A decade on, NCT 127 launches fifth world tour as five SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - In the K-pop jungle, where reinvention can move almost as quickly as fast fashion, surviving a decade is something to celebrate. The latest to cross that threshold is NCT 127. Nearly every patch of shade around Seoul's KSPO Dome had been claimed three hours before NCT 127 was due onstage Sunday. Fans sat beneath trees and along concrete walls with photo cards, merchandise and lightsticks spread around them, trading collectibles and talking about favorite member September 20, 2026

Asia tests punishment, treatment to curb repeat drug use SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - South Korea has abandoned its once-prized claim to being a drug-free country. Dramas, public campaigns and advertisements now warn teenagers away from drugs, reflecting how quickly illicit drug use has spread. Society — and the system meant to respond to it — has struggled to keep up. Rapper Kim Gam-jeon, 22, was back in the headlines after being arrested on suspicion of using liquid cannabis while still under a suspended sentence for an earlier marijuan September 17, 2026

AI music can make the charts. Can it win fans? SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - Pitchfork, one of America's best-known music publications, does not hand out zeroes often. But in August, American rapper Tyga's "$TARFACE" got one. The album had already drawn attention after Tyga acknowledged using artificial intelligence as a production tool, including for 1980s-style synthesizers and guitar solos, while saying the lyrics and vocals remained his own. Pitchfork did not reject the album simply because AI was involved. Its critici September 14, 2026

Korean shamanism finds new life in pop culture SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Drums pound, bells shake and chants rise as a mudang, or Korean shaman, appears to slip between worlds, communicating with spirits through an electrifying ritual of music, dance and trance. For millions of moviegoers, the spectacle became familiar through a famous gut scene in director Jang Jae-hyun's 2024 occult blockbuster "Exhuma." Gut, an ancient Korean shamanic ritual performed to communicate with spirits, comfort the dead, seek blessings or ward September 11, 2026

Korean games swap console blockbusters for phone anime in Tokyo SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - South Korea's biggest game publishers arrive at Tokyo Game Show next week with a lineup that fits in a pocket, trading the console blockbusters they hauled to Gamescom three weeks ago for free-to-play anime games built mostly for phones. Nexon, Netmarble, NC and Smilegate are all bringing what the industry calls subculture titles — character-driven games drawn in Japanese animation style and largely monetized through randomized character draws. Nearly all September 10, 2026

Will Korea's most-loved game StarCraft become a K-game? SEOUL, September 08 (AJP) - South Korean game publisher Nexon is moving to bring the iconic StarCraft franchise under its arm through a licensing deal with Blizzard Entertainment, aiming to roll out the first new mainline installment of the battle game loved for nearly three decades in 16 years. The Chosun Ilbo reported that the deal was "on the verge of being finalized," after which Nexon would hold development rights to a successor to the existing series. "We can't say any September 8, 2026

One year in, Korea's humanoid still toddles SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - KAIROS showed off its dancing skills to a national calisthenics tune on a Seoul stage Monday, but to an audience accustomed to somersaulting and kung fu-performing Chinese humanoids, its wobbly movements and seemingly glued feet hardly drew genuine applause. The performance offered a candid look at how far South Korea has come — and how far it still has to go — little more than a year into a state-backed effort to close the humanoid gap with China and the September 7, 2026

Cabinet reshuffle turns into political headache for South Korea's Lee SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - The roster for President Lee Jae Myung’s 2.0 reshuffle has generated a rumpus before the nominees even arrive at South Korea’s legislative confirmation hearings, denting the already fragile popularity of the presidency. According to the latest Gallup Korea poll, 40 percent of respondents positively assessed Lee’s job performance, while 51 percent gave a negative assessment. The positive rating was the lowest since he took office, while the negative September 4, 2026

At Kiaf and Frieze, Seoul's art crowds come before the buyers SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - Kiaf Seoul, Korea's flagship art fair, has plenty to celebrate in its 25th edition. On Thursday morning, its audience looked ready for the occasion. Minutes before the 11 a.m. opening, VIP guests were already gathered inside COEX. The dress was polished rather than extravagant: neat jackets, muted colors, the practiced restraint of an art-fair crowd. Then the doors opened and the phones came out. Visitors paused before paintings, stepped back for photographs a September 3, 2026

Korea's squishy toy craze puts 14+ labels under scrutiny SEOUL, September 02 (AJP) -South Korea's squishy-toy craze is getting a sober safety check. In Seoul's Dongdaemun toy district, the old staples of childhood are still everywhere. Children weave between shops packed floor to ceiling with transforming robots, Lego sets, dolls and BB guns. Wedged among them is a newer kind of toy, designed less to build or shoot than to squeeze, stretch and crack. There are croissant-shaped squishies, tubs of brightly colored slime, stretchy "slan September 2, 2026