[ASKKPOP] Weekly Recap: Military enlistments, racism alert, and fanboy V gets into hot water
This week started out pretty slow with no hope of getting any better throughout the week. There were couple teaser releases here and there while Big Bang made efforts to keep up the hype with astring of bonus clips taken from "Bae Bae."
It wasn't until mid-week when much more dramatic news and updates started to surface, starting with Kim Hyun Joong's lawsuit with his ex as well as highly anticipated solo debut/comebacks.
Let's see if you've been keeping up with the latest K-Pop News!
Kim Hyun Joong is finally enlisting
Kim Hyung Joonghas had enough and he isleaving all the mess aside for his upcoming enlistmentwhich was confirmed to be set on May 12. According to the reps, Kim Hyun Joong is no longer allowed to postpone the date,but what's also crazy is that it wasjust reported that his ex-girlfriend was suing Kim Hyun Joongfor 1.6 billion KRW (1.5 million USD) in compensation for psychological and emotional stress and suffering due to malicious comments.Talk about impeccable timing for Kim Hyun Joong to be leaving NOW.
Though the issue is real and severe, it's difficult not to feel sympathetic for the soon-to-be born baby who later has to deal with the aftermath of what his/her parents created.
In other news,Super Junior'sDonghaewill be enlisting soon and was reported to have passed the testto be a conscripted policeman.
BoA asks, "Who Are You?"
BoA is back! Now, this is just a pre-release, but it doesn't mean that it isn't at par with the full album release.
It may sound like a J-Pop track at first especially because of the wayBoAenunciates certain phrases. However, the more you listen to it, you can hear the distorted electric piano instrumentals fading out and find yourself vibing to the song and its bright melody as well as queen BoA's established vocals in its entirety.
The tracks isn't exceptionally exciting, nor does it have any interesting transitions, but it does highlight the traditional sound of BoA that we all know and love.
Brownie points for ending the MV withEXO'sSehun.
Hyunseung makes a comeback as a solo artist!
It seems as thoughHyunseunghas finally graduated from beingHyunA's Clyde as the idol was seen getting a bit frisky with another woman in his latest drop, "You're The First." The fun mid-tempo club dance track has heavy synth, auto tune, along with trap/EDM and hint of jazzy beats.
The MV matches the overall sound of the track with beautiful girls and colorful neon lighting, which are always entertaining to look at--not to mention Hyunseung's impressive footwork during his dance break.
More of Tao making headlines
According to a Chinese news source,EXO'sTaohasleft to U.S. for treatment and studieswhileSM Entertainmentcontinues to leave us hanging with exponentially increasing rumors of his leave by staying silent.
Am I surprised by this? No. Are fans shocked? Probably not. Tao hasn't been promoting with EXO for quite some time now and we all know that he is still going out and about whether it's in China or Korea. The boy was also seen celebrating his birthday alone, meaning without other EXO members. And to further add on to the speculations, Tao just recentlyupdated his Instagram account from 'EXO-Tao' to 'Z.Tao.'
Please, have mercy and either cut it loose with Tao now or hang tighter and give us some good news soon.
EXID vs. TMZ
Wait, aTMZreporter did what?! This past week,one female reporter from TMZ was literally ripped in twowhen a video covering the girl group at LAX showed the reporter poking fun atEXID'sJunghwa's accent with a humiliatingly subpar imitation. From what the video shows, the female reporter received disapproving looks from fellow staff members in the room as she defended herself saying that she would have done a British accent if it had been a British girl.
Several K-Pop idols, such asAmber, Taecyeon,and Park Joon Hyung, have come forward to express their discomfort on the matter via SNS, but of course TMZ remained silent.
There were two contrasting responses to the issue, but I personally didn't agree with what the TMZ reporter did, and also think that what she did was 'racist,' whether it was intended or not. To a certain extent, I think we can all agree that what the reporter did was rude, offensive, and uncalled for.
Amidst everything wrong about this segment, couldn't she have at least gotten their name right!? It's E-X-I-D, E!! C'mon! You must have written it down somewhere in your gigantic notebook!!
BTS's V criticized for his actions during 'M! Countdown'
BTS's energizerVwas recentlyunder fire for his actions during this week's airing of 'M! Countdown.'K-netizens onNate Pann, including fans and non-fans ofBig BangandEXID, criticized V on his 'inconsiderate' actions as he was seen singing/mouthing the lyrics to Big Bang's "Loser." In attempts to put the case to rest, V explained his actions via Twitter. However, K-netizens were not so forgiving of V especially after the rumors accusing BTS of 'sajaegi(bulk buying).'
Seeing that BTS is starting to gain much interest from the K-netizens as well as the charts since their last release, it is to no one's surprise that they will be gaining some haters and people who are just waiting nitpick at every move they make. And as we all know by now, some K-netizens are malicious and merciless at best.
However, in this case, even if it was clear toARMYs that V was just 'fanboying,' it is also understandable that his actions could have been misinterpreted by those, who aren't as well-informed about the idol, as immature and disrespectful. It also didn't help that the boy was singing a song titled "Loser" at that particular moment.
V is no doubt endearing and many times too adorable to handle, but knowing that they are promoting in a society where seniority and common manners are crucial, it would be in their best interest to be more careful about how they act at least during official show programs and performances where everyone, not just ARMYs, are watching.
'Epik High 2015 North American Tour' Giveaway!
If you haven't heard yet,askkpophas teamed up withEpik Highon their journey to North America for their upcoming 'Epik High 2015 North American Tour'! This week, we've announced that we are holding a giveaway contest, consisting ofvarious prizes from autographed CDs, posters, to even FREE TICKETS to the concert, for the most epic Epik High fans.
This opportunity is only available onaskkpopso check it out here before time runs out! Winners will be announced next week on Wednesday (May 13), along with their respective prizes. They will be contacted via direct message on Instagram (from official allkpop Instagram account) or through their 6theory Account here.
If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, tickets for additional stops as well as the original stops areavailable for purchase here.