Category: K-Wave

This was BTS's first full concert in Peru. The shows took place at Estadio San Marcos in Lima, starting Oct. 7 and continuing on the 9th and 10th. Their agency says the three-night total came in just over 150,000.

Only two nights were originally scheduled. Tickets went so fast that a third was added, and it sold out too. The crowd kept up wave after wave of fan chants and sing-alongs, and the members answered with "I love you" in Spanish.

The members said they were blown away by the local fans' energy and wished they'd come sooner. Jimin, who turns 31 on Oct. 13, got a roar when he said he'd carry the love from the other side of the world with him.

The economics drew attention, too. Before the shows, Peru's trade and tourism ministry estimated that more than 50,000 visitors from outside Lima would come, putting the tourism boost at nearly $19 million. The Lima Chamber of Commerce said that once you add up tickets, hotels, food, transport, sightseeing and official merchandise, activity could reach as much as 200 million soles.

Getting-there data told a similar story. Citing figures from ride-hailing company Cabify, local daily El Comercio reported that ride requests toward the stadium on opening night ran up to 15 times normal, then spiked up to 48 times right after the show ended. BTS now continues its world tour, Arirang, which kicked off in April, with Santiago dates on Oct. 14, 16 and 17, followed by La Plata and São Paulo.

'Paradise Lost' is a psychological thriller from director Yeon Sang-ho. Its heroine, Ryu So-young, lost her son nine years ago when a camp school bus disappeared. Then Ryu Sun-woo, the boy she believed was gone for good, suddenly resurfaces, and that's where the story kicks into gear.

Yeon and stars Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyun-sung held their press conference on the morning of Oct. 10 at BIFF Hill, the Busan Cinema Center's press venue in Haeundae. The day before, Yeon and Kim met fans first at an outdoor stage greeting, and the Loop Theater was packed with barely an empty seat. After the press conference, the team heads to the film's second screening and a Q&A with the audience (called a GV in Korea) to round out their Busan schedule.

Yeon said the project began with a question: what is still human in the age of AI? The title, he explained, comes from the idea that a being cast out of paradise will long for it forever, which he sees as the root of human identity. He sounded confident about the two leads, calling their performances the film's biggest draw.

Kim said playing a mother who has lost a child felt daunting, but she was drawn to a story that digs deep into a single side of one character. She found it fascinating to pull out her own darker side and push it to the extreme. Having to hit peak emotion within a short shooting schedule was hard, she said, but also fun. Her favorite scene is the first meeting between So-young and her son at the front door, with So-young wearing AI glasses. She described Yeon as a director who lets an actor's emotions surface naturally instead of piling on instructions.

The festival runs through Oct. 15 and is showing 316 films from 59 countries. Once it wraps, 'Paradise Lost' meets the general public on Oct. 21.

The Buil Film Awards, organized by the Busan Ilbo newspaper, reached their 35th edition this year. The ceremony was held October 7 at a hotel venue in Busan, and organizers announced the full results the next day. The top prize, Best Film, went to Yoon Ga-eun's 'Owner of the World.' In the story of 'Juin,' an 18-year-old high schooler, Seo Su-bin also won Best Actress in her first-ever screen role.

Best Director went to Na Hong-jin for 'Hope.' Beyond directing, the film also swept Best Supporting Actor for Eum Moon-suk, Best New Actress for Jung Ho-yeon, Best Cinematography, and Best Art and Technical Achievement. Five trophies for a single film is the most at this year's ceremony. Best Supporting Actress went to Yum Hye-ran for 'No Other Choice.'

Best Actor went to Yoo Hae-jin, who plays the village chief in the town where an exiled king stays in Jang Hang-jun's period drama 'The King's Warden.' The film is a blockbuster that has drawn more than 16 million viewers. Park Ji-hoon and Jeon Mi-do, from the same film, shared the male and female Star of the Year awards. Best New Actor went to Jo Yu-hyeon for '3670,' and the Yu Hyun-mok Film Arts Award went to film critic Lim Jae-chul, who died this year.

Launched in 1958, the Buil Film Awards are considered the oldest film awards in Korea. This year they honored winners and films across 16 categories, including picture, director, acting and technical work. What defined the results was that indie and low-budget films were called up alongside big box-office hits.

ATEEZ is coming back with a new album. KQ Entertainment announced the schedule at midnight on October 8 by posting a spoiler video to the group's official social media. The record is titled 'Golden Hour : Part 6' and drops at 2 p.m. It's roughly five months since the previous album in June.

The video follows the ship that has long served as the group's emblem. A ship reflected on a screen in a frozen room, skull props, and a giant hull suddenly appearing in an everyday space pass by in turn. Then come scenes that look like something has crashed into something, and it all ends with a ship cutting through a huge wave. The phrase 'CRASH TO BEGIN' that came with it reads as saying a collision can be a starting point, which has fans wondering which direction the album will take.

