Bucheon's annual film fest kicks off with focus on AI

SEOUL, July 4 (AJU PRESS) - The annual Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) kicked off its 11-day run with a star-studded red carpet event at a venue, west of Seoul on Thursday. The Asia's largest genre film festival, featuring primarily horror, thriller and sci-fi movies, will showcase about 255 short and feature films from 49 countries this year. With a focus on the rising trend of artificial intelligence, the festival, in its 28th year, exp

July 4, 2024

BTS' Jin to 'carry Paris Olympic torch'

SEOUL, July 3 (AJU PRESS) - Jin of K-pop boy band BTS is expected to serve as one of torchbearers for the upcoming Paris Olympics this summer, industry sources said on Tuesday. Specific details have not been confirmed yet. As a traditional ritual, the Olympic flame was lit from Greece's ancient city of Olympia in April, beginning the torch relay for this year's quadrennial global sporting event. About 11,000 torchbearers have carried the flame through around 400 Fre

July 3, 2024

Virtual artist Suvi to debut with dance single 'Suncream'

SEOUL, July 3 (AJU PRESS) - Suvi, a virtual artist created by Korean tech startup Studio Meta-K, will debut with the single "Suncream" on July 11. In this dance track, the 22-year-old digital being tells the story of a mermaid coming ashore in search of love but falling for summer instead. A teaser music video for the song will be released on Sunday. Suvi is a member of Studio MetaK's virtual artist group "Season." Standing at 170 centimeters (5'7"

July 3, 2024

NewJeans' Hanni takes Japanese fans by storm with nostalgic song

SEOUL, July 2 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop girl band NewJeans captivated some 90,000 Japanese fans during their gigs at the Tokyo Dome in Japan last week. The quintet, consisting of Danielle, Haerin, Hanni, Hyein and Minji, held the two-day concerts on June 26 and 27 to promote their Japanese debut album. The highlight of the concerts came when Vietnamese-Australian Hanni performed a fresh rendition of Japanese oldie "Aoi Sangoshou," meaning "blue coral reef" in Englis

July 2, 2024

Actor Gang Dong-won invited to join Motion Picture Academy

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - Actor Gang Dong-won has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy, which awards the Oscars, released a list of 487 new invitees including 71 Oscar nominees for this year. The Korean heartthrob was included in the list. Once they accept, these invitees earn voting rights at next year's Oscars, the most prestigious film awards in the U.S. Gang, renowned for his roles in films like "Broker" (2022)

June 27, 2024

Jay Park teases upcoming single with steamy images

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - Park Jae-beum, also known as Jay Park, is generating some buzz for his upcoming single slated for release this weekend, by unveiling some provocative images. According to his management agency, his new single, "McNasty," a hip hop track with "catchy hook and straightforward lyrics" is set to be released on June 30. Earlier in the week, the Korean-American singer uploaded a somewhat provocative picture of himself half-naked on a bed

June 27, 2024

Peruvian K-pop girl band hold debut showcase in Seoul

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - Rookie K-pop girl band BlingOne, without any Korean members at all, made their debut in Seoul on Wednesday. Consisting of three Peruvian members – Abigail, Kenny and Ruby, they are set to embark on their activities in Korea and overseas as the first-ever K-pop girl band from South America. They were formed through the World K-Pop Center's global audition project "Click the Star," which aims to discover and nurture new talen

June 27, 2024

Virtual artists rise as K-pop embraces AI celebrities

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - Rookie singer iaaa has garnered over 137,000 views on YouTube with her debut single "Our Season." In the heartfelt mid-tempo ballad, her warm, delicate voice sings of first love, with her rippling hair, sparkling eyes and gentle movements evoking an innocent springtime romance. However, none of these are real. Composed entirely of pixels, code and a synthetic voice, iaaa is the latest in a throng of virtual artists to emerge in the vibrant Korean

June 26, 2024

Kara set to return with new album next month

SEOUL, June 24 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop girl group Kara will resume their activities with the release of a new album next month. Currently consisting of five members - Park Gyu-ri, Han Seung-yeon, Heo Young-ji, Kang Ji-young and Nicole, Kara will reunite for the album slated for release in July, according to the five-member band's management agency last week. Their return to the K-pop music scene comes nearly two years after they released a special album in November 2022 to celebr

June 24, 2024

NewJeans' Japanese debut album tops Oricon chart 

SEOUL, June 24 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop girl group NewJeans topped Japan's major music chart with their Japanese debut album. The quintet's four-track album, "Supernatural," ascended to No. 1 on the Oricon's daily singles chart on June 21, immediately after its release and remained there the following day. First released in 1968, the chart serves as one of key indicators for gauging the popularity of songs and albums in the island country. "Supernatural&q

June 24, 2024