ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT / OCTOBER 16 - OCTOBER 22

[Polaris_Tae]

OCTOBER 16 - OCTOBER 22


Hello Hallyuplussers and welcome to In Case You Missed It for another week! This time, we had various updates such as FIFTY FIFTY's Keena making the decision to return to her agency after it was revealed that she had retracted her court case against ATTRAKT, we also had an update to NCT127's Taeil and his ongoing health status, along with some releases from Chuu & King & Prince. All this and so much more in this week's edition of In Case You Missed It!

BY POLARIS_TAE

MONDAY:
#1- We had an update to the ongoing FIFTY FIFTY case this week. It was revealed that the group's eldest member Keena had withdrawn her appeal from the Seoul high court. This may, in part, be due to Keena both owning a portion of the copyright for FIFTY FIFTY's smash hit 'Cupid', as well as being the longest member to have trained under ATTRAKT and as such, having some sense of remaining loyalty to ATTRKT. What are your thoughts on Keena's decision to return to ATTRAKT?

#2- Also on Monday, it was reported that former (G)I-DLE member Seo Soojin had signed an exclusive contract with BRD and has plans to make her solo debut late this October. What are your thoughts on Soojin returning to the spotlight, and do you think that her original contract termination was justified seeing as similar cases — such as the situation surrounding STRAY KIDS' Hyunjin — managed to get away with a similar scandal virtually unscathed.



TUESDAY:
#1- Exo had a few updates for us this week! Firstly, it was announced that Baekhyun would be lending his voice to the new League of Legends virtual boy group, 'HEARTSTEEL' as Ezreal. This is particularly exciting for the boy group member as he is known to be an avid fan of the online video game. Then moving on, and it was reported that Exo's Sehun and Chanyeol would reportedly be signing a new company in order to pursue their solo promotions. This report was categorically denied by SM, where they clarified that there was no possibility of that happening. However, if the members wanted to pursue a solo career with another agency, then they are free to do so. Are you looking forward to Baekhyun's upcoming release as a League of Legends idol, and what are your thoughts on Exo members potentially pursuing solo careers outside of SM Entertainment?

#2- Idol, actor and former Wannaone member, Park Jihoon has a new drama coming up! The idol will be officially joining the cast of the upcoming KBS historical drama, Fantasy Sonata based on the web-toon of the same name. It is sceduled for broadcast in 2024. Are you excited to see this upcoming drama?



WEDNESDAY:
#1- SM Entertainment shared an update to Taeil's health status on Wednesday. The idol was injured in a motorcycle accident earlier this year and has been focusing on his recovery following the incident in August. On Wednesday, the company released a statement detailing that the idol had successfully completed his surgery and will be focusing on his recovery in order to meet his fans again with the full group very soon. As a result, however, the idol will be unable to participate in the upcoming NCT 127 world tour, 'Neo City - The Unity' that has been scheduled for November. Are you looking forward to seeing Taeil eventually returning to the group?

#2- FNC Entertainment has officially announced the name of their upcoming male idol group. The new group will go by the name of AMPERS&ONE and will consist of seven members in total. In addition to this information, it has been revealed that Boys Planet contestants Choi Jiho, Na Kamden & Brian will be joining the group as members.

#3- ASTRO's Cha Eunwoo released a new drama OST this week! The idol released his OST 'Jealousy' for the ongoing Kdrama, A Good Day To Be A Dog that he is currently starring in. Have you heard this his new OST yet?



THURSDAY:
#1- We had some new comeback announcements on Thursday. THE BOYZ will be making their comeback this November with another addition to their PHANTASY trilogy series which began with their August release, Christmas in August. Then later, it was announced by BLIZZARD that they will be collaborating with LE SSERAFIM as their first in-game musical artist collaboration.The group will be collaborating with Overwatch 2 in order to release a new single, 'Perfect Night' on the 26th of October. In addition to this, the gaming conglomerate has also announced that they will also be featuring live in-game content on the members from the 30th of October. We can't wait!

#2- As awards season comes back again for another year, we have some major announcements from many of the big awards shows! The Melon Music Awards has officially confirmed their 2023 venue. The ceremony will take place on the 2nd of December at the Inspire Entertainment Arena in South Korea. Meanwhile, M-net's MAMA awards just announced its nominees for their 2023 awards ceremony this week! Additionally, pre-voting for the MAMAs has already opened. So make sure to vote for your favourite artists before the deadline!



FRIDAY:
#1- Yuehua has just announced that TEMPEST's main rapper Hwarang will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities in order to undergo surgery for a shoulder injury. We hope his surgery goes well, and look forward to seeing him back to full health soon!

#2- MONSTA X's Hyungwon will be the next group member to undergo mandatory military service after it was announced that the idol would be enlisting as an active-duty soldier on the 14th of November. We wish him luck and will be patiently awaiting his return to the Entertainment industry.

#3- AKB48's longest lasting member, Kashiwagi Yuki has just announced that she'll be making her graduation from the group next year on the 16th of March. This comes following AKB48's recent decision to do away with their multiple team-based system in order to re-organise the group, and their sister groups, into only two teams: an active member team and a research students (trainee) team. This may have potentially been a deciding factor on why the idol has decided to graduate from the group despite having a very active solo career outside of AKB. We wish her the best of luck in the future, and look forward to her future activities outside of 48G.



SATURDAY:
#1- There were no relevant updates on Saturday.



SUNDAY:
#1- There were no relevant updates on Saturday.

