Conflicting dating rumors, continued feuds, ranging fandom wars, and an 'epik' flash mob rocked the K-pop world in this crazy week. Catch up on the latest gossip and news here!
Relationship rumors
A flurry of dating rumors and contradictory statements surrounding After School's Jung Ah and basketball player Jung Chang Young suggest that there's some sort of relationship between the two! While representatives and After School's management at Pledis Entertainment continue to insist that the two are not in an exclusive relationship and are merely good friends, Ilgan Sports claimed that the two are actually in a relationship. Fans themselves have noticed mysterious hashtags and tweets from their SNS accounts that suggest the initials of both Jung Ah and Jung Chang Young. Honestly speaking, if those hashtags don't stand for initials, I don't know what else they could even stand for.
Meanwhile, breakup rumors surrounding Brown Eyed Girl's Ga In and actor Joo Ji Hoon were proven to be false! The two are reported to be "happily still together," with Joo Ji Hoon himself saying, "We are meeting well." I'm definitely glad to hear that!
"Burning" resentment between fandoms
The feud between VIPs and EXO-Ls continues to rage at out-of-control proportions. As both Big Bang and EXO continue to promote their most recent releases, fandoms are declaring an all-out war against each other with the situation only getting worse with a voting fiasco on 'M! Countdown.' What was originally attributed to be a small voting glitch for 'M! Countdown' turned out to have been the result of some underhanded means that allowed fans to continue voting well past the 9 o'clock deadline, skewing the results.
Fans were quick in their responses. A purported EXO-L was found to be burning a photo of Big Bang's Taeyang, resulting in shocked responses from VIPs. Some EXO-L's took even more extreme measures with another EXO-L posting a bomb threat for a Big Bang concert in the Philippines! Although the fan has since apologized for the threat, only time will tell if things will actually calm down. We're all K-pop fans here - can't we all just get along?
MBLAQ's Emotional Turmoil
It seems that MBLAQ has not been feeling 100% okay after the departure of two members. When asked about how they were feeling, members G.O, Mir, and Seung Ho all revealed their thoughts of emotional turmoil and how they were coping with distress. While they didn't specify a cause for these feelings, we can probably assume that the departure of former members Lee Joon and Thunder really shook up the boys. It's probably also safe to say that their latest hit "Mirror" is a result of these hard times as the song tackles feelings of betrayal and abandonment.
Despite leaving the group, the former members keep in touch and even continue to stay on cordial terms with the current members. In fact, Thunder showed his support for his former bandmates, uploading a supportive post on his Instagram for the remaining trio.
The end of 2NE1?
Rumors surrounding 2NE1 hinted at a possible disbandment, which were only fueled by events such as CL's American debut and Minzy's Instagram name change. According to an alleged insider, members CL and Dara already had post-disbandment plans, with CL kept busy with her American debut and Dara focusing on acting.
Luckily for Blackjacks, however,YG Entertainment has denied these rumors, even letting fans know that the girls will be out with a new song later this year!
Tao is on his own + SM Entertainment responds
EXO's Tao was reported to have set up his own management, 'Huang Z. TAO Studio.' Based in China, his new management, complete with its own Weibo account, is set for his own solo activities. In response, SM Entertainment released a vague message, which seemed to indicate that they would continue with some sort of communication with Tao. Let's hope things will smooth out between the two parties.
MERS: Life (and K-Pop) goes on
South Korea continues to be plagued by the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), with even once-in-a-lifetime events finding themselves affected. K-pop artists themselves have seen and felt the impacts of the terrible disease. For the sake of their fans' health and safety, boy group BTS canceled their 2nd anniversary fanmeet while MBC 'Show! Music Core' required its audience members to wear face masks. Comedian Park Myung Soo came right out with an uncharacteristic seriousness as he discussed the problems caused by MERS on Korea as well as the inadequate response from the authorities as they handle this medical emergency.
Despite the worries and concerns surrounding the disease, TVXQ announced that the duo would hold their concert as planned, helping to maintain some sense of normalcy through these trying times.
An "Epik" flash mob
To create more buzz around Epik High's concert this weekend, NYC's I Love Dance dance crew threw on an awesome flash mob. To cap off the monumental moment, Epik High themselves showed up, documenting the scene for themselves and even dancing along. We're glad we were there to watch NYC's strong love for K-pop and meet our amazing readers!
Don't forget to check out our giveaway for a chance to win TWO tickets to Epik High's concert on Saturday night!
Summer Comebacks!
Fans of Brown Eyed Girls' Miryo, 2PM, SISTAR, and B2ST can all look forward to an amazing summer filled with their favorite artist's comeback!
Brown Eyed Girls' fans are in for a treat, as it has been revealed that Miryo will be making a solo comeback! With Miryo's new release scheduled before Brown Eyed Girls' group activities, she'll definitely keep her fans on their toes.
Meanwhile, 2PM released their newest tracklist of twelve songs. We continue to see the members' involvement in their own music with most of the lyrics and composition done by the members themselves!
In reparation for their comeback on June 22nd, SISTAR continues to release mysterious teaser images with sexy silhouetted images. STAR1s can hardly wait!
Finally, B2ST have finally announced a summer comeback! Although the date has yet to be confirmed, we'll definitely be seeing them soon.
SEE ALSO: 2NE1 adds three cities to asia tour, extending 15th-anniversary celebration
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