True Taste Korea

K-POP

Explore K-pop artists, music, fandom culture, relationships, controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. Discover the questions fans are asking and the deeper meaning behind the moments shaping K-pop.

  • Why Is BTS Bringing Its World Tour to Movie Theaters — And Where Can Fans Watch It Live?

    BTS fans who cannot make it to Argentina or Brazil may still have a chance to experience the group’s South American concerts with a crowd.

    But not through a normal livestream at home.

    This time, BTS is heading to movie theaters.

    As part of HYBE CINE FEST 2026, two concerts from the BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ will be shown in cinemas around the world.

    So why put a stadium concert inside a movie theater when fans can already watch almost anything online?

    The answer may be the crowd itself.

    Two BTS concerts are coming to cinemas

    HYBE CINE FEST 2026 will run from October 24 through October 31, expanding globally after previous editions in Latin America and Asia.

    The festival is set to reach more than 60 territories and includes six cinema experiences featuring BTS and other HYBE artists.

    For BTS fans, the biggest attractions are two live viewings from the South American leg of the ARIRANG tour.

    The first comes from Buenos Aires, marking BTS’s first-ever performance in Argentina.

    It will be shown on October 24 in the Americas and October 25 in other regions.

    The second comes from São Paulo, near the end of BTS’s Latin American tour, on October 30 in the Americas and October 31 elsewhere.

    Depending on the territory and time zone, some screenings may use delayed broadcasts rather than showing the concert at the exact local time.

    Why a movie theater instead of streaming at home?

    That is the more interesting question.

    Watching BTS alone on a laptop and watching BTS with hundreds of ARMY in a theater are completely different experiences.

    A cinema offers a huge screen, powerful sound and, most importantly, other fans sitting beside you.

    You can hear the cheering.

    You can see light sticks.

    And for a few hours, a theater thousands of miles from the actual stadium can feel a little more like part of the concert.

    That communal experience appears to be central to HYBE CINE FEST.

    The festival’s slogan is “EVERYWHERE, WE CHEER!”, and its program goes beyond simply replaying concerts.

    There is even an interactive HYBE CHEERING PARTY in 3D, built around music videos, fan chants and light sticks.

    In other words, the cinema is not being treated simply as a screen.

    It is being turned into another place for fandom to gather.

    It’s bigger than BTS

    BTS may be the headline attraction, but HYBE CINE FEST 2026 also includes full-length concert films from SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and ENHYPEN.

    The festival therefore looks less like a traditional concert movie release and more like a week-long K-pop cinema event.

    That distinction matters.

    A fan who cannot afford an international flight, secure a stadium ticket or travel to South America can still share at least part of the experience with other fans locally.

    It obviously cannot replace actually being inside the stadium.

    But that may not be the point.

    The idea is to create something between watching at home and attending the real concert.

    Where can fans watch BTS?

    Exact theaters, screening times and regional availability depend on the country.

    HYBE says participating locations and program information are being provided through the official HYBE CINE FEST site, while BTS live-viewing details are handled separately for the Buenos Aires and São Paulo broadcasts.

    So fans should check local availability before making plans, especially because broadcast dates and times differ between the Americas and other regions.

    And perhaps that explains why BTS in a movie theater makes more sense than it first sounds.

    A stadium has a limited number of seats.

    A livestream can reach millions, but everyone watches separately.

    A cinema sits somewhere in between.

    BTS performs in Buenos Aires or São Paulo.

    ARMY gathers in theaters around the world.

    And for one night, thousands of kilometers apart may feel just a little bit closer.

  • Is aespa Really Global — or Mostly Huge in Asia?

    aespa is unquestionably one of K-pop’s biggest girl groups.

    But a surprisingly heated question has appeared among international K-pop fans:

    How global is aespa’s popularity, really?

    The debate became especially visible on Reddit after fans began discussing aespa’s recent overseas concerts.

    “They’re Huge — But Mostly in Asia”

    One side of the debate argues that aespa’s biggest strength remains Korea and the surrounding Asian markets.

    That argument is not difficult to understand.

    At aespa’s Seoul concert, one attendee said the presence of Chinese fans was so noticeable that they were surprised by how international the crowd felt.

    aespa also performs exceptionally well across major Asian K-pop markets.

    But some international fans say that popularity does not necessarily translate into mainstream recognition in the United States or Europe.

    One Reddit discussion summed up the distinction clearly: aespa can be a major international K-pop group without necessarily being a household name among the Western general public.

