Latest news with #Pepero
Hype Malaysia
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
(Video) TXT Fans Lose It Over Soobin & Hueningkai's Pepero Challenge ‘Kiss'
If you're unfamiliar with the world of K-pop, you may not realise just how popular the Pepero Challenge is. The game involves two idols (usually of the same gender and from the same group), with one holding one end of a Pepero biscuit in their mouth while the other bites the opposite end until it breaks. This means there's always the possibility of their lips touching. The game may seem innocent enough, but fans are always quick to react to this kind of skinship between members. TOMORROW X TOGETHER (투모로우바이투게더) are the latest idol group to take on the challenge, and the video has caused a meltdown across social media. Watch: Over the weekend, SBSKPOP X Inkigayo shared a video featuring members of TXT taking part in various games and challenges during the latest episode of their variety segment. One of the highlights was the famous Pepero Challenge. Leader Soobin (수빈) and maknae Hueningkai (휴닝카이) teamed up for the game, and the result sent fans into a frenzy. Before starting, the 22-year-old asked his older member for consent, warning that he was planning to go 'all in' to complete the challenge. Sure enough, the singer did just that. As seen in the screenshots above, Hueningkai tilted his head while gently holding Soobin's as he ate the Pepero biscuit from his end, continuing until their lips appeared to touch, leaving just a 1cm piece of the treat. The challenge continued with the other members also taking part – Beomgyu (범규) was paired with Taehyun (태현), while Hueningkai had to do the challenge again, this time with Yeonjun (최연준). Soobin and Hueningkai's Pepero Challenge instantly went viral online, with MOAs (TXT fans) and K-pop enthusiasts alike expressing both amusement and surprise. Many were excited by the two members taking the challenge to the extreme, while others shared clips of other idols who have also gone viral for participating in this intimate game. Fans also defended TXT against 'queerbaiting' allegations, emphasising that the members are simply very comfortable with each other and that their music sales continue to thrive. Would you take on the challenge with your group members? Do you think you can break Soobin and Hueningkai's record? Watch the full episode below, or skip to 26:40 for the viral moment: Sources: YouTube, Twitter (1)(2)
News18
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
TXT Fans Can't Keep Calm As Kai And Soobin Share ‘Kiss' In Inkigayo Episode
Last Updated: Tomorrow X Together's (TXT) Soobin and Hueningkai have set the internet ablaze with their alleged kiss. Tomorrow X Together (TXT) members Soobin and Hueningkai—also known as Kai—have sent their fandom into a frenzy yet again. A clip from the K-pop band's Inkigayo episode, which came out on May 16, has gone viral. The members, in the video, were challenged to play a classic game—Pepero—where two people must nibble on a cookie stick using just their mouths. The one who ends up with the shortest remaining piece wins. While Taehyun-Beomgyu and Yeonjun-Hueningkai made great efforts to win the game, it was Soobin and Kai who stole the show. The moment which made the fans' jaws drop happened when the last centimetre of the cookie was left, however, Kai refused to back down. He got so close in an attempt to win the game that his lips almost brushed against Soobin's. Kai grabbed Soobin by his neck to bridge the gap when the latter stepped back momentarily. The 'kiss' left the members in splits. The now-viral clip has made Moments of Alwaysness (MOA)—TXT's fandom—come up with the most hilarious reactions. Some were shocked, others laughed the entire event away, while a few claimed they needed a little time to 'cool down" after witnessing the scene. TXT's Soobin and Kai are very close in a recent video. — About Music (@AboutMusicYT) May 16, 2025 One of the users said that if they had been in Soobin's position, they would have fallen for Kai. 'I would question what we are every time I met Kai's eyes after all that," they added. Some fans declared Kai the 'real kisser" of the group and another one joked they want to be a TXT member in the next life. However, some users also accused them of queerbaiting. What's New With TXT? Soobin and Yeonjun recently appeared as guest stars in the Netflix K-drama Resident Playbook. They played members of a fictional boy group HI-BOYZ. The plot traced the life of former idol Um Jae-Il, portrayed by Kang You-Seok, with the trio even filming a special performance for the series. Their song When the Day Comes was released as part of the OST. HI-BOYZ will appear on M Countdown soon. First Published:
Korea Herald
15-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Lotte Mart debuts in Singapore with K-grocery store
