2PM to release new album mid-November

Boy band 2PM will make a comeback to the music scene with a new album next month, according to their agency on Friday.

The formerly seven-member group will be resuming their activities officially for the first time without leader Park Jae-beom who quit the group in early August.

"They are currently in preparations to release their new album around mid-November," a PR manager at JYP Entertainment told 10Asia over the phone.

She said the group will also probably give their comeback performance around the same time but has yet to set the details.

Fans have been protesting against Park's departure, calling for the former leader to be reinstated into the group but JYP founder and CEO Park Jin-young had declared 2PM would continue its activities with its remaining six members.

Park, 22, had come under heat over controversial comments he made about Korea on his MySpace account before his debut. He quit the group four days after the comments became public and returned to his hometown Seattle on September 8.

2PM has been one of the most popular idol groups in Korea since making their debut in 2008.

Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr