K-Pop

BTS member J-Hope is wasting no time getting back in the spotlight after completing his military service ... throwing out the first pitch at a KBO Korean Series game!!

Hobi was a special guest for the matchup between the KIA Tigers and Samsung Lions ... taking the field in an EV9 SUV and embracing the crowd before the ceremonial toss.

The fans in attendance let out a loud cheer for the singer and rapper as he took the mound ... and fittingly, he had a purple custom glove with his name stitched into it.

Suni Lee might be an Olympic hero, but she still gets starstruck when meeting her favorite artists ... 'cause the Team USA gymnast fangirled out while watching LISA at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -- and then they hung out at the after-party!!

The gold medalist was present at the big event ... and before all the models did their thing on the runway, she revealed she was excited to watch Tyla and the BLACKPINK member perform.

"Like, I'm obsessed with both of them," Lee told Olivia Culpo, who told her she just missed the K-pop superstar walking by and she looked "drop-dead gorgeous."

BTS star Suga had his driver's license revoked over a driving-while-intoxicated scandal ... though the vehicle he was operating has raised questions.

Suga's label, Big Hit Music, has confirmed the singer was arrested Tuesday evening ... and shared the boy band member was booked after he fell while parking an "electric kickboard." Suga was spotted by a police officer in Hannam-dong in Yongsan District, in central Seoul, South Korea -- and was asked to take a breathalyzer test ... which he failed.

His license has since been revoked, and he has been slapped with a fine over the incident.

Jennie from the popular K-pop group BLACKPINK is owning up to rippin' clouds indoors ... apologizing for smoking a vape after a video made rounds on social media.

The brief clip was posted to Jennie's personal vlog last week ... showing her sitting in a chair as she got her makeup and hair done prior to last month's Jacquemus fashion show in Italy.

At one point in the prep, Jennie is spotted putting a device up to her lips ... and moments later, she blows vapor out of her mouth with the crew standing nearby.

Two GOATs came face-to-face ahead of Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix ... with Max Verstappen and BLACKPINK's Lisa snapping a photo together during the weekend's festivities!!

The big moment went down prior to the Red Bull driver's second-place finish to McLaren racer Lando Norris' fantastic win on Sunday ... a rarity, as Max has dominated the track for the past three seasons.

Lisa was among the many superstar celebrities in attendance ... as we previously reported, Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, was front and center throughout the weekend too.

K-pop star Park Boram is dead, and multiple media outlets in Korea are reporting her death came after a night of heavy drinking with friends.

According to the Korea Herald, Park died Thursday at a hospital, but she had first collapsed while at a friend's house ... and might have suffered a cardiac arrest -- but the exact cause of death is still under investigation.

Another report, from AllKPop, says one of Park's friends found her unconscious and slouched over a bathroom sink -- and one of her friends then performed CPR, attempting to revive her.

La estrella del K-pop Park Boram ha muerto y varios medios de comunicación coreanos informan que su fallecimiento se produjo tras una noche de copas con sus amigos.

Según el Korea Herald, la cantante murió el jueves en un hospital, pero primero se habría derrumbado mientras estaba en la casa de un amigo y podría haber sufrido un paro cardíaco, aunque la causa exacta de muerte aún está bajo investigación.

Otro informe, de AllKPop, dice que uno de los amigos de Park la encontró inconsciente y encorvada sobre el lavabo de un baño y uno de sus amigos le realizó una reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) para tratar de revivirla.

The NBA has a new partner ... and it's none other than K-pop group LE SSERAFIM!!

Adam Silver's organization announced the big collaboration this week ... saying the quintet of musicians will headline the NBA's celeb and influencer operation in Asia.

The Association hopes the group's popularity will help expand its fanbase overseas ... similar to what it did when it enlisted BTS' Suga as an ambassador.

It seemed like a pretty "Smart" move -- especially considering Chaewon, Yunjin, Sakura, Kazuha and Eunchae are quite the hoop heads.

In fact, the group hit up a Laker game in customized jerseys back in November ... and briefly got to meet NBA legend Magic Johnson during their time at Crypto.com Arena.

The ladies also took a break from promoting their new project, "Easy," to tune in to the All-Star Game from a cellphone in February ... and recently posted a video of them showing off their choreography while decked out in numerous teams' merch.

With the collab, it's safe to say fans will see a lot more of LE SSERAFIM at games in the future ... and they can expect a ton of new content on socials.

The group made its debut in 2022 ... and has exploded in popularity ever since.

Fernando Tatis Jr. had some solid pump-up music as he prepared for his game against the Dodgers on Thursday ... casually stretching just feet away from K-pop group (G)I-dle's pregame show!!

The San Diego Padres superstar was spotted limbering up prior to Game 2 of the MLB Seoul Series at Gocheok Sky Dome ... and just like the day prior with aespa, the host city booked a big-name act to get the crowd ready for the contest.

Soyeon, Minnie, Miyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua made their way onto the field to belt out some tunes prior to the Dodgers vs. Padres game ... doing renditions of "Super Lady," "Tomboy" and "Queencard."

Tatis Jr. had the best seat in the house for the 10-minute set ... and he didn't seem to mind one bit that there was a full-blown concert going on right in front of him.

Perhaps the music helped ... 'cause FTJ had a much better outing on Thursday ... going 2-4 with two runs and an RBI.

As for (G)I-dle, it also marked the first time since member Shuhua rejoined the group after a month-long hiatus to focus on her health ... so it was quite the special day for Neverland all around.

