10 Biggest K-pop Moments in 2019

G-Dragon’s return from the military, BTS at Wembley and the #FightForWonho are just some of the most significant events that defined the K-pop industry in 2019

1.G-Dragon’s Return From the Military

On October 26th, G-Dragon–aka the King of K-pop–made his highly anticipated return from mandatory military enlistment. A reported 3,000 fans gathered at the location to receive the 31-year old, while many more around the world tuned in to watch live online. It’s the biggest gathering seen so far for a Korean celebrity after they exit the military and G-Dragon himself seemed surprised by the large group waiting for him. The hashtag #ONE_OF_A_KIND_GD trended worldwide for hours to mark the emotional occasion.

2.BTS at Wembley

BTS made history by headlining London’s Wembley Stadium in 2019. Photo: BigHit Entertainment

In June 2019, K-pop mega stars BTS made history by becoming the first Korean act to headline Wembley Stadium in London. The septet sold out two dates (June 1st and 2nd) at the venue for their ‘Love Yourself: Speak Yourself’ tour and drew in a reported 60,000 fans on each day. Wembley is known for hosting some of the biggest concerts in history, including 1985’s iconic Live Aid Concert which featured performances from the likes of Queen, U2 and David Bowie. BTS vocalist Jin paid tribute to the late Freddie Mercury by leading the audience into the Queen frontman’s famous ‘ay-oh’ chant, which made for a powerful display of music connecting generations.

3.The Burning Sun Scandal

3.In March 2019, we saw the beginning of what would go on to become one of the biggest scandals of the K-pop industry. The Burning Sun scandal, also known as the Burning Sun gate, alleged that several Korean celebrities were guilty of sex crimes, including online distribution of sex videos taken of women without their consent, rape, sex bribery and more. The artists involved included Big Bang’s Seungri, singer Jung Joonyoung, Yong Junhyung of Highlight, Choi Jonghoon of F.T. Island and Lee Jonghyun of CNBLUE, while other participants included other businessmen, members of the Korean police force and YG Entertainment’s founder and ex-CEO Yang Hyunsuk. As of now, several of those involved–including Jung–have been convicted and sentenced, while others like Seungri and Yang are still awaiting trial for additional charges of gambling and alleged embezzlement.

4.The Produce 101 Debacle

In April 2019, the producers behind popular reality idol competition Produce 101 came under fire for rigging all four seasons of the show. The vote-based program results in the formation of a new idol group at the end of each season and it was revealed that several producers had accepted bribes and deals from entertainment agencies to manipulate votes to place certain participants in the final winning lineups. This led to a lengthy court battle and the halt of current promoting groups, X1 and IZ*ONE’s activities. CJ ENM, the entertainment label which leads the operations around Produce 101, held a press conference on Monday, December 30th, to announce that IZ*ONE and X1 will resume official activities in 2020 and release and promote new music. The company further apologized to the artists in both groups.