Cho Min-gyu brings a comeback EP to his solo concert 'Sweet Escape'

Cho Min-gyu of the crossover group Forestella took the stage for a solo concert carrying a new EP, his first in four years and nine months. According to the entry registered with KOPIS, Korea's performing-arts information system, Cho Min-gyu Solo Concert, MONO DRAMA: Sweet Escape played at 6 p.m. on both Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September at the Woori WON Banking Hall (formerly SOL Travel Hall) of Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

The concert is tied to a new record. Cho released his second EP, 'Sweet Escape', on 10 September, and these shows were the first time its songs were performed live. Parana Entertainment presented, planned and produced the run.

Performance details

How much did tickets cost?

There were two grades: 143,000 KRW on the first floor and 132,000 KRW on the second. The KOPIS price notice lists the door price at 143,000 KRW as well, the same as a first-floor seat.

What kind of album is the new EP 'Sweet Escape'?

Released on 10 September, the second EP carries seven tracks including the title song 'Next to You'. It is built on bossa nova with jazz and pop worked through it, made together with ButterFly, the producing team led by the hit songwriter Hwang Sung-je. The title track is written as a marriage proposal and credits Cho as a co-composer. It is his first new record since the debut EP 'Shinsegae: PARANA' in December 2021, a gap of four years and nine months. The concert poster carries the same idea: against a pastel sky, Cho holds a bunch of balloons shaped like cake, cookies and doughnuts in one hand and a suitcase in the other.

Which season of MONO DRAMA is this?

Counting by the year attached to the brand, this is the third. The series began with the solo concert 'MONO DRAMA' on 2–3 March 2024 at the Grand Theatre of Kwangwoon University's Donghae Arts Centre, drawing roughly 3,000 people across two days, and an encore followed at the same venue on 30–31 March. In 2025 it moved to Blue Square, where two instalments went up a week apart: 'MONO DRAMA 2025: GARDEN BREEZE' on 1–2 March and 'CITY BREEZE' on 8–9 March. KOPIS holds three Cho Min-gyu solo concerts in total — the two from 2025 and this 'Sweet Escape' — making it his first Blue Square run in a year and a half.

What is the venue like?

Blue Square sits on Itaewon-ro in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The Woori WON Banking Hall used for this concert is registered with KOPIS at 1,373 seats, listed with 'SOL Travel Hall' as its former name. It is the smaller of the building's two halls, and it is where Cho staged both of his 2025 MONO DRAMA runs as well.