1. BTS Takes Over London — The ‘ARIRANG’ World Tour Sellout

The biggest story of the summer is BTS returning as a complete group after all members finished their military service. Their ‘ARIRANG’ world tour stop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London drew 130,000 fans over two days and sold out completely, racking up $204 million (about 315.8 billion KRW) in just over two months.

What makes this even more striking is that it’s happening while several American pop stars are scaling back or canceling tours amid a so-called “blue dot fever” of weak ticket sales. BTS’s strength stands in sharp contrast to that trend. Industry analysts point to the fact that “more than 1 in 3 K-pop listeners are super-fans” who spend not just on albums and streaming but on concerts and merchandise — and after such a long hiatus, fans’ pent-up anticipation is translating directly into explosive demand.

We’ll be keeping an eye on which city gets the next tour stop, so stay tuned!

Source: BTS ticket sellout stuns as US pop stars struggle – Hankyung

2. July Is Comeback Season — This Week’s Must-Know Lineup

July truly deserves the nickname “comeback bomb,” with major groups dropping new music one after another. Here’s what’s worth tracking this week.

Already released

  • (G)I-DLE July 6 — 9th mini album We made, title track “Gimme Dat Love”
  • Yeonjun (TXT) July 10 — NO LABELS: PART 02, “ICE CREAM”
  • Kihyun (Monsta X) July 7 — EP BORDERLINE, “So Good”
  • QWER July 8 — “SHOW DOWN”
  • CHUU July 2 — “RULE (feat. Heize)”
  • Sunmi July 15 — “Forever July”

Coming this week and next

  • U-Know Yunho (TVXQ) July 20 — 1st solo single “Time’s Tickin'”
  • fromis_9 July 21 — 2nd full album Glow ME, “Vitamin ME”
  • 8TURN July 21 — 3rd single album 8.X
  • KARD July 28 — 1st full album Where To Now? (Part.2): NOWHERE
  • LE SSERAFIM — Sound Coin Album releasing soon
  • BABYMONSTER — “I LIKE IT” music video drop

Japan activities are also picking up: aespa returns July 24 with the Japan mini album KISS N TELL, and ATEEZ follows on July 29 with their 5th Japan single, both continuing their push into the global market.

Sources: 2026 Q3 Release Calendar – Forbes, July 2026 Kpop Comeback Schedule – kpopofficial

3. Melon Weekly Chart TOP 10 (as of July 13)

Girl groups dominated this week’s Melon weekly chart. I.O.I is holding the top spot with “Suddenly (갑자기),” released as part of their reunion nine years after debut — the comeback has been so well-received that fans are joking “it’s 2026, not 2016.” Among boy groups, CORTIS is the only one to crack the top 2 with “REDRED,” currently the highest-charting boy group song of the year.

RankSongArtist
1Suddenly (갑자기)I.O.I
2REDREDCORTIS
3LOVE ATTACKRESCENE
4It’s MeILLIT
5LEMONADEaespa
6Rumor’s Paradise (소문의 낙원)AKMU
7Catch Catch (캐치 캐치)YENA
8Joy, Sadness, A Beautiful HeartAKMU
9RUDE!Hearts2Hearts
10DrowningWOODZ

For context, over the first half of the year, IVE’s “BANG BANG” and AKMU each held the #1 weekly spot for a record 6 weeks. Whether I.O.I can keep up that momentum this summer is something to watch.

Sources: Melon Chart – Soundcharts, I.O.I Tops Melon “TOP100” — The Miracle of a Reunion 9 Years in the Making – SPOTV NEWS, CORTIS Hits #1 on Melon Weekly Chart, First Boy Group Comeback This Year – StarNews, Melon First-Half Chart Recap: IVE & AKMU Each Held #1 for 6 Weeks – Daum

📌 Sources

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