    And that raises an important question:

    What does “global” actually mean in K-pop?

    The Numbers Tell a More Complicated Story

    Calling aespa an Asia-only phenomenon would also be misleading.

    Their 2026 album LEMONADE reached No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart and No. 2 on Top Album Sales.

    aespa also returned to the Billboard Artist 100 at No. 11, while “LEMONADE” became their first entry on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.

    Their songs have also shown staying power on global charts.

    So the argument is not really about whether aespa has international fans.

    They clearly do.

    The real debate is about how deep that popularity goes outside the K-pop audience.

    K-Pop Popularity and Mainstream Popularity Aren’t the Same Thing

    This may explain why fans seem to be talking past each other.

    Inside the international K-pop community, aespa is enormous.

    A fan who follows K-pop concerts, albums, TikTok trends and streaming charts may naturally see aespa as a global superstar.

    But ask a random person outside that ecosystem in an American or European city, and the answer could be very different.

    That gap exists for many K-pop groups.

    BTS and BLACKPINK became unusual because their names crossed far beyond the normal K-pop audience.

    Using those two groups as the definition of “global success” creates an extremely high bar for everyone who follows.

    Maybe aespa Is a Different Kind of Global Group

    There may be another way to look at it.

    Global popularity does not have to mean being equally famous everywhere.

    aespa can dominate Korea and parts of Asia, maintain substantial international touring demand, attract listeners around the world and still have room to grow among the Western general public.

    All of those things can be true at the same time.

    And perhaps that is why this debate never seems to end.

    The question may not really be:

    “Is aespa global?”

    It may be:

    “How global does a K-pop group have to become before fans agree to call them global?”

  • Why Jeonghan and Joshua? SEVENTEEN’s New JxJ Unit Already Has Fans Guessing

    SEVENTEEN has another subunit coming.

    But this one immediately feels different.

    Jeonghan and Joshua are officially teaming up as JxJ, with their first mini album, DREAMSCAPE, arriving on October 19.

    For longtime CARATs, the pairing itself is enough to get attention.

    Both are members of SEVENTEEN’s vocal team. Both are known for softer vocal colors and delicate emotional delivery. And both have been part of SEVENTEEN since the group debuted in 2015.

    So the obvious question is:

    What happens when Jeonghan and Joshua finally make an album together?

    JxJ Is Not Just Another Random Pairing

    SEVENTEEN has always been unusually comfortable with units.

    There is BSS with Seungkwan, DK and Hoshi.

    Fans have also seen Jeonghan X Wonwoo, Hoshi X Woozi, S.Coups X Mingyu, DK X Seungkwan and other combinations explore sounds and concepts that would be difficult to fit into a full 13-member SEVENTEEN release.

    Now it is Jeonghan and Joshua’s turn.

    And their first concept already gives us a clue that JxJ may not be aiming for the obvious.

    Their mini album is called DREAMSCAPE, literally a “landscape of dreams.”

    According to PLEDIS Entertainment, the album explores two different kinds of dreams: the unconscious fantasies that appear while we sleep and the ideals we consciously try to make real.

    The two worlds collide until the line between fantasy and reality begins to disappear.

    That sounds considerably more mysterious than a simple “two vocalists singing a ballad” project.

    The First Teaser Made Fans Even More Curious

    The first JxJ teaser doesn’t explain much.

    That may be exactly why it works.

    The short visual uses a mysterious monochrome atmosphere and nature imagery before the two “J” initials overlap to create the unit’s symbol.

    There are no big spoilers.

    No obvious chorus.

    No clear genre announcement.

    Instead, fans were left trying to decode the mood.

    On Reddit, one CARAT wrote that the teaser’s aesthetic and album description gave them ambient or industrial vibes.

    Another fan simply admitted:

    “I’m so curious what their music style is going to be like.”

    That uncertainty may be JxJ’s biggest advantage right now.

    We know who Jeonghan and Joshua are.

    We don’t yet know what JxJ sounds like.

    Their Recent Solo Work Makes It Harder to Guess

    Jeonghan recently covered Japanese singer-songwriter tuki.’s hit “Bansanka,” bringing his own vocal color to the song.

    Joshua, meanwhile, released “Baby Come Home” in both Chinese and English versions.

    Neither move gives us an easy answer about DREAMSCAPE.

    If anything, they show why the pairing could be interesting.

