[Kang Il-hong's Today's Entertainment] HYBE Enters Era of 4 Trillion Won in Sales... BTS Tour's 'Global Power'

Cha Ye-ryun faces school violence allegations, with a 'caddie's revelation' adding fuel to the fire, and husband Joo Sang-wook also caught in the crossfire.[Wednesday, November 4, BTS/ Cha Ye-ryun/ RESCENE/ Jisoo of Blackpink/ Lee Young-ja[THE FACT|Reporter Kang Il-hong] The pride of Korea, global K-POP, and at its center is BTS, BTS, who performs on the world stage. The economic ripple effect created by BTS's world tour is being proven by numbers.According to HYBE's third-quarter earnings report, revenue reached a staggering 1.5257 trillion won, more than doubling from the same period last year and marking the highest quarterly revenue in the company's history.Operating profit also reached a record high of 188.5 billion won. Cumulative revenue for the first three quarters of this year stands at 3.674 trillion won, increasing the likelihood of opening the era of 4 trillion won in annual revenue, a first for a Korean music agency.What drove this record growth? It was the economic power of concerts, merchandise, and the global fandom.Concert revenue in the third quarter was 726.8 billion won, accounting for 47.6% of total revenue. Adding merchandise and licensing revenue of 334.6 billion won, approximately 70% of total revenue came from concert-related businesses. Specifically, BTS tour merchandise sales in North America alone reached 107 billion won.This signifies a move beyond the era of simply selling albums and consuming music. Tens of thousands of fans gather at concert venues, and surrounding hotels, airlines, transportation, dining, and tourism industries all move in tandem. Consumption that begins with concert tickets spreads to merchandise, content, tourism, and urban economies.What's even more noteworthy is the future growth potential. BTS's world tour continues with remaining dates in Asia and other regions, and HYBE is expanding the global activities of its next-generation artists such as Enhypen, LE SSERAFIM, and KATSEYE.The strategy is to broaden the global market for K-POP as a whole, moving beyond a structure that relies on a single group. Of course, the net profit of 11.3 billion won, due to factors like valuation losses from exchange rate fluctuations, needs to be examined. Revenue growth and actual net profit need to be evaluated separately.K-POP is now establishing itself as a new economic growth engine for South Korea, beyond simply exporting culture. What BTS has created on the world stage is not just musical success.It is a global economic effect that boosts South Korea's brand value, tourism and consumption, and the competitiveness of the content industry. In an era where the world is captivated by K-POP, the stage that BTS is opening is becoming a new growth stage for the South Korean economy.The controversy surrounding actress Cha Ye-ryun's school violence allegations is escalating with new revelations. This time, the issue is not from her school days but from a golf course.The controversy began on the 29th of last month with a post on an online community. The claim was that the poster was subjected to continuous physical assault and bullying by a female celebrity born in 1985 during middle school. Although her real name was not disclosed, Cha Ye-ryun was identified based on her birth year and alma mater.In response, her agency HB Entertainment issued a statement denying the allegations as groundless. However, five days later, on the 3rd, an individual claiming to be a former golf course caddie emerged. This person claimed to have felt discomfort due to Cha Ye-ryun's group's condescending attitude, use of banmal (informal speech), and impatience while serving them around 2012-2013.Of course, these are also one-sided claims whose authenticity and the identity of the parties involved have not been verified. The controversy has also extended to her husband, Joo Sang-wook. He recently played the role of a father of a school violence perpetrator in the drama 'Mr. Kim' and had previously expressed his strong stance, stating that he would take special measures if school violence occurred involving his children.With allegations surrounding his wife surfacing, his past remarks and projects are once again drawing attention. However, Joo Sang-wook has not directly commented on these allegations. There is a point to be considered here. Why do school violence controversies in the entertainment industry repeatedly resurface?Past wrongdoings do not disappear with the passage of time. For victims, the wounds can remain unhealed for decades. On the other hand, we must also be cautious about destroying a person's life and reputation based solely on anonymous accusations and unverified testimonies.The solution is clear: thorough fact-finding through objective evidence, responsible responses from agencies, and, once the truth is revealed, sincere apologies and prevention of recurrence from the perpetrators.Above all, while not ignoring the voices of the victims, we must not consume unverified allegations as facts. The truth of this controversy must ultimately be revealed through evidence and verification.The girl group RESCENE, known as the 'miracle of mid-tier idols,' is continuing its hot