TVXQ to set out on world tour

After releasing its new album “Catch Me” on Sept. 24, K-pop duo TVXQ will set out on its first world tour.

Starting in Seoul in November, the band will make its way to China, Thailand and other nations around the world as part of its “TVXQ! Live World Tour ‘Catch Me.’” The list of concert venues have yet to be announced.

The Korean leg of the tour will kick off on Nov. 17 at Seoul Olympic Park and is the group’s first concert in its native land since 2009. Since then, three members have left the group and the two remaining members are said to be excited about the prospect of its first concert in more than three years.

This year, the band performed for Japanese fans on its “Tone 2012” tour.
More than 555,000 fans attended the concerts by the Hallyu boy group.

JYJ’s Kim Jun-su to release his debut solo album next month

JYJ’s Kim Jun-su is set to release his debut solo album in May and will tour Asia on his own, CJeS Entertainment said yesterday.

The singer played an integral role in the production and composition of many of the songs in the upcoming album, which is comprised of a diverse range of genres that includes dance and R&B.

“We won’t reveal the album’s concept or title just yet, but we anticipate that the record will be one of the best K-pop albums to be released in the first half of this year,” the agency said.

Kim entered the K-pop scene in 2004 with boy band TVXQ. He reached Hallyu stardom with his band members and recently returned from touring South America with other JYJ members.

The singer known for his distinct husky voice is also currently starring in the musical “Elisabeth” alongside Oak Joo-hyun, who has appeared in several musicals including “Aida,” “Chicago” and “Cats.”

MBC to air SM Town concert in Japan

Girl’s Generation, SHINee, Super Junior, BoA and TVXQ’s concert will be free for viewing for Korean fans on April 9.

MBC network will air the 90-minute program entitled “SM Town Live in Tokyo” for the first time, giving Korean fans the chance to watch the concert as well as some backstage interviews from the show that took place in September last year.

Artists belonging to the record label SM Entertainment dazzled fans at the Tokyo Dome last year in front of more than 150,000 audience members. The show, which was to run for two nights was extended for an additional night due to fan demand.

The MBC coverage of the event will show the backstage surroundings of the SM Town concert, featuring interviews with Taemin from SHINee and Super Junior’s Sungmin, among others.

Meanwhile, SM Entertainment announced on April 4 that its bands are set to perform in the United States later this year.

The event, cohosted by MBC and SM Entertainment, will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim under the title “MBC Korean Music Wave in L.A.” on May 20.
The agency has hosted two world tours so far.

SM meets L.A.

SM Entertainment’s hottest groups, Girls’ Generation, TVXQ, SHINee, f(x) and Super Junior are set to perform at a concert in Los Angeles on May 20.
The event, co-hosted by MBC and SM Entertainment, will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim under the title “MBC Korean Music Wave in L.A.”

MBC made the announcement on April 3 that the performance will be full of dynamic acts by SM’s top performing stars. The program will also be broadcasted on the MBC network. 

The Los Angeles performance is but a portion of the world tour launched by SM Entertainment.

The world tour began in 2008 and the agency has hosted two concerts so far under the banner of “SM Town,” featuring a bill of the aforementioned groups. 
After the Los Angeles performance the K-pop groups will tour Korea and Japan in August and various other locations in Asia. The dates for other venues have yet to be confirmed.