Girl band TWICE to drop new full-length album in July

SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - K-pop girl band TWICE will release a new album in July. More than a month ahead of the album's release slated for July 11, their management agency JYP Entertainment teased fans with a video on social media earlier this week. The 14-minute teaser clip shows all nine members in blue outfits, with clues hinting at the impending release of their fourth full-length album "This Is For." The upcoming album comes nearly four years after their last full

May 22, 2025

'Mission: Impossible' final installment draws over 1 million viewers in less than a week

SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning" attracted over 1 million moviegoers less than a week after its release here last week, distributor Lotte Entertainment said on Wednesday. The eighth and final installment in the action-packed franchise, released last Saturday, swept the box office by drawing about 424,000 viewers on its opening day alone. The Hollywood blockbuster starring its perennial star Tom Cruise achieved the feat in just five days si

May 21, 2025

Boy band RIIZE to embark on world tour to promote first full-length album

SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - K-pop boy band RIIZE will embark on their first world tour in July, riding the momentum of their new album released earlier this week. Starting with a three-day concert in southern Seoul in early July, the sextet will tour about a dozen cities around the world including Bangkok in Thailand, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Saitama, and Tokyo in Japan, Jakarta in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Manila in the Philippines until February next year. The tour w

May 20, 2025

BTS' Jin releases remixes from his latest mini album

SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Jin, the eldest member of K-pop juggernaut BTS, released a new compilation album on Tuesday. According to his agency BitHit Music, the album contains eight tracks including six remixed versions of "Don't Say You Love Me," the title song from his second mini album "Echo," released last week, about six months after his debut solo album "Happy" late last year. Along with the instrumental version of the song, the remixes vary

May 20, 2025

K-pop boy band BoyNextDoor's new album hits 1mln sales in five days

SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - K-pop boy band BoyNextDoor’s latest mini album "No Genre" has surpassed one million in sales just five days after its release, setting a new record for the group. According to Hanteo Chart on May 18, the album, which dropped on May 13, recorded a total of 1,074,316 copies sold as of the previous day. The figure marks a sharp rise from their previous release "19.99," which sold 759,156 copies in its first week and became a million-sel

May 18, 2025

BTS' Jin thanks fans, debuts new solo track at album showcase

SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - BTS member Jin expressed heartfelt thanks to fans and premiered songs from his new solo album during an offline event held Saturday in Seoul, his agency Big Hit Music said Sunday. The 32-year-old hosted the event in Seongsu, a trendy neighborhood in eastern Seoul, to celebrate the release of his second solo mini album “Echo.” He performed three tracks, including the title song "Don’t Say You Love Me." "The support from fans

May 18, 2025

Kang Ha-neul's crime thriller draws over 3 million viewers

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - Filmmaker Hwang Byeong-guk's latest crime thriller has attracted over 3 million moviegoers in about a month since its release in mid-April, according to its distributor, Plus M Entertainment. "YADANG: The Snitch," starring Kang Ha-neul and Yoo Hae-jin, became the first R-rated South Korean film to reach the milestone in about six years, following the 2019 action thriller "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil," which was released shortly befo

May 13, 2025

Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film set for release later this month

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - The late actress Kim Sae-ron's posthumous film is set for release later this month. Directed by Lee Seong-jong, "Guitar Man" deals with the story of a once-promising but now aimless guitarist struggling to navigate a rapidly changing world. Isolated and cynical, he begins to rediscover hope after joining a live-club band where he meets a female keyboardist. Currently serving as the CEO of dental-care provider Sungwon Pharmaceutical, the versati

May 13, 2025

Hybe chairman Bang summoned to testify in Kakao founder's stock manipulation trial

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - A South Korean court has summoned Bang Si-hyuk, the chairman of Hybe and the creator behind K-pop wonder BTS, to testify as a witness in the ongoing trial of Kakao founder Kim Beom-su over alleged stock manipulation tied to Kakao’s 2023 acquisition of SM Entertainment. According to legal sources on Tuesday, the Seoul Southern District Court issued a subpoena to Bang on May 8. Unless he provides a valid reason for absence, Bang is required to appear in c

May 13, 2025

Renowned conductor Chung Myung-whun named music director of Italy's La Scala

SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - Renowned South Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun has been appointed as the next music director of Italy’s prestigious Teatro alla Scala in Milan, marking the first time an Asian musician will hold the position in the opera house’s 247-year history. La Scala announced the appointment on its official website on May 12 (local time), stating that Chung will succeed current music director Riccardo Chailly and begin his term in 2027, serving until Febru

May 13, 2025