Mid-January 2026 has already passed its halfway point. In the TV industry, interest is surging in the future activities of cast members from Netflix’s cooking survival show “Culinary Class Wars: The Culinary Class War 2.” In music, major rookie AlphaDriveOne has debuted, while comebacks by EXO, BTS and Wanna One have been signalled, drawing early attention.

Interest in theatre is also strong. Along with the play “POSH,” which puts provocative thrills to the fore, works such as one-person and two-person plays are continuing to win audiences’ choices by offering dense performances despite small casts.

· Producer response to rumours that “baby beast” chef Kim Si-hyun will join “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” · [K-pop ICON] AlphaDriveOne debut, “EXO-BTS-Wanna One” comebacks... the music scene “stirs”

With speculation rising that chef Kim Si-hyun, who drew attention on Netflix variety show “Culinary Class Wars: The Culinary Class War 2” (referred to as “Culinary Class Wars 2”) under the nickname “baby beast,” will appear on JTBC variety show “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” the production team has given its position.

A “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” official told multiple media outlets that there are currently no plans for new chefs to appear. The official said there is room for future discussion, but nothing has been confirmed at all.

Kim appeared on “Culinary Class Wars 2” as a “black spoon” chef and quickly made her presence felt. Despite her young age as someone born in 2000, she drew viewers’ attention with seasoned cooking skills and a calm manner. Her intense cooking, contrasting with her cute appearance, left a strong impression on the public.

AlphaDriveOne, the debut group from Mnet survival audition “Boys 2 Planet,” made its entry into the music scene on the 12th with its first mini-album, “Euphoria” (EUPHORIA). With all of the top boy groups once dubbed “EXO-BTS-Wanna One” signalling comebacks, K-pop fans are on alert.

The first group to confirm a comeback is EXO. EXO debuted in 2012 as a 12-member group and rose to the top with numerous hit songs, but faced difficulties in its activities due to the departure of Chinese members and an exclusive contract dispute between ChenBaekXi (Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin) and agency SM Entertainment.

EXO will return with its eighth full-length album, “REVERXE.” The new release is expected to feature tracks that weave a dramatic narrative, from romantic moments of love to moments of intense immersion and the pain of separation.

BTS, which enjoys global popularity beyond South Korea, will also return to fans. The group will release its fifth full-length album on March 20 and embark on a large-scale world tour. The fifth album, set for release this spring, will include 14 tracks, with each track expected to reflect emotions and concerns accumulated over the group’s journey.

Wanna One will round out the final piece of “EXO-BTS-Wanna One” by previewing a reality variety show. The group is set to return to fans in the first half of this year through an Mnet reality program, “WANNA ONE GO: ZERO BASE.” However, as Kang Daniel is ahead of military enlistment, he is expected to participate only partially in this reunion.

The play “POSH” ended its run successfully after drawing attention for its provocative thrills by putting the front and centre the misbehaviour of upper-class students. Since its premiere in early 2023, “POSH” has continued to draw attention by maintaining a gender-free casting approach. It casts based on an actor’s appeal and capabilities regardless of role gender, and when a female actor plays the club leader James, the name is changed to Jamie to differentiate from male actors. This setup functions not only as a formal change but also as a device that expands the range of character interpretation.

The work satirises youthful misbehaviour that unfolds in a fictional club called the Riot Club, modelled on the real Bullingdon Club, an upper-class social club from Oxford in Britain. Based on the characteristics of black comedy, “POSH” makes audiences recognise that the class that rules the world remains the top 1 percent elite, while also revealing that their choices and actions are not exclusive to any special beings. The process in which characters who enjoyed misbehaviour such as smoking indoors and tearing wallpaper betray one another in a crisis for their own interests and survival clearly shows how easily humans can become weak in the face of power.

With more than 10 actors immersing audiences over a 110-minute running time, “POSH” poses uncomfortable questions that linger after laughter. It left a deep aftertaste by prompting viewers to ask whether they are making the right choices in the society they live in now, or whether they too might be living while thinking like members of the Riot Club.

· Upper-class youth misbehaviour, play “POSH” ends after delivering a dopamine hit · Yoo Jun-sang’s “Behind the Moon” and play “Elsinore”... rising one- and two-person plays

While large-theatre productions are often built around big ensembles and many performers, one-person and two-person plays have recently been drawing attention in the performing arts as a new trend. Representative examples include actor Yoo Jun-sang’s musical “Behind the Moon,” which returned to a small-theatre stage after 17 years, and the play “Elsinore,” which successfully completed preview performances last week.

