SM Entertainment's first virtual artist debuts

SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - SM Entertainment has debuted its first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual artist, nævis, with an English single, "Done." The music video for the digital single, released on Tuesday, has gained over 590,000 views on YouTube within 17 hours. The video features the virtual artist performing alongside four human backup dancers. Through her debut song, nævis expresses her first step toward freedom, breaking away from the space and

September 11, 2024

BTS fans unite to defend Suga, calling for trust in 'official' sources

SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - BTS's global fan base, ARMY, spanning 58 countries, voiced their support for Suga on Monday following his recent investigation for drunk driving. In a joint statement, 127 ARMY groups reaffirmed their backing for all seven BTS members. "The Global ARMY Alliance supports all seven members of BTS," the statement read, emphasizing that fans do not expect the members to take any more responsibility than what is legally required. Suga was

September 10, 2024

BTS RM's collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion's new song dominates global charts

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - Popular American female rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s new track "Neva Play," featuring BTS member RM, has made a notable performance on global song charts. As of Monday, the song stood at No. 13 on Spotify’s daily global chart, with more than 3.6 million streams. The song is in fifth place on Apple's iTunes Song Chart The track, dropped last Friday, is a hip-hop song with an addictive beat. Megan Thee Stallion&rsqu

September 9, 2024

Slow-paced TV variety shows captivate viewers craving countryside peace

SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - TV viewership ratings reveal a growing trend among people longing to escape the hustle of urban life for a slower pace in rural areas or abroad, according to Nielsen Korea data released Monday. Leading the ratings in the first week of September was "Jinny's Kitchen 2," a tvN variety show featuring "Parasite" star Choi Woo-sik, actor Lee Seo-jin, and other celebrities running a Korean restaurant in Iceland. The show garnered a top

September 9, 2024

K-pop girl band IVE holds concerts at Tokyo Dome

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (AJP) -K-pop girl band IVE held concerts from Wednesday to Thursday at Tokyo Dome, Japan's iconic venue for mega-sized concerts and events, attracting some 95,000 audiences, its agency said on Friday. The event was the finale of the six-member group's world tour and the first time it had held concerts at the dome. "I couldn't believe it even when the Tokyo Dome concert was confirmed and during rehearsals. I will never forget the moment of

September 6, 2024

BTS's 'IDOL' music video hits 1.3 billion YouTube views

Courtesy of Big Hit Music SEOUL, Sept. 05 (AJP) - "IDOL," K-pop wonder BTS' song released six years ago, has garnered more than 1.3 billion views on YouTube as of 8:00 a.m. (2300 GMT) on Wednesday reaching a milestone. IDOL became the fifth BTS music video to break the 1.3 billion mark, the group’s music label, BigHit Entertainment said. The "IDOL" video, which won the Music Video of 2018 at the E! People's Choice Awards, an American award

September 5, 2024

Korea targets Oscar with historic film on 1979 military coup

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (AJP) -"12.12: The Day," directed by Kim Sung-su, has been chosen as Korea's entry for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) announced on Wednesday. The film chronicles the military coup on December 12, 1979, which followed the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. Major General Chun Doo-hwan led the coup, taking control of the government and declaring martial law. This coup marked the start of a pe

September 5, 2024

Ko Ah-sung 'seeks escape' in her latest film

SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) -Actress Ko Ah-sung returned to the silver screen with her new film, "Because I Hate Korea," which hit local theaters last week. As its provocative title might suggest, especially to many Koreans, the film revolves around a woman in her late 20s who decides to move to New Zealand in search of happiness, quitting her job and leaving her family and boyfriend behind. "'I should do this, otherwise, I would forever regret not doing it.'

September 4, 2024

Actor Yoo Ah-in sentenced to 1 year in prison for drug offenses

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (AJP) - Actor Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to one year in prison for illegal drug use on Monday. The Seoul Central District Cour also imposed a fine of two million Korean won (US$1,492). Yoo was immediately taken into custody following the sentencing. The verdict came out after the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office sought a four-year prison term for Yoo in July. The court said, "Despite warnings from medical professionals, Yoo continued to use sedative

September 3, 2024

SM Entertainment to debut AI-powered virtual artist next week

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (AJP) – SM Entertainment, a major Korean talent agency, will debut its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual artist nævis with a digital single, "Done," on Sept. 10. On Thursday, SM Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding with LG Uplus, a telecom operator, to produce various types of content, including music videos and short-form videos, for the digital human using LG Uplus' generative AI technology, "ixi-GEN."

September 2, 2024