Stray Kids' Hyunjin has once again claimed the top spot in the "March Birthday Idol" ranking, making it two years in a row!

According to the global fan platform UPICK, Hyunjin topped the rankings in a vote held from January 21 to February 5, proving his worldwide popularity is stronger than ever.

As a reward for his victory, Hyunjin will get a special birthday celebration ad made by his fans! The ad will be displayed on the digital signage at Hongdae Airport Railroad in Seoul, celebrating his big achievement.

On top of this, Hyunjin’s group, Stray Kids, has been making waves internationally! They recently earned their eighth Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their mini-album Maxident.

This recognition comes after they reached over 500,000 sales in the U.S. Stray Kids now has eight Gold certifications under their belt, including for popular singles like "God's Menu" and "MANIAC," as well as albums like ★★★★★ (Five Star) and 樂-STAR (Rockstar). This just shows how big they’ve become in the U.S.

Looking ahead, Stray Kids is all set for their dominATE world tour starting in March, where they’ll meet their fans across Latin America, Japan, North America, and Europe. Fans worldwide are in for a treat.

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Hwanhee's agency, BT Entertainment, is firing back after serious fairness allegations were raised regarding the popular show ‘King of Singers Season 2’. They’ve denied all accusations and promised strong legal action for defamation.

On February 5th, the agency issued a statement through their official fan cafe, saying, “We want to correct the false claims.”

They explained that Hwanhee was initially approached to join the show in August 2024 by the production team. However, after checking with the event planning company, Dion Communication, they confirmed Hwanhee had no connection to the show or any related performances.

Despite this, the agency pointed out that certain media outlets published unverified articles, wrongly suggesting that Hwanhee’s involvement could compromise the fairness of the program.

BT Entertainment was quick to defend their artist, stressing the damage done to both Hwanhee's reputation and the agency itself due to these false claims. They added, "This has caused great harm to Hwanhee, who joined the program after careful consideration."

The statement didn’t stop there. BT Entertainment made it clear that they won’t stand for any further defamation. They said, “We are taking legal action against these baseless reports” and emphasized their commitment to protecting Hwanhee from any further harm.

They also reassured their fans, stating, “We will take swift action against any future misinformation to avoid any further harm to Hwanhee and his supporters.”

This controversy started after a media outlet raised concerns on January 23rd about Hwanhee’s participation in the show. The report claimed that BT Entertainment’s CEO, who is also a director at Dion Communication, had invested 1.1 billion KRW in the ‘King of Singers Season 2’ concert, leading to suspicions of favoritism towards certain contestants.

In the meantime, ‘King of Singers Season 2’ continues its intense competition, with Hwanhee making it to the semifinals. Fans are watching closely as he currently holds 1st place in the first round of the semifinals, cementing his position as a strong contender to represent Korea in the Korea-Japan King of Kings battle.

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