[K-enter] NewJeans Announces New Group Name: NJZ

Time for some K-entertainment news with Bella Kim. Today we are going to start with a familiar group, but not so familiar name?

We are going to talk about NewJeans, but they are no longer NewJeans. They have chosen a new name to represent them. It’s NJZ. The members have officially announced on their SNS as they uploaded a photo of them with NJZ written on the top. They also wrote, “Get ready for an exciting journey with NJZ in 2025!”

Their first event as NJZ will be the ‘Complex Live’ concert at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival that will take place from March 21st to 23rd at the Hong Kong Asia World-Expo. The specific date of NJZ’s performance has not been revealed yet.

While we are on the topic of NJZ, are there any updates on their dispute with their agency ADOR?

The first court hearing date for the on-going legal dispute between NJZ and ADOR has been scheduled for March 7th at the 50th civil division of the Seoul Central District Court. This is the first court hearing after NJZ members announced the termination of their exclusive contracts with ADOR on November 28th of last year.

ADOR filed for the provisional injunction last month, accusing the members of severe breach of contract as they had attempted to carry out independent activities. On the other hand, NJZ members have announced that they will not go back to ADOR and will fight for the truth.

Next we have some unfortunate news that just came in a few hours before the show?

Korean trot singer Song Dae-kwan passed away this Friday at the age of 78. According to his family, he was transferred to the emergency room of Seoul National University Hospital at dawn on Friday as he complained about his poor condition. While getting treated, he suddenly died of a heart attack on Friday morning. It is known that Song had a chronic disease and had received surgery three times so far, but did not get better. Song Dae-kwan debuted in 1967 and has been called the trot king along with Tae Jin-ah, Hyun Cheol, and Seol Un-do.

Our third story is on a singer/actress. Who are we going to talk about?

Former Miss A member and actress Suzy is making her return as a singer with a new single. According to her agency, SOOP Management, Suzy will release a digital single titled “Come back” on February 17th. This marks Suzy’s first song in about two years, excluding OSTs, since the release of “Cape” in October 2022. Suzy also announced her return on her Instagram, revealing the release date along with concept photos from the album. She starred in the film “WONDERLAND” last year and recently showcased her busking performances on KBS music variety show “Moving Voices.”

And lastly, we have a story on a new film coming out at the end of this month?

The film “It’s Okay!” has confirmed its release date for February 26th. It was originally scheduled to be released on Christmas Eve of last year, but was delayed due to political turmoil here in Korea. The film “It’s Okay!,” starring Son Suk-ku, Jin Seo-yeon, and Lee, tells the story of individuals who struggle on their own, but find solace in each other’s company as they search for their own happiness.

Thank you Bella for today’s stories.