K-Pop Star Suga Tests Positive for COVID-19 after BTS Return from US

Suga, songwriter and rapper for K-pop sensation BTS, has tested positive for the coronavirus. (Reuters)
Suga, songwriter and rapper for K-pop sensation BTS, has tested positive for the coronavirus. (Reuters)
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K-Pop Star Suga Tests Positive for COVID-19 after BTS Return from US

Suga, songwriter and rapper for K-pop sensation BTS, has tested positive for the coronavirus. (Reuters)
Suga, songwriter and rapper for K-pop sensation BTS, has tested positive for the coronavirus. (Reuters)

Suga, songwriter and rapper for K-pop sensation BTS, has tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from in-person concerts in the United States, the group's management said on Friday.

Suga, 28, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Friday during his self quarantine upon his return home on Thursday, according to Bit Hit Music .

He had received his second COVID-19 vaccination in August, had not come in contact with any other members recently and was not showing any symptoms, the company said.

"He is currently administering self-care at home," it said in a statement. "We see the artists' health as our top priority, and will do everything we can to aid SUGA in his speedy recovery."

The band has had "a number of personal engagements in the United States" after holding their first in-person concerts in Los Angeles since the start of the pandemic.

Big Hit has said BTS would take a break over year-end holidays and prepare for a new concert and album.

Since their 2013 debut, BTS has spearheaded a global K-Pop craze with catchy, upbeat music and dances, as well as lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people.

The group won the top prize of artist of the year at the American Music Awards for the first time in November, and best pop song for their summer hit "Butter," among other awards.

As the pandemic swept the world, BTS postponed and then called off what would have been their biggest global tour involving nearly 40 concerts last year, resorting to online shows.



‘Lilo & Stitch’ Passes ‘Sinners’ to Become 2nd Highest Grossing Film of 2025

Chris Sanders, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Courtney B. Vance, Kaipo Dudoit, Amy Hill and Stitch attend a premiere for the film "Lilo & Stitch" in Los Angeles, California, US, May 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Chris Sanders, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Courtney B. Vance, Kaipo Dudoit, Amy Hill and Stitch attend a premiere for the film "Lilo & Stitch" in Los Angeles, California, US, May 17, 2025. (Reuters)
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‘Lilo & Stitch’ Passes ‘Sinners’ to Become 2nd Highest Grossing Film of 2025

Chris Sanders, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Courtney B. Vance, Kaipo Dudoit, Amy Hill and Stitch attend a premiere for the film "Lilo & Stitch" in Los Angeles, California, US, May 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Chris Sanders, Billy Magnussen, Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Courtney B. Vance, Kaipo Dudoit, Amy Hill and Stitch attend a premiere for the film "Lilo & Stitch" in Los Angeles, California, US, May 17, 2025. (Reuters)

“Lilo & Stich” and “Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning” dominated the box office charts again after fueling a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend. Theaters in the US and Canada had several new films to offer this weekend as well, including Sony’s family friendly “Karate Kid: Legends” and the A24 horror movie “Bring Her Back.” According to studio estimates Sunday, it added up to a robust $145 million post-holiday weekend that’s up over 115% from the same timeframe last year.

Disney’s live-action hybrid “Lilo & Stitch” took first place again with $63 million from 4,410 locations in North America. It was enough to pass “Sinners” to become the second-highest grossing movie of the year with $280.1 million in domestic ticket sales. Globally, it's running total is $610.8 million. “Sinners,” meanwhile, is still going strong in its seventh weekend with another $5.2 million, bumping it to $267.1 million domestically and $350.1 million globally.

The eighth “Mission: Impossible” movie also repeated in second place, with $27.3 million from 3,861 locations. As with “Lilo & Stitch,” that's down 57% from its opening. With $122.6 million in domestic tickets sold, it’s performing in line with the two previous installments. But with a reported production budget of $400 million, profitability is a ways off. Internationally, it added $76.1 million (including $25.2 million from China where it just opened), bringing its global total to $353.8 million.

Leading the newcomers was Sony’s “Karate Kid: Legends,” with an estimated $21 million from 3,809 locations. The movie brings Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio together to train a new kid, the kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang). Chan starred in a 2010 reboot of the 1984 original, while Macchio has found a new generation of fans in the series “Cobra Kai,” which just concluded a six-season run.

Reviews might have been mixed, but opening weekend audiences gave the PG-13 rated film a strong A- CinemaScore and 4.5 stars on PostTrak. It also only cost a reported $45 million to produce and has several weeks until a new family-friendly film arrives.

Fourth place went “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” which earned $10.8 million in its third weekend. The movie is the highest-grossing in the franchise, not accounting for inflation, with $229.3 million globally.

The weekend’s other big newcomer, “Bring Her Back” rounded out the top five with $7.1 million from 2,449 screens. Starring Sally Hawkins as a foster mother with some disturbing plans, the film is the sophomore feature of twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, who made the 2023 horror breakout “Talk to Me.” It earned a rare-for-horror B+ CinemaScore and is essentially the only new film in the genre until “28 Years Later” opens on June 20.

A new Wes Anderson movie, “The Phoenician Scheme,” also debuted in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, where it made $270,000. It expands nationwide next weekend.

The summer box office forecast remains promising, though there’s a long way to go to get to the $4 billion target (a pre-pandemic norm that only the “Barbenheimer” summer has surpassed). The month of May is expected to close out with $973 million – up 75% from May 2024, according to data from Comscore.