Aju Press - Asia News Hub

Journalist

Joonha Yoo유준하

ReporterCOEX Sejong Center for the Performing Arts & Music, Culture, Entertainment, Automotive

Joonha Yoo is a bilingual journalist at AJU Press (AJP), covering music, culture, entertainment and Korea’s automotive industry.
Raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, he often writes from the scene, bringing firsthand detail to stories ranging
from BTS comeback concerts to unique cultural events that catch the world's eye. "I write from the scene, not from the sidelines."

Latest by Joonha Yoo

RIIZE's 'II' tops Korea's monthly album chart three weeks after release SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - K-pop boy group RIIZE's second EP, "II," released June 15, is still adding to its chart tally nearly a month later, topping Circle Chart's monthly album ranking for June and reaching No. 1 on Japan's Oricon daily album chart this week, SM Entertainment said Thursday. Most K-pop comebacks peak in their first week and taper off from there. "II" has instead kept climbing: the EP already led Circle Chart's weekly album and download rankings shortly after release, and it is now topping the monthly tally as well, weeks after most albums would have fallen out of contention. The same pattern held in Japan. "II" reached No. 1 on Oricon's daily album chart on July 7, more than three weeks after its release, alongside chart wins on AWA's real-time chart and Recochoku's weekly album ranking. "II" had already become RIIZE's fourth million-selling album and topped Hanteo Chart's weekly album chart, Melon's Global K-pop daily and HOT100 charts, iTunes' Top Albums chart in six regions, and a combined K-pop chart across five platforms under China's Tencent Music, earning a platinum certification on QQ Music along the way. RIIZE has also picked up three music show trophies for the title track "Do Your Dance." The group will release a dance practice video for another EP track, "D-D-Done," on its YouTube channel at 9 p.m. (1200 GMT) Thursday. RIIZE consists of Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton. 2026-07-09 12:52:49
Starbucks Korea resumes promotions after 'Tank Day' backlash SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Starbucks Korea is relaunching customer promotions after a marketing controversy over the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising forced the company to close every store in the country simultaneously for staff training, something it had never done in its 27 years in Korea. The coffee chain said Tuesday it will give free drink coupons and food discount coupons to all Starbucks Rewards members through Aug. 14. Existing members received the coupons the same day, and anyone who joins by July 31 will get theirs the day after signing up. Starbucks Korea's rewards program had about 15 million members as of early this year. The free drink coupon covers one tall-size iced Caffe Americano, iced Caffe Latte or iced Vanilla Latte, or their hot equivalents. At regular prices, that is a drink worth 4,700 won for the Americano and 5,200 won for the two latte options. A separate coupon offers 30 percent off sandwiches, cakes, bread and ice cream. The campaign marks a return to normal marketing for Starbucks Korea. The company spent much of June managing fallout from a tumbler promotion tied to May 18, the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, a pro-democracy movement crushed by South Korea's military government in 1980. The event was branded "Tank Day," a name critics said evoked the tanks the military sent into Gwangju. Its tagline, "tak on the desk," echoed a notorious 1987 police cover-up in which officials claimed a student activist died after they "hit the desk" during interrogation. Both references touch on some of the most painful chapters in modern Korean history. The backlash was swift. Within days, Starbucks Korea's chief executive was dismissed and the company opened an internal investigation. Its chairman issued a public apology. Starbucks Korea also temporarily eased refund rules for prepaid gift cards and postponed planned promotions and summer menu launches. The response culminated on June 22. All of Starbucks Korea's roughly 2,160 stores nationwide closed early, at 3 p.m., so employees could watch training sessions on Korean history and social sensitivity. The chain had never done that before in the 27 years since its first store opened in Seoul in 1999. Shinsegae Group, which controls Starbucks Korea through its E-Mart division, said executives across its affiliates would undergo the same training. Since then, the company has gradually eased back into business as usual. It relaunched its delayed summer products in late June before restarting rewards promotions this week. A Starbucks Korea official described the summer coupon event as part of a customer benefit program the company has run for years, rather than a response to the controversy. Starbucks Korea has rolled out several other rewards-member promotions this year, including size-up offers on cold brew and other drinks in April, a cherry blossom merchandise event in March, buy-one-get-one coupons in January, and 30 percent drink discount coupons in January, February and April. 2026-07-09 11:04:32
