K-pop hits Met Gala 2026 · CORTIS releases 'GREENGREEN'

All four members of BLACKPINK attended Met Gala 2026 together for the first time on May 4 (local time) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It was Jisoo's Met Gala debut, and the first time the full BLACKPINK lineup gathered at the event in the same year. Together with aespa's Karina and Ningning, the night marked a symbolic moment of multiple K-pop acts on the carpet at once.

BTS's fifth full-length album 'Arirang' landed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 dated May 2, marking five consecutive weeks in the Top 5. Released on March 20, 'Arirang' has held strong on the upper chart and continues to prove BTS's global comeback impact. On the same day, May 4, V posted ILLIT's new single 'It's Me' challenge to his Instagram Story. He added a short message — "Guys, we really tried" — sending love to the junior group.

Stray Kids have been nominated in the 'Best Male K-Pop Artist' category at the American Music Awards (AMA) 2026, taking place in Los Angeles on May 25 (local time). It marks back-to-back AMA nominations for the group, who in 2024 became the second K-pop act to perform at the AMA stage. Their global slate continues with a headline slot at 'The Governors Ball Music Festival' in New York on June 6, and a 'Rock in Rio' headlining set in Brazil on September 11.

TWICE pulled in a cumulative 240,000 fans over three solo concerts at Tokyo's National Stadium on April 25, 26, and 28. They became the first K-pop girl group — and the first overseas artist period — to headline a solo run at the venue. Their sixth world tour 'THIS IS FOR' has now drawn 550,000 in North America and 640,000 in Japan, underscoring the group's global pull.

SEVENTEEN will hold their Japan fan meeting 'YAKUSOKU' for four nights — May 13–14 at Tokyo Dome and May 23–24 at Kyocera Dome Osaka. 'YAKUSOKU' (meaning "promise" in Japanese) signals the promise to reunite with CARAT. The full-group fan meeting 'SVT 10TH FAN MEETING SEVENTEEN in CARAT LAND' will follow on June 20–21 at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium. This is the group's first Japan run since all 13 members renewed their contracts.

ENHYPEN's fourth world tour 'BLOOD SAGA' wrapped its Seoul stop on May 1–3 at KSPO DOME (Olympic Park, Songpa-gu) with all three nights sold out. After Seoul, the tour heads to South America in July (São Paulo, Lima, Mexico City), five North American cities in July–August, Macau in October, and four Japanese cities (Tokyo, Aichi, Fukuoka, Osaka) from December through February 2027 — a 31-show run across 21 cities.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) topped both the Hanteo World Chart and Album Chart for the third week of April with their eighth mini-album '7TH YEAR: When the Wind Briefly Stopped at the Thorn Bushes,' released on April 13. The album sold 1,357,029 copies on day one alone, cementing the momentum of their first comeback after early contract renewals. The title track is 'Stick With You' (하루에 하루만 더).

BABYMONSTER's third mini-album 'CHOOM,' released on May 4, drew simultaneous global press coverage on day one and updated the group's personal-best records. The title track of the same name is being hailed as a step up in the group's musical identity.

I-DLE marked their eighth debut anniversary on May 2, with Cube Entertainment sharing a celebratory message on the group's official social media. The group said, "The past eight years have been filled with happy memories thanks entirely to NEVERLAND," and added a promise to "stay together for the next 80 years too." The five members — Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua — are currently on their world tour through Sydney and Melbourne, with a comeback set for July.

Karina and Ningning made their Met Gala 2026 debut on May 4 (local time), becoming the first and second 4th-generation K-pop female idols to walk the carpet. Karina expressed Korean traditional beauty with a durumagi-inspired look, attending as a Prada global ambassador, while Ningning attended as a Gucci global ambassador. On the group front, the pre-release single 'WDA' drops on May 11, and their second studio album 'LEMONADE' is set for release on May 29 at 13:00 KST.

LE SSERAFIM will unveil the new album stage from their second studio album 'PUREFLOW pt.1' (out May 22) for the first time at 'PURE FLOWERS LIVE,' a Spotify-exclusive live event. The collaboration with Spotify secures a major global exposure channel for this comeback cycle.

IVE launched the Asia leg of their second world tour 'SHOW WHAT I AM' on May 4 at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. The tour expands the cycle of their second studio album 'REVIVE+' (released February 23) onto the global stage. IVE also topped the Korea Reputation Center's April girl group brand reputation index, with a positive ratio of 92.98%.

ATEEZ will headline 'Mynavi presents THE PERFORMANCE,' hosted by TV Asahi, on May 11–12, and will appear at the Asia Star Entertainer Awards (ASEA) 2026 at Belluna Dome in Saitama on May 16–17. The group performs at ASEA on the 17th. The Japan run extends the momentum of their February release, the 13th mini-album 'Golden Hour Part 4,' which became their sixth million-seller.

NMIXX will release their fifth mini-album 'Heavy Serenade' on May 11 at 18:00 KST. The title track 'Heavy Serenade' was co-written with singer-songwriter Hanroro. Among the tracks 'Crescendo,' 'IDESERVEIT,' 'Different Girl,' 'Superior,' and 'LOUD,' the music video for 'Crescendo' was pre-released on April 28. Members Lily (lyrics on 'Crescendo' and 'LOUD') and Bae (lyrics on 'Different Girl') participated directly in writing.

CORTIS released their second mini-album 'GREENGREEN' on May 4 at 18:00 KST, with title track 'REDRED.' Pre-orders hit 2.4 million as of April 30, and all five members participated as co-creators on the music, music video, and choreography. It marks the second time after their first mini-album 'COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES' that every member earned creator credits.

ILLIT released their fourth mini-album 'MAMIHLAPINATAPAI' on April 30 and kicked off promotions with title track 'It's Me.' Their debut song 'Magnetic' crossed 800 million cumulative streams on Spotify as of May 1. On Children's Day, May 5, the group will hold the 'ILLIT Seoul Children's Grand Park Festival' at Seoul Children's Grand Park, performing 'It's Me' as their main stage. 'It's Me' is the group's first venture into techno.

ZEROBASEONE unveiled the tracklist of their sixth mini-album 'Ascend-' on May 4, marking their first comeback after reorganizing as a five-member lineup. The album drops on May 18 at 18:00 KST. It features seven tracks including title 'TOP 5,' alongside 'Intro.,' 'V for Vision,' 'Customize,' 'Exotic,' 'Changes,' and 'Zero to Hundred.' 'Customize,' which Gunwook personally wrote and composed, is his first self-credited track since debut. The five-member lineup is Hanbin, Jiwoong, Matthew, Taerae, and Gunwook.