    Jeonghan’s voice can sound light and almost dreamlike, while Joshua has a smooth tone that works naturally in softer pop.

    Put those voices inside a concept built around dreams, fantasy and reality, and JxJ could easily go in several directions.

    Dream pop?

    Atmospheric R&B?

    A vocal-heavy ballad?

    Something experimental?

    Right now, PLEDIS isn’t giving away the answer.

    SEVENTEEN’s Subunits Have Become Their Own Experiment

    There is also a bigger story behind JxJ.

    SEVENTEEN no longer needs every release to involve all 13 members doing the same thing.

    The group has increasingly used smaller combinations to show different sides of its members.

    And that strategy has already produced international results.

    S.Coups and Mingyu’s CxM unit, for example, debuted at No. 71 on the Billboard 200 with HYPE VIBES in 2025, at the time setting a new record for the highest-charting K-pop subunit on that chart.

    So JxJ isn’t starting from zero.

    It is arriving in a SEVENTEEN universe where a subunit can now become a serious project of its own.

    So Why Jeonghan and Joshua?

    Maybe that’s the wrong question.

    The better question could be:

    Why did it take this long?

    They debuted together in 2015.

    They have sung together as part of SEVENTEEN’s vocal team for more than a decade.

    Now, for the first time, fans will get to hear what happens when an entire project is built specifically around the two of them.

    And judging by the reaction to a teaser that barely revealed anything, curiosity is already doing much of the promotion.

    DREAMSCAPE arrives on October 19 at 6 p.m. KST, with pre-orders opening September 23.

    Until we actually hear the music, however, one question will probably keep following JxJ:

    What does a Jeonghan-and-Joshua album actually sound like?

    That answer may be exactly what makes this SEVENTEEN unit worth watching.

  • What Is Still Beating BTS ‘SWIM’ on the Global K-Pop Chart?

    BTS is back. “SWIM” became one of the biggest K-pop songs of 2026.

    And yet, on the latest Circle Global K-pop Chart, there is still one song sitting above it.

    HUNTR/X’s “Golden,” from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters.

    For the week of September 6–12, “Golden” held No. 1 while BTS’s “SWIM” remained at No. 2.

    That immediately raises an interesting question:

    How is a fictional K-pop group still competing with BTS months after the movie’s release?

    BTS Actually Beat “Golden” Before

    The current ranking becomes more interesting when you look back.

    “SWIM,” the title track from BTS’s fifth studio album ARIRANG, debuted at No. 2 on Circle’s Global K-pop Chart in March.

    It didn’t stay there.

    The song eventually climbed to No. 1 and went on a remarkable run. By early July, Circle Chart reported that “SWIM” had spent 14 consecutive weeks at No. 1.

    For one week in June, the Top 2 looked like this:

    No. 1 — BTS, “SWIM”
    No. 2 — HUNTR/X, “Golden”

    Now the order has flipped.

    “Golden” is No. 1 again.

    “SWIM” is No. 2.

    That makes this less like a normal weekly chart story and more like a long-running battle between two very different kinds of K-pop hits.

    One Is BTS. The Other Group Doesn’t Even Exist.

    That’s the strange part.

    BTS needs almost no introduction. “SWIM” arrived with the group’s long-awaited fifth studio album and became a global hit in its own right.

    HUNTR/X is different.

    The group comes from Netflix’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters, with the singing voices behind “Golden” performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI.

    Yet “Golden” escaped the boundaries of a movie soundtrack.

    People didn’t just watch the film.

    They kept listening to the song.

    And months later, that distinction matters.

    A soundtrack usually gets its biggest boost when a movie is new. “Golden” has shown unusual staying power instead.

    “SWIM” Isn’t Exactly Fading Either

    Being No. 2 here does not mean BTS has suddenly lost momentum.

    Far from it.

    “SWIM” was selected for Billboard’s 2026 Global Songs of the Summer, ranking No. 2 on the Global Excl. U.S. summer chart and No. 6 on the Global 200 summer ranking.

    During that summer tracking period, the song reached No. 1 multiple times on both global charts.

    And in September, months after its March release, “SWIM” was still appearing high on Spotify’s Weekly Top Songs Global chart.

    So this isn’t a case of one old hit replacing another song that disappeared.

    Both songs have survived.

    That is what makes the chart so unusual.

    Maybe This Is Bigger Than BTS vs. HUNTR/X

    There’s another way to look at it.

    For years, K-pop’s biggest global moments were usually built around real groups, fandoms, albums, tours and performances.

