aespa’s KARINA revealed a free-spirited gravure shoot, showing her unique style. aespa is also on a world tour through February.

SM Entertainment posted weaker Q3 results, with sales and operating profit down year on year and net income turning to a loss. It said reduced domestic comeback schedules hurt direct music and concert revenue, while IP-based businesses grew. The company plans major comebacks and global tours from Q4 through next Q1.

aespa’s NINGNING left for China through Gimpo International Airport on the morning of the 3rd for an overseas schedule. The text also references her striking suit pictorial with a deep neckline and a warning she issued to malicious users after her family was affected.

Fuji TV will broadcast the 2026 FNS Song Festival live over two Wednesdays in December. Thirty-six acts were announced, including Korean artists such as ILLIT, Stray Kids, BABYMONSTER, CORTIS, RIIZE, aespa, and NCT DREAM. ILLIT will appear for the third straight year, while BABYMONSTER and CORTIS will make their first appearances.

aespa will celebrate its sixth debut anniversary with a fan meeting on November 28 and 29 at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium. It will be the group’s first fan meeting in about three years, since the event held for its third anniversary in 2023. The four members will perform and talk with fans, looking back on their journey with MY. Tickets go on sale through MelOn Ticket, with presales for Korean and global Weverse members before general sales.

ABEMA will broadcast the live finale of Mnet’s STREET WORLD FIGHTER: Directors' War exclusively in Japan and simultaneously with Korea for free tonight. The show spotlights performance directors who create every aspect of a stage, and four finalists—KASPER, BABYZOO, BADA, and kooyoung back—will compete in a cheer performance mission. ZEROBASEONE’s Sung Hanbin will MC, and a related special program featuring YUMEKI and JO1’s Ren Kawashiri is also streaming free.

Some K-pop artists, including IVE, KiiiKiii, FIFTY FIFTY, and Park Hyo-shin, submitted songs for the Grammy’s new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, along with Japanese and other Asian acts. But BTS, Stray Kids, and other major-label artists declined, amid debate over whether the category helps or isolates Asian music.

New Balance has launched a new “983” campaign featuring brand ambassador WINTER of aespa. The shoe reinterprets 2000s performance running design with a sculptural, future-forward silhouette, blending heritage and innovation. It is now on sale online and at select stores.

A roughly 13-second video allegedly filmed in a corridor at aespa’s Seattle concert venue has gone viral, showing several women falling to the floor, pulling each other’s hair, and throwing punches and kicks in a fierce brawl. Witnesses and online users were shocked, but the exact cause and identities remain unconfirmed.

The 2026 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan will be held on December 12 and 13, 2026 at MUFG Stadium (National Stadium). New artists announced include NiziU, INI, xikers, ZEROBASEONE, TWS, NEXZ, KickFlip, AEN, and TUIDE, with performance dates revealed. Tickets and premium lounge options are on sale.

Lee Soo-man’s AI-generated dance video with A2O producer Yoo Young-jin and rookie group A2O LITE went viral, drawing likes and comments from K-pop stars. A2O LITE, a nine-member multinational girl group, debuted with “NEON,” which reached No. 1 on MelOn’s TOP 100.