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Hallyu Wiki explainers · Hallyu Wiki editors · Updated 2026-10-13

October 2026 K-pop comebacks: IVE, ILLIT and RIIZE on the same day

Eighteen October releases — already out and still to come — by date, title and agency, plus what same-day releases and the word "comeback" mean and what to watch, drawn from 20 press reports. The first in a monthly series.

On October 26, 2026, IVE, ILLIT and RIIZE all release new music on the same day. The Korea Times counts more than a dozen notable October releases, building to that date. IVE brings the mini album Looks Can Kill, ILLIT its fifth mini album BREAK EVEN, and RIIZE a prologue single ahead of a second full-length album due in spring 2027.

The calendar is crowded before that, too. On Oct. 12 alone NCT WISH, PLAVE, Xdinary Heroes and MEOVV returned and Sung Han-bin made his solo debut; NMIXX follows on Oct. 19, and Lisa and BABYMONSTER on Oct. 23. The table below lists only dates confirmed in press reports of agency announcements, with a source number on every entry.

Release dateTitle / formatActAgency and notes
Oct 2 (Fri)Digital single "Rare Woman" (보기 드문 여자)Choi Ye-naYH Entertainment. A remake of the Block B song of the same name from its 2014 fourth mini album HER, featuring rapper 나우아임영 (Now I'm Young). Already released.2,8
Oct 6 (Tue)Fifth mini album KICK OFF THE WALL Pt. 1KickFlipJYP Entertainment. Released at 6 p.m. The group's first double lead singles ("미완성" and "Kick Off The Wall (Feat. iann dior)"), with a comeback stage on Mnet M2 at 7 p.m. the same day. Already released.2,7
Oct 8 (Thu)Second solo mini album 二十七 (27)YUQI, I-dleCube Entertainment. A solo release by i-dle member YUQI, who co-wrote and co-composed every track. Already released.2,9
Oct 12 (Mon)Fourth mini album I SPYNCT WishSM Entertainment. Released at 6 p.m.; the lead single is also titled "I SPY." Already released.1,2,10
Oct 12 (Mon)First solo EP DEAD:ALIVESung Han-bin, ZerobaseoneSolo debut by Sung Han-bin, former leader of ZEROBASEONE. Released at 6 p.m.; lead single "UNDEAD." The reports checked do not name his agency. Already released.1,2,11
Oct 12 (Mon)Fifth mini album HYPERDRIVEPlaveVLAST. A virtual group. Digital release at 6 p.m. on Oct 12; the physical album followed on Oct 13. Already released.1,2,12
Oct 12 (Mon)Ninth mini album IMPULSEXdinary HeroesJYP Entertainment. A band. Released at 6 p.m. Already released.1,2,13
Oct 12 (Mon)Single GO HARDMeovvTHE BLACK LABEL. Released at 6 p.m., about four months after the group's previous release. Already released.1,2,14
Oct 19 (Mon)Sixth mini album Strange MuseNmixxJYP Entertainment. Due at 6 p.m.; lead single "긴 소원" (Birthday Wish).1,2,15
Oct 19 (Mon)Prerelease track "Looks Can Kill"IveStarship Entertainment. The title track arrives a week ahead of the mini album of the same name.1,4
Oct 19 (Mon)First unit mini album DREAMSCAPEJeonghan X Joshua, SeventeenPledis Entertainment. The first unit album by SEVENTEEN members Jeonghan and Joshua.2,16
Oct 23 (Fri)Solo EP PRESS PLAYLisaNewsis reported the date citing Sony Music Entertainment Korea. The Sept. 4 single "SaWaDiKa" is the EP's prerelease track.1,17
Oct 23 (Fri)New song (title not yet announced)BabymonsterYG Entertainment. Due at 1 p.m. A "coming soon" poster on YG's official blog gave only the date; the title and format had not been announced.1,18
Oct 26 (Mon)Fifth mini album BREAK EVENIllitBelift Lab (a HYBE label). Due at 6 p.m.; lead single "체포하겠어."1,2,3,5
Oct 26 (Mon)Mini album Looks Can KillIveStarship Entertainment. The group's first album in about eight months, since the full-length REVIVE+ in February.1,2,4
Oct 26 (Mon)Prologue single (title not yet announced)RiizeSM Entertainment. A lead-in to the group's second full-length album due in spring 2027, announced at its third-anniversary fan meeting.1,2,3,6
Oct 27 (Tue)Second mini album Sequence 02: AttractionAnd2bleYH Entertainment. Due at 6 p.m.; the group's first comeback, about five months after its May debut.1,3,19
Oct 28 (Wed)Third mini album i=!XlovDue at 6 p.m.; the date was announced with a promotion schedule on the group's official social media. The report checked does not name the agency.1,20

