Is Korea's longest running boy band Shinhwa splitting up?
It seems that Shinhwa members are focusing on solo projects, at least for now.
Shinhwa members Lee Min-woo and Andy Lee announced they are setting up their own record labels. Shin Hye-sung and Kim Dong-wan are also planning to release their solo albums. Eric Moon is currently starring in the TV drama "Que Sera, Sera", while Jun Jin has just finished promoting his single album.
Lee Min-woo, who is also known as M, is establishing M Rising Entertainment. In a statement, he said M Rising would focus on producing records and training new artists. He will produce his third solo album, which will be released in June.
Andy Lee, the youngest member of Shinhwa, is also setting up his record label ND Entertainment. ND stands for New Dream.
Since Shinhwa members have focused on solo activities and the group has not released an album for nearly a year, there has been widespread speculations the group may be breaking up.
To allay the fans' fears, the group's management agency said Shinhwa will be releasing its 9th album in October. It also said Shinhwa will do promotions from October to December with concerts in Korea, China, Japan and around Asia.
Shinhwa recently marked their 9th anniversary. In 1998, they made their debut under S.M. Entertainment.
Despite competition from younger boy bands like TVXQ and Super Junior, Shinhwa remains one of the most popular groups in Korea and around Asia. Last year, the group held successful concerts in Japan, Thailand, Singapore and China.
Shinhwa released their 8th album "State of the Art" last May. Since then, Shinhwa has only released their Japanese language album and a special edition "Winter Story 2006-2007" album.
English 
US$5 off (order min. US$5)