SM Classics to take K-pop orchestral concerts to Singapore, Bangkok and Toronto SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - SM Entertainment's classical and jazz label SM Classics will expand its orchestral concert series overseas, with performances scheduled in Asia this year and in North America next year, the company said Thursday. The label announced the main lineup for the "SM Classics Live 2026 - 2027 Season," a concert series that reinterprets SM Entertainment's K-pop catalog through orchestral arrangements. The season marks the label's first stops in Southeast Asia and North America, after earlier concerts in Korea, Japan and, this past February, Austria. The season will open Friday at Esplanade Theatre in Singapore with the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. Two days later, the series will move to Prince Mahidol Hall in Bangkok, where SM Classics will perform with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. Wendy of Red Velvet will appear as a guest vocalist at both the Singapore and Bangkok concerts. Thanapol Setabrahmana will conduct the two performances. SM said an additional Bangkok performance was added after the first show sold out. The series will continue Nov. 5 at Ho Guom Opera in Hanoi with a special closing performance for the 2026 Korea Season, an international cultural exchange program. The concert will feature conductor Kim Yuwon, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra and Ryeowook of Super Junior. The tour will then move to North America in 2027, with two concerts at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on June 29 and 30. The Toronto performances will bring together Kim, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Wendy. SM Classics launched in 2020 to reinterpret SM Entertainment's music catalog through orchestral and jazz arrangements. Its concerts have so far included collaborations with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the SM Classics Town Orchestra and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. SM said it plans to keep expanding the concert brand to more countries and cities beyond the 2026 to 2027 season. 2026-07-09 11:03:54
BTS-themed exhibition showcases Korean heritage at British Museum SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - An exhibition featuring K-pop supergroup BTS and their fifth studio album "ARIRANG" opened in London this week in collaboration with The British Museum, their management agency HYBE said on Wednesday. The exhibition, which runs from Monday through July 23 at the museum's Korea Foundation Gallery, also offers a self-guided trail that takes roughly 20 minutes to complete. It is part of "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG-LONDON," a citywide program related to the group's two "ARIRANG" tour concerts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 6 and 7. The album's link to the museum's holdings starts with something many listeners might miss: track No. 29, which consists of the sound of the Bell of King Seongdeok being struck, followed by more than a minute of silence. The bell, a National Treasure and the largest surviving bell of its kind in Korea, is not part of the museum's collection, but the gallery holds other objects from the Silla Kingdom, the era in which it was cast. Two of those objects, a gold earring and roof tiles, anchor the Silla side of the trail. The earring, dated to the fifth century, was made using filigree and granulation techniques that show the sophistication of Korean goldsmithing at the time. The roof tiles once topped palaces, government offices and Buddhist temples in the Silla capital. None of those buildings survive intact, but the tiles, decorated with lotus flowers and grapevine patterns, remain as traces of the kingdom's architecture and visual culture. The route also includes a full-scale reconstruction of a sarangbang or scholar's study, from the Joseon dynasty. Built by Korean craftsmen in 2000, it represents the reception room of a 19th-century noble household. A white porcelain moon jar from the same period is another stop on the trail. The jar was assembled from two separately thrown halves, a form the museum describes as one of Korea's best-known ceramic traditions and a continuing source of inspiration for artists. Sang-ah Kim, a curator of the museum's Korea exhibition, selected the five objects for the trail, which was developed alongside the exhibition's survey of 2,000 years of creativity on the Korean Peninsula. Visitors can scan a QR code at the gallery entrance to follow the route. They are also invited to choose one object that resonates with their own life under the prompt "What is Your Arirang?" and share it on social media. 2026-07-08 16:00:18