“Behind the Moon” is a one-person play that stages the story of astronaut Michael Collins, the first human to see the far side of the moon. A single actor fully carries his path and inner life on stage. LED visuals across the front of the stage, a three-dimensional set that realises the moon’s far side, and lighting that delicately captures the actor’s emotions and movements come together to show a high level of completion. A four-member live band adds to the experience, offering immersion that goes beyond the formal limits of a one-person play.

“Elsinore,” which opened on the 8th, completed preview performances through the 11th and entered its main run from the 13th. It is a two-person play reconstructed around the sentries Bernardo and Francisco, who appear in the prologue of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The work unfolds the story from the two soldiers’ perspective, and the two actors handle key original characters such as Hamlet, the ghost of the late king and Ophelia through multi-casting.

In this way, one-person and two-person plays staged in small theatres have fewer performers but deliver immersion comparable to large theatres through acting ability and the strength of their message. Through experiments in form and expansion of narrative, they are establishing themselves as a trend that shows another possibility for the K-performing arts scene.

■ What are the key K-snapp stories this week?

As Netflix film “K-pop Demon Hunters” (referred to as “Kedeheon”) achieved global box office success last year, news that Ahn Hyo-seop, who voiced the character Jin-woo, showed a high level of sync in real life drew heated attention on global K-snapp.

Marking the start of 2026, Ahn posted several photos on his Instagram along with a message saying, “모든 순간을 소중히 여기시길 바랍니다. 새해 복 많이 받으세요” (to make every moment count, Happy New Year).

In the released photos, Ahn is holding light sticks for the groups Huntrix and Saja Boys that appear in “Kedeheon.” In other photos, he wears a beanie and looks up at the camera, or swims while shirtless, drawing attention with a natural and relaxed style.

Earlier, “Kedeheon” won best feature animation and best original song at the 31st Critics Choice Awards, taking two prizes. It also won animation and original song at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, proving its global influence.

· [Global PICK] Ahn Hyo-seop holding a Saja Boys light stick... 100 percent sync with “Kedeheon” Jin-woo · [OTT ranking] “The Great Flood” stays in the rankings despite bad reviews at home and abroad... K-drama “missing”

How far will the popularity of the film “The Great Flood” continue. “The Great Flood,” starring Kim Da-mi, Park Hae-soo and Kwon Eun-sung, is maintaining high rankings globally despite harsh reviews at home and abroad. In the TV shows category, not a single South Korean title made the top 10.

According to FlixPatrol, a global OTT ranking aggregation site, “The Great Flood” was holding third place in Netflix’s film rankings as of the previous day, the 12th. The title has faced criticism such as being a clumsy sci-fi thriller, having weak plausibility and sloppy direction, and its ratings are generally disappointing.

Despite the negative reviews, there are also many voices praising the work. Cultural critic Heo Ji-woong said on his Instagram, “I do not think ‘The Great Flood’ is a work that should be vilified to that extent.” Translator Hwang Seok-hee also expressed the view that while criticism is the audience’s right, the level of condemnation is stronger than necessary.

In the TV shows category, “Cash Hero,” starring Lee Jun-ho, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Byung-chul, Kim Hyang-gi, Lee Chae-min and Kang Han-na, was in the top 10 until last week but has now dropped out. The current No. 1 in that category is “His Story & Her Story” (United States). The show portrays TV anchor and reporter Anna Andrews, played by Tessa Thompson, who hears news that her high school classmate Rachel, once at the centre of “the group,” has been brutally murdered. She returns to her station while on leave and goes back to her hometown to cover the case.

In mid-January 2026, groups with multiple members are accelerating preparations for comebacks rather than solo artists.

The group N.SSign has returned with a more intense look, and comebacks by popular band 2Z and the group LIGHTSUM are also scheduled. ENHYPEN, which drew more attention after Dynamic Duo’s Gaeko took part in writing lyrics, is also returning to fans. Take a look at K-singers returning with songs across various genres.

· [New song hot clip] Rush of comebacks by multi-member groups... ENHYPEN, LIGHTSUM, N.SSign

Snapp It First. Feel It K. This article is an online piece published by K-snapp, which provides the fastest and most entertaining entertainment news.