    KPop Demon Hunters introduced something different:

    a fictional group capable of producing a very real global hit.

    Now one of the biggest real K-pop groups in history and the biggest fictional K-pop group of the moment are sitting side by side on the same chart.

    BTS had the advantage.

    Then HUNTR/X did.

    And months later, neither song has gone away.

    So perhaps the most surprising question isn’t:

    “How is ‘Golden’ still beating BTS?”

    It’s this:

    Did anyone expect a fictional K-pop group to still be battling BTS this long after the movie ended?

  • Jungkook Just Passed 11.5 Billion Spotify Streams — How Did He Get This Big With Just One Solo Album?

    BTS’s Jungkook has just crossed another number that is difficult to ignore: 11.5 billion Spotify streams.

    According to reports published on September 22, Jungkook has surpassed 11.5 billion cumulative streams across the songs credited to his Spotify artist profile, becoming the first K-pop solo artist to reach the milestone.

    But the most interesting part may not be the 11.5 billion itself.

    It’s how small his solo discography still is.

    One Album, Billions of Streams

    Jungkook released his first solo studio album, GOLDEN, in November 2023.

    Yet several years later, its biggest songs are still generating enormous numbers.

    “Seven,” featuring Latto, has surpassed 3.09 billion Spotify streams, while “Standing Next to You” has passed 1.5 billion.

    “3D,” his collaboration with Jack Harlow, has also crossed 1.2 billion streams.

    Then there are songs outside the core GOLDEN track list that continue adding to his total, including “Left and Right” with Charlie Puth, “Dreamers,” “Still With You,” and “Stay Alive.”

    This is what makes the 11.5 billion figure more interesting than a simple record headline.

    Jungkook didn’t need ten solo albums to get there.

    ‘Seven’ Wasn’t Just a Big Debut

    When “Seven” was released in 2023, some wondered whether its explosive streaming numbers were simply the result of BTS fandom power.

    Time has made that explanation harder to sustain on its own.

    Years after release, the song is still being streamed at a remarkable rate. Current tracking data shows “Seven” continuing to pull roughly one million Spotify streams per day.

    That kind of longevity suggests something bigger than an opening-week fandom event.

    The song became part of the wider global pop listening ecosystem.

    And “Standing Next to You” followed a similar path.

    Instead of Jungkook’s solo career producing one giant hit followed by a steep decline, several songs have continued accumulating hundreds of millions — or more than a billion — streams.

    So How Big Could the Next Jungkook Album Be?

    That may now be the more interesting question.

    GOLDEN was Jungkook’s first full solo album.

    It arrived when listeners were still discovering what “Jungkook the solo pop artist” would actually sound like.

    Today, that question has largely disappeared.

    He now has a global catalog with multiple billion-stream songs, 21 million Spotify followers, and an album that has spent a reported 150 weeks on Spotify’s Weekly Top Albums Global chart.

    There is also a telling detail in older fan discussions.

    When Jungkook first passed one billion Spotify streams before GOLDEN was even released, fans were already joking about what would happen once he finally had an album.

    Now he is past 11.5 billion.

    So perhaps the real story isn’t that Jungkook has broken another K-pop record.

    It’s that his first solo era may still be setting the baseline for whatever comes next.

    And that makes one question especially difficult to ignore:

    If one Jungkook album helped build 11.5 billion streams, what happens when album No. 2 arrives?

  • Who Is RESCENE — and How Did They Suddenly Rank Above BTS and BLACKPINK?

    If you follow K-pop casually, the September 2026 idol group rankings may have produced one immediate reaction:

    Wait… who is RESCENE?

    RESCENE ranked No. 1 in the September idol group brand reputation rankings, ahead of BTS at No. 2 and BLACKPINK at No. 3.

    Their brand reputation index reached 8,227,982, up 16.78 percent from August. They also ranked No. 1 among girl groups, ahead of BLACKPINK and IVE.

    But the more interesting story isn’t the ranking itself.

    It’s how quickly RESCENE went from a relatively small K-pop group to one of the biggest stories on the Korean charts.

    RESCENE Didn’t Actually Appear Overnight

    RESCENE debuted in March 2024.

    Their breakthrough song, “LOVE ATTACK,” wasn’t even a new release.

    The song originally came out in August 2024 as the title track of their first EP SCENEDROME. Nearly two years later, it suddenly began climbing Korea’s Melon chart.

    By June 2026, “LOVE ATTACK” had reached No. 6 on Melon’s Top 100.

    A meme helped bring new attention to RESCENE, but something interesting happened afterward:

    People didn’t just watch the meme.

    They started listening to the music.

    That distinction may explain why the moment didn’t disappear after a few viral days.

    Then Their Old Songs Started Climbing Too

    This is where RESCENE’s rise became much more unusual.

    By August, RESCENE had three songs simultaneously inside Melon’s Top 5:

    “LOVE ATTACK,” “Pretty Girl,” and “Deja Vu.”

    Even more surprisingly, those songs came from different releases and different years.

    The achievement generated a huge reaction among international K-pop fans on Reddit.

    One highly upvoted discussion described RESCENE’s rise as seemingly coming “out of nowhere,” while another commenter compared the excitement around their breakthrough with previous unexpected rises by groups such as EXID and Brave Girls.

    But there is an important difference.

    This isn’t just one viral song.

    Listeners are going backward through RESCENE’s catalog.

    That is a much stronger signal.

    Why Did “LOVE ATTACK” Suddenly Work?

    There probably isn’t one explanation.

    The viral meme gave RESCENE exposure, but exposure alone doesn’t keep a two-year-old song near the top of Korea’s biggest streaming charts.

    “LOVE ATTACK” has a particularly accessible structure: cooler bass-driven verses open into a brighter chorus with synths and light electric guitar.

    RESCENE also developed a recognizable dreamy, easy-listening sound across songs such as “Deja Vu” and “Runaway.”

    In other words:

    The meme may have opened the door.
    The songs gave listeners a reason to stay.

    And Reddit reactions support that interpretation.

    Some users said they discovered RESCENE through the recent explosion and then started exploring older songs and the group’s other content. One commenter who had previously heard only “Yo-Yo” said the group’s sudden rise led them to discover “Deja Vu,” “Pretty Girl,” “LOVE ATTACK,” and RESCENE’s variety content.

    That’s exactly what a breakout group wants.

    Not one hit.

    A catalog suddenly becoming valuable.

    From One Viral Song to No. 1

    By September, “LOVE ATTACK” wasn’t simply experiencing a brief comeback.

    It had reached No. 1 on Melon’s August monthly chart, while “Pretty Girl” reached No. 5. In September, “LOVE ATTACK” continued holding the top position on Melon’s Top 100 while “Pretty Girl” climbed alongside it.

    Then came another symbolic milestone.

    RESCENE topped September’s overall idol group brand reputation ranking with an index of 8,227,982.

    BTS recorded 7,032,284.

    BLACKPINK recorded 3,778,683.

    That does not mean RESCENE has suddenly become globally bigger than BTS or BLACKPINK.

    The brand reputation ranking measures factors including consumer participation, media coverage, communication and community activity during a specific data-collection period. It is better understood as a snapshot of current Korean online attention than a ranking of overall global popularity.

    But that’s exactly why RESCENE reaching No. 1 is interesting.

    For this particular moment, they generated extraordinary momentum.

    The Real Question Isn’t How RESCENE Became Viral

    K-pop produces viral moments constantly.

    Most disappear.

    RESCENE’s story is more interesting because listeners didn’t stop with the song that introduced them to the group.

    They discovered another song.

    Then another.

    Then older releases began climbing alongside the viral hit.

    So perhaps the biggest question isn’t:

    “How did RESCENE suddenly become popular?”

    It’s this:

    Did RESCENE just have a viral summer — or did we just watch the beginning of a much bigger K-pop group?

    That answer will depend on what happens after “LOVE ATTACK.”

    But for a group that debuted in 2024, having people ask in 2026 how they suddenly appeared above names like BTS and BLACKPINK is already a remarkable turnaround.

  • Why Is the Melon Music Awards Two Days in 2026? MMA’s Biggest Change Explained

    The Melon Music Awards is making a major change in 2026.

    For the first time in its history, the annual K-pop awards show will not be held on just one day.

    MMA 2026 will take place over two days, November 14 and 15, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

    So why is the Melon Music Awards suddenly becoming a two-day event?

    Why Is MMA 2026 Two Days?

    According to Melon, the expanded format is designed to bring more artists and fans together and create a larger K-pop festival.

    The theme for MMA 2026 is “Connect,” with the official slogan:

    “K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse.”

    The idea is to connect K-pop artists and fans around the world through a larger variety of performances.

