Broadcast dates: April 21-22
Starring: NCT, iKON, GOT7, Stray Kids

NCT 127’s nine members took a short break from their hectic schedule in New York and took their fans along on a real-time walk via Naver’s V Live.

(Naver's V Live)

“Are you ready to be surprised?” asked the boy band during the walk along the Hudson River. “It feels as if we are taking a stroll together (with fans),” said Doyoung, holding the selfie cam.

Taeyong took over the camera so that fans could enjoy the view of a police officer on horseback and a beautiful sky dotted with clouds. The bandmates moved along, singing “City 127,” and Haechan gave a sweeping 360-degree view of the riverside. “This is the first time we went live on the V app out on the street,” said Taeyong.

NCT127 will kick off its North American tour April 24, and will travel to 11 cities in the US, Canada and Mexico. The band has also appeared on the ABC morning show “Good Morning America,” surprising fans by unexpectedly unveiling the new single “Superhuman.”

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/124815.

iKON says hi from Singapore

Boy band iKON’s Ju-ne checked in on the fans before going onstage at the Skechers Sundown Festival, a three-day event that combines Asian music, art and culture.

(Naver's V Live)

“We just arrived in Singapore and checked in,” said Ju-ne as “Love Diary” from the early K-pop duo Poet and the Village Chief played in the background. “This is the fourth ‘freestyle’ segment and I have shown you many things, singing and mimicking, and frankly I have run out of (acts from my) repertoire, which made me hesitate about going live,” he confessed.

“The weather is so nice here and I wanted to share this with you. I put the phone in front of the window. This is not a filter but the natural light coming in,” said the performer.

Fans -- from countries as diverse as the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, France and Turkey -- all asked the group to visit their countries, and Ju-ne commented that all the bandmates wanted to visit Europe soon and would also visit Japan soon for a fan meetup.

“Wow, this is so global,” he added. “The V app really is international.”

Watch the video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/124785.

GOT7 delights fans in LA, Houston

GOT7 met fans in Los Angeles and Houston in the sixth episode of the band’s recap of its 2018 world tour.

(Naver's V Live)

The members were still jet-lagged, having just flown in. “It’s killing me. I woke up at 4:30 in the morning,” said Yugyeom.

Youngjae, nodding in agreement, could not suppress a big yawn.

“My body seems not to know when it’s day and when it’s night,” admitted Jinyoung to the camera.

When the rehearsal started, however, all seemed focused and ready. “This is incredible … performing here at the Forum,” said Bambam to their producer before taking to the prestigious venue, where over 10,000 fans awaited. Mark was greeted with even more enthusiasm because he was in his hometown.

Two days later the band performed in Houston, but between the rehearsal and the live show, Mark found time to order himself a bowl of nacho chili and cheese from a stand at the NRG Arena.

Backstage as they changed clothes midway through the show, sweat dripped from the musicians’ faces -- but nothing could wipe the smiles off their faces.

“I had a whole pizza before going onstage, but now I’m famished!” said Yugyeom after the encore song.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/124809.

Stray Kids spends Sunday playing board games

Stray Kids invited fans to the band’s own board game cafe via Naver’s V Live.

(Naver's V Live)

But before the games started, the boy band demonstrated a few dance moves that they wanted the fans to learn and do along with them at the upcoming Fact Music Awards.

“We used to go to board game cafes often before we debuted,” explained Changbin as they settled down to play.

They started with a pop-up pirate game where each singer took a turn stabbing the barrel with a sword, trying not to make the head pop. Each time it popped out, the player had to treat the others to snacks.

Bang Chan and I.N introduced a new game with a cute blue penguin -- the players had to knock down an ice block without letting the animal drop off the board.

Seungmin, Woojin and Lee Know each had a turn at Jenga, quietly enjoying the thrill, while Changbin was delighted with the fast-paced Halli Galli.

“I really like the sound,” said Felix ringing the gong over and over again.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/124772.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.naver.vapp
Apple App Store https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1019447011?mt=