Oct. 26: what is known about why three acts land on one day

The Korea Times counts more than a dozen notable October releases, building to Oct. 26, when three of the industry's biggest names put out new music at once. SPOTV News likewise wrote that popular groups releasing one after another within a month set up a "comeback war." Each date, however, was announced separately by its own agency: Starship Entertainment revealed IVE's through "coming soon" teasers, RIIZE's came in a video at the group's third-anniversary fan meeting, and ILLIT's came from Belift Lab. None of the reports checked for this page say why the three agencies picked the same day. What the reports do show is each act's own cycle: IVE returns about eight months after its February full-length REVIVE+, and RIIZE's single is the first step toward a second full-length album in spring 2027.

1,3,4,5,6

What "comeback" means

To international readers "comeback" can sound like a return from retirement or a long break, but in K-pop coverage it simply means an act returning with new music. MEOVV's "GO HARD" arrived only four months after its previous release and was still reported as a comeback "after four months." AND2BLE's Oct. 27 mini album, about five months after its May debut, is likewise called a comeback. A first release under a new name, by contrast, is a debut rather than a comeback: Sung Han-bin's DEAD:ALIVE was introduced as his first solo EP, and Jeonghan and Joshua's DREAMSCAPE as their first unit album. This calendar therefore mixes comebacks with solo and unit debuts.

11,14,16,19

What to watch: release time, prereleases, first stages, first-week numbers

  • Most releases drop at 6 p.m. Korea time. KickFlip, NCT WISH, PLAVE, Xdinary Heroes, MEOVV, Sung Han-bin, NMIXX, ILLIT, AND2BLE and XLOV were all reported for 6 p.m.; BABYMONSTER's song is set for 1 p.m.1,2,7,10,11,12,13,14,18,19,20
  • Prerelease tracks. IVE puts out "Looks Can Kill" on Oct. 19, a week before its mini album, and Lisa's September single "SaWaDiKa" is the prerelease track for her October EP. In IVE's case, the song is out before the crowded Oct. 26 date.4,17
  • First stages. A music-show stage is sometimes scheduled on release day itself: KickFlip announced a comeback stage on Mnet M2 at 7 p.m., an hour after release. The reports checked as of this writing do not give music-show schedules for the three Oct. 26 acts.7
  • Streaming charts and first-week sales. According to Ilgan Sports, "뱅뱅" (Bang Bang) from IVE's previous album REVIVE+ topped Korea's major streaming charts for a "perfect all-kill," the group's sixth. AND2BLE's May debut album sold about 730,000 copies in its first week. Figures like these are often the yardstick for a new release. Physical albums can also arrive later than the digital release: PLAVE's came out on Oct. 13, the day after its music.4,12,19
1,4,7,10,11,12,13,14,17,18,19,20

How to read this calendar

Only dates confirmed by press reports of agency notices or official social media are listed, each with its source number below. For BABYMONSTER's new song and RIIZE's prologue single, only the date has been officially announced; the titles have not. Items from Oct. 1 to 12 have already been released; items from Oct. 19 on are scheduled. This page will be updated if a release is delayed or a title is announced. The series continues monthly in the same format.

