K-pop & Korean Entertainment: Music, Creators & Videos | NowHitz · 3

It began with a post-credits scene

'POST CREDIT SCENE : GIRL HERO', posted Oct. 6, borrows the end-credits trick of a superhero film. The six members are introduced as heroes, Jang Won-young asks "Did you check the schedule? Did you capture it well?" and Ahn Yu-jin insists the cookie in her hand makes this a "cookie video".

The video above is that first teaser.

Two drops: the 19th and the 26th

The title track 'Looks Can Kill' lands first on the 19th, with the mini album of the same name on the 26th. Reports say top contributors from Korea and abroad worked on it, and Gaeul, Rei and Liz are hinted to have taken part musically.

On the 19th there is also a Spotify event called DIVE ACADEMY, tied to the Hero Academy concept.

Oct. 11: hero training camp

On the 11th came the 'HERO TRAINING CENTER : HERO COMICS' video and comic-collage concept photos. The six train at the center while each member's powers and personality are put on show.

With a universe this built out, more teasers before release look likely.

The pre-release has usually won

TenAsia notes that 'Kitsch' (2023) and last year's 'REBEL HEART' both topped music charts before their albums even arrived, and 'BANG BANG' made a perfect all-kill on domestic charts.

IVE returns after the SHOW WHAT I AM world tour, which included Kyocera Dome and Tokyo Dome.

Before release day

The Oct. 19 track will be on IVE's official YouTube and streaming services the same day. Watch the two hero videos on the official channel first and the concept's in-jokes land much better.

Three of six tracks are units

The title track is Birthday Wish (긴 소원). Kerosene and RudE TaLK follow.

The other three are the album's big swing: Sing to the Moon by LILY and HAEWON, Hot 'n Unbothered by SULLYOON and BAE, and WHIP by JIWOO and KYUJIN. JYP Entertainment says members took part directly in making them.

More songs in their own words

Star News reports that the members hold writing credits on the unit songs and that KYUJIN also worked on composition. BAE is credited as a co-lyricist on RudE TaLK.

That is part of why fans are circling the date.

A preview with nothing but voices

On Oct. 11, a week before release, NMIXX posted an a cappella highlight medley on its official social channels. Six voices, no instruments, previewing the title track and tracks 2 and 3.

It is the group's usual comeback teaser, and the unit songs were left out. Those get their first airing on release day.

The fountain in the trailer

The trailer, posted Sept. 28 and 29, is pitched as the birth of six mysterious muses. The members gather at a glowing fountain, split into a butterfly forest (LILY, HAEWON), a dreamlike space (JIWOO, KYUJIN) and moonlight (SULLYOON, BAE), then rise out of the fountain covered in glitter.

It is the video above.

It does not stop at the release

The encore shows of the EPISODE 1: ZERO FRONTIER world tour run Nov. 27 to 29 at Inspire Arena in Incheon.

That is about a month after the album, so it is where the new songs get their first stage.

Before release day

The album drops Monday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. KST. JYP's official YouTube has the trailer and the highlight medley, and listening to both first makes the title track land faster.

A writer on every song

According to the album page on Melon, Lost&Found has six tracks: Unfinished, Maybe Getting Hurt Is Better Than Regret (후회하는 것보다 상처인 게 더 나을지 몰라), 8 (if), and an instrumental of each.

Hyojung is credited for lyrics and composition on all three songs and is listed as the album's music producer. Melon classifies the genre as rock/metal and ballad.

The title track

Hyojung wrote the lyrics of the title track with Grizzly, Kim Ho-yeon and Cracker; Lim Min-gi joined them on composition and arranged it with Cracker.

The album notes describe the song as the story of trusting one's own instinct rather than other people's views or set answers, and moving forward as an unfinished self even after stumbling.

Video and first stage

The 3-minute-46-second music video went up on OH MY GIRL's official YouTube channel at release time.

She performed the title song for the first time on Mnet's M Countdown episode 949, broadcast the same day. A highlight medley previewing the tracks was posted three days before the release.

