On the latest episode of “The King of Mask Singer,” the identity of “Summer Vacation” was revealed!

During the August 24 broadcast of the MBC singing competition, four contestants advanced to the next round in their quest for the throne.

In the first match-up of Round 2, “Summer Vacation” performed a solo version of BIGBANG’s 2012 hit “BAD BOY.”

Spoilers

After watching his performance, the celebrity panelists disagreed about Summer Vacation’s identity: some thought he was an idol, while others speculated that he was a hip-hop artist. Kim Won Joon specifically guessed that he was an idol who hailed from the United States, noting that his performance had an American feel to it.

Summer Vacation ultimately lost the round to his opponent, and he remained on stage to reveal his identity to the crowd. Just as Kim Won Joon had guessed, the masked singer turned out to be an idol of American origin: Na Kamden, the leader of FNC Entertainment’s rookie boy group AMPERS&ONE, who first entered the spotlight on the Mnet survival show “BOYS PLANET.”

After Na Kamden took off his mask, the celebrity panelists marveled at his good looks, with host Kim Sung Joo remarking that he looked like 2PM’s Taecyeon. Visibly flustered by the compliment, Na Kamden replied, “It’s my first time hearing that.” Kim Won Joon added, “Doesn’t he have a bit of a Kang Dong Won feel to him?” Covering his face and backing up in embarrassment, Na Kamden shyly replied, “No,” leaving the panelists endeared by his adorable reaction.

Na Kamden also talked about being scouted on social media while he was living in the United States. “At first, when I received [the message], I thought it was a scam,” he recalled. “So I sort of interrogated them. I asked, ‘Can you disclose what company you’re from first?’ After they sent me proof, I believed them, and so I got on a plane and came here, which is how I ended up having the honor of appearing on this program.”

Watch the full episode of “The King of Mask Singer” with English subtitles below:

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And watch Na Kamden on “BOYS PLANET” below!

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The Korean Business Research Institute has revealed this month’s brand reputation rankings for singers!

The rankings were determined through an analysis of singers’ media coverage, consumer participation, interaction, and community awareness indexes, using big data collected from July 23 to August 23.

BTS rose to the top of this month’s list after seeing a 25.31 percent increase in their brand reputation index, bringing their total score to 9,535,953 for August.

Lim Young Woong climbed to second place with a brand reputation index of 7,311,589, marking a 25.97 percent rise in their score since July.

BLACKPINK took third place for the month with a brand reputation index of 6,822,422, while PSY ranked fourth with a score of 2,806,940.

Finally, IVE came in at a close fifth with a brand reputation index of 2,786,683 for August.

Check out the top 30 for this month below!

1. BTS
2. Lim Young Woong
3. BLACKPINK
4. PSY
5. IVE
6. Kim Yong Bin
7. SEVENTEEN
8. TWICE
9. Red Velvet
10. DAY6
11. Car, the Garden
12. Park Seo Jin
13. aespa
14. Park Ji Hyeon
15. ITZY
16. ILLIT
17. BIGBANG
18. Lee Chan Won
19. ZO ZAZZ
20. KiiiKiii
21. Young Tak
22. Hearts2Hearts
23. fromis_9
24. BIBI
25. i-dle
26. Jeong Dong Won
27. Park Jin Young
28. EXO
29. Vibe
30. Cho Yong Pil

Watch BTS’s film “BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE” with subtitles on Viki below:

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The 2025 K-World Dream Awards has awarded the best of K-pop!

On August 22, the ceremony for the 2025 K-World Dream Awards was held in Seoul with Jun Hyun Moo and Jang Do Yeon, and a star-studded lineup of artists and presenters were present for the special event.

Stray Kids won big with four awards including the Best Artist Award, while IVE also took home four awards including the Best Artist Award and the Solo Popularity Award for Jang Won Young. TXT, LE SSERAFIM, and NCT WISH also each won three awards.

Check out the full list of winners below:

Best Artist Award: Stray Kids, IVE

Journalist Pick Artist Award: NCT WISH, LE SSERAFIM

World Class Award: Stray Kids, TXT, LE SSERAFIM, IVE

Bonsang (Main Award): QWER, tripleS, TXT, ILLIT, NCT WISH, LE SSERAFIM, IVE, Stray Kids

Rookie Band Award: Dragon Pony

New Vision Award: NEWBEAT, FIFTY FIFTY, CLOSE YOUR EYES

Global Music Artist Award: TXT

Super Rookie Award: AHOF, KickFlip, KiiiKiii, Hearts2Hearts

Listener Choice Award: Paul Kim, BTOB

Best Music Video Award: ILLIT, tripleS, YOUNG POSSE

Best OST Award: HUNTR/X – “Golden” (“KPop Demon Hunters” OST)

Best Band Artist Award: Xdinary Heroes, LUCY

Solo Popularity Award: Park Ji Hyeon, IVE’s Jang Won Young

Group Popularity Award: Stray Kids

Best Digital Music Award: G-Dragon, IU, DAY6, Rosé

Best Album Award: SEVENTEEN, NCT DREAM, ENHYPEN, aespa, PLAVE

Best All-Rounder Musician Award: QWER, Kang Daniel

Best Performance Award: NCT WISH, FIFTY FIFTY, CRAVITY

Producer Award: Seo Hyun Joo (Starship Entertainment Executive Producer)

Best Trot Artist Award: Park Seo Jin, Park Ji Hyeon

Congratulations to all of the winners!

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