doing for the last couple of years!

ty coco! Happy New Year! As fun as it is to put these together, I think the hardest part is actually the extra research. Some of the most important updates either don't get posted on the forum, such as the Suga DUI case, or even updated at all in the CBX case.

This year, I was able to procrastinate a lot more than last year bc the grouping of topics was a lot more efficient

fromisEJel said:
What I hate about 2024 is that it is filled with so many girl groups disbandment

Same here. Just when I start getting into Cignature's music, their company decides to d-word them

choively said:
THIS IS A SPECIALLL EDITION !!! (JUST REALIZED)

If it's posted on NYE/New Years Day, it'll always be a Special Edition :blushblob:

Bellamy · Tuesday at 11:24 PM

Wow, thank you once again for your hard work, this was an amazing compilation

Polaris_Tae said:
#1- In October SM Entertainment shared that Seunghan would be rejoining RIIZE following his extended hiatus. The group's Korean fanbase, however, was anything but happy with this announcement. The idol has since announced his departure from the group due to fan pressure. The following month, it was shared that the former RIIZE member would be continuing under SM as a soloist. He is slated to debut during the second half of 2025.

I'm still hurt. Thanks to SM's awful decisions the fandom is a mess (I dropped it) I know RIIZE will not flop but something changed, especially the way SM is marketing the group.

sm maid · Wednesday at 1:32 PM

FANBO AND CIGNATURE!!!! you snapped as usual @Polaris_Tae :blushblob:

this year was... strange I think. for me, the first half was filled with songs I liked and then the second half was just... nothing

I had a weird time too in the past 4 months seeing fanbo being throw into 2 survival shows, and the nerve wrecking experience of maybe seeing the group split up in case some of them actually made it into the lineups. it all worked out nicely though and I closed the year with two new potential groups to stan in 2025 :LovePar:

may fanbo, bae173, polarix and close your eyes all prosper in 2025

honestly most of my fave ggs disbanded this year... nature, weki meki, cignature were all groups I've been following for the longest time, and the ones that remained seem to be hanging by a thread

I hope we see more fun, actual kpop-core releases by ggs this year, because seems like there are no groups releasing the original sound of kpop which is what I loved in the first place, as much as I also like some of the newer/edgier stuff from groups nowadays... we need kpop that doesnt take itself so seriously or isnt just so obviously trying to cater to the western audience... lets be weird and fun again pleaseeee

Sweetheart · Wednesday at 3:17 PM

I think my fav thing of 2024 was that my favs all released music i liked with very solid title tracks :poggers:

Like for Le sserafim both easy and crazy were amazing, IU had Holssi, love wins all and shopper and ZB1 had yura yura and feel the pop :wow:

choively · Wednesday at 6:06 PM

all the hard work people had put into everything here

SirTim0thy · 2025-01-02T01:58:00-0500

Thank you for this robust summary of the year. I recognize that a ton of time, effort, and thoughtfulness must go into these editions.
You have my sincere gratitude!

For me, 2024 is bitter-sweet:

The bitter -

Our loss of a true legend in Shinsadong Tiger may he RIP.
And the ongoing NJ drama.

The sweet -

Lots of music that I enjoyed sound-wise this year, with every month offering something to keep me coming back for more. The music itself remains a core element of my engagement with the culture. It's been a decade since I've stayed this plugged-in to kpop and I'm happy to say this year will be remembered as one of the fondest, all things considered.
Attending IU's world tour was a life highlight!
A highlight of the year is certainly the return of the king GD!

Once again, thank you!

Greybeard_21 · 2025-01-02T20:09:08-0500

Dear Admins, Mods, and Members:

H+ is a beautiful forum, so I need to thank everyone for making this possible!

In this thread, Polaris_Tae has written some serious effort-posts that has helped me get up to speed, and for that I am grateful!

And all over the forum, the super-posters have kept artist threads alive and ready for new activity from members.
This must be hard work, so I am grateful to those who made it possible for K-Pop fans from outside the family to find news about their faves by general net-search - activity begets more activity, so what you do is securing the survival of a forum that has roots in the early fandom;
Many of you remember the ancient times (two decades ago!) on AKP and 6th Theory, and were perhaps part of the lively discussions on H8 - and this background brings a lot of experience, which is worth saving for new fans in this dreadful world were K-Pop is entering the mainstream, while most of the old forums have died off, depriving us of valuable information about the earlier generations of idols - and about the fans who supported them.

For me, 2024 shines because the Ladies of 2NE1 came back, something that all Blackjacks dreamt about for a long time!

And 2025 already seems to be the year where they will make another album - and if we are just a little lucky, this album will be the one where they show why Blackjacks always said that 2NE1 had an artistic potential to be much more than style and swagger.
Not that style and swagger is wrong, but by now they can add some adult maturity to the mix...

On that note I will wish all of you a happy new year - and add an extra THANK YOU to the super-posters who kept the 2NE1 thread alive during the long dry spell!

Yours,

/Mike