First mini album after a May single

Hyojung released the single Purple Note in May. Lost&Found is her first mini album since then.

The album notes describe it as a record about passing through moments of feeling lost and gradually finding one's own path among many choices.

The exhibition

The show follows a storyline in which SEVENTEEN visit a Smurf village that has lost its music and help recover the melody. Thirteen Smurf characters, each designed around one member’s personality, are placed throughout the space.

The main MELODY STAGE is surrounded by SEVENTEEN WORLD, BLUE PORTAL, SMURF VILLAGE and an MD STORE. In the village, visitors can search for all 13 hidden SEVENTEEN Smurfs.

Events and merchandise

There is a stamp mission and a social-media upload event. At HIT 17! ARCADE, named for the group’s number, visitors who stop a timer at exactly 17.00 seconds receive a prize while supplies last.

The MD store sells 40 cm plush dolls, figures and keyrings, plus T-shirts, pouches and acrylic dioramas. Organiser Muse M said visitors receive a reusable bag.

Booking and hours

Entry is booked through Naver. According to the booking page, tickets are 7,000 won per person for a visit of about 40 minutes, and children under 36 months enter free with proof of age.

Visitors with reservations still register on a QR waiting list if there is a queue. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekends. Early slots are less crowded on the final weekend. It has not been confirmed whether Naver booking requires a Korean phone number.

Opening film: Seong Chun-hyang in 4K

The 1961 film, directed by Shin and starring Choi, opens the program in 4K at 6 p.m. on October 15 in Theater 1. The 144-minute restoration is based on the original negative, with gaps filled from scenes preserved on other prints.

A lecture on Shin’s career and his studio, Shin Films, follows the screening.

Choi as director

Choi directed One-sided Love of Princess (1967), the story of a princess who leaves the palace to find the man she loves. It screens in 4K at noon on October 23 in Theater 2.

Her directing debut, The Girl Raised as a Future Daughter-in-law (1965), in which she also stars, screens in the same theater at 2:30 p.m. on 35mm, followed by a lecture.

The Flower in Hell and a talk

The Flower in Hell (1958) screens in 4K at 6:30 p.m. on October 23 in Theater 2. Set in post-war Seoul, it follows two brothers and their relationships with Sonya, played by Choi.

The film is rated 15 and over. Directors Kim Dong-ryung and Park Kyoung-tae are scheduled to speak after the screening.

Subtitles

An E on the schedule marks screenings with English subtitles. The October 15 Seong Chun-hyang and October 23 The Flower in Hell screenings carry it. Not every film has English subtitles, and Japanese subtitles and interpretation for talks have not been confirmed.

KOFA warns that the 35mm print of The Girl Raised as a Future Daughter-in-law may break during the screening, causing a pause of about five minutes.

Booking

Admission is free, but seats must be booked. Online booking opens daily at 11 a.m. for screenings from that day through five days ahead, with a limit of two tickets per person. Online reservations and cancellations close 15 minutes before each film.

KOFA’s English guide says the booking service is in Korean only. Remaining seat numbers were not checked.

Visitor information

Latecomers are not admitted once a film starts. Cinematheque KOFA is in the Korean Film Archive at 400 World Cup buk-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

The schedule is subject to change; the official program has the latest times. All times are KST.

Korean cinema on display

The museum occupies the first floor of the Korean Film Archive. Its permanent exhibition on Korean cinema has 14 sections, using scripts and cameras to trace how filmmaking changed over time.

The exhibits include the camera and military uniform cinematographer Kim Hak-seong used while documenting the Korean War.

Invitation to Early Cinema

The second permanent exhibition, Invitation to Early Cinema, features recreated kinetoscope and cinematograph models. They demonstrate how the devices worked and how audiences watched, rather than being the original machines.

The kinetoscope model shows three early films and the cinematograph model ten. Placed side by side, a viewer for one person and projection for a group show how cinema-going began.

Opening hours

The museum opens Tuesday–Saturday, 10:30–19:00, with last entry at 18:30. It is closed Sundays, Mondays, January 1, the Seollal and Chuseok holidays, January 18 and May 1.

Admission is free, by advance reservation or on-site registration. Groups of ten or more must book ahead, and docent tours require a separate application. Temporary closures are posted as notices.

Audio guide and robot

According to the official guide notice, the audio guide, reached via a QR code at the information desk, is available in Korean and English. Visitors need their own phone and earphones.

A guide robot speaks Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, with adult and children’s routes of about 20–30 minutes. In-person tours in those languages are a separate matter. Enquiries: +82-2-3153-2072.

Getting there and screenings

The address is 400 World Cup buk-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a 15-minute walk from Exit 9 of Digital Media City Station on the Airport Railroad. Drivers who register their vehicle at the desk after their visit get two hours of free parking.

Cinematheque KOFA, a free cinema, is in the same building’s basement. Its schedule, tickets and subtitle languages are listed separately, and latecomers are not admitted once a film starts.

K-pop Ground on the second floor

K-pop Ground occupies the second floor of HiKR Ground, run by the Korea Tourism Organization. Its subway and coin-laundry sets echo K-pop music videos, and visitors can shoot photos and videos.

Besides the backdrop, visitors choose the music and lighting for their own performance clips.

Tours Oct 15, Dance Crew Oct 20

According to the latest operating notice, group visits and regular docent tours resume on Thursday, October 15, and HiKR K-POP DANCE CREW starts on Tuesday, October 20. On October 13–14, only individual walk-ins are possible, and construction may restrict some floors. The notice does not say whether every filming set will be fully available.

Dance Crew teaches current K-pop choreography and films a Reel, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00. Participants book through Naver or sign up on site, first come, for each session, and gather at the second-floor sub-information desk 10 minutes before the start. Each booking ID covers one participant.

Opening hours

Floors 1–4 open Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–20:00 KST, and close on Mondays. Last admission is 20 minutes before closing, at 19:40. Regular admission is free; paid programs are announced separately.

Tours and language support

The official visitor guide lists Korean-language docent tours at 10:30 and 15:30, Tuesday–Sunday, lasting about 40 minutes, resuming October 15. English, Chinese and Japanese tours have no fixed daily schedule and are announced separately.

The information center handles foreign-language tours and group visits: +82-2-729-9497, hikr@knto.or.kr.

Getting there and the terrace

HiKR Ground is at 40 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, a two-minute walk from Exit 5 of Jonggak Station on Line 1. The HiKR Lounge terrace on the fifth floor of the same building overlooks Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Schedule

The remaining dates on the official schedule are Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18, 2026. Performances begin at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on both days at the Cheonugak stage in Namsangol Hanok Village. The Seoul Culture Portal lists each show at about 20 minutes. Admission is free.

The season began on May 9 and paused in July and August. The final weekend takes place only at Namsangol; the last listed DDP street performance was October 9.

The teams

Taekwondo demonstrations have long been used to present Korean culture to international audiences. Kukkiwon dates its demonstration team’s founding to September 6, 1974, and describes work that combines traditional techniques with contemporary storytelling.

Ten teams, including Kukkiwon, BIGABI and Mirme, take part in Seoul’s 2026 season. That is the season-wide roster; the organizer’s latest notice lists who appears on the final weekend. The 2012 Kukkiwon photographs accompanying this article show an earlier performance at the same venue.

On stage

The performances are built on moments when a group starts and stops together, on the spacing as formations change and on the timing between the person breaking a board and those holding the targets. While one performer is airborne, the rest of the team moves around them.

A 2026 account by Seoul citizen reporter Jo Su-yeon describes BIGABI linking music, poomsae, group movement and breaking. That report covered an earlier performance; songs and running order may differ on the final weekend.

Namsangol Hanok Village

The Seoul Tourism Organization describes Namsangol as five Joseon-era hanok relocated from different parts of the city. Their interiors recreate the households of different social backgrounds.