streak, topping music charts immediately upon the release of their new song. RESCENE's new song 'WITH' is gaining attention, reaching No. 1 on the Melon Top 100 chart just two hours after its release.The title track 'WITH' from RESCENE's fourth mini-album 'PULSE,' released on the 3rd, is described as a song that transitions from a lyrical intro to a powerful chorus, showcasing the five members' solid teamwork and enhanced musical capabilities.This album includes a total of five tracks: the title track 'WITH,' 'BAEKHWAYORAN,' 'FINEST THING,' 'MIMI,' and 'DRAGON.' RESCENE's upward trend was already anticipated.Debuting in 2024, RESCENE gained public attention this year with the 'Geoje Yahoo' meme and subsequently proved their popularity as their debut song 'LOVE ATTACK' also topped the Melon Top 100, with their previously released songs also experiencing a surge in popularity.Their presence as a trending girl group is growing with their selection as advertising models and their activities as promotional ambassadors for local governments. With this comeback, they aim to establish themselves as a solid force in the music charts, beyond mere trending status.Member MAY stated that they want to be a group that is loved for a long time, not just a fleeting trend, and WONI expressed their ambition to earn the title of 'RESCENE you can trust' by repaying their fans' love.With RESCENE topping the charts upon release, attention is focused on whether 'WITH' will surpass another reverse-run success story and achieve long-term popularity.Black Pink JISOO is once again drawing attention from the global music market with their new song 'ADDICTED.' It has entered the Top Songs charts in 15 regions on Apple Music and has also been listed on Spotify's Global Daily Top Songs chart. /BlinkThe global influence of K-POP stars is now being confirmed by numbers. Black Pink JISOO is once again drawing attention from the global music market with their new song 'ADDICTED.' They are clearly establishing their presence as solo artists beyond their group activities.The second pre-release single 'ADDICTED' from their first full album, released on the 30th of last month, topped the iTunes charts in 28 regions immediately after its release and also reached the top of the Worldwide Song chart. It has entered the Top Songs charts in 15 regions on Apple Music and has also been listed on Spotify's Global Daily Top Songs chart.It also ranked first in music sales, trending rapidly, and sharing buzz charts on China's QQ Music, proving the power of their global fandom. The music video also took first place on YouTube's Worldwide Trending and Global Daily Popular Music Video charts.In particular, with this song, Jisoo showcases a different image from her previous work with a captivating cat concept and bold styling. The song, in which she also participated in writing the lyrics, expands Jisoo's musical spectrum, ranging from her deep and solid low notes to her charming high notes and restrained rap.She is also continuing to communicate with fans through various content, including challenges with Rosé. This week, she will also perform on music shows. Her appearance on a domestic music show after approximately one year and nine months since her 'earthquake' promotions in February of last year is also drawing attention.Following the pre-release song 'CLICK,' Jisoo has shown different musical colors with 'ADDICTED,' and is expanding her activities to acting with appearances in Coupang Play's 'Newtopia' and Netflix's 'Monthly Boyfriend.'Music, acting, and global brand influence – Black Pink is expanding her domain beyond being a member of the group to becoming a unique solo artist and actress, JISOO. We look forward to seeing what new aspects she will reveal in her upcoming first full album.Last night on TV. Last night, on the small screen, heartwarming stories, as delicious as the food, captured viewers' attention. It was Lee Young-ja, the host of tvN STORY's variety show 'What Are You Leaving Behind?'Lee Young-ja, along with Park Se-ri and Kim Chang-ok, met special guests and shared a table of delicious, nourishing food.What caught the most attention that day was not the elaborate food, but Lee Young-ja's sincere family stories. While enjoying steamed seasonal crabs, in response to Park Se-ri's question about memories related to crabs, Lee Young-ja brought up her father.She mentioned that after becoming a celebrity, she bought her father a boat, and her father used that boat to catch and send her crabs and conch to eat, and even made marinated crabs himself. Her father's love for his daughter was perfectly captured in the food.Also present on the broadcast that day were high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok and skateboarding gold medalist Kang Jun-i, drawing attention. Kang Jun-i, in particular, shared an experience of being unexpectedly suspected of abuse due to bruises on his body from exercising, eliciting both laughter and sympathy.A time to fill our stomachs with delicious food and our hearts with sincere stories, leaving no food behind and the emotions lingering for a long time. Above all, Lee Young-ja's honest and candid family stories, and the story of her father connected to crabs, left a deep impression on the viewers.eel@tf.co.kr