Time for another weekly recap! This week had a ton of stuff packed into it, so there's a lot to cover. Make sure you get some popcorn because this includes all the top controversies this week, but also some awesome comebacks to revisit.
SEE ALSO: What would NewJeans' new name be if they left HYBE?
Comebacks and Upcoming Debuts
This week was just full of comebacks from welcoming back old school groups and artists such as J.Y. Park and Jinusean to new debut releases and fresh new concepts from 'K-Pop Star's Shin Ji Soo and Block B's first ever subunit, BASTARZ, who, by the way, clearly lived up to their group name with the release of "Conduct Zero."
Jinusean
Old school hip hop group Jinusean made their comeback after months of hinting that they were planning for a new release since their appearance on 'Infinity Challenge.' And just when you thought that this was all another troll act from YG, Jinusean dropped "Tell Me One More Time," featuring top notch celebrities and artists from Yoo Jae Suk to DJ DOC.
Dal Shabet
Too. Much. Sexiness. The girls released "Joker," taking on a fresh concept with a modern, K-Pop version of Harley Quinn. Or so they say. They could've done much more with this as Eric already said in the review. And that crotch move is a bit awkward especially with that line, but maybe I'll get accustomed to it. Will we be able to see them on KBS? We'll keep you posted.
EXID
Remember when people thought that EXID wasn't going to come back with a similar concept? The song might not be as catchy as "Up & Down," but it's catchy enough and I'm certainly enjoying it. I especially love LE's rap and Solji's dance move, but the main point of their choreography I find a bit awkward.
BASTARZ
Awesome stuff released by Block B and its crew once again. Although the teaser that they released had some touchy scenes in it, the group avoided controversy by cutting out all the parts with the half-naked Geishas.
Others include:
JYP Entertainment's upcoming new girl group
Ugh, okay, enough competitive survival programs. Now J.Y. Park is jumping into this latest trend to debut his new girl group. The program is called 'Sixteen,' and considering there's already Pledis's Seventeen, they should totally collab, right?
Check out the girls:
Will CL make it in America?
CL was beaten out in the end by Vladimir Putin for the readers' poll for 'TIME's Most Influential People in the World' list, but still placed high at #2 thanks to devoted Blackjacks. Unfortunately, this means absolutely nothing to 'TIME's magazine as she is, in the end, not included in the official list.
Well, hey, still, she can at least hang out with Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.
Controversies, scandals, and more
Ladies' Code manager wins appeal trial
Mr. Park finally gets what he wants in the appeal trial for the car accident that killed two Ladies' Code members. A 2-year stay of execution will mean he might not have to spend over a year in jail, after all, but he'll have to do community service and attend driving classes! Prosecution wanted 2.5 years, but they failed to achieve this and K-Pop fans applaud this as most seem to think it was not really his fault. What do you think?
Hongki is still dealing with dating rumors
Hongki is never the one to do anything that won't make a scene. This also goes for his recent dating rumors with Japanese singer and model Ai Shinozaki. Both sides have denied their relationship, and Hongki also took to Twitter to express his aggravation over how his fans are reacting to the rumors. Fans were pretty much upset over Hongki and his blunt tweet, but there is no one like Hongki to pierce the truth right through your heart.
Jang Dong Min's past comes back to bite
He had made insulting remarks about women in the past, saying that they were not as smart as men. While some netizens and fans defended the comedian, others quickly took to their keyboards to make extremely harsh comments on his behavior, leading him to apologize once again and withdraw from the race to become the '6th man' on 'Infinity Challenge.'
EXO asked Lay if he is going to leave
In a recent interview with Lay, the idol revealed that he was asked by his fellow EXO members if he were going to leave the group following Kris and Luhan. Despite the rumors, Lay continued to affirm that he will not be leaving the group, referring to EXO's song, "Promise."
Meanwhile, fans are still suspicious of Tao
As I like to say, he is innocent until proven guilty. If Tao decides to leave SM and EXO, then we would know about it through official statements. Until then, it would be best to put the rumors to rest and trust that neither Tao nor Lay will leave the group as SM states.
In other news, EXO-L's want Chanyeol dead?!