The 2012 photographs show an airborne performer beneath the hanok eaves with teammates supporting the move. They record that earlier performance, not the 2026 cast or current stage layout; the captions give the dates.

Hands-on sessions

On performance days, an experience zone beside the audience area runs from 1–2 p.m. and 3–4 p.m. Saturday features punching equipment and Sunday kicking equipment. No advance application is needed.

A uniform-based class for foreign visitors is separate. In the autumn it runs on performance Sundays, leaving October 18 as the final listed date, with sessions at 2:30–3 p.m. and 4:30–5 p.m. The notice lists ten foreign participants, advance and on-site applications, and instruction in basic movements, poomsae, mitt kicks and breaking. Applications go through the official form linked from the Seoul Culture Portal.

For non-Korean speakers

Kicks, changes of direction and shifting formations are easy to follow visually, so the show works for visitors who do not speak Korean. The organizer has not said that all announcements will be in English. English event information is on Visit Seoul.

Questions about language support or space in a particular session can go to the organizer at +82-2-6204-2923. Visitors who want to try a move should use the supervised activity space rather than attempting airborne techniques from the seats.

Getting there

The address is 28 Toegye-ro 34-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. The official tourism guide places it about 307 metres from Exit 4 of Chungmuro Station on subway Lines 3 and 4. Cheonugak is inside the village, a short walk from the entrance.

Rain or site conditions can change the schedule; the official Instagram account, @seoul.tkd, posts updates. Dates and times reflect the official schedule as checked on October 12. No performances have been announced after October 18.

Dates and prices

Shows start at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 13; 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 14; and 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 15. All seats are reserved at KRW 154,000. Admission is for ages seven and above; preschool children cannot enter. All times are Korean Standard Time (KST, UTC+9).

General sale Oct 19, 8 p.m.

The general sale opens at 8 p.m. on Monday, October 19. Each person may buy up to two tickets per show, including any bought in the fanclub presale. Villains third-generation verification and presale closed on October 6 and 7 respectively.

Booking from abroad

The official Korean ticket page links to the international NOL World listing, which requires identity verification before booking and states that Korean passports cannot be used for that global verification. Booking details must match the attendee’s ID.

Regular tickets are mobile-only, with no paper delivery or box-office pickup. Joining the queue on several devices at once with one account closes the existing queue.

Payment and fees

NOL World’s FAQ says ticket payments can be made with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and UnionPay cards issued outside Korea. This show does not accept bank transfers. Booking fees vary by product, and the final total appears at checkout.

Support for registering or verifying an overseas phone number has not been confirmed. Questions go through My Account → Customer Support on NOL World.

Wheelchair booking by phone

Wheelchair-space general booking runs from 10 a.m. on October 19 to 5:59 p.m. on November 6, by phone only through the NOL Customer Center at 1544-1555, open 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

The spaces are for wheelchair users only. Tickets are issued on the show day after staff check a disability registration or welfare card and physical ID matching the purchaser’s name. Whether disability documents issued abroad are accepted is unconfirmed.

Getting to the venue

The venue is at 127 Gonghangmunhwa-ro, Yeongjong-gu, Incheon. The resort runs complimentary shuttles, including Incheon Airport routes, on a first-come basis with timetables subject to change. At Incheon Airport Terminal 1, the official timetable lists resort shuttle stops 2C and 14C.

The organizer separately announced concert shuttle reservations through the Queens Smile app. Show-day departures, fares and seat availability have not been verified, and the resort’s regular shuttle does not guarantee a ride back after the performance.

Eulwangri Beach

The resort lists Eulwangri Beach among nearby attractions. Its address is 16-15 Yongyuseo-ro 302beon-gil, Yeongjong-gu, and the district says it is open at all times year-round with free entry. Transfer time to the venue and concert admission times need to be planned separately.

October 26–November 14

The production runs 105 minutes with no intermission and is for ages 13 and up. Tickets are KRW 60,000 (R), 50,000 (S) and 40,000 (A).

Official video

The video released by the Sejong Center is a cast profile shoot, not footage from the stage production.