Broadcast dates: Aug. 1-2
Starring: NCT, Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together, IZ*ONE

NCT Dream told fans on Naver’s V Live that Renjun would soon make his debut as a radio disc jockey.

(Naver's V Live)

Four members of the five-piece subunit dramatically began the livestream with the big announcement: Renjun is now a special DJ on the TBS radio program “Akdong Seoul.”

“I can’t believe I am saying this,” said the idol as the rest of the subunit gave him a huge round of applause.

“I’m always being singled out as the band member with the worst remarks, but I am a little good-looking and a little funny as well, so …” said Renjun with mock pomposity, making the other three get up and walk away.

While Renjun returned to his usual humble self and admitted that he couldn’t believe a novice like him had been chosen, Haechan assured him he was one of the funniest people he knew.

“Do you have something you want to eat?” asked Renjun.

Haechan, without missing a beat, answered that he wanted Chinese hot pot, earning a reassuring pat.

“When I first heard the news, I thought the program was in Korean,” said Jeno. Renjun explained that it was an all-Chinese segment that would interact with listeners in an upbeat way.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/142734.

Stray Kids celebrates fandom’s 1st anniversary

Speaking from their hotel room in Berlin, the members of Stray Kids thanked their fandom community on the first anniversary of its founding.

(Naver's V Live)

“We began livestreaming as soon as we arrived since we did not want it to be past midnight,” said the band after singing “Happy Birthday.”

Then Bang Chan mentioned a three-part video series the band had released earlier, showing the bandmates thanking their fans.

“We wanted to deliver our message: You are the reason we exist,” explained Bang Chan.

The nine band members had filmed the series in England, where they were putting on a showcase event, said Hyunjin, and had spent four or five hours making themselves look good for the videos even though they weren’t very long.

“I honestly was worried that I might mess up (a video) but it came out better than expected,” said Changbin, calling it a “personal masterpiece” while the others snickered.

“The setting was really beautiful and we each managed to show our colors,” said Bang Chan.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/142738.

Tomorrow X Together thanks fans for rookie award

Tomorrow X Together took to V Live after winning the Male New Artist award at the 2019 M2 X Genie Music Awards.

(Naver's V Live)

“We have very good news to share. We attended our first award ceremony and won the rookie award!” said four members of the five-piece boy band. Only Yeonjun was absent, due to a back injury.

“I was so nervous (just to be onstage) that I found and held Beomgyu’s hand only to find that his palms were sweaty and realized that he was too,” said Taehyun.

“I had so much to say and (after the announcement) I grabbed the microphone but … I didn’t think I would cry, especially since I very rarely shed tears,” said Soobin, asking his band members to back him up. They agreed that he never cried, but said he’d become a little emotional since the band’s debut.

Soobin apologized for having had to pass the mic to the others and thanked Beomgyu for mentioning Yeonjun as well.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/142747.

IZ*ONE’s Chaewon celebrates birthday with fans

IZ*ONE celebrated Chaewon’s 19th birthday before going onstage at the 2019 MGMA.

(Naver's V Live)

“In a few minutes my bandmates will join me and bring in my favorite cake,” said the birthday girl, adding that it was supposed to be a surprise even though she knew how it would play out.

Showing appreciation for the countless “happy birthday” messages from fans, she showed off a thin gold band on her left index finger, a gift from Eunbi. “What a nice eonni,” she said.

“Last year, I was recording ‘To Reach You’ for the competition and shared a cake with the rest of the band at a recording studio,” recalled Chaewon, smiling at the memory. The all-girl band was formed through a survival program last year.

At the sight of a cake made of sweet potatoes, she began clapping and was soon surrounded by her bandmates. They sang “Happy Birthday” before taking turns sitting on Chaewon’s lap and delivering congratulatory messages.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/142664.

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=