2025.06.26
This time, to commemorate the 10th installment of Season 2, instead of delving into a single topic, I would like to change the approach and talk about the various KPOP topics that have been trending this month.
In order to break the monotony, KPOP Chit-Chat is evolving day by 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, the full group comeback of BTS 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 music 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 the absence of BTS, the initial sales record of KPOP albums held by BTS’s “MAP OF THE SOUL : 7,” which was 3,378,600 copies, has been surpassed by three groups: SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, and NCT DREAM. Among them, Stray Kids held a world tour on an unprecedented scale, performing 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 is back, what will happen to this dynamic? 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 popular KPOP group, and it is hard to believe that fans of Stray Kids would stop being fans just because BTS has returned. Moreover, it does not seem that BTS’s popularity has decreased at all compared to before their military service.
Even during their military service, BTS continued to supply pre-recorded content, and their strategy of making their absence feel negligible was remarkable.
However, when it comes to the overall sales and excitement in KPOP, it seems that 2023 and 2024 might have been the peak.
Especially in Japan, tickets for joint concerts have noticeably stopped selling well.
At the INGALIVE concert held at Tokyo Dome on April 12 and 13, despite the participation of many popular groups, the stands were empty, creating a rather lonely scene.
The main reason is that while fans want to see their favorites, they cannot justify paying 20,000 yen for a joint concert that only features two or three songs.
It is undoubtedly much better to attend a solo concert of their favorite artist.
However, it cannot be denied that BTS has the potential to be the catalyst that reignites KPOP, which has been stagnant.
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 Korea and the United States before their military service.
It is undeniable that many fans around the world are eagerly waiting.
In such a situation, if they release a new song, it is unimaginable how many copies will be sold.
Whether they will rise to the top of the KPOP scene again, undeterred by their absence, I am looking forward to BTS’s comeback.
The second topic is “BOYSⅡPLANET,” also known as Boipura 2.
Boipura 2 is a survival audition program hosted by the Korean television network Mnet, the male version of “Girls Planet 999,” which produced my favorite group Kep1er, and is the successor to “BOYS PLANET,” which aired in 2023 and produced ZEROBASEONE (commonly known as Zebewan).
This Boipura 2 is set to air starting July 17, and although there are still three weeks until the program begins, it is already generating excitement in Japan as if the show has already started.
So why is that?
Recently, there was a surprising announcement regarding one of the participants.
That person is Yumeki, who gained popularity as a dance trainer on “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS,” which produced the currently popular girl group ME:I, known for her strict yet warm and kind guidance.
Yumeki has also succeeded as a choreographer, working on choreography for various famous artists, including ME:I’s “Click,” Kep1er’s “TIPI-TAP,” ITZY’s “WANNABE,” and NCT127’s “Fact Check.”
With Yumeki participating in a Korean survival audition program alongside trainees aiming to become idols, she has garnered intense attention even before the broadcast, ranking as the overwhelming number one in popularity among the approximately 160 participants from Japan.
It has also been announced that Kep1er’s Shaoting will appear as a dance master to guide the trainees, making me excited for the broadcast.
The third topic is the news that ROSÉ’s “APT.” has achieved the longest ranking in Billboard history for KPOP.
It has achieved the remarkable feat of ranking for 34 weeks on the main single chart “HOT100” of Billboard in the United States.
“APT.” has appeared frequently in this column, and despite being released in October 2024 and having passed eight months, it still ranks at 24th place as of 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: The New Chapter,” which just started streaming, I was struck by the use of “APT.” in a club scene, reinforcing the idea 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, and a full group comeback is 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 to this, there were other topics I wanted to cover, such as the news about the injunction against ADOR, the agency of NewJeans, prohibiting independent activities without going through them, and the story of THE BOYZ member who withdrew due to a secret meeting with Japanese adult actress Asuka Kirara. However, if I were to cover all of that, the word count would significantly exceed the limit, so I will stop here for now.
See you next month with more topics.
Annyeong.
The End
Nekomachi Peko
Head of the KPOP Department at SKOOTA
〈Originally a rock music enthusiast who once considered working at Rockin’ On. Started listening to KPOP due to BTS and later became obsessed with BLACKPINK, thus stepping into the KPOP world. Became a hardcore fan of Kep1er, who debuted from the survival audition program “Girls Planet 999,” which I got hooked on.〉
