#bts

#bts

The Korean wave or hallyu that brought the country's culture to the world has now well and truly engulfed Latin America.

The concert saw the government implement strict crowd control measures, deploying about 7,000 police officers, including SWAT units equipped with anti-drone systems.

Netflix's smash-hit, Oscar-nominated animated film KPop Demon Hunters is returning for a sequel, with the fictional Korean girl group HUNTR/X coming back to lay down pop hits and smash evil boybands (and/or other demons). Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans will once again direct their first project in an exclusive multiyear writing and directing partnership with Netflix.

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung warned at a cabinet meeting this week that the issue is safety and urged heightened vigilance by the interior ministry and emergency services to prepare for every possibility. He described the concert as an important occasion to reaffirm the country's global cultural standing.

The animated movie KPop Demon Hunters swiftly captured the attention of viewers worldwide following its release in June 2025 ending the year as Netflix's most-watched film of all time. KPop Demon Hunters follows the story of the superstar K-pop girl group trio HUNTR/X made up of singers Mira, Zoey and Rumi and their battle to defend the world from a demon army.

"I don't know," the group's leader, RM, says, "because time has passed. There are a lot of K-pop-related nominees you see in the general field and, really, I want to send big applause for them."

Korean culture has become a familiar presence in American life. K-pop dominates global charts, K-dramas have become staples on streaming platforms, Korean food has moved from specialty shops to neighborhood grocery stores, and K-beauty brands line retail shelves nationwide. As Korean culture reaches new audiences, Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared traces the artistic traditions that have shaped today's cultural momentum.

A general sale for all regions will follow on 24 January. The news arrives a few weeks after the entertainment company BigHit Music revealed that BTS will make their return to music on 20 March after a nearly four-year hiatus resulting from the requirement that all seven members of BTS RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope complete South Korea's mandatory military service.

The announcement doesn't show any of the sets in full, but it does have a brief tease of what looks like a model of Derpy, the demon tiger and pseudo-mascot of the movie, knocking down a potted plant made up of Legos. Fans will know that one of Derpy's quirks is that he knocks down plants like a regular cat, but becomes fixated on trying (and, without thumbs, failing) to set them back up.

BTS is finally heading back out on the road. These K-Pop superstars have announced their long-awaited return to the global stage with their 2026-27 world tour, which currently spans 34 regions and 79 shows. The BTS tour, which kicks off on the band's home turf in South Korea on April 9, also includes a Bay Area stand. BTS performs May 16-17 at Stanford Stadium - which is a huge booking for a venue that has just recently gotten into the concert business.

Spanning a total of 79 shows covering a 34 regions, BTS' world tour officially kicks off in early April with dates in their native South Korea and Tokyo. An initial leg of North American stadium shows follows in late April May, followed by more dates in South Korea, Europe, and the UK. A second run of US stadium shows is set for late summer.

The wait is over: BTS are back, and their upcoming reunion tour will be their biggest outing yet. After completing their mandatory military service and spending four years away from the stage as a full group, the K-Pop superstars announced their 2026-2027 world tour spanning 79 shows across 34 regions. The ARMY Membership presale has wrapped up, and as expected, tickets flew off the virtual shelves in minutes.

Live Nation UK, the concert's promoter, made the announcement on its social media channels, saying that BTS' global fanbase, known as ARMY, had delivered the stadium's highest-ever attendance rate for a one-off show. BTS is scheduled to perform at the 62,000-seat stadium on July 6 and 7 later this year, with the total attendance expected to reach more than 120,000 over the two nights.

In partnership with Netflix, BTS is live-streaming their first concert back from hiatus on March 21 at 7 a.m. ET in a special called BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG.The concert will be filmed at Gwanghwamun in Seoul, with ticket information coming soon for those who might plan to travel to South Korea to see the boys in action.

ILLIT's Not Cute Anymore came out a couple of months ago. It's an incredibly impressive pop song. It has this kind of, like, light, lithe, rocksteady vibe to it. I also hear it as a little bit of a pointed rebuke to how a lot of girl groups are framed in K-pop. Innocent. Sweet. And maybe it's a bit of a broadside in the ongoing K-pop war between NewJeans and their parent label, Hybe.