Not cool. A fan civil war took place this week, although it's hard to think true fans would want a group member dead… Or really any nice person would want anyone dead... While one side was claiming EXO-L's wanted Chanyeol dead because of some insensitive comment he allegedly made, another side showered him with love to make up for all the hate. Hopefully, he just has no idea any of this took place because it doesn't seem like an easy thing to be in the middle of.
Jessica, oh Jessica
Jessica continues to grab attention from fans as people speculate she was supposed to be in "Catch Me If You Can" (although honestly, she didn't miss out on much) and cries reading a letter from her sister, Krystal! Their bond continues to be so sweet and cute. It was also her birthday (which is why she got that letter), so happy birthday!
Kangin missed reserved forces training... uh oh
Kangin and 10cm's Kwon Jung Yeol have been caught skipping out on reserve forces training! While SM said Kangin had personal reasons, Kwon Jung Yeol's side stated… he had to move twice and was… working on an album…? I'm sorry, but his excuses seem weak. Meanwhile, Kangin won't be on 'Real Men' anymore, but the producer assures this isn't because of the controversy (as he probably wipes off his brow sweat with relief).
Yang Hyun Suk and his troubles with Instagram
Yang Hyun Suk unfollowed who?! Park Bom and Seungri? Not cool, say many fans of Park Bom and Seungri while others shrug their shoulders and move on with life. The poor CEO actually made a statement about this, saying that he had no idea this would become such a huge thing. Who did, though, really? It pretty much turns out he was cleaning up his following list based on who updates a lot and who doesn't.
Will JYJ be on music shows soon?
Junsu appeared on a broadcasting station for the first time in SIX YEARS. SIX YEARS. That's a long time. He relayed a heartfelt message about how grateful he was for the opportunity, but it seems there might be some good news for him soon! Assemblywoman Choi Min Hee is rallying up all fans of JYJ by proposing a 'JYJ Law' in order to prevent artists from being blacklisted on programs for unjustifiable reasons!
Lovelyz is under SM or no?
Although Ryu Soo Jung made a comment recently that made have seemed trivial and harmless, it ignited a hot debate online. She said she was from SM, too, while SHINee's Jonghyun was talking, raising questions like: Why would she mention that then and there? Is she really from SM? Does she think that's something to brag about? Does that mean she's ashamed of Woollim? Everybody, take a breath! I understand all the concerns and nuances regarding this, I really do, but the poor girl just seemed really excitable at the time, so it was probably an impulsive remark with no ill intent. She's very young and green and probably just wanted to be included in the conversation. Plus, she explains right after she's specifically from SM C&C. I flat-out believe that it would have been incorrect if she had ended it with "I'm also in SM" as she was not raised, trained since youth, or promoted as an SM artist at all (there is a difference), but she doesn't pretend to be one. She says SM C&C. Could she have mentioned Woollim? Of course, but it was just a passing moment of the conversation. Does she want to be affiliated with SM? I mean, it is one of the top agencies in South Korea, so maybe. Does that say she's ashamed of Woollim? Dat logic..
Here's another lawsuit... Song Ga Yeon sues E&M
Song Ga Yeon is the next public figure to want out of her contract with an "unfair" agency that allegedly treats her unfairly, but E&M quickly responded by saying that they had trained her to be the athlete that she is today, claiming she damaged the company through negligence, and randomly inserting her "abnormal relations" with some athlete leading to her wanting special treatment. In response to that last one, an insider criticized the company for bringing up irrelevant things in strange ways.
In Remembrance
Sewol Ferry Incident 1 Year
It has been one year since the tragic Sewol Ferry incident off the shore of South Korea, leading to over 300 deaths and nine missing people--most of whom were just young kids from Danwon High School. As it's been over a year now and the ferry is still sunken in the ocean with no sign of the nine missing people, families have rallied up cries to the government to raise the Sewol Ferry. Although the government responded it might be too expensive, they ultimately decided to do so as President Park Geun Hye announced when she made it to the port to pay her respects after spending the actual day of the one year anniversary in Latin America... for some reason and through some weird scheduling decisions. Who thought that was a bright idea? I don't know, but I don't blame the parents for being peeved at her to the point they protested in silence by blocking her way to the memorial altar so she couldn't pay her respects. May those taken by the tragic incident rest in peace.
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