BTS’ V’s hearing loss, K-Dramas smash ratings records, TXT’s Yeonjun conquers LA: This week in K-Entertainment
Record-breaking K-dramas, Grammy backlash and BTS health scares shake K-pop
Korea’s entertainmentmachine never idles, but this week it downright sprinted. Four dramas raced ahead in ratings, the Grammys got a very public case of cold feet, a TXT member played the Troubadour like it was no big deal, and two-thirds of BTS opened their hearts to ARMY.
Here’s the rundown.
1. Sunday night ratings war produces four new personal bests
Nielsen Korea had a busy Sunday. KBS 2TV’s freshman drama Love on the Menu cracked the 15 percent ceiling for the first time, with its sixth episode pulling a 15.1 percent nationwide average, enough to make it the single most-watched program of the night, any genre, any channel.
Meanwhile, The Husband went out on top: its series finale scored 8.5 percent, its best number of the entire run.
Over on cable, tvN’s Spooky in Love ghosted its own previous high, climbing to 6.2 percent, while JTBC’s “The Apartment Job” matched the energy with a personal-best 6.1 percent as it heads into its final week. Four shows, four records, one very good night to own a TV ratings license in Korea.
2. The Grammys have a BTS-shaped hole in their new category
Remember the new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category the Recording Academy unveiled back in June? BTS declined to submit their new album ARIRANG,and the fallout is still rippling a month later.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. broke his silence this past Saturday, acknowledging that some artists feel the new category doesn’t represent their work the way they’d hoped, and that the Academy is committed to making adjustments so artists feel genuinely represented. It’s a diplomatic way of saying: yes, we noticed, and yes, it stings.
For context, the category covers K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop based on language rather than an artist’s nationality. BTS, for their part, posted on Instagram expressing hope that their music could be appreciated on its own terms rather than sorted by region or language. The group has picked up five Grammy nods since 2021, mostly in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, so this isn’t a case of sour grapes; it’s a genuine philosophical disagreement about how their music should be judged.
Submissions for the 2027 Grammys close August 21, with nominations landing November 16 and the ceremony set for February 7, 2027, at Crypto.com Arena.
3. Yeonjun goes solo at one of rock history’s most storied stages
TXT’s Yeonjun spent Wednesday night doing something that tends to only happen to genuine stars: Headlining the Troubadour in Los Angeles, the same room that hosted Elton John’s US debut in 1970, Harry Styles’ first solo show in 2017, and BTS’s earliest American concert back in 2014. As part of Billboard’s One Night Only series, Yeonjun ran through cuts from his No Labels: Part 02 EP, debuted a live performance of the explicit version of his song and closed with an encore of a solo mixtape track.
The concert capped a genuinely stacked American run, Yeonjun became only the second Korean solo act (after BTS’s Jungkook) to perform on Good Morning America‘s Summer Concert Series, and the first Korean artist tapped for Z100’s Summer Bash. He wasn’t done yet, either: the “Fxxking Star” music video dropped Thursday, followed by a ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium for Korean Heritage Night. Efficient week.
4. V and Jungkook bare their soul to ARMYs
The rather heavy story of the week came out of a Weverse Live, where V and Jungkook talked about injuries they’d mostly kept to themselves.
V revealed he’s been dealing with hearing loss in one ear for roughly two and a half years, describing his affected ear as functioning at around 30 percent compared to a fully healthy ear, and admitted the issue actually started during his military service, where the culture around him initially framed it as a willpower problem rather than a medical one. He’s now prioritising regular hospital visits and says fatigue has crept into recent shows, occasionally holding him back from performing at full intensity.
Jungkook matched the candor, revealing his shin is sitting right on the edge of a stress fracture, with doctors noting significant inflammation after a recent hospital visit. Both members essentially asked fans for the same thing: patience, as a packed touring schedule doesn’t leave much room to actually heal.
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