Korea aims to nurture more foreign K-pop trainees with special visa program

SEOUL, June 19 (AJU PRESS) - Foreigners aspiring to be K-pop stars are expected to benefit from a special visa program that allows them to stay in Korea for a longer period of time. This is part of plans, announced by the Ministry of Economy and Finance early this week, to attract more tourists from overseas and boost tourism. Currently, K-pop trainees under contracts with major talent mills can obtain an E-6 visa, enabling them to stay for up to two years, while those witho

June 19, 2024

Fifty Fifty to return with fresh lineup this fall

SEOUL, June 17 (AJU PRESS) - Girl band Fifty Fifty will return to the K-pop scene this fall with new members, according to their agency Attrackt. Initially planned for June, their comeback is now slated for September to allow for more preparation. "We planned to return to the stage in June, but decided to meet fans in September as we want to spend more time on final tune-ups," the agency said last week. "But we will release part of tracks ahead of the release of ou

June 17, 2024

Girl band aespa to meet fans in metaverse K-pop fan community

SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Girl band aespa will interact with global fans at a virtual K-pop hotel created on "Ifland," a metaverse platform developed by SK Telecom (SKT), starting on Monday. The Korean telecom operator announced the launch of the metaverse fan community titled "K-pop Hotel." This virtual fan community incorporates the unique features of K-pop artists using three-dimensional (3D) and extended reality (XR) technologies. The hotel spans 99 flo

June 10, 2024

G-Dragon joins KAIST as visiting professor

SEOUL, June 5 (AJU PRESS) - G-Dragon of boy band Big Bang has joined the Korea Institute of Science and Technology as a visiting professor, the tech-heavy school said Wednesday. He will offer lectures for graduate and undergraduate students in Department of Mechanical Engineering during his two-year tenure until June 2026. Known for his flamboyant style and interest in fashion, the singer is expected to bridge cutting-edge technology with pop culture, sharing his experiences as a

June 5, 2024

Netflix' erroneous Spanish subtitle for East Sea triggers anger among Koreans

SEOUL, June 5 (AJU PRESS) - Netflix's latest Korean hit series caused a stir by erroneously referring the East Sea as the "Sea of Japan" in its Spanish subtitle, reigniting patriotic Koreans' sentiments about the geographical name. "The 8 Show," which has been popular since its release last month, used the "unproper" exonym for Koreans in a scene where one male character sings Korea's national anthem. The erroneous description quickly r

June 5, 2024

SM Entertainment warns cyberbullies targeting boy band NCT members

SEOUL, June 5 (AJU PRESS) - SM Entertainment, one of Korea's iconic entertainment powerhouses, sent out a stern warning against cyberbullies on Wednesday, pledging to take legal action against groundless online rumors without leniency, regardless of who they are. The announcement came shortly after social media posts written in Japanese were uploaded early this week, accusing two members of the boy band NCT -- Johnny and Haechan -- of visiting a hotel with a fan in Japan. Thes

June 5, 2024

BTS' Jin set to meet fans after completing military service

SEOUL, June 4 (AJU PRESS) - Jin of boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, will make his return to fans next week after completing his mandatory military service for 18 months. He will be discharged from the military on June 12 and will meet fans in Seoul the following day, his management agency HYBE said in a press release early this week. June 13 marks the day when the iconic K-pop band made their debut in 2013. Jin, the eldest of the band, was the first to enlist in the army

June 4, 2024

BTS leader RM's another solo album debuts at 5th on Billboard 200

SEOUL, June 3 (AJU PRESS) — RM, the leader of Korean boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with his second solo album, the American music chart said last week. With the latest feat of his album "Right Place, Wrong Person" released late last month, RM became the first K-pop solo artist to have two consecutive top-5 hits on the chart including his first solo album "Indigo" in 2022 which debuted a

June 3, 2024

NewJeans make this year's 21 Under 21 list on Billboard

SEOUL, June 03 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop girl band NewJeans made this year's 21 under 21 list released by Billboard last week, along with global pop stars like 4batz, Jessie Murph and Tate McRae. The five members of the band have "established a singular presence in K-pop since debuting just two years ago," the American music chart said last Friday. The annual list recognizes "the most innovative and influential young artists in the music industry" based on var

June 3, 2024

KAIST, G-Dragon agency collaborate on technology development for K-pop industry

SEOUL, May 28 (AJU PRESS) - The state-run Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) has partnered with Galaxy Corp., an artificial intelligence and metaverse start-up, to develop cutting-edge technologies to power the K-pop industry. Galaxy specializes in combining artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies with entertainment content. The company is also well known for representing K-pop star G-Dragon. The two entities signed a memorandum of under

May 28, 2024