Korean retail giant Lotte Mart is entering the Singaporean market for the first time, led by its private brand products. The supermarket chain announced Thursday the opening of its first Korean grocery specialty store, Lotte Mart Express, at the FairPrice Xtra VivoCity branch, operated by Singapore's largest retailer, NTUC FairPrice. Unlike the traditional method of overseas expansion through direct store openings, the store operates in a "shop-in-shop" format to help secure a stable profit structure and raise brand awareness. The opening ceremony was attended by Shin Yoo-yeol, the eldest son of Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and head of the Future Strategy Office at Lotte Holdings; Kang Sung-hyun, CEO of Lotte Mart; and Vipul Chawla, CEO of NTUC FairPrice Group. The 149-square-meter store features a wide range of Lotte Mart's private brand products, including processed foods and ready-to-cook meals under its brand, Yorihada. The special deli section, Yorihada Kitchen, includes an open kitchen and dining area, offering popular Korean dishes like tteokbokki, gimbap and fried chicken. According to Lotte Mart, the recipes were developed by chefs at its Food Innovation Center to deliver authentic Korean flavors. Lotte Mart also announced plans to supply its PB food products to more than 100 FairPrice stores across Singapore. The store includes a dedicated Lotte Zone that highlights popular PB items along with signature products from Lotte Wellfood and Lotte Chilsung. Over 100 PB products will be on display, along with classic Korean favorites like Pepero, Choco Pie and Chilsung Cider. Customers can also enjoy an on-site ramyeon and browse through top products from well-known Korean food brands like CJ and Ottogi. The entry into Singapore marks the first expansion of Lotte Mart's Southeast Asian retail territory in 17 years. Since opening its first stores in Indonesia and Vietnam in 2008, Lotte Mart has continuously expanded its operations, currently running 48 and 15 stores in each country. As a result of directly integrating Korean grocery stores into local markets, sales at Southeast Asian branches in the first quarter of this year rose by 9.5 percent and operating profit by 20.6 percent. 'Lotte Mart Express is a store where Lotte's leading retail and food companies synergize to present the taste and culture of Korea,' Lotte Mart CEO Kang Sung-hyun said. 'Based on over 20 years of overseas business experience, Lotte Mart plans to successfully establish itself in the Singapore market, promote K-food and create a future hub for PB exports in Southeast Asia.'
Korea Herald
14-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea's chocolate prices soar as cocoa shortages shake global supply
Chocolate lovers in South Korea are feeling the sting this Valentine's Day as soaring global cocoa prices drive up the cost of their favorite treats. Over the past year, the price of cocoa -- the essential ingredient in chocolate -- has skyrocketed 92 percent, reaching $11,310 per ton on Feb. 12. This marks a staggering increase from $2,400-$2,500 per ton in early 2022, and with ongoing supply shortages, prices are unlikely to drop anytime soon. In response, South Korean retailers have hiked chocolate prices across the board. Starting this year, a three-piece Ferrero Rocher set, a popular Valentine's Day gift, now costs 3,000 won ($2.07), up from 2,700 won, while an eight-piece heart-shaped box has risen to 11,000 won, up from 10,000 won. Pepero, Korea's iconic chocolate-coated pretzel stick, will see its price increase from 1,700 won to 2,000 won starting Feb. 17. Even premium brands are making adjustments -- Godiva has cut the size of its Chocolate Layer Cake by over 30 percent (from 540g to 370g) while maintaining its 43,000 won price. Meanwhile, high-end hotels are introducing luxury chocolates, with some priced at nearly 9,000 won per piece. The crisis stems from West Africa, where more than two-thirds of the world's cocoa supply is produced. Cocoa trees require stable temperatures between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius and annual rainfall of 1,500-2,000 millimeters, but climate change is making weather patterns increasingly erratic. Last summer, Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producer, experienced 40 percent more rainfall than usual, causing floods, landslides and the spread of bud blight, a disease that devastated crops. Then, in December, an unexpected drought hit the region, further damaging cocoa yields. As a result, the International Cocoa Organization forecasts that global cocoa production for the 2023-2024 season will drop by 13 percent compared to the previous year. The situation is expected to worsen, as scientists warn that rising temperatures will make cocoa farming even more difficult. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has highlighted the growing risks of droughts and floods in cocoa-growing regions, while a Wageningen University & Research study predicts that by 2060, up to 50 percent of cocoa plantations in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon could disappear.