    It is a significant change for an awards show that has traditionally been held as a single-day event.

    Who Is Performing at MMA 2026?

    The first lineup was dominated by boy groups.

    It included:

    • PLAVE
    • RIIZE
    • NCT WISH
    • ALPHA DRIVE ONE
    • LNGSHOT

    The second lineup, announced in September, went in the opposite direction.

    YENA, ILLIT, RESCENE and Hearts2Hearts were added, making the second group of announced performers entirely female.

    More artists are expected to be announced before the November ceremony.

    MMA Is Becoming More Global

    The two-day format is not the only major change.

    Melon is also putting more emphasis on international K-pop listeners.

    In 2026, Melon launched the Global-K Chart in collaboration with Tencent Music in China and LINE MUSIC in Japan.

    The chart combines music streaming data with fandom activity across major Asian K-pop markets.

    That global data will now influence parts of the Melon Music Awards.

    MMA 2026 is also introducing a new Global TOP 10 award connected to the Global-K Chart.

    At the same time, the previous “Millions TOP10” category is being removed.

    Why Does the Change Matter?

    K-pop award shows are no longer watched only by Korean audiences.

    Fans in Japan, China, Southeast Asia, the United States, Europe and other regions follow performances, voting and award results in real time.

    Expanding MMA to two days gives organizers more room for artists, performances and fan-focused content.

    It also shows how Korean music awards are adapting to K-pop’s increasingly global audience.

    When and Where Is MMA 2026?

    Dates: November 14–15, 2026
    Venue: Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul, South Korea

    With two days of performances, a growing artist lineup and new global awards, MMA 2026 will look different from previous editions.

    The biggest question now may not be why MMA needs two days.

    It may be whether two days will be enough for the K-pop lineup still to come.

  • Who Is CORTIS? The Rookie K-Pop Group With 3 MTV VMA Nominations

    CORTIS may still be a rookie K-pop group, but their name is already appearing next to BTS and BLACKPINK at one of America’s biggest music awards.

    The five-member boy group now has three nominations at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

    So, who is CORTIS — and how did a group that debuted only about a year ago get here so quickly?

    What Is CORTIS?

    CORTIS is a five-member boy group under BIGHIT MUSIC, the label also known for BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER.

    The members are Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho.

    The group debuted in 2025, making its rise at the 2026 VMAs especially notable.

    CORTIS is the most recently debuted act among this year’s Best Group nominees.

    Which MTV VMA Awards Is CORTIS Nominated For?

    CORTIS is nominated in three categories:

    • Best New Artist
    • Best K-Pop — “REDRED”
    • Best Group

    The group initially received two nominations when the main VMA nominees were announced.

    Then MTV revealed its Best Group nominees, adding CORTIS to a lineup that includes some very familiar names.

    CORTIS will compete in the category alongside BTS, BLACKPINK, KATSEYE, FLO, Fuerza Regida, Geese and Twenty One Pilots.

    For a group only about a year into its career, that is an unusual list of competitors.

    Why Is the Best Group Nomination a Big Deal?

    Best Group has a strong connection to K-pop.

    BTS won the award four consecutive times from 2019 through 2022. BLACKPINK won in 2023 and 2025, while SEVENTEEN took the award in 2024.

    Now CORTIS has entered the same category.

    There is another interesting detail this year: four of the eight Best Group nominees are K-pop or K-pop-connected groups — BTS, BLACKPINK, CORTIS and KATSEYE.

    That means half of the category has a connection to the Korean pop industry.

    “REDRED” Put CORTIS in the Best K-Pop Race

    CORTIS is also competing for Best K-Pop with “REDRED.”

    And this is not an easy category.

    The nominees include BLACKPINK’s “JUMP,” BTS’s “SWIM,” KATSEYE’s “PINKY UP,” LE SSERAFIM featuring j-hope’s “SPAGHETTI,” and LISA’s “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.

    For a rookie group, simply appearing in that lineup gives CORTIS significant international exposure.

    When Are the 2026 MTV VMAs?

    The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will be held on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

    Whether CORTIS takes home a trophy or not, three nominations this early in the group’s career have already made them one of the K-pop names worth watching in 2026.

    If you had never heard of CORTIS before seeing the VMA nominations, you probably won’t be the only one searching their name this week.

  • What Does “TOESA” Mean? Why SOYEON’s Quitting Song Is No. 1 in Korea

    If you have seen SOYEON’s new song “I’m gonna TOESA” and wondered what “TOESA” means, the answer explains why the song has become such a hit in Korea.

