Broadcast dates: Oct. 20-21
Starring: BTS, GOT7, NCT 2020

(Naver's V Live)

Jimin of BTS took to Naver’s V Live for about 30 minutes, checking in on his fans for the first time in a while.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to you right after the concert,” he said, thanking everyone for the countless messages and events for his birthday earlier this month.

After the band’s Oct. 11 concert, he’d spent some time with his family, he said. He’s also started eating what he craves and is letting his body recover while preparing for the next album.

He said he wondered how the fans were doing and how they liked the online concert, especially since he could not see their reaction in person.

Compliments about his solo performance for “Filter” put a smile on his face, and he agreed that the band had prepared a lot for “We Are Bulletproof.” Part of it had been tricky to pull off, though.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/218944.

BTS goes back to school

(Naver's V Live)

The bandmates of BTS donned school uniforms and played games in the 112th episode of “Run BTS!” It was their first episode in two months.

Jin took on the teacher role, and his bandmates paired up into three teams: RM and J-Hope, Suga and V, and Jimin and Jungkook.

For the first game -- figuring out the right spellings and expressions in Korean -- each team was full of confidence, but for different reasons. V believed in Suga, who was good at Korean, while J-Hope was happy to be partners with RM -- widely considered the most intelligent member of the band.

“I’m the expert,” Jungkook announced, sure of himself.

They all came up with the same answer to the first question and were very proud of themselves before Jin told them they were all wrong. RM, who’d called himself a master of Korean, quickly changed his specialty to English, making everyone laugh.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/217855.

GOT7 eager to release new album

(Naver's V Live)

Jinyoung and Yugyeom of GOT7 invited Youngjae to join them for a livestream right after another one the previous day.

Before joining the two on camera, Youngjae made the lights flicker, switching them on and off. This made them chuckle, but failed to annoy them.

“I’ve been shooting a drama and taped ‘Idol Radio,’” said Youngjae. He is set to appear in a Netflix original sitcom, and Jinyoung asked him about his role.

“I can only say that I am the heir to a tteokbokki empire,” Youngjae said.

Jinyoung, who has starred in a number of dramas, said he’d never played a well-off character.

Jinyoung stopped Youngjae from saying any more about it, reminding him that they tend to get carried away.

“We might even give out spoilers for our new album,” he said with a smile.

Instead he asked Youngjae about the latest practice session. After a brief sigh, Youngjae confided that his head had almost exploded.

“I’m sure the viewers already know how hard it was just by looking at you two’s hair,” laughed Jinyoung.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/218945.

NCT 2020’s new album a delight to the ears, eyes: Kpop Herald

(SM Entertainment)

Kpop Herald reporters Hong Dam-young and Choi Ji-won discussed NCT’s second full-length album, “NCT-The 2nd Album Resonance Pt. 1,” which came out Oct. 12.

Well before the album’s release, it made headlines with the news that it would feature all 23 band members -- everyone from all the subunits as well as two newly selected performers. This is a rarity for the huge umbrella group, noted Hong.

“Make a Wish,” one of the double title tracks along with “From Home,” is an energetic hip-hop number with catchy whistling sounds, in line with the music of NCT as a whole. The music video was eye candy as well, said Hong. “From Home” is more melodic and softer, and the full visuals were unveiled Oct. 19.

The reporters showed what’s inside the album, which comes with a thick photo book consisting of over 200 pages -- full of individual and group shots both in color and black-and-white.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/218578.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

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