Singer IU is now having a title of 'global music queen'.

On February 17, Spotify, the world's largest audio and music streaming platform, compiled the rankings of the most streaming artists and the most streaming music albums in commemoration of the first anniversary of the launch of Korea. 

Based on the aggregated results from February 1, 2021 to February 1, 2022, the 'Spotify 1st Anniversary' playlist, which contains the 50 most-streamed music tracks, was also newly established.

Among the playlists, IU's songs are 'Lilac', 'Celebrity', '8', 'Coin', and 'Nakka' as a collaboration with AKMU. According to Spotify, IU was named the most streamed female artist. In the top 5, BTS was the only Korean singer, and Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and The Weekend filled the rankings. IU's album 'Lilac' and her song 'Lilac' of the same name were ranked 4th on the album and 7th on the music chart.

On YouTube Music, her tvN 'Crash Landing on You' OST is gaining popularity again after the wedding announcement of actors Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin. Among the OSTs, 'I Give You My Heart' sung by IU is the representative. Melon's daily and weekly OST charts are also drawing a reverse running graph. 

The chart released by YouTube Music showed that IU's songs are gaining popularity in various countries following Korea, such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Argentina, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States. Asian media such as Indian version of Rolling Stone, the Philippines and Bangkok also published articles paying attention to IU's OST.

In the '11th 2022 Overseas Hallyu Survey Results Report' published by the Korea International Cultural Exchange Agency, IU was selected as the best singer in the Chinese market. In her overall ranking, IU also took 3rd place, drawing attention for her unrivaled performance as a solo female singer.

Hyun Bin is finally addressing the long-standing "ddongcha" (poop car) theory surrounding his character from My Name is Kim Sam-soon—and he's not holding back!

In an interview on the 19th with Star News, the beloved actor confessed, "I was wrong," responding to the reevaluation of his iconic role as Hyun Jin-heon from the 2005 hit drama. The "ddongcha" theory has been a subject of online debate for years, with many viewers critiquing Hyun Jin-heon’s character as overly arrogant and entitled.

Hyun Bin, who first rose to fame in My Name is Kim Sam-soon, took the time to reflect on the character that made him a household name. He shared, “I was just following the script; there were no personal opinions added to the character of Hyun Jin-heon. At that time, I knew Hyun Jin-heon was portrayed as a ‘bad boy,’ and the way it was expressed was different from today’s standards.”

With My Name is Kim Sam-soon now being re-released as part of Wavve's "New Classic" project, fans are revisiting the 2005 drama, and the character of Hyun Jin-heon is under fresh scrutiny. Director Kim Yun-cheol even admitted that the "prince on a white horse" and "bad boy" tropes that once worked in 2005 don’t quite match today's sensibilities, leading to edits in the 2024 version.

Hyun Bin humbly acknowledged his gratitude for his successful career and hit works, saying, "It’s wonderful and I am grateful to have so many hit works. I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing writers, directors, and actors. Thanks to them, I’ve received a lot of attention and love." He also shared a sense of humility, noting, “But I never know when that luck will come again."

Despite the dramatic shift in perspective on his character, Hyun Bin’s charm and dedication remain strong. Fans are eager to see him in his upcoming film Harbin (directed by Woo Min-ho), set to be released on the 24th.

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