Girl group Fin.K.L to resume full-group activities after 21 years

The Korea Times - Sep 21, 2026

Fin.K.L, one of the late 1990s' most influential K-pop acts, is set to resume full-group activities for the first time in 21 years, the group's agency said Monday. Gemstone E&M announced that all four original members — Lee Hyo-ri, Ock Joo-hyun, Lee Jin and Sung Yu-ri — have reunited under the Fin.K.L name and that preparations are underway for group activities. "This time, it is a new start for activities as Fin.K.L beyond a one-off reunion," the agency said in a news release. The quartet last performed together as a full group in 2005 with the digital single "Forever Fin.K.L." Although the members briefly reunited in 2019 for the JTBC variety show "Camping Club," releasing a new song tied to the show, that effort was viewed as a project linked to the program rather than a resumption of full group activities. Debuting in 1998, Fin.K.L helped define the early K-pop girl group era with hits including "Blue Rain," "To My Boyfriend" and "Eternal Love."

Read full article

More News

Favorite K-drama scenes become real-life vacation spots

Favorite K-drama scenes become real-life vacation spots

Long after the final credits roll, the emotional pull of a beloved television show can leave viewers yearning to step into its world. A new exhibition in the heart of Seoul is turning that impulse into a blueprint for exploration, inviting fans to translate their screen time into real-world adventures across Korea. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has partnered with production studio Studio Dragon to host an interactive showcase called Scenes to Destinations. Open through Nov. 19 at HiKR Ground — the KTO's multistory tourism innovation hall in downtown Seoul known for its immersive tech and K-content zones — the exhibition aims to convert international fandom into actual foot traffic by mapping famous television moments directly onto physical geography. The event features iconic dialogue, original soundtracks, props and location guides from over 40 hit series, including global phenomena like "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," "Crash Landing on You," "Mr. Sunshine," "Hotel Del Luna," "Vincenzo," "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha," "Queen of Tears" and "The Tyrant’s Chef." Rather than se

NMIXX rides grand prize triumph into dynamic new era with 'Strange Muse'

NMIXX rides grand prize triumph into dynamic new era with 'Strange Muse'

Coming off their first-ever grand prize at a major music awards ceremony, K-pop girl group NMIXX is poised to turn the global music stage into its personal canvas with the release of its sixth EP, “Strange Muse,” arriving Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. The six-member group enters this next chapter backed by undeniable momentum, capitalizing on the career milestone with an atmospheric, dreamy comeback tailored for the autumn season. JYP Entertainment said Monday that the six-track mini album marks an artistic leap forward for the ensemble. Beyond its anticipated lead single, “Birthday Wish” and energetic group tracks like “Kerosene” and “RudE TaLK,” the project represents a milestone for NMIXX: its first album to feature dedicated subunit songs. Vocal standouts Lily and Haewon team up for the haunting “Sing to the Moon,” Sullyoon and Bae join forces on “Hot ’n Unbothered,” while Jiwoo and Kyujin deliver the high-octane track “WHIP.” More than just a showcase of dynamic pairing, “Strange Muse” places creative authority directly into the hands of the performers themselv

Nearly 50% rise in drug seizures by Hong Kong customs in first half of year

Nearly 50% rise in drug seizures by Hong Kong customs in first half of year

Hong Kong customs recorded a nearly 50 per cent year-on-year rise in drug seizures during the first half of 2026, driven by notable increases in smuggling activities via air and sea routes. The Customs and Excise Department confiscated 5,704kg (12,575lbs) of illegal narcotics in the first half, a 49 per cent increase year on year, according to figures seen by the South China Morning Post. Nearly two-thirds of the seized narcotics, or 3,408kg, were found at the airport, a 46.6 per cent...

Barristers dismiss calls for solicitors to gain senior counsel status in Hong Kong

Barristers dismiss calls for solicitors to gain senior counsel status in Hong Kong

The professional body for Hong Kong barristers has dismissed as “premature and largely academic” calls by solicitors for legal changes so fellow lawyers can gain recognition as senior counsel and rights to represent clients in higher-level courts. The Law Society, the governing body for the city’s solicitors, is calling for the higher status for its members as lawmakers scrutinise the latest round of omnibus legislative updates in Hong Kong. But the Bar Association, the body for barristers,...

Pacific island states are trapped in Cold War 2.0

Pacific island states are trapped in Cold War 2.0

In early July, China fired a test missile from a nuclear submarine into the South Pacific for the first time, a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Washington and Canberra were livid. The Pacific has long been the exclusive testing ground for such long-range missiles from the United States. How dare China! The reaction from Pacific island states was more measured. While leaders from Tuvalu, Palau and the Solomon Islands strongly criticised the test, the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum...

US, China seek Xi-Trump summit deliverables in New York talks

US, China seek Xi-Trump summit deliverables in New York talks

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held their final preparatory talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday to work out deliverables for next week’s summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Washington. The leaders are meeting at JP Morgan’s headquarters in the city to discuss possible economic outcomes for the summit and begin their long-awaited dialogue on artificial intelligence safety and...

‘His love for Hong Kong was profound’: Tung Chee-hwa honoured at state funeral

‘His love for Hong Kong was profound’: Tung Chee-hwa honoured at state funeral

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders sent condolences from Beijing as Hong Kong bade farewell to the city’s first postcolonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, at a sombre yet poignant state funeral on Sunday. A report by the official Xinhua News Agency praised Tung, who died on September 8 at the age of 89, as “an outstanding contributor to ‘one country, two systems’, a renowned patriot, an outstanding social activist and a close friend of” the Communist Party of China. “While Tung was...

Korean dramas put successful parents on trial

Korean dramas put successful parents on trial

"Why aren't they turning them on, the police lights?" Actor Kim Hye-soo put the question to the production team during filming of "The Affair Was Just the Beginning," the highly anticipated Coupang Play series. In the scene, a patrol car dispatched after a report from residents pulls up with its emergency lights off. "We hear they often respond with the lights off these days, because of complaints," the production team told her, and shooting resumed. 'Squid Game' director turns eye on high-flying parents The neighborhood disturbance that brought police to the street was not about noise complaints. Here is what happened. In the drama, high school daughters from two households are caught up in a hit-and-run that killed someone. Their parents make a scene, each pointing fingers over what was done. The parents of the two teenagers tied to the killing are doctors, played by Cho Yeo-jeong and Kim Jae-chul, and a popular influencer and an entertainer, played by Kim Hye-soo and Kim Ji-hoon. At the time her daughter caused the accident, the influencer was attending a wine party at a neighbor's hom

Lost in translation no more: Gangnam upgrades administrative counters with AI

Lost in translation no more: Gangnam upgrades administrative counters with AI

In the bustling administrative offices of Gangnam District, the sleek area of southern Seoul famous for its glamour and wealth, public service counters are undergoing a futuristic transformation. Where transparent acrylic panels once merely served as physical barriers between residents and city officials, new artificial intelligence-powered displays are now translating spoken words with real-time subtitles across 130 languages. The Gangnam District Office said that it has deployed a state-of-the-art "Real-Time Transparent OLED Communication Window" as part of its drive to eliminate communication hurdles for foreign nationals and hearing-impaired residents. Developed in collaboration with private tech partners through an open innovation initiative, the system merges transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens with advanced speech-to-text and machine translation engines. For Gangnam's international and hearing-impaired residents, the technology eliminates the tedious routine of writing notes back and forth or waiting for on-call interpreters. The interface is relatively seamles

Nobel laureate Mello stresses importance of embracing challenges without fear of failure

Nobel laureate Mello stresses importance of embracing challenges without fear of failure

Sungkyunkwan University’s Biomedical Institute for Convergence hosted a special seminar featuring Craig C. Mello, a 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, on Sept. 10. In his lecture, titled “RNAi: A Molecular Spark in an Information Inferno,” Mello recounted the discovery of RNA interference and how basic research evolved into therapies that can save patients’ lives. Addressing students and young researchers in particular, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of embracing challenges without fear of failure. A university official quoted Mello as saying, “Great discoveries do not come from finding predetermined answers, but from a process of constantly asking questions and going through countless failures.” Professor Mello is a world-renowned scientist who discovered RNA interference (RNAi), a “gene-silencing” mechanism that can switch off the activity of specific genes inside cells. Genes serve as blueprints for our bodies, and his discovery that specific genetic instructions could be selective

Vietnamese professionals in Korea nearly double over 4 years

Vietnamese professionals in Korea nearly double over 4 years

The number of Vietnamese nationals holding Korea's E-7-1 professional visa has nearly doubled over the past four years, data showed Sunday. As of August, 3,572 Vietnamese nationals held the visa, up 1.84 times from 1,938 in 2022, according to the data submitted to Rep. Kim Joon-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea by the justice ministry. The E-7-1 visa is granted to foreign nationals working in government-designated professional fields such as information technology and robotics. Indian nationals saw a similar rise, growing 1.46 times to 1,014 during the same period. Chinese nationals holding the visa, by contrast, declined to 1,566 from 2,213 in 2022. American E-7-1 holders also slipped to 1,355 from 1,471. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals dominate a separate visa category, the semi-professional E-7-2, which covers areas such as caregiving. They accounted for 80.6 percent of all 10,759 E-7-2 holders. The lawmaker called the influx of such tech talent "a positive sign," but said the country needs to improve working and living conditions for those workers to generate "bigger synergy."

Recommended

Asia Viral News

Asia Viral News features the latest and most trending news from Asia. Get ready to immerse yourself in the daily engaging topics with share-worthy news only in Asia Viral News.

ABOUT US
Newsletter

Copyright © 2015 - 2026 Asia Viral News. All Rights Reserved.