'Golden Hour' is a series that began with its first installment in May 2024. ATEEZ is an eight-member boy group that debuted in 2018 and has grown its fan base at home and abroad on songs like 'Hush-Hush' and 'BOUNCY.'

The previous release, the 14th mini album 'Golden Hour : Part 5,' reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the third time and made the top 10 for the ninth. Its title track 'BAD' spread by word of mouth through a dance challenge and made a big splash. Even though official promotions were over and the group no longer appeared on music shows, the song took No. 1 on 'Inkigayo' on September 13 and 20, about three months after release.

BTS kicks off its 'Arirang' world tour run in Lima on October 7, with more shows on the 9th and 10th. All three are at Estadio San Marcos, and the group's label, Big Hit Music, says it's the band's first-ever Peru date. The group debuted in 2013, so this is the first time it will play in front of Peruvian fans.

Ahead of the shows, Santiago de Surco, a district in Lima, gave Sacramento Street a short-term new name. From the 5th through the 11th of this month, the street is billed in Spanish as 'Avenida BTS,' or BTS Avenue. The district office even put up signs announcing the new name. It's not a permanent rename, just a one-week gesture timed to the concerts.

Landmarks around the city joined in. Arco Morisco, the signature structure in Surco's Friendship Park, has been lit up in purple since the 5th and will run a BTS-themed light show every night through the 11th. Over the same stretch, the Fantasy Fountain at Lima's fountain park is hosting an event that mixes music, lights and a screen made of water. Purple, as the story goes, is the color associated with the band's fandom.

Peru's official tourism site, Peru Travel, saw an opening too. It pointed out that foreign visitors coming for the shows might not stay in Lima, and could head to other spots like Paracas and Machu Picchu, then rolled out a pitch on local food, culture and scenery.

Just before Lima, BTS opened the South American leg on the 2nd and 3rd at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá, Colombia. About 100,000 people showed up across the two nights. Rolling Stone en Español, a Spanish-language outlet, called it the concert a generation had waited a long time for and listed it among Colombia's biggest cultural events of the year.

According to the Korean Film Council's box office system, Assassin(s) pulled in about 590,000 viewers nationwide from October 2 to 5. After topping the Chuseok (Korean harvest holiday) period, it was the most-watched film over National Foundation Day weekend, too. Since opening on September 23, its total has reached about 2.41 million.

Midway through its second week, the film briefly lost the top spot: one day to a new live-action release and two days to a new Japanese animated film. It took the lead back on Sunday, October 4, and Monday, October 5, a substitute holiday. On both days it had fewer screenings than the rival anime and still came out on top. Its seat sales rate, the share of available seats actually sold, hit 37.6%, the highest of any film in theaters.

The film is based on the 1974 shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo at the Liberation Day ceremony on August 15. As it digs into the questions surrounding that event, some People's Power Party lawmakers have called it historical distortion. They argue it portrays former President Park Chung-hee as the man behind the attack and could amount to defaming the dead. Other demands include summoning the director to a National Assembly audit, banning screenings and clawing back profits. The reports reviewed here include no official rebuttal from the filmmakers.

On Tuesday, 20 People's Power Party lawmakers from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province issued a joint statement at the National Assembly urging that screenings stop. They also pointed to the Singapore International Film Festival, which opens October 21 and picked the film as its opening title, and called for that selection to be withdrawn. They also demanded an apology over a controversy involving the film's merchandise, plus a government probe into whether outside pressure shaped its production and financing. Their claim is that part of the money from a government-backed fund of funds went through an investment firm run by a figure tied to the Democratic Party. The People's Power Party is also reportedly preparing a letter to send to the festival.

The fight has spilled over onto the cast. On October 4, members of conservative groups rallied outside Yoo Hae-jin's home to criticize the production company and the actors. His agency said it takes the spread of false claims, malicious slander and invasions of privacy very seriously, and that it will collect evidence and take whatever action is possible. Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo and Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae each posted their impressions of the film on Facebook on October 5, in what read as defenses of it.

The fight started back in June. The Recording Academy announced a new Asian pop category that would judge songs making meaningful use of Asian languages, including K-pop, J-pop and Chinese pop. Critics across the music world quickly pushed back, arguing that K-pop, already a force in the global music business, was being boxed into a regional category.

All of BTS's members objected to the new category and said they would not submit work to the Grammys. Their stated position was that music should be judged as music, regardless of where it comes from or what language it's in. One Korean business daily also pointed out that BTS has recorded most of its recent albums in English, which means it faces a high bar to win in the general categories as well as this one.

