by Ra Hwak Jin / An Hayeon 

◇ BTS' Suga, RM, and JIN fully recovers from COVID-19, released from isolation

▲ This photo shows Suga of K-pop boy group BTS. (Yonhap)

▲ This composite photo, provided by Big Hit Music, shows Jin and RM of K-pop supergroup BTS speaking during a press conference at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last year. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Suga, RM and Jin of BTS have fully recovered from the new coronavirus and been released from isolation on January 3 and 4. 

Suga was released on Monday at noon and RM and Jin the next day.

Suga tested positive for the virus on Dec. 24 last year after returning home the previous day from Los Angeles, where the group had large-scale live concerts.

The other two members tested positive on Dec. 25.

All three completed the vaccination process in August, and showed no serious symptoms of the disease, according to Big Hit Music.

With their recoveries, BTS will be able to do group activities soon.

However, it seems BTS will take a longer break due to the Grammy Awards ceremony's postponement, which the group had been nominated for the "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance."

◇ Kep1er from 'Girls Planet 999' debuts…sells 150,000 copies a day

▲ This photo, provided by WAKE ONE and Swing Entertainment, shows Kep1er. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

K-pop rookie girl group Kep1er, which consists of TOP9 members from the Mnet's audition TV program "Girls Planet 999: The Girls Saga" has released the first mini-album and opened the debut showcase on Monday.

Kep1er consists of 6 members from Korea, including the leader Choi Yu-jin, two Japanese members Hikaru and Mashiro, and one Chinese member Xiaoting. The member Huening Bahiyyih is the little sister of Huening Kai, a member of a popular K-pop boy group TOMORROW X TOGETHER. 

The name of the group comes from combining the word "Kep," which means catching a dream, and the number "1," meaning the members will come together and become the best.

The group's debut album "FIRST IMPACT" contains a total of 6 songs, including "MVSK" and "See The Light," along with the title song "WA DA DA."

Kep1er drew attention as the group sold over 150,000 copies on Jan. 3, the day of its debut, and broke the first-day record of best-selling girl group debut album.

Kep1er ranked No.1 on Worldwide iTunes Album Chart in 11 countries, including Japan, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Chile, and Mexico. The group also ranked No. 1 on K-pop Chart in 23 countries.

◇'Snowdrop' actress Kim Mi-soo passes away

▲ This photo, provided by JTBC, shows the actress Kim Mi-soo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Actress Kim Mi-soo, who appeared as a female college student in the JTBC drama "Snowdrop," suddenly passed away at the age of 30 on Wednesday.

Her agency said, "Actress Kim Mi-soo suddenly left our side on Jan. 5."

It added, "Her family is currently very heartbroken by her sudden death, so please refrain from making up rumors or speculative reports so that the deceased can be reverently commemorated."

Kim made her debut with the short film "Lipstick Revolution" (2018), followed by the movies "Memories" (2019), "Kyungmi's World" (2019), the drama "Human Luwak" (2019), "Hi Bye, Mama!" (2020), and "Into The Ring" (2020).

In "Snowdrop," which is currently aired on JTBC, Kim Mi-soo played the role of Yeo Jeong-min, a righteous female college student who shares the same dormitory with the female lead, Young-ro (Jisoo). Currently, shooting for "Snowdrop" is all finished.

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