Here are the top five newsmakers in the entertainment industry of the week, all the way from South Korea.

Jung Eun-chae Confirms Dating Kim Chung-jae

‘Anna’ actress Jung Eun-chae is dating product designer and entertainer Kim Chung-jae. On March 21, the actress’ agency, Project Hosoo, confirmed various reports of the two being linked together. “Kim Chung-jae and Jung Eun-chae are in a relationship. They are at the stage where they are getting to know each other with positive feelings,” the statement from the agency said. Both of them are reportedly born in 1986 and have subtly shown support for each other on social media.

Military Enlistment Dates – Kim Min-kyu, NCT’s Taeyong, VANNER’s Sungkook

On March 20, Kim Min-kyu’s agency, Companion Company, announced that the ‘Business Proposal’ actor would be going away to fulfil his mandatory military duties. The statement read, “Kim Min-kyu will enlist as an active duty soldier in the army on April 1.” On March 18, NCT’s agency, SM Entertainment, announced that the band’s leader Taeyong, will be enlisting, making him the first one in the group to do so. “NCT’s Taeyong is enlisting in the Navy as an active duty soldier on April 15,” the statement read. Lastly, KLAP Entertainment announced on March 23 that VANNER’s member Sungkook “will be carrying out his military duty as an active-duty soldier in the army after undergoing basic training at a training center [starting] on Tuesday, May 7.”

(G)I-DLE's Yuqi To Make Her Solo Debut

Cube Entertainment announced on March 22 that Yuqi will officially be debuting as a soloist, whilst still being a part of (G)I-DLE. The agency stated, “Yuqi will release a solo song in April, and she plans to promote it on music shows.” Although the exact date hasn’t been revealed yet, Yuqi is targeting a release the latter half of April.

Lollapalooza Chicago 2024: Stray Kids, IVE, VCHA

The line-up for Lollapalooza Chicago was unveiled on March 19. The music festival will be taking place at Grant Park, Chicago from August 1 to 4. While there are many artists that are taking centre stage, one of the headliner performances include Stray Kids. The band had also headlined Lollapalooza Paris in 2023. Additionally, popular girl group IVE and JYP Entertainment’s newest girl group VCHA are also included in the star-studded list of performances for this year.

Han So-hee And Ryu Jun-yeol Confirm Dating, Hyeri's Apology

Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol’s relationship has been the talk of the entertainment scene in South Korea. On March 17, the actress took to her personal blog to confirm her relationship with the ‘Reply 1988’ actor. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when the actor’s ex-girlfriend, Hyeri, got involved too. Earlier, Hyeri shared a mysterious post on her Instagram Stories amidst swirling dating rumours involving Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol. After the ‘Nevertheless’ actor shaded Hyeri, she took to her blog to apologise to Hyeri. Post this, Hyeri also took to her Instagram in a (now-deleted) post to apologize and share her side of the story. “First, I sincerely apologize for the speculations and controversies that arose over the past few days due to my personal emotions.I think I failed to consider the ripple effects that each of my minor actions could have. I sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed because of me. Last November, the news was released that my eight-year relationship [with Jun-yeol] came to an end. It was not a decision made in a short period of time, and even after the breakup news came out, we had a conversation about talking more [about our situation]. However, we have not had any contact or met since that conversation. And four months later, I think my emotions after coming across a new article were perceived not as actress Lee Hyeri but as just Lee Hyeri. I apologize once again for causing harm with my impulsive emotions. Over the past few days, I didn’t explain the reason for my actions because I thought that our conversations were overly personal, and it would only increase fatigue [to the public]. If this caused confusion for anyone, I am also sorry for that. Moving forward, I will be more careful with my words and actions.” Han So-hee and Run Jun-yeol are still not accepted fully as a couple by many online. Now, the former’s agency has decided to take legal action against those who make malicious comments in order to defame the actress.