The Recording Academy had at one point signaled it might review the setup and rework the category lineup. But in a statement on Oct. 1 (U.S. time), CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said the Academy decided to go ahead after consulting people in the Asian music industry. He acknowledged it would be hard to please everyone, but said he is confident it's the right outcome for the music community as a whole. Organizers also reportedly cited the fact that more voices supported the new category than opposed it.

Less than a day after that announcement, Stray Kids' camp made it official that the group did not submit music. The group had been floated as a leading contender in the Asian pop category, and is billed as the act with the most Billboard 200 No. 1s after the Beatles. The BBC reported that losing a top contender with voting power would be a considerable blow to the Grammys.

At a comeback press conference in August, Stray Kids said they have never made awards or records the goal of an album and that their fans' satisfaction comes first. As attention turns to what other acts will do, Hongjoong of ATEEZ told an overseas outlet that he sympathizes to a degree with BTS's stance and plans to think the issue over himself.

BTS's South America run began at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá, Colombia. The first show was Oct. 2 local time, with a second night at the same venue on the 3rd. According to Big Hit Music, the seven members will then head to Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires and São Paulo, for 14 shows across the region. For fans in Colombia and Argentina, it's the first chance to see the full group live.

Bogotá's economic development department calculated the concerts' ripple effect at about 51.7 billion won (roughly $37 million) and projects 5,244 direct and indirect jobs. María del Pilar López Uribe, who heads the department, said the visit could translate into work for residents. Earlier, the city's tourism observatory had put expected spending from the two shows at about 40.6 billion won (roughly $29 million).

Expectations are high in Chile, too. An analysis commissioned by the business daily Diario Financiero from a consulting firm pegged the impact of three Santiago shows (Oct. 14, 16 and 17) at about 72 billion won (roughly $51 million). The math goes beyond ticket sales: spending on transportation, hotels, food and merchandise spreads through the whole city.

Peru's government tourism agency, PromPerú, flagged the tour in a study titled “Music Tourism and the BTS Effect.” The agency says more than 520,000 people were waiting in the ticket queue, and the report suggests Lima could emerge as a key hub on the world touring circuit. In Lima's Costa Verde district, a fan-organized tribute drone show is planned. It came together with more than 25,000 online contributions, including from fans in neighboring countries.

Brazil, the final stop, is just as fired up. More than 630,000 people joined the São Paulo pre-sale over two days. The business outlet Exame estimates ticket revenue from the three shows will reach at least 56.4 billion won (roughly $40 million).

Big Hit Music said on Oct. 2 that Bogotá has granted BTS honored guest status. The title is a ceremonial distinction run by the city for prominent visitors who have contributed to Bogotá's development and the well-being of its residents across various fields. Per a Korean report citing local media, it's the first such designation in roughly a decade.

City officials gave two reasons. The group, which debuted in 2013, has raised the profile of Korean pop culture worldwide and has had a major influence on young people. They also signaled hope that the visit will cement Bogotá's image as a hub for the creative and cultural industries and a host city for international events.

The shows take place Oct. 2 and 3 at Estadio El Campín. It will be BTS's first time performing in Colombia. An observatory under Bogotá's tourism authority added up what fans are expected to spend on food and drink, lodging, getting around the city, and shopping and souvenirs, and came up with more than 40 billion won.

Demand indicators stand out, too. One outlet reported that flight bookings to Bogotá for the five days around the shows ran 46.6% above the same period a year earlier. About 18% of tickets were sold outside Colombia, roughly double the foreign share of a typical local concert, according to the report.

To mark the shows, the city will light a landmark downtown building purple and beef up public transit on show days. The tour kicks off in Bogotá and continues to Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.

On Thursday, Oct. 1 (U.S. time), the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammys, said in a social media post that the Asian Pop category (officially Best Asian Pop Music Performance) will go forward at the 69th Grammy Awards as planned. In a statement to U.S. media, CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said the Academy had spent recent weeks talking with people across the Asian music community.

Mason said some voices opposed keeping the category, but the loudest were fellow creators who wanted it to stay. He acknowledged that the Academy can't please everyone, stressed that the call was made for the music community as a whole, and added that the Academy will keep checking in with the industry on how the category is run, as it does with others.

The category is one of five new awards the Academy unveiled in June. The others are Latin song, traditional pop vocal, R&B collaboration and traditional folk album. Asian Pop covers K-pop, J-pop and Chinese-language C-pop, among others, and requires a meaningful amount of an Asian language in the song. Songs performed entirely in English are out.

BTS announced in July that it wouldn't participate, setting off a major debate. According to Dong-A Ilbo, one of Korea's major dailies, Variety criticized a setup that pushes non-Western music into genre-specific silos instead of the main awards, while Forbes said it effectively creates a separate track that splits Asian music off from the main categories. The same report said BTS took three awards at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27, including Song of the Year for "SWIM," the title track of its new album "Arirang."