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All BLACKPINK Members Renew Contracts with Label YG

K-Pop band Blackpink's members, Lalisa "Lisa" Manoban, Roseanne "Rose" Park, Kim Ji-soo and Jennie Kim, pose with their medals following a special investiture ceremony to present them with Honorary MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire), at Buckingham Palace in London on November 22, 2023. (AFP)
K-Pop band Blackpink's members, Lalisa "Lisa" Manoban, Roseanne "Rose" Park, Kim Ji-soo and Jennie Kim, pose with their medals following a special investiture ceremony to present them with Honorary MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire), at Buckingham Palace in London on November 22, 2023. (AFP)
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All BLACKPINK Members Renew Contracts with Label YG

K-Pop band Blackpink's members, Lalisa "Lisa" Manoban, Roseanne "Rose" Park, Kim Ji-soo and Jennie Kim, pose with their medals following a special investiture ceremony to present them with Honorary MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire), at Buckingham Palace in London on November 22, 2023. (AFP)
K-Pop band Blackpink's members, Lalisa "Lisa" Manoban, Roseanne "Rose" Park, Kim Ji-soo and Jennie Kim, pose with their medals following a special investiture ceremony to present them with Honorary MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire), at Buckingham Palace in London on November 22, 2023. (AFP)

All members of the megastar girl group BLACKPINK renewed their contracts with YG Entertainment on Wednesday, the company said, ending speculation around their future and driving up shares in the leading K-pop label by over 20 percent.

Rumors surrounding BLACKPINK -- one of K-pop's most successful girl groups -- and their potential future plans have abounded since the quartet's original contracts expired in August, with local reports even claiming in September that member Lisa rejected YG's renewal offer.

But YG announced on Wednesday that all members -- Jenny, Lisa, Jisoo and Rose -- had renewed their contracts with the company for "group activities".

"After careful discussion with BLACKPINK, we signed an exclusive contract for group activities based on deep trust," the label said in a statement sent to AFP.

"With YG's full support, BLACKPINK plans to repay the love of fans around the world with activities commensurate with their global status, including the release of a new album and a large-scale world tour," it added.

BLACKPINK, who first emerged out of South Korea's wildly popular K-pop scene in 2016, has also been recognized for the group's efforts on climate advocacy.

Last month, the members were given one of Britain's most prestigious honors by King Charles III, for their work for the COP26 climate summit in 2021.

Their official YouTube channel has a staggering 92.3 million subscribers, making them one of the most subscribed artists in the world on the platform.

BLACKPINK's other achievements include being the first-ever K-pop girl group to reach the top of the US Billboard 200 chart, and the first Asian artists to headline prestigious music events such as Coachella.

YG, on the other hand, was at the center of the notorious "Burning Sun" entertainment and sex scandal -- which revolved around a Gangnam nightclub of the same name -- that rattled South Korea in 2018.

The label was hard hit when Seungri -- a former member of popular boyband BIGBANG and co-director of Burning Sun -- retired from show business in 2019 amid mounting criminal investigations.

He was later sentenced to 18 months in prison for offering women to potential investors for sexual services, among other charges.

YG Entertainment's shares were up 24.58 percent to 59,800 won in afternoon trading in Seoul.

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Comic-Con Fans Assemble as Marvel Eyes Major Reboot 

Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
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Comic-Con Fans Assemble as Marvel Eyes Major Reboot 

Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)

Comic-Con returns in full force to San Diego this week, where a hugely anticipated Marvel superhero film event is among the draws for tens of thousands of hyped-up fans dressed as fantasy heroes and sci-fi villains.

One of the world's largest pop culture events, Comic-Con began five decades ago as a humble comic book-themed gathering in a hotel basement, but today draws vast crowds and A-list stars promoting new movies and television shows.

Last year's edition was dampened by Hollywood strikes -- which prevented actors from attending, and quelled fan interest -- but Comic-Con is expected to draw 130,000 attendees back to the southern Californian city this time around.

The hottest ticket is the Saturday night Marvel movies presentation, at which parent company Disney is expected to unveil plans to reboot its mega-grossing superhero film franchise, after years of high-profile missteps.

The Marvel movies dominated Hollywood and global box offices for years, with 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time at more than $2.79 billion.

But the past few years have brought more flops than hits, as fans complained about over-complicated plotlines and mourned the departure of favorite characters like Robert Downey Jr's "Iron Man."

And the franchise has been rocked by domestic violence revelations about actor Jonathan Majors, who had been set to become the major new supervillain across multiple films.

Majors, who was convicted for assaulting and harassing his then-girlfriend, has been dropped by Marvel, but there is no word on who -- or what -- will replace him.

Saturday's presentation is expected to reveal how Disney will move forward without him, and has been billed as a potential "make or break" moment by some observers.

It will take place inside the 6,000-capacity Hall H, where many camp in line for days to gain access.

"If the company wants to lure in anyone besides the dwindling ranks of... diehards, it needs to bring the answer to these questions to Hall H," wrote Susana Polo, for entertainment news outlet Polygon.

- Aliens, Deadpool and Ancient Rome -

Also on the Comic-Con lineup from Disney are a look at "Alien: Romulus," the latest in the long-running sci-fi saga, and a "celebration" event for this weekend's major superhero release, "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Rival studio Warner, which runs the DC superhero movies, is keeping a lower profile, but will offer a glimpse at its Batman spinoff TV series "The Penguin," starring Colin Farrell.

Elsewhere, "Those About To Die," a bloody romp through Ancient Rome and its macabre world of chariot races and gladiator fights, starring Anthony Hopkins, will host multiple fan events.

Amazon's Prime Video will lift the lid on the second season of its "Lord of the Rings" television series, which aims to improve on the mixed reviews for its hugely expensive debut season two years ago.

And following the success of recent video game adaptations for the small screen such as "Fallout" and "The Last of Us," Amazon will take viewers into the underworld of Japanese crime lords with "Yakuza: Like a Dragon," based on the hit games from Sega.

But for many, Comic-Con is primarily a place to dress up as Disney characters or fearsome samurai warriors, and meet with like-minded fans to buy and trade comic books.

Comic-Con runs from Thursday until Sunday.