Netflix says viewer engagement matters more than ad exposure SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - Global streaming giant Netflix told roughly 600 advertisers and marketing officials in Seoul that viewer engagement matters more than simple ad exposure, as it seeks to attract more advertising spending to its platform. The company laid out the case Tuesday at "Behind The Streams," an event held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. Citing its own 2025 survey, Netflix said 74 percent of viewers who saw ads on the platform later took a related action, such as searching for or buying a product. Netflix also pointed to research from Kantar, the global market research firm, which found that traditional metrics such as reach and gross rating points showed a weaker link to brand impact, while viewer attention showed a correlation of more than 0.6 with brand effects. "The advertising market is shifting from competing over how much exposure an ad gets to competing over how deeply it captures attention," said Lee Chun, director of advertising at Netflix Korea. Lee described Netflix's content lineup as a way for brands to reach viewers who are already absorbed in what they are watching, part of a strategy the company calls "Attention to Connection." The pitch comes as Netflix's ad-supported tier continues to grow. Lee said 60 percent of new sign-ups globally are now choosing the ad-supported plan, giving advertisers a larger pool of viewers to reach. At the event, Netflix showcased Korean advertising partnerships that tied brand messages to its shows and films. The company is also expanding ad products, including single-title sponsorships and interactive video ads, alongside Netflix Ads Suite, its in-house ad platform launched in Korea last September to help marketers plan, buy and measure ad performance. Netflix said it plans to launch advertising in 15 more countries in 2027, bringing its ad business to 27 markets. 2026-07-08 15:42:05
Nam Joo-hyuk set to return with Netflix series after completing military service SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - Actor Nam Joo-hyuk was still serving in the military when the script for The East Palace landed in his hands. Reading it inside the barracks, he found himself drawn to an unusual idea: a swordsman who hunts ghosts by crossing between the worlds of the living and the dead. That script has now become his first project since completing military service. Set for release on July 17, Netflix's eight-episode series "The East Palace" blends palace intrigue, supernatural horror and Korean folklore into a mystery set inside the Joseon court. The story begins with a string of unexplained deaths among the royal heirs. Rumors spread that a ghost haunting the palace pond is wiping out the king's bloodline, but the king dismisses the stories as superstition. Only after his last surviving son falls gravely ill does he secretly summon Goo-cheon (played by Nam), a drifter capable of entering the spirit world to destroy ghosts, while assigning palace maid Saeng-gang (played by Roh Yoon-seo), who can hear spirits, to watch his every move. While the premise centers on ghosts, much of Tuesday's production presentation focused on something else: making two versions of the same palace feel like entirely different worlds. Rather than relying primarily on visual effects, director Choi Jung-kyu said the production physically built separate versions of many sets. The crew altered lighting, textures and even seasons, sometimes filming the same location twice, so viewers could instinctively distinguish the living world from the spirit realm. "We wanted it to feel as though gravity itself worked differently," Choi said, adding that changes in editing rhythm, sound design and color grading were all used to separate the two realities. The supernatural creatures also draw heavily from Korean folklore instead of being entirely original creations. Choi said the production simplified their visual designs without losing the traits found in traditional legends, making them immediately recognizable even to viewers unfamiliar with Korean mythology. That approach extended beyond the creatures themselves. Palace architecture, costumes and props were rooted in historical references, while the pacing was designed with international audiences in mind. "We focused more on rhythm than explanation," Choi said. "Even if the language and cultural background are different, we wanted viewers everywhere to simply enjoy the story." For Nam, the hardest part of filming had little to do with sword fighting. Although he trained extensively at