2025.06.26
This time, in celebration of the 10th installment of Season 2, rather than delving into a single topic, I would like to change things up and discuss various KPOP topics that have been trending this month.
In order to break the monotony, KPOP Chit-Chat is evolving every day.
The first topic is that all members of BTS have completed their military service and returned.
There are rumors that they will make a comeback this year or next year, but in any case, BTS’s full group comeback will be the first since “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” in June 2022 (although they released the digital single “Take Two” in June 2023, they did not engage in full group musical activities at the time of release as JIN and J-HOPE were already serving in the military), marking a comeback after 3 or 4 years.
During this period without BTS, the initial sales record of 3,378,600 copies for the KPOP album “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7” held by BTS has been surpassed by three groups: SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, and NCT DREAM. Among them, Stray Kids conducted a world tour on an unprecedented scale, holding concerts in stadiums across Asia, North America, South America, and Europe.
The younger generation has successfully taken the lead in KPOP, which was previously driven by BTS, over the past two to three years.
Now that BTS has returned, what will happen to this landscape? To be honest, I have no idea what to expect.
Currently, it is not an exaggeration to say that Stray Kids is the number one KPOP group, and it is hard to believe that their fans would stop supporting them just because BTS has come back. There also seems to be no decline in BTS’s popularity compared to before their military service.
BTS’s strategy of continuously providing pre-recorded content during their military service was impressive, making it feel as though they were still present.
However, when it comes to overall KPOP sales and excitement, it seems that 2023 and 2024 might have been the peak.
Especially in Japan, tickets for joint concerts have noticeably stopped selling well.
The INGALIVE concert held at Tokyo Dome on April 12 and 13 featured many popular groups, yet the stands were empty, creating a rather lonely scene.
The main reason is that while I want to see my favorite artists, I can’t justify paying 20,000 yen for a joint concert where they only perform 2 or 3 songs.
It’s definitely much better to go to a solo concert of my favorite artist instead.
However, it cannot be denied that BTS has the potential to be the catalyst that revives the stagnant KPOP.
This is because many countries, including Japan, have not held concerts since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the pandemic, BTS has only held concerts in South Korea and the United States before their military service.
There is no doubt that many fans around the world are eagerly waiting.
In such a situation, it is unimaginable how many copies a new song would sell if released.
Despite their absence, will they once again rise to the top of the KPOP world? I can hardly wait for BTS’s comeback.
The second topic is “BOYSⅡPLANET,” also known as Boipura 2.
Boipura 2 is a survival audition program hosted by the South Korean television network Mnet, which is the male version of “Girls Planet 999,” that produced the author’s favorite, Kep1er. It is the successor to “BOYS PLANET,” which aired in 2023 and produced ZEROBASEONE (commonly known as Zebewan).
This Boipura 2 is set to start airing on July 17, and although there are still three weeks until the program begins, there is already a buzz in Japan as if the show has already started.
So why is that?
Recently, there was a surprising figure among the announced participants.
This figure is Yumeki, who gained attention as a dance trainer on “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS,” which produced the currently popular girl group ME:I in Japan, known for her strict yet passionate and kind guidance.
Yumeki is also successful as a choreographer, working with various famous artists, including ME:I’s “Click,” Kep1er’s “TIPI-TAP,” ITZY’s “WANNABE,” and NCT127’s “Fact Check,” making her a top-tier choreographer.
With Yumeki participating in a survival audition program in Korea alongside trainees aiming to become idols, she has already garnered intense attention even before the broadcast, ranking as the most popular among the approximately 160 participants in Japan.
It has also been announced that Kep1er’s Shaoting will appear as a dance master to guide the trainees, making the author excited for the upcoming broadcast.
The third topic is the news that ROSÉ’s “APT.” has achieved the longest charting in Billboard history for KPOP.
It has accomplished the remarkable feat of charting for 34 weeks on the main single chart “HOT100” of the American Billboard.
“APT.” has appeared frequently in this column, and despite being released in October 2024 and having passed eight months, it still ranks 24th on the chart dated June 21, showcasing its enduring popularity.
Recently, while watching the popular American drama “AND JUST LIKE THAT… Season 3 / Sex and the City New Chapter,” which just started streaming, I noticed “APT.” being used in a club scene, reinforcing the fact that it has permeated not only the American music industry but also the general public.
In July, BLACKPINK, to which ROSÉ belongs, will also begin their world tour, with a full group comeback anticipated since their “BORN PINK” in 2022.
Following BTS, the return of BLACKPINK, the KPOP queens, in the second half of 2025 is likely to record the highest momentary wind speed in KPOP over the past one or two years.
In addition, there were other topics I wanted to cover, such as the news about the provisional ruling prohibiting independent activities without going through NewJeans’ agency, ADOR, and the story of a member of THE BOYZ resigning after being caught in a secret meeting with Japanese adult actress Kirara Asuka. However, if I were to delve into those, the word count would significantly exceed the limit, so I will leave it at this for now.
See you next month with more topics.
Annyeong.
The end
Neko Machi Peko
Team Leader of SKOOTA KPOP Division
〈Originally a fan of Western rock music, I was so into music that I considered working at Rockin’ On for a while. I started listening to KPOP thanks to BTS and then got hooked on BLACKPINK, dipping my toes into the KPOP scene. I became obsessed with the survival audition show ‘Girls Planet 999’, commonly known as Galpra, and as a result, I became a hardcore fan of Kep1er, fully immersing myself in the KPOP world.〉