It appears IShowSpeed needs to brush up on his K-pop knowledge ... 'cause the popular gamer and YouTuber recently referred to Stray Kids member Bang Chan as "BTS" -- and the whole awkward moment played out in front of thousands of viewers.

18-year-old Speed -- who has tens of millions of followers across all platforms -- was scrolling through videos on his phone as his loyal fanbase tuned in to the stream earlier this week ... when he stumbled upon a clip of the popular group's leader discussing his admiration for the internet superstar.

"Speed is so funny," Chan said in the vid ... adding he has "mad respect for him."

"I feel like the effort he puts out to what he does is just phenomenal. I think it's just really, really cool."

Chan even revealed he watches Speed's vids with fellow groupmate Felix "all the time."

Speed was understandably pumped about the shoutout ... and asked those watching if Chan was a member of BTS before tracking down his Instagram page.

Speed then slid into the DMs ... leaving him a personal video as a "thank you" for the kind words.

"Yo brother Bang Chan, BTS, bro. I just seen the video that said you was a big fan of me, bro," Speed said ... also including some words of encouragement to "keep grinding."

Despite several people in the chat trying to correct Speed on his flub -- and the fact Chan clearly lists "Stray Kids" in his bio -- it was too late ... and he hit "send" on the video message.

STAY (the group's fanbase) quickly got wind of the mistake ... making jokes about Speed's confusion and how Chan would react to it.

Others didn't take it lightly ... pointing out the fact Speed assumed Chan was a member of BTS could be considered racist.

While BTS is undoubtedly the most famous male K-pop group to crack into massive mainstream success in the States, Stray Kids has gained momentum in their own right ... even performing at the Billboard Music Awards in November.

It's the most wonderful time to show off Christmas spirit, and K-pop idols always understand the assignment -- with the biggest names in the industry putting their love for the holidays on display every year!!

Chae-won of LE SSERAFIM is always one of the first stars to post up in front of the tree when December rolls around ... with Lisa of BLACKPINK following suit with a cozy ensemble.

RM from BTS and Jackson Wang usually take a more model-esque route during the holidays ... electing for serious snaps whenever they enjoy the festivities.

NewJeans and aespa love to team up for group shots during X-mas ... just like Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, who rocked iconic, matching Santa 'fits in years past.

And Blinks won't have to ask for much from St. Nick this year ... after the die-hard fanbase got their wish of keeping the group together following lengthy contract negotiations with YG Entertainment.

Minnie from (G)I-dle spends her special time with her loved ones ... including her bestie, Lisa, and fellow groupmate, Yuqi.

TWICE members Jeongyeon and Jihyo also teamed up for an iconic Christmas photoshoot this year ... and IVE's Yujin is all about the winter activities, too!!

Per usual, the members of Stray Kids take advantage of the holidays ... with Felix, Lee Know and Hyunjin always proving they're on the "nice" list -- even if they do have a song titled "Christmas EveL."

Es la época más maravillosa del año para demostrar tu espíritu navideño y los ídolos del K-pop siempre entienden la tarea, con algunas de las figuras más grandes de la industria mostrando su amor por las fiestas cada año.

Chaewon, de LE SSERAFIM, es siempre una de las primeras estrellas en ponerse delante del árbol cuando llega diciembre y Lisa, de BLACKPINK, hace lo propio con un acogedor conjunto.

RM de BTS y Jackson Wang suelen adoptar una actitud más propia de los modelos durante las fiestas y optan por fotos serias siempre que están disfrutando las festividades.

A NewJeans y aespa les encanta unirse para hacer fotos de grupo durante Navidad, como Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa y Rosé, que han lucido icónicos conjuntos de Papá Noel en años anteriores.

Y Blinks no tendrá que pedir mucho a San Nicolás este año, después de que su fanática y acérrima base de fans cumpliera su deseo de mantener al grupo unido después de largas negociaciones de contrato con YG Entertainment.

Minnie de (G)I-dle pasa su tiempo especial con sus seres queridos, incluyendo su mejor amiga Lisa y a su compañera de grupo Yuqi.

Las miembros de TWICE Jeongyeon y Jihyo también se unieron para una icónica sesión de fotos de Navidad este año, ¡¡e Yujin de IVE está a tope con las actividades de invierno!!

Como de costumbre, los miembros de Stray Kids aprovechan las fiestas, con Felix, Lee Know y Hyunjin siempre demostrando que están en la lista de los "simpáticos", incluso si tienen una canción titulada "Christmas EveL".

El nuevo grupo de K-pop BabyMonster debutará con una integrante menos. YG Entertainment acaba de anunciar que Ahyeon dejó la banda para centrarse en su bienestar.

La discográfica abordó la noticia en un comunicado de prensa el miércoles en el que dice: "Aunque nos entristece no poder presentar a Ahyeon como miembro de BabyMonster, tomamos esta decisión por el bien de la salud de la artista".

"No escatimaremos apoyo para que Ahyeon pueda recuperarse completamente y volver con buena salud".

Hubo especulaciones por meses de que la chica de 16 años iba a dejar el grupo, pero YG se mantuvo hermético sobre su estado hasta ahora.

BabyMonster, que ahora estará conformado por Asa, Chiquita, Haram, Rora, Pharita y Ruka, será el segundo grupo de chicas de YG desde el debut de BLACKPINK en agosto de 2016.

Ha habido una tonelada de bombo alrededor de la banda. El grupo ha cosechado millones de vistas en YouTube, a pesar de no haber lanzado ninguna canción original.

Las edades de las otras chicas oscilan entre los 14 y 21, y provienen de Corea, Tailandia y Japón.