an action school before and throughout production, he said many scenes required him to fight creatures that would only exist after post-production visual effects were added. "You constantly have to imagine what's in front of you," he said. The physically demanding shoot also meant spending long hours in the water during both summer heat and winter cold, something co-star Jo Seung-woo jokingly described as being "500 times harder" than anything his own character endured. Jo, making his first Netflix original series, plays a king who refuses to believe in ghosts until tragedy forces him to reconsider everything he knows. Rather than portraying him simply as a monarch, Jo said he approached the role as that of an isolated leader carrying the weight of protecting both his family and the throne. "It's a lonely position," he said. "He keeps questioning everything while trying to protect what's left." Roh Yoon-seo faces several firsts with the series — her first historical drama, first fantasy project and first leading role in a long-form series. She said adapting to the physical discipline of acting took time, particularly maintaining the posture and restraint expected in a period drama while expressing emotion through subtle changes in voice and facial expression. More important, she said, was the evolving relationship between Saeng-gang and Goo-cheon. The two begin as reluctant partners who distrust one another but gradually become indispensable as they unravel the palace's curse from opposite sides of the supernatural divide. The series also marks another milestone for Nam. Earlier this year, he was the only Korean actor featured in Netflix's global slate announcement alongside stars including Cillian Murphy and Lily Collins. Looking back, Nam said the experience was both exciting and daunting. "I went there by myself," he said. "I felt a huge sense of responsibility and just wanted to do my best." Whether Korean palace ghosts resonate with international audiences as strongly as Netflix hopes remains to be seen. But rather than explaining away Korean folklore, The East Palace leans into it — betting that a compelling mystery, memorable characters and confident storytelling will cross borders on their own. 2026-07-08 15:35:02
Stray Kids preview new EP after chart-topping single, Billboard record SEOUL, July 08 (AJP) - K-pop boy group Stray Kids are moving toward their first album release of 2026 with a new EP, "THIS & THAT," after a strong run on global charts and festival stages, the group's agency, JYP Entertainment, said Wednesday. The group's June 24 single "RUN IT" topped iTunes songs charts in 43 regions, including the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Spain and Britain, according to agency JYP Entertainment. The song's music video also reached No. 1 on YouTube's global trending chart. The single will be included on "THIS & THAT," which is scheduled for release on Aug. 7 at 1 p.m. KST. The new EP follows a record-setting chart run for Stray Kids. In 2025, the group became the first act to debut eight consecutive albums at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, according to JYP. Stray Kids are also continuing a busy live schedule. The group performed at New York's Governors Ball Music Festival in June, drawing about 45,000 spectators, and is scheduled to appear at Rock in Rio in Brazil in September. The group will also take part in "STRAYCITY," a new festival centered on Stray Kids, across three Latin American cities. Its new world tour, "Stray Kids World Tour ," will open with five concerts at KSPO Dome in Seoul. Against that backdrop, Stray Kids released a trailer Wednesday introducing the concept for "THIS & THAT." The clip follows an unidentified person who receives an LP from member Seungmin and enters a mysterious truck, only to be drawn into a world filled with versions of Stray Kids. The members appear as a barista, chef, photographer, auctioneer, dancer and bakery worker, while the dialogue is limited to the words "this" and "that." The setup also refers to the group's long-running slogan, "Stray Kids Everywhere All Around The World." The truck links the trailer to an earlier teaser, "TEST," released Monday. That video borrowed the format of comedian Yoo Byung-jae's YouTube series "I Hate Scary Things," showing the group exploring an abandoned house through a first-person camcorder view before ending with the same "THIS & THAT" truck. 2026-07-08 10:56:14
