K-pop News Today (Nov 10, 2026): ILLIT Crack the Billboard 200 Top 10, TAEYEON Sets Her First Full Album in Almost Five Years, NCT DREAM Turn 10 With “Boogie Woogie”

I’ll admit I let out a little cheer at my desk this morning: ILLIT are in the Billboard 200 top 10 for the first time, and TAEYEON is finally coming back with a full album. On top of that, NCT DREAM celebrated their 10th anniversary with a brand-new record, TWS turned a big first week into a weekly chart No. 1, and RM’s way of living became an actual Stanford class. Here are the stories K-pop fans were talking about on Nov. 9.

ILLIT Enter the Billboard 200 Top 10 for the First Time With “BREAK EVEN”

ILLIT’s fifth mini album “BREAK EVEN” debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 dated Nov. 14, Billboard’s chart preview showed, as YTN Star and Herald Business reported on Nov. 9. It moved 37,000 equivalent album units in its first US week, 32,500 of them in pure album sales, and it also gave ILLIT their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. That is 20 places higher than their previous best, No. 26 for “MAMIHLAPINATAPAI,” and it makes ILLIT the seventh K-pop girl group to reach the Billboard 200 top 10, after BLACKPINK, TWICE, aespa, ITZY, NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM. ILLIT were also the only K-pop act in this week’s top 10, and their Spotify monthly listeners passed 20 million as of Nov. 9. Billboard pointed to more than 24 CD versions with random photocards and collectibles as a key reason for the sales No. 1, which says a lot about how many US fans want every version. The “You’re Under Arrest” MV had 24,987,802 views when we checked. GLLIT, this one is yours.

Sources: YTN Star, Nov. 9, Herald Business, Nov. 9, YouTube views checked around 4:52 a.m. KST, Nov. 10

Also read: K-pop News Today (Nov 2, 2026): A2O LITE Win Inkigayo Again, BTS Wrap Up Brazil, IVE's First-Week Rebound

TAEYEON Announces “Unspecial,” Her First Full Album in 4 Years and 10 Months

TAEYEON of Girls’ Generation will release her fourth full album, “Unspecial,” on Nov. 30, SM Entertainment said on Nov. 9, according to Newsis. The album has 12 songs, including the title track of the same name. It is her first full album since “INVU” in 2022, and it follows last year’s solo 10th-anniversary compilation “Panorama : The Best of TAEYEON.” Korean media greeted the news as the return of “Mideutaeng,” the nickname that means “TAEYEON, the voice you can always trust.” The “Unspecial” Curtain Raiser video had 91,429 views about a day after it went up. SONE, Nov. 30 is circled in red.

Sources: Newsis, Nov. 9, JTBC, Nov. 9, YouTube views checked around 4:52 a.m. KST, Nov. 10

NCT DREAM Celebrate 10 Years With Sixth Full Album “DREAM AFTER DREAM” and “Boogie Woogie”

NCT DREAM released their sixth full album “DREAM AFTER DREAM” on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. KST, about a year after the mini album “Beat It Up,” Edaily reported. It is their first full album since all six members renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment. The title track “Boogie Woogie” mixes vintage 1970s disco-funk with modern synths, and JAEMIN co-wrote the lyrics as a thank-you to everyone who has been with them for the past decade. The group debuted in August 2016 with “Chewing Gum,” and they have now had 10 million-selling albums in a row, Edaily noted, citing Hanteo. The “Boogie Woogie” MV had 1,834,333 views about 10 hours after release. NCTzens, here’s to the next 10 years.

Sources: Edaily, Nov. 9, Herald Muse, Nov. 9, YouTube views checked around 4:52 a.m. KST, Nov. 10

TWS Top Hanteo’s Weekly Album Chart With 825,360 First-Week Copies of “TO US”

TWS’s second single album “TO US” sold 825,360 copies in its first week, Nov. 2 to 8, according to Hanteo Chart, and topped the weekly album chart after leading the daily chart, Newsen reported on Nov. 9. The title track “Call My Name” (내 이름을 불러줘), with lyrics co-written by YOUNGJAE, SHINYU and DOHOON, entered the Melon Top 100 at No. 14 on release day, a career high for the group, and their B-sides “WE UP” and “heavy” charted too. The MV passed 10 million views in about three days. The song is a thank-you to the people who believe in them, and that kind of message is exactly what fans love to stream on repeat. The MV had 17,909,871 views when we checked. 42, your boys are flying.

Sources: Newsen, Nov. 9, YouTube views checked around 4:52 a.m. KST, Nov. 10

CORTIS Hold the Top Three Spotify Songs Among Boy Groups From the Last Five Years

CORTIS’s “REDRED” passed 274 million Spotify streams on the platform’s Nov. 7 chart, the most for any song by a K-pop boy group that debuted in the last five years, and their debut-album songs “GO!” (about 266 million) and “FaSHioN” (about 247 million) sit at No. 2 and No. 3, Star News reported on Nov. 9. “REDRED” still pulls more than 800,000 plays a day in its seventh month and reached 100 million streams in just 57 days. The song has hit No. 1 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Korea chart 121 times, the most ever for a K-pop group song. The five members co-create their music, choreography and videos, which is a big part of why the “young creator crew” image clicks with fans. Next up: the Melon Music Awards at Gocheok Sky Dome on Nov. 15 and the MAMA AWARDS in Osaka on Nov. 20 and 21. The “REDRED” MV had 89,296,754 views when we checked.

