[FACTCHECK] HYBE-MBC tensions have thawed, but what happens now?

Enhypen will be appearing on MBC's "Show! MusicCore" for the first time since 2019, signaling the resolution of a long-standing dispute between HYBE and MBC. This development highlights a changing power dynamic between K-pop and TV stations.

Boy band Enhypen performs its song ″Bite Me″ during a showcase held on May 22 for its fourth EP ″Dark Blood″ in northern Seoul. [YONHAP]

Boy band Enhypen will be taking part in MBC’s “Show! MusicCore” weekly music program on Nov. 18 for the first time.

It may not seem like big news for the K-pop laymen, but the landmark announcement signals the end of one of the biggest disputes in the Korean pop entertainment scene between two of the largest companies in the industry: K-pop powerhouse HYBE and TV channel MBC.

No HYBE artist had been seen on MBC’s music or entertainment shows since the two fell out in 2019. Though neither company had openly mentioned the issue, the four-year-long cold war made it seem like the bridge between the two had been burned for good.

The apparent newfound friendship between K-pop’s largest agency and one of Korea’s three major TV channels may be welcome news to fans, producers and artists alike, but what it really entails is a new power dynamic between K-pop and TV stations in the now-normal digital era.

So what exactly happened, and how will it unfold in the coming days?

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]