Korean Newsmakers Of The Week: SEVENTEEN Announces Comeback Plans, TWICE's Chaeyoung Confirms Dating Zion.T And More

The first week of April has been very eventful and has been majorly filled with updates on the relationship status of many well-known personalities as well as some comeback plans. From SEVENTEEN announcing two comebacks this year to TWICE’s member Chaeyoung confirming her relationship with soloist Zion.T, we have you covered.

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

Karina & Lee Jae-wook Officially Part Ways

A media outlet reported on April 2 that aespa’s Karina and actor Lee Jae Wook ended their relationship after five weeks of publicly announcing the same. Once the report started doing the rounds, a source from the actor’s agency issued a statement, saying, “Lee Jae-wook decided on the breakup in order to focus on the project he is currently filming. The two decided to remain as colleagues who support each other. They will each greet [fans] through good activities from their respective positions going forward.” Similarly, a source from the K-Pop idol’s agency also confirmed the news of their break-up.  

TWICE’s Chaeyoung Confirms Dating Zion.T

In the early hours of April 5, a Korean news outlet reported that TWICE’s Chaeyoung and soloist Zion.T have been seeing each other for the past six months. According to the unconfirmed report, the two singers met through a mutual acquaintance, and over time, their relationship gradually developed into romance. Shortly after, Chaeyoung’s agency confirmed, “The two of them are currently dating with positive feelings for one another. They are supporting each other.” After the confirmation of their relationship, the R&B singer even started following the TWICE singer on Instagram.

SEVENTEEN To Make 2 Comebacks

On March 31, on the second day of their ‘Follow: Again to Seoul’ concert, SEVENTEEN’s member Hoshi revealed that the band would be making not one but two comebacks this year. The first one is an album titled ‘17 IS RIGHT HERE,’ which is set to release on April 29. They also released a concept teaser for the same. As for the second comeback, while they haven’t announced the date yet, it’s anticipated to be in the second half of the year.

Bullying Allegations – Song Ha-yoon, Jeon Jong-seo

On April 1, Song Ha-yoon was accused of bullying by a former junior. The alleged victim claimed that the ‘Marry My Husband’ actress had slapped her for about 90 minutes for absolutely no reason. Soon after, her agency confirmed that “the relevant information is not true and that the informant is a complete stranger to her.” However, in another incident, she was forcibly transferred schools due to bullying. Nevertheless, the agency confirmed that these two cases are completely different.

Meanwhile, on April 4, rumours emerged on the internet alleging that Jeong Jong-seo was also involved in acts of school violence. Immediately after, the ‘Wedding Impossible’ star’s agency “carefully checked the facts with the actress herself and people around her, and we confirmed that the claims in the post are not true at all,” while further adding that they would take legal action if baseless speculations continued to spread.

ILLIT Sets Record For Highest First-Week Sales Of Debut Album By A Girl Group

ILLIT made a significant impact with the release of their first mini-album, ‘SUPER REAL ME,’ on March 25. According to Hanteo Chart, the album sold 380,056 copies in its first week of release (March 25 to 31), thus becoming the highest first-week sales of any girl group debut album to date. Previously, the record belonged to NewJeans, who sold 311,271 copies of their self-titled debut EP ‘New Jeans’ in the first week of its release back in August 2022. Interestingly, ‘SUPER REAL ME’ not only set a new record for the highest first-week sales of girl group debut albums in Hanteo history but also secured the fifth place for the highest first-week sales among any debut album.