Year of the Ox for BTS’ Jungkook, Song Joong-ki, Blackpink’s Lisa and Rosé – what does the new lunar year have in store for these K-pop and K-drama stars?

Feb 3 , 2021

From left, Song Joong-ki, Jungkook from BTS, and Rose from Blackpink were all born in the Year of the Ox so 2021 promises to be an important year for them. Photo: @realkiaile, @bts__jungk00k, @roses_are_rosie/Instagram

A newly blond Jungkook joined the band in picking up a bonsang award for Dynamite at Korea’s Golden Disk Awards – how about a Grammy too?

Lisa and Rosé both release their first solo singles, while Song Joong-ki comes to 190 countries on Netflix with new sci-fi film Space Sweepers

The Year of the Metal Ox is almost upon us. If your Chinese zodiac sign is the ox, you’re probably extra excited to see what the year will bring – as no doubt are the many K-stars who were born under the same sign.

Here’s what a few of the most high-profile Korean icons and idols can look forward to for their special year.

Song Joong-ki stars in new movie Space Sweepers

Korean stars Song Joong-ki and Kim Tae-ri will both appear in the movie Space Sweepers. Photos: @songjoongki.kg; @kimtaeri_1/Instagram

The news of Song Joong-ki making his first movie since his divorce from Song Hye-kyo went viral last year. He’s set to star in Space Sweepers, a sci-fi caper skipping cinemas and going straight to Netflix. The South Korean blockbuster will also star Kim Tae-ri, wife of evergreen K-pop star Rain, and was supposed to premiere last summer, but was postponed at least twice due to the pandemic. Instead it will reach 190 different countries in 31 different languages thanks to Netflix, surely making it one of the biggest events in Song’s Year of the Metal Ox – or indeed any year.

In a new year’s greeting video released by his agency, History D&C, the 1985-born Song also revealed he is currently working on upcoming K-drama Vincenzo, which tells the story of an Italian mafioso who comes to South Korea after a betrayal and tries to take revenge by teaming up with a veteran lawyer. Song plays the lead role in the drama set to premiere on February 20.

Will Jungkook set more milestones with BTS?

Jungkook, a member of South Korean K-pop band BTS, during a press conference for the group’s album Be in November 2020. Photo: AP

Born in 1997, worldwide K-pop star Jungkook also marks 2021 as his year. And online K-pop poll Idol Chart recently ranked him as the most “promising K-pop star of 2021”.