BY POLARIS_TAE

#1.QWER - DISCORD
QWER is a four-member idol band project under the management of 3Y Corporation & Tamago Production and is produced by the South Korean YouTuber — and now music CEO — Kim Egg. Prior to their debut in QWER, each of the members had been active either on Social Media as a content creator, or in Siyeon's case, as a former member of 48G. Chodan, Magenta & Hina had each achieved vaying levels of success across Tik-Tok & Twitch. Hina's following alone had surpassed over 4 million followers on Tik-Tok. Meanwhile, the group's vocalist, Siyeon was previously a member of the AKB48 sister-group, NMB48 as a member of Team M prior to her departure — and the team's eventual dissolution — earlier this year. Rather than traditionally marketed idols, QWER seems to be more marketed towards being similar to the career trajectory of what would be considered to be underground idols.However, unlike traditionaal underground idols — where the focus would be on venue hopping and self-publishing — the group looks to be aiming for exposure on social media instead. This can be seen through the group's line-up of largely social media influencers. The group officially made their debut this week with the release of their single album, Harmony From Discord alongside its accompanying lead single, 'Discord' on Wednesday. A song that, interestingly, seems like its looking to appeal more to the Japanese pop consuming market than anything else. The introduction, especially, sounded like something that could've come from a Jpop idol group. Now moving on, and we have two more songs on the album: 'Harmony of Stars' a traditional sounding Korean pop ballad & the hybrid single that is their b-side, 'Secret Diary'. Overall, this album is a great first step for the group, and we're looking forward to what they come out with in the future as well!




#2.CHUU - HOWL
Former Loona member Chuu made her official solo debut this week with her 5-track EP, Howl along wit the title track of the same name. This comes following the idol's extensive legal battle with her former agency, Blockberry Creative in an effort to secure a better pay rate for herself, while also seeking an injunction to her contract in the process. This month, we saw the idol step out officially not as a member of Loona like she has in the past, but as a soloist instead. Now moving onto the title track and 'Howl' is a haunting yet ethereal track that allows the idol to effectively showcase her vocals in a way that we have not seen from the idol for a while. While 'Howling' lacks any heavy-hitting belting showcases, Chuu still manages to showcase her stunning vocalisations through both her light and airy vocals as well as slipping into falsetto during perfefctly placed moments. My only complaint for the song would be that it felt too short at less than three minutes in total length. Perhaps the idol was looking to appeal to the Tik-Tok audience in the same way that NewJeans or FIFTY FIFTY has done in the past with their shorter songs with key hilight sequences instead. Other songs that I found myself enjoying throughout this release include: 'My Palace', 'Hitchhiker' & 'Underwater'. Overall, it's a solid first release, and we can't wait to see what she comes back with next!




#3. KING & PRINCE - MAGIC WORD
Johnny's group King & Prince make their return this week with the single 'Magic Word', which will officially be released as a double A-side single, Itoshi Ikiru Koto / MAGIC WORD on the 8th of November. The song will also act as the theme song for the live-action Japanese dramedy, 'Kyou Kara Hitman' starring labelmate & ARASHI member, Aiba. The group officially became a duo earlier this year when it was announced that three of its remaining memmbers would be leaving the group following the release of their Mr. 5 best of album in April. 'Magic Word' is the groups' first release following July's 'My Love Song', and is a catchy and upbeat song that perfectly compliments the group members vocal colours, while also delivering something new and exciting from the group. The song also delivers a fantastic hook that perfectly fits its status as a theme song for 'Kyou Kara Hitman' while also proving to us that King & Prince have not lost their unique sound despite going through a line-up change earlier this year. The group will make their official return this November with a brand new single, and we know that we'll be patiently awaiting their return next month as well!

BY POLARIS_TAE

#1- BTS, as well as Suga both supassed new milestones this week! BTS' 2017 supplementary album, You Never Walk Alone has officially supassed 3 billion strams on Spotify. Making this the 6th album by the group to achieve such a milestone. Then moving onto Agust D and its been revealed that D-Day has officially ssurpassed 500 million streams on the platform. Congrats!

#2- While on the topic of HYBE groups and BOY NEXT DOOR had a new milestone to celebrate this week after their mini album, Why.. became the groups' first album to surpass 500K pysical sales on Hanteo. Congrats!

#3- (G)I-DLES's first English-language EP, Heat has officially made its debut on the Billboard album chart, the Billboard 200. The album took 25th place on the charts this week!

BY POLARIS_TAE

Our Hallyu+ Events Team returned again this week with an update to our weekly H+ Station Chart. This week, LIMELIGHT took the the top slot with their single 'Madeline'. Be sure to check out our chart to see where all of your favourite songs ranked!


+

Hallyu+ is actively recruiting for staff. If you want to contribute to the forum's growth and join our amazing team, don't hesitate and apply now!
We are searching for new members for the following teams Blog Team & Social Media Team - Press & ICYMI Division. Our full list of recruitments can be accessed via the general recruitment thread.



This brings us to the end of In Case You Missed It for another week. If you have any feedback related to this article, our wider Social Media Team, or if anything in the article piqued your interest, then feel free to sound off in the comments! Were still looking for writers to help out with In Case You Missed It, so if you're interested in helping to contribute to this format — or our yearly special article — ten make sure to apply via the above link.





GFX BY @yerm
FEATURED ARTISTS Chuu, Brian, Siyeon, Hirano Sho (King & Prince) & Keena (FIFTY FIFTY)​

 

[UMJI MOODS]

Lovely as always. Thanks for giving a spotlight to QWER and Chuu as well.

 

[kimsguardian]

nice, chuu made her solo debut!!

btw as always, thank you for your hard work!!