by Ra Hwak Jin/Joonha Yoo
 |
| ▲ This photo, provided by Big Hit Music, shows J-Hope. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ J-Hope drops 'More,' his first formal solo single
J-Hope, a rapper and dancer of K-pop supergroup BTS, released his highly anticipated first official solo single "More" on Friday.
It followed the band's announcement last month that members would take a break from major group activities to focus on their solo projects as the group members embarked on the second chapter of their career.
“More” will be included in J-Hope's upcoming solo album, "Jack in the Box," set to be released on July 15.
The rapper-dancer released his first unofficial solo mixtape, "Hope World," in 2018, which ranked 38th on the Billboard 200 in the United States and "Chicken Noodle Soup," a collaborative track with American singer-actor Becky G in 2019.
 |
| ▲ This photo, provided by Big Hit Music, shows J-Hope. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
"More," is one of the songs that best deliver the album's key message, according to the agency, the track is an old-school hip-hop song filled with strong drum beats and guitar sounds.
J-Hope boldly proclaims that he wants "more" in the song brimming with dark, intense and edgy sounds.
The music video for the song was also uploaded on YouTube.
As of 5 p.m. on Friday more than 50 million people have seen the music video of "More".
 |
| ▲ In this AP photo, K-pop stars V (L) of BTS, Lisa (C) of BLACKPINK and Korean actor Park Bo-gum (R) pose for photographers at a fashion show in Paris on June 26, 2022. (Yonhap) |
◇ BTS' V visits Paris along with BLACKPINK's Lisa and Park Bo-gum
BTS member V, BLACKPINK member Lisa and actor Park Bo-gum’s visit to Paris in France drew a lot of fans attention.
According to the industry sources Monday, they are on a trip to France for a fashion show on the invitation of designer Hedi Slimane for Celine.
The posts made by BTS’s V on social media of his accommodation lead numerous fans from all over the world visited the sight to see the "World Star" in person.
Some of the fans shared photos and videos of V with a comments such as of “Superstar is different”, “He is so pretty I can’t let him out anywhere.” and more.
It is V's first individual public appearance since BTS decided to put group activities on hold and focus on solo projects two weeks ago.
 |
| ▲ This image provided by Netflix highlights that "Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area" finished No. 1 on Netflix's weekly top 10 chart for non-English TV shows for the week of June 20-26. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇'Money Heist: Korea' debuts at No. 1 on Netflix's official viewership chart
Netflix's new South Korean series "Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area" has debuted at No. 1 on the streamer's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows.
Released last Friday, the Korean remake of the smash-hit Spanish original series "Money Heist" marked 33.7 million hours of viewing for the week of June 20-26 to lead the official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to Netflix on Tuesday (U.S. time).
The six-episode series made the top 10 on the most-watched non-English TV show chart in 51 countries over the one-week period and topped the chart in six nations, including South Korea and Thailand.
 |
| ▲ This image provided by Netflix shows a scene from "Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
By country, it was the most popular TV show in total of 16 countries, including South Korea, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Maldives, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Set on the Korean Peninsula, where the two Koreas establish a joint economic area (JEA) as a first step toward unification, a group of thieves from the South and the North overtake the mint at the JEA, and the police of the two Koreas join hands to stop them. It stars Yoo Ji-tae, Kim Yun-jin, Park Hae-soo and Jun Jong-seo.
 |
| ▲ This photo, provided by VAST Entertainment, shows, photo of Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin at their wedding. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Son Ye-jin pregnant, expecting first baby with Hyun Bin
The newlywed actor couple of Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin will become parents, Son said Monday.
"I'm going to cautiously convey good news. A new life has arrived for us," Son said on her Instagram account.
The 40-year-old actress said she is still bewildered but is feeling the changes in her body day by day amid worries and excitement. "I'm so grateful but careful that I haven't told people around me yet."
Her agency said she is currently at an early stage of pregnancy but did not disclose the exact number of months.
Hyun, 39, and Son, married in March, attracting wide media attention, two years after they became lovers in March 2020. They had worked together as co-stars of the 2018 film "The Negotiation" and "Crash Landing On You," cable TV channel tvN's 2019-20 global hit rom-com TV series.
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
