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Welcome to K-Buzz, your daily source for the latest Korean entertainment news.

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We're your hosts bringing you all the hottest updates from the K-pop and K-drama world.

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Today is May 26, 2026, and we've got some incredible stories to share with you.

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Let's dive right in.

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BTS made history at the American Music Awards in Las Vegas, taking home three trophies, including the prestigious Artist of the Year Award. This marks their second time winning the top honor, having previously claimed it in 2021. The group swept the ceremony with wins for Song of the Summer for their track Swim from their fifth full album, Ari Rang, and Best Male K-pop artist. During their acceptance speech, RM thanked Army Worldwide, expressing gratitude for the fan-voted recognition and noting how meaningful it was to receive the award after completing military service. The group is currently in the middle of their largest world tour ever, Airie Rang, spanning 34 cities globally.

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CatSai celebrated a breakthrough night at the American Music Awards, winning three awards including New Artist of the Year. The group beat out strong competition from Alex Warren, Ella Langley, Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, and Somber to claim the New Artist Trophy. Member Sophia gave a special shout-out to BTS during their acceptance speech, thanking the group for inspiring them to represent their culture on the global stage. Catsai also took home awards for Best Music Video and Breakthrough Pop Artist and performed their new single Pinky Up at the ceremony. The group is set to make their comeback in August with their third EP titled Wild.

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Netflix's K-pop Demon Hunters original soundtrack track Golden won Song of the Year at the American Music Awards, beating out nine competing songs, including Taylor Swift's The Fate of Ophelia. Artists Lee Jay and Ray Ami expressed their gratitude during the acceptance speech, saying they gained tremendous strength from fans and thanking the K-pop Demon Hunters team. The win represents a major achievement for the Netflix series, which has been generating significant buzz. Netflix recently confirmed a World Tour concert for K-pop Demon Hunters, with detailed schedules to be announced later.

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BTS members, RM, and Jimin addressed the controversy surrounding inflated accommodation prices in Busan ahead of their upcoming concerts during a Weavus live broadcast following their AMA wins. RM expressed disappointment about news reports showing hotel prices skyrocketing in the area, stating that while seasonal price fluctuations are understandable, the increases should be reasonable. Jimin added that the price hikes were excessive, questioning why rates would increase several times over. The group's June 12th and 13th concerts in Busan as part of their Air Rang World Tour had sparked controversy when local accommodation prices reportedly increased by an average of 2.4 times, with some establishments charging up to 7.5 times their normal rates. New Boy Group and Double made their highly anticipated debut with their first mini album Sequence Zero One Curiosity, showcasing their confidence as a so-called complete rookie group. The five-member team consists of Jiang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gubin, Han Yujin from Zero Base One, and Yu Suung Eeon are from Even, bringing together verified talent with extensive stage experience. At their showcase, the members emphasized their strong chemistry as their biggest weapon, with Yu Suung Eeon noting that member Han Yu Jin's description of and double as family really resonated with him. The group's name combines AND and Double, representing the concept of expanding one's identity through multiple overlapping inner aspects rather than showing a one-dimensional image. Their title track, Curious, is an EDM genre song featuring powerful choreography and whisper-like point moves, with members Zhang Hao and Ricky participating in the lyrics.

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Hype's new girl group under the ABD label revealed their first glimpse to the public, opening official websites and social media accounts. The company released six short films containing the brand's direction, featuring three members wearing shoes engraved with the letters A, B, and D dancing to music. ABD was established as part of Hype's multi-label strategy, with the brand name derived from their slogan A Bold Dream. Master professional Han Sung-su is leading the overall production of the group, which is set to debut in the second half of this year, though the team name has not yet been disclosed.

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17 marked their 11th debut anniversary with a meaningful charitable donation to the UNESCO Korean Committee's Bridge Project. The donation will support a secondary education scholarship program in Laos, helping students who complete elementary education programs at regional learning centres advance to secondary public education. 17 has been consistently supporting this call since 2022, when they signed a partnership agreement with the UNESCO Korean Committee to launch the Going Together campaign aimed at reducing educational gaps. The group made history in June 2024 by becoming the first K-pop artists appointed as UNESCO Youth Goodwill Ambassadors following successful campaign outcomes, including the establishment of two regional learning centers in East Timor and educational support in Malawi.

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Actress Park Un Bin discussed her first foray into the hero genre with the Netflix series Wonderfuls, emphasizing that she views her diverse role choices not as challenges but as things she genuinely wants to try. Park plays on Cheney, a terminally ill character who gains teleportation superpowers after an unexpected incident in the late 90s. The actress reunited with director Yu Inseek from Extraordinary Attorney Wu, noting that the script's freshness and unique opening line about the character's death immediately captured her attention. She'll return to screens in July with the TVN drama Chilling Romance, where she plays a chable heiress who can see ghosts.

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Director Juhan Juri's latest film, Dora, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Director's Fortnite, marking her third consecutive Cannes invitation, following Doohi Ya and Next Sohi. The film features Japanese actress Ando Sakura in her first Korean film role, playing Nami, a Japanese woman living in a South Korean coastal village who becomes central to the story of Dora, a girl suffering from hysteria. Jung revealed that she initially cast Ando for the Nami role before finding her Dora, and adapted all of Nami's dialogue to accommodate Ando's limited Korean language skills, creating a unique linguistic approach for the character. The film reinterprets Freud's case study, Dora's Analysis of Hysteria, flipping the narrative to show Dora as someone who can heal and rise on her own, rather than remaining a hysteria patient. Ando Sakura praised the international collaboration, noting how the film brought together crew members from France, Korea, and Luxembourg and expressed her desire to participate in more projects across different countries.

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That wraps up today's episode of K-Buzz.

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Thanks for tuning in to get your daily dose of Korean entertainment news. Don't forget to subscribe to stay updated on all the latest happenings in the K-pop and K-drama world.

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We'll be back tomorrow with more exciting stories and updates, so make sure to tune in for the next episode of K-Buzz.

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Until then, stay tuned to all things Korean entertainment, and we'll catch you tomorrow.