Korean titles crowd Netflix charts as 'Agent Kim Reactivated' joins SEOUL, July 08 (AJP) - Korean titles filled several top spots on Netflix's global charts last week, led by action drama "Mr. Kim," which climbed to No. 1 on the platform's non-English TV chart in its second week of release. "Agent Kim Reactivated" logged 10.5 million views for the week of June 29 to July 5, according to Netflix's official Top 10 data. Netflix calculates views by dividing total viewing hours by a title's running time. The series, which premiered June 26, debuted at No. 3 before moving to the top spot the following week. It ranked No. 1 in 11 countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Peru, and reached the Top 10 in 79 countries. Starring So Ji-sub and based on a webtoon of the same name, "Agent Kim Reactivated (Manajer Kim)" follows a former special agent who has spent years hiding his past, only to reveal his skills after his daughter disappears. The show airs first on SBS before streaming on Netflix. Its domestic ratings have climbed as well, reaching 21.6 percent by its fourth episode. That is the highest rating for any Korean drama aired this year and the third-highest rating for an SBS Friday-Saturday drama, after "The Penthouse 2" and "The Fiery Priest." "Agent Kim Reactivated" rise pushed "Teach You a Lesson," the previous four-week No. 1 title on the non-English TV chart, down to No. 2. The Kim Moo-yul-led series still drew 4.7 million views and entered the Top 10 in 54 countries. Two other titles also placed high on the same chart. "Notes from the Last Row," starring Choi Min-sik and Choi Hyun-wook, climbed from No. 8 to No. 5 with 2.6 million views. The series entered the Top 10 in 21 countries. Adapted from a Spanish play, the drama follows a failed writer turned literature professor who becomes fixated on a student's writing talent after discovering it in the back row of his classroom. "Human Vapor," a Japanese Netflix original written and executive-produced by "Train to Busan" director Yeon Sang-ho, ranked No. 7 with 2 million views. The series expands Ishiro Honda's 1960 tokusatsu film "The Human Vapor" into a story about a man who can turn his body into gas to commit crimes and the people chasing him. Korean films also had a strong week. "Husbands in Action," starring Gong Myoung and Jin Sun-kyu, ranked No. 2 on the non-English film chart with 1.7 million views and reached the Top 10 in 10 countries. Meanwhile, "K-Pop Demon Hunters" remained in the Top 10 on the English-language film chart for a 55th week, ranking No. 6 with 3.5 million views. 2026-07-08 10:31:16
TVXQ's Yunho to release new solo single later this month SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - K-pop boy band TVXQ's Yunho will release a new single later this month, his management agency SM Entertainment said on Tuesday. "Time's Tickin'" will be available on major music streaming platforms at 6 p.m. on July 20, with a physical version also set for release on the same day. Preorders are already open at retailers. The upcoming single marks his first solo work since he released his full-length album "I-KNOW" last November. It showcases an upbeat contemporary pop-dance sound built around a clock-ticking motif, blending rhythmic verses written by Yunho that convey his ambition that does not fade with time, a theme reflected in the energetic singer's solo catalog, through which he has explored his musical journey album after album. The song's choreography also carries the same clock-inspired concept, featuring movements synchronized with the repeated line "Time's Tickin.'" Since debuting with TVXQ in 2003, Yunho has expanded his solo career alongside his group activities, moving from his 2019 debut EP "True Colors" through concept-driven releases like "NOIR" and "Reality Show" before releasing his first full-length album last year. 2026-07-07 17:46:21
Hearts2Hearts to make Japan debut SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - Hearts2Hearts will make its official Japan debut in August with the single "ICONIC HEART," SM Entertainment said Tuesday. The launch comes less than 18 months after the group's Korean debut in February 2025, marking a quick move into one of K-pop's most important overseas markets. The single's three tracks will be released on global streaming platforms on Aug. 10, followed by a physical release in Japan on Aug. 12. Hearts2Hearts has already built a track record in Japan. The group topped Oricon's daily album chart with its first EP, "FOCUS," and reached No. 1 on Billboard Japan's Heatseekers Songs chart with the single "STYLE." Its latest EP, "Lemon Tang," released in June, reached No. 2 on Oricon's daily album chart. The group has also released a Japanese-language version of "RUDE!" and recorded the opening theme for the Japanese broadcast of the animated series "Catch! Teenieping." Ahead of the Japan single, Hearts2Hearts will perform "Lemon Tang" in Japan for the first time on TV Asahi's "Music Station" on July 10. The long-running program is one of Japan's best-known music shows. In South Korea, the group has continued promotions for "Lemon Tang" since releasing the EP on June 22, with performances scheduled on MBC M's "Show Champion," Mnet's "M Countdown," MBC's "Show! Music Core" and SBS' "Inkigayo." 2026-07-07 17:28:31