When NOL Ticket opened reservations at 8 p.m. Monday for BTS's free comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square, more than 100,000 fans were waiting at the same moment. Those who made it through the virtual queuestill ran into trouble - screens going white mid-booking, payment confirmations collapsing with a message reading "seat already reserved." By 8:35 p.m., 99% of tickets were gone.
K-WAVE - Feb 19, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
The group's fifth studio album, ARIRANG, held the top position on Spotify's Countdown Charts Global for the fifth consecutive week as of February 18. The chart ranks upcoming albums and singles by global pre-save volume - a reliable measure of anticipation before a record even drops. ARIRANG has now accumulated 3.45 million pre-saves, making it the most pre-saved album ever by an Asian act on the platform and the second-highest by any artist since Spotify introduced the countdown feature.
K-WAVE - Feb 17, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Feb 16, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Feb 20, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Feb 19, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Feb 16, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-PEOPLE - Feb 23, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
G-Dragon (Kwon Ji-yong), serving as a visiting professor at South Korea's top science university KAIST, delivered a 2026 commencement video address urging graduates to embrace failure and forge their own path — closing with the words: "Start freely today."
K-WAVE - Feb 23, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
IVE held a showcase for their second full-length album REVIVE+ in Seoul on February 23, 2026, unveiling a 12-track project with dual title tracks "BLACKHOLE" and "BANG BANG" that marks the group's biggest artistic shift yet — expanding their signature "I"-centered identity into a collective "we" as seven-time consecutive million-sellers enter their sixth year with all members now adults.
K-WAVE - Feb 23, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
I.O.I, the fan-voted K-pop group formed on Produce 101, is reuniting after nine years with a new album dropping in May 2026, followed by a Seoul concert and Asia tour featuring nine of the eleven original members to mark their 10th debut anniversary.
K-WAVE - Feb 20, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
BLACKPINK became the first artist in YouTube history to surpass 100 million subscribers on February 20, 2026, earning the platform's Red Diamond Creator Award. The K-pop group's channel holds 41.1 billion total views and the Guinness World Record for most-viewed band on YouTube, ahead of their third mini album DEADLINE dropping February 27.
K-WAVE - Feb 20, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
IVE releases group "BANGERS" concept photos ahead of their February 23, 2026 comeback with second full album REVIVE+ and title track "BLACKHOLE," which doubles down on a collective identity narrative and features solo tracks from all six members.
K-WAVE - Feb 20, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
BLACKPINK reunites in an all-black group poster for their third mini album DEADLINE, out February 27, 2026 — their first group release in over three years — featuring five tracks including Billboard Global 200 No. 1 single "JUMP" and lead track "GO."
US - Feb 19, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
Activists denounce the life sentence for former President Yoon Suk-yeol as a "Fabricated Rebellion" narrative orchestrated by the Democratic Party to protect President Lee Jae-myung. The movement calls for "Constitutional Resistance" against a biased judiciary and looks to the U.S.-led global alliance to restore the liberal democratic order in South Korea.
K-WAVE - Feb 18, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
KiiiKiii's "404 (New Era)" became the first song of 2026 to top Melon's weekly chart, while also hitting No. 1 on Bugs, YouTube Music, and Apple Music in South Korea. The track continues to chart internationally on QQ Music, Oricon, and Billboard Japan, even after the group wrapped their music show promotions on February 15.
K-PEOPLE - Feb 18, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Feb 18, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Feb 17, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Feb 17, 2026 PM EST - Hannah
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K-WAVE - Dec 31, 1969 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Dec 31, 1969 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Dec 31, 1969 PM EST - Hannah
K-WAVE - Dec 31, 1969 PM EST - Hannah