Sources: Star News, Nov. 9, YouTube views checked around 4:52 a.m. KST, Nov. 10

BTS’s RM Inspires a Real Stanford Class: “Namjooning, and Other Well-Being Inspiration From BTS”

Stanford University lists a small first-year seminar called “Namjooning, and other well-being inspiration from BTS” (PSYC 65N, 3 units) for the 2026–27 academic year, Star News reported on Nov. 9. “Namjooning” is the fan word for RM’s slow, lovely routine of visiting museums, riding his bike, walking in parks and reading. The class is taught by Professor James R. Jacobs of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and it starts from the things RM loves, nature, cycling, art and books, then looks at sleep, anxiety and creative blocks through real research data. The listed requirements include “an appetite for data” and “a healthy respect for BTS,” and the final project is inspired by RM’s 2022 solo album “Indigo.” ARMY, who else would love to sign up?

Sources: Star News, Nov. 9, Sports Seoul, Nov. 9

LNGSHOT Become the First Act in Kakao Entertainment and Atlantic Music Group’s Global K-pop Project

Kakao Entertainment and Atlantic Music Group, home to Bruno Mars, Coldplay and ROSÉ, picked LNGSHOT as the first act of their “Global K-pop Super IP” project, Newsis reported on Nov. 9. The four-member boy group, produced by Jay Park, gets North American media promotion, marketing and local album distribution for their new EP “S.W.I.S.H.,” out Nov. 10. Kakao handles planning and fan promotion, and Atlantic handles North American distribution and digital marketing. LNGSHOT debuted only in January, passed 400 million Spotify streams within 10 months, and took their debut song “Moonwalkin'” into Mediabase’s Top 40 radio airplay chart in the US. The “Moonwalkin'” MV had 64,500,419 views when we checked.

Sources: Newsis, Nov. 9, My Daily, Nov. 9, YouTube views checked around 4:52 a.m. KST, Nov. 10

TXT Set a Global Comeback Showcase for “PERFECT STORM” on Nov. 16

TOMORROW X TOGETHER will release their ninth mini album “PERFECT STORM” on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. KST and will perform the title track “Angel Bite” on TV for the first time that night in “TOMORROW X TOGETHER COMEBACK SHOWCASE : PERFECT STORM,” airing at 9 p.m. KST on Mnet, M2’s YouTube channel and Mnet Plus, OSEN reported on Nov. 9. The showcase also includes the unit songs “Touch the Sky” and “Sweetest Escape” and a special medley for MOA called “From. TOMORROW X TOGETHER.” Before the announcement, the album had held No. 1 on Spotify’s pre-save Top 10 Countdown for two weeks in a row, with more than 400,000 pre-saves as of Nov. 8, iMBC reported. MOA, one more week.

Sources: OSEN, Nov. 9, iMBC, Nov. 9

SBS Gayo Daejeon Reveals Its Final Lineup for a Two-Day 30th Anniversary on Christmas

SBS announced the final lineup for “2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon,” which runs for two days for the first time, on Dec. 24 and 25 at KINTEX in Goyang, Newsis reported on Nov. 9. Dec. 24 brings BoA, U-KNOW, TWICE, NCT 127, TXT, YEONJUN, ENHYPEN, IVE, NMIXX, &TEAM, RIIZE, NCT WISH, RESCENE and Hearts2Hearts, among others. Dec. 25 brings SHINee, CL, T-ARA, JISOO, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, TREASURE, BOYNEXTDOOR, ZEROBASEONE, TWS, BABYMONSTER, MEOVV, CORTIS and A2O LITE, among others. The producers promised collaboration stages between seniors and juniors and homage stages for 30 years of hits, “a Christmas fans will remember for a long time.”

Sources: Newsis, Nov. 9, My Daily, Nov. 9

MAMA AWARDS Open the First “MAMA FAN FESTA” in Osaka and Online

CJ ENM started its new “MAMA FAN FESTA” on Nov. 9, running until Nov. 21 on Mnet Plus and around Osaka, JoyNews24 reported. Online, fans get spoiler quests, live streams and personal ID cards. In the city, spots like the HEP FIVE Ferris wheel, Midosuji, Namba Plaza and Kyocera Dome Osaka are linked as K-pop stops, and from Nov. 19 a fan space at Namba Plaza adds a welcome station, a backstage cam and a red carpet photo zone. The 2026 MAMA AWARDS take place at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Nov. 20 and 21.

Sources: JoyNews24, Nov. 9, Star News, Nov. 9

That’s a week to look forward to: LNGSHOT’s EP today, the Melon Music Awards and TXT’s “PERFECT STORM” this weekend, then MAMA in Osaka, NAYEON’s single on Nov. 20 and TAEYEON’s “Unspecial” on Nov. 30. I can’t wait to hear what everyone brings next.

Featured photo: Girls' Generation's TAEYEON at a Gucci photo call, Oct. 22, 2025. Photo: K-POPIT via YouTube/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized).