Korean Newsmakers Of The Week: D.O's Comeback, Hwang In-youp Signs With New Agency And More

It's not even been 6 days since 2024 began and so many Korean celebrities have already made news. This Saturday, we bring forth the celebrities who made headlines in the first week of the new year. From your much-loved band EXO's D.O confirming his comeback to everyone's favourite actor Hwang In-youp signing with a new agency, we have you covered. 

Here are top five newsmakers in the entertainment industry of the week, all the way from South Korea. 

EXO's D.O. Gears Up To Make His Solo Comeback

After the release of his latest EP 'Expectation - The 2nd Mini Album' in September 2023, EXO’s vocalist D.O. is set to make his solo musical comeback. The tentative date of the release of the new album will be sometime in May, according to various reports. This will be his first project under his new agency Company SooSoo. In October 2023, it was announced that he will be departing from SM Entertainment but will continue his activities as an EXO member with the label. In response to the report of his solo album, a representative from his new agency shared, “It’s true that he’s currently preparing for a new album with the goal of releasing it in the first half of the year. However, no specific details have been finalized at the moment.” 

PSY & SUGA's 'That That': 7th K-Pop Soloist MV To Hit 500M Views

The two K-Pop icons, PSY and SUGA, collaborated on the hit track 'That That,' which has surpassed 500 million views. The music video was released on April 29, 2022, which means that the song achieved this milestone feat in 617 days. After 'Gangnam Style,' 'Gentleman,' 'Oppa is Just My Style,' and 'Daddy,' this is PSY's 5th music video to cross 500 million views and SUGA's first. The video also becomes the seventh music video by a K-pop soloist to reach this mark on YouTube. Besides these two, this exclusive list includes JENNIE's 'Solo' and Lisa's 'LALISA.'

Kang Kyung-joon Reacts To Allegations Of Adultery Lawsuit

'Flower of Revenge' fame Kang Kyung-joon faces a lawsuit accusing him of an alleged affair with a married woman 'Mrs. A'. Reportedly sued for ₩50 million (approximately Rs 31.6 lakh) in damages, the plaintiff alleges that Kang Kyung-joon destroyed their family by having an affair with 'Mrs. A'. Her husband alleges that despite knowing her marital status, Kang Kyung-joon was involved with her. As per reports, evidence supporting these claims have also been submitted. Now, responding with confusion, Kang Kyung-joon stated that he doesn't "know why this is happening. I haven’t received the summons yet. There seems to be some kind of a misunderstanding." When directly asked about this affair, he responded, "I don't know why I have to tell you that." However, to clear the air, his agency has confirmed that "the actor received the legal documents [notifying him of the lawsuit] today,” adding, “We will respond sequentially.” 

Felix Becomes The Youngest Person To Join The Honours Club

Stray Kids' Felix is continuing to add achievements in his philanthropic endeavours. The Korean Committee for UNICEF announced that Felix has made a generous donation of ₩100 million (approximately Rs 63.2 lakh) to the organization, saying, “Felix, who became the youngest member of the UNICEF’s Honours Club in history and the first member to join in 2024 through this donation, is well-known as a person who has always taken the lead in donation activities for underprivileged neighbours." This time, he did it to help children in Laos who are struggling to get basic needs. Felix shared, “I participated in this donation because I wanted to share the love I received. I hope that children in Laos, who suffer from various difficulties due to polluted water, poor hygienic conditions, and insufficient nutrition, will grow up in good health in a safer environment in the new year.” 

Hwang In-youp Signs With New Agency, KN Studio 

'True Beauty' actor Hwang In-youp has signed under a new agency called KN Studio. The agency confirmed that the actor will be continuing his professional activities under them. What’s even more interesting is that this new label is founded by an ex-KeyEast manager, who has been working with the actor since his debut days. KN Studio shared, “We are happy to accompany actor Hwang In-youp, who is building a solid filmography and making his way as a trending actor. As he is an actor with great influence both domestically and abroad, we will spare no effort in supporting him to be active in various fields and will strive to maintain the best partnership.”