Reading paths

Starter · 10 articlesGirl Groups Now: 4th and 5th GenerationFrom newcomers Katseye, Babymonster and Illit back to Le Sserafim, NewJeans, Ive, Aespa and I-dle, past the end of Unis, and out to the full list of girl groups. Starter · 10 articlesK-pop Generations: From Seo Taiji to KatseyeStart at BTS, rewind to Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992, then ride forward through the groups that reset the game in every generation, back to Katseye today.

Related articles

Ive Illit Riize NCT Wish Plave KickFlip Xdinary Heroes Meovv Nmixx Babymonster And2ble Xlov Lisa K-pop

Sources

  1. press The Korea Times, IVE, Illit, RIIZE collide as October K-pop comeback race heats up, 2026-10-06
  2. press 에스콰이어 코리아, 10월 컴백 '아이돌' 총정리, 2026-10-02
  3. press SPOTV뉴스, 엔시티 위시·아일릿→라이즈·앤더블…10월 가요계는 '컴백 전쟁'[초점S], 2026-09-20
  4. press 일간스포츠, 아이브 신드롬 계속된다…10월 26일 '룩스 캔 킬' 컴백, 2026-09-28
  5. press iMBC연예, 아일릿, 훈훈한 추석 인사 "우리가 보름달 되어 줄 것", 2026-09-24
  6. press 미주중앙일보, 라이즈, 내년 정규 2집 컴백 확정..10월 26일 프롤로그 싱글 발매, 2026-09-13
  7. press iMBC연예, 킥플립, '미완성' 청춘 노래한다…"뭘 해도 우린 아름다울 거니까", 2026-09-23
  8. press 더팩트, [TF초점] 최예나, 만화 밖으로 나온 '보기 드문 여자', 2026-10-08
  9. press 일간스포츠, 아이들, 소연 이어 우기 솔로로 실력·존재감 이어간다 [줌인], 2026-10-03
  10. press 더팩트, NCT WISH, 새 앨범 'I SPY' 발매…설레는 '고백송', 2026-10-12
  11. press 스타데일리뉴스, 제로베이스원(ZEROBASEONE) 성한빈, 오늘(12일) 첫 솔로 EP 'DEAD:ALIVE' 발매, 2026-10-12
  12. press 스타데일리뉴스, 플레이브, 오늘(12일) 다섯 번째 미니앨범 '하이퍼드라이브' 발매, 2026-10-12
  13. press 뉴시스, '5인조 재편' 엑스디너리 히어로즈 "낭비된 젊음조차 우릴 숨 쉬게 해", 2026-10-12
  14. press 더팩트, 미야오, 4개월 만에 컴백 확정…'GO HARD' 발매 예고, 2026-10-01
  15. press 더팩트, [TF초점] 엔믹스, 푸른 사랑이 보랏빛 소원이 되기까지, 2026-10-13
  16. press 뉴스컬처, 정한X조슈아, 첫 유닛 'DREAMSCAPE' 콘셉트컷 오픈…감각적 황홀경, 2026-09-28
  17. press 뉴시스, 리사, 오늘 새 싱글 '사와디카' 발매…내달 새 앨범 공개, 2026-09-04
  18. press 파이낸셜뉴스, 베이비몬스터, 23일 신곡 발표…4개월 만에 초고속 컴백, 2026-10-06
  19. press 더팩트, 앤더블, 27일 미니 2집 컴백…호기심 다음은 끌림, 2026-10-06
  20. press 텐아시아, '젠더프리' 엑스러브, 10월 28일 컴백 확정…미니 3집 나온다, 2026-09-30
Cite this page

“October 2026 K-pop comebacks: IVE, ILLIT and RIIZE on the same day.” Hallyu Wiki. https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/kpop-comebacks-2026-10/ (Retrieved 2026-10-13).

How this article was made: read official statements, court/regulator records and at least two independent outlets; community posts are used only as attention signals. Written by Hallyu Wiki editors with AI assistance — check the sources. Request a correction