Ra Hwak-jin / Woo Ji-won

 

◇ BTS star Jungkook unveils new single to kick off 2022 World Cup
 

▲Jungkook, a member of South Korean boy group BTS, performs "Dreamers," from the official World Cup soundtrack, during the opening ceremony of the major quadrennial football tournament at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, on Nov. 20, 2022. (Yonhap)

 

The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Monday (KST) with BTS star Jungkook performing a new single in an opening ceremony built on a message of inclusion and diversity.

Jungkook, a member of the award-winning K-pop group, performed the song "Dreamers" with Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, some 50 kilometers north of Doha.

"Dreamers," produced by Grammy Award winner RedOne at Katara Studios in Doha, is the latest single off the official World Cup soundtrack and is a celebration of "those who boldly follow their goals and dare to dream," FIFA said.

 

▲ BTS member Jungkook (R) performs during the opening ceremony for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha, on Nov. 20, 2022. (Yonhap)


The new track has topped iTunes charts in 102 countries, including the United States, Britain, Japan, France and Canada, less than a day after it was unveiled/

The video of Jungkook performing in the opening ceremony has surpassed more than 2.6 million views about seven hours after it was uploaded on FIFA's YouTube channel.

◇ BTS wins at American Music Awards for 5th consecutive year

▲This AFP photo shows BTS posing with trophies at the 2021 American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 21, 2021. (Yonhap)

 

Global K-pop sensation BTS has received two prizes at the American Music Awards (AMAs) in its fifth year of being honored in one of the most prestigious music awards in the United States.

BTS won honors for favorite pop duo or group and favorite K-pop artist during the 2022 AMAs held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday (U.S. time).

It marks the fifth year for the South Korean group to grab an AMA since it was named favorite social artist for the first time in 2018.

 

▲ This image captured from the homepage of the American Music Awards on Nov. 20, 2022 (U.S. time), shows South Korean boy group BTS as the winner of the favorite pop duo or group prize at this year's event. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

BTS beat out other big name nominees, such as Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Maneskin and OneRepublic, to win its fourth consecutive honor in the favorite pop duo or group category since 2019. The septet set a record for the most wins in the category in the AMAs' history, which began in 1974.

It also was chosen as the winner in the favorite K-pop artist category after being nominated in the new category created this year along with BLACKPINK, Seventeen, Tomorrow X Together and TWICE.

Last year, BTS rewrote K-pop history by becoming the first Asian act to win artist of the year, considered the top award. It also was among the megastars from across the musical spectrum to perform during the awards ceremony.

◇ BTS' Jin to enter front-line boot camp next month: sources

 

▲BTS member Jin is shown in this photo provided by Big Hit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Jin, a member of BTS, will join a front-line Army boot camp north of Seoul next month to start his mandatory military service, defense sources said Thursday.

The 29-year-old is set to enter the boot camp of a front-line Army division in Yeoncheon, 60 kilometers north of the capital, on Dec. 13 and undergo a five-week training program, according to the sources.

After the basic training, Jin will be assigned to a local unit.

 

▲ BTS member Jin is shown in this photo provided by Big Hit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The vocalist announced his plan to serve in the military after the band's concert in the southern port city of Busan last month.

All able-bodied men are obliged to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military.

Later in the day, Jin left a message online to ask fans not to visit the military recruit training center to see him off.

"ARMY (BTS' fandom) shouldn't come to the boot camp. It could be dangerous because the place will be crowded with many people besides me who are coming. ARMY, I love you," Jin said on Weverse, an online K-pop fan community platform.

◇ 'The King's Affection' becomes first Korean drama to win Int'l Emmy

 

▲This image provided by South Korean TV broadcaster KBS introduces its TV series "The King's Affection" as a nominee for the 50th International Emmy Awards. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The South Korean historical romance "The King's Affection" has become the country's first TV drama to win an International Emmy, the drama's broadcaster said Tuesday.

KBS said the series was chosen as the winner of the International Emmy Award for Best Telenovela during the 50th awards ceremony held in New York City on Monday (local time). The Korean show beat nominees from China, Spain and Brazil to take home the honor.

Starring Park Eun-bin and Rowoon, the 20-part series is about a fictional princess of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) who has been raised as her deceased twin brother and becomes a king.

"It became the first Korean drama to win an International Emmy," Lee Geon-jun, head of KBS's drama center, said. "We'll do our best so KBS dramas can play a big role in maintaining the power of Korean content."

The International Emmy Awards is considered one of the world's three big awards for television programs, along with Canada's Banff World Media Festival and Monaco's Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

Bestowed by the New York based International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the International Emmys are presented in recognition to the best television programs initially produced and aired outside the United States.

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