Haeryun Kang

Former South Korean President Yoon receives life sentence for imposing martial law

Haeryun Kang

A South Korean court today sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life in prison for leading an insurrection.

Here's the first K-pop group with North Korean defectors

Haeryun Kang

1VERSE is the first K-pop group in the world to feature North Korean defectors. The group is the latest in K-pop to market multiculturalism in a cutthroat industry.

Chairman and CEO Bang Si-hyuk, center, photographed Oct. 15, 2020, the day his company, Big Hit Entertainment, debuted on the Korea Exchange in Seoul. To his left, Jiwon Park, Big Hit CEO of HQ & Management; right, Lenzo Yoon Big CEO of Global & Business.

International headlines

'Hitman' Bang Si-hyuk, The Brand-New Billionaire Behind BTS

Haeryun Kang

Formerly a producer and songwriter for K-pop's nascent idols, Si-hyuk's own label, Big Hit Entertainment, recently became larger than the other top labels in Seoul combined.

International headlines

Korean Pop, Away From The Hit Factories

Haeryun Kang

The country's K-pop idols have found success worldwide, to the point that they are now synonymous with the country's popular and/or modern music. But there's a lot more where that came from.

A fan of K-pop band BTS poses for photos against a backdrop featuring an image of the group's members in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 29, 2019.

NPR Headlines

K-Pop's Digital 'Army' Musters To Meet The Moment, Baggage In Tow

Haeryun Kang

There's a growing narrative highlighting K-pop fans' political progressiveness. But the reality is far more complicated.

International headlines

Inside Sajaegi, K-Pop's Open Secret

Haeryun Kang

In the digital era, accusations of surreptitious chart manipulation are common throughout the world — in South Korea, it's called sajaegi.

International headlines

QUIZ: Do You Have What It Takes To Work For Samsung?

Elise Hu, Haeryun Kang

The "Samsung SAT" is the South Korean company's aptitude test that features a gantlet of 160 questions in 140 minutes. Test yourself with a few practice questions.