    “Toesa” (퇴사) literally means leaving or quitting your job.

    And yes — SOYEON really made a K-pop song about wanting to quit work.

    Why Is “I’m gonna TOESA” So Popular in Korea?

    SOYEON, the leader of i-dle, released her first full-length solo album What a Wonderful Life on September 7.

    Its title track, “I’m gonna TOESA (Narr. Kian84),” quickly climbed Korea’s music charts.

    By September 19, it had reached No. 1 on the daily charts of Melon, Genie, Bugs and Vibe. It also topped major real-time charts including Melon Top 100, Genie, Vibe, Flo and Bugs.

    But the interesting part is why Koreans connected with it.

    The song talks about something millions of office workers have probably imagined:

    What if I just quit?

    Instead of using abstract lyrics about dreams or success, SOYEON sings directly about the frustration of working and the fantasy of finally walking away.

    That makes the song unusually easy for Korean workers to relate to.

    Why Does “TOESA” Hit Differently in Korea?

    There is even a familiar Korean expression:

    “Everyone carries a resignation letter in their heart.”

    It is usually said jokingly by workers who are tired of their jobs but cannot actually quit.

    That is exactly the emotion “I’m gonna TOESA” taps into.

    The song is not simply telling everyone to resign tomorrow.

    SOYEON explained that she wanted to express the romance of focusing on the present instead of always worrying about the future — and choosing what you truly want to do.

    Quitting became the humorous, rebellious symbol of that idea.

    Who Is Kian84?

    Another detail international listeners may notice is “Narr. Kian84” in the song title.

    Kian84 is a famous Korean webtoon artist and television personality known for his unconventional and very down-to-earth personality.

    His narration adds another distinctly Korean flavor to the track.

    The song has also spread through social media challenges, with Korean singers, entertainers and celebrities joining in.

    A K-Pop Song That Became an Office-Worker Anthem

    “I’m gonna TOESA” works because you do not need to be a hardcore K-pop fan to understand it.

    You only need to have had one exhausting day at work.

    That may explain why a song with such an ordinary Korean word has turned into one of the country’s biggest current hits.

    So if you hear someone in Korea say:

    “I want to toesa.”

    Now you know.

    They are probably having a very bad day at work.

  • Why Is BTS Nominated for 3 Awards at the 2026 MTV VMAs?

    BTS is heading into the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with three nominations — and one of them could extend a record the group already owns.

    So, what exactly is BTS nominated for this year, and why is the Best Group category getting so much attention?

    BTS Has Three MTV VMA Nominations in 2026

    BTS is nominated in three categories:

    • Song of the Year — “SWIM”
    • Best K-Pop — “SWIM”
    • Best Group — BTS

    “SWIM,” the title track from BTS’s fifth studio album ARIRANG, was first nominated for Song of the Year and Best K-Pop.

    Then another nomination arrived.

    MTV added BTS to the Best Group race alongside BLACKPINK, CORTIS and KATSEYE, giving BTS three nominations in total.

    Why Is the Best Group Nomination Special?

    This is where the story becomes more interesting.

    BTS already has an unusually strong history in this category.

    The group won Best Group four consecutive times from 2019 through 2022. Those four victories remain the most by any act in the category.

    That means the 2026 nomination gives BTS a chance to add a fifth Best Group trophy to its record.

    For longtime ARMY, this nomination also feels different because BTS spent several years away from full-group activities while the members completed their military service.

    Their return in 2026 has therefore been more than another album cycle. It has marked the return of all seven members to the global stage.

    “SWIM” Is Competing Beyond the K-Pop Category

    Another important detail is that “SWIM” is not competing only in Best K-Pop.

    It is also nominated for Song of the Year, one of the VMAs’ major categories.

    That puts BTS in a broader race with major international releases rather than limiting the group’s recognition to a genre-specific K-pop award.

    It also reflects how much the position of K-pop at American music awards has changed.

    BTS is no longer the only Korean act appearing across the VMA nominations. BLACKPINK, LISA, LE SSERAFIM, CORTIS and other K-pop-related acts are represented this year as well.

    When Are the 2026 MTV VMAs?

    The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will take place on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

    For BTS fans, there are now three results to watch.

    But Best Group may carry the most history.

    BTS already won it four years in a row.

    Now, after returning as a full group, they have a chance to add another chapter to that record.