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

Super Junior's Leeteuk, Heechul to release first EP as 83z unit SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - Super Junior members Leeteuk and Heechul will release their first EP as the unit Super Junior-83z on July 13, SM Entertainment said Tuesday. The unit's name refers to both members being born in 1983. The six-track EP, "Promise," will be released on major platforms at 6 p.m, (0900 GMT) including Melon, Flo, Genie, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and more. A physical version will also come out the same day. The title track, also called "Promise," is a dance song built on a 2000s-style band sound, paired with Korean lyrics that SM described as a heartfelt confession delivered in the duo's own style. The EP also includes "ONSAEMIRO," a rock ballad previously introduced through a stage video. The track, written by Heechul, features live session instrumentation, with lyrics centered on staying by someone's side no matter how much time passes. SM Entertainment has been rolling out teaser images for the EP at 8:03 p.m. everyday. One released Sunday showed Leeteuk and Heechul in a retro-toned setting. 2026-07-07 17:27:50
Kia to retire 14-year-old K9 amid sagging demand for sedans SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) -Kia will retire its flagship K9 luxury sedan by the end of this year, industry officials and union sources said Monday, ending a 14-year production run as the automaker shifts investment toward electric vehicles, purpose-built vehicles and software-defined cars amid dwindling demand for large gasoline-powered sedans. The company has ruled out a facelift, a full redesign or even an annual model-year update, according to the sources, signaling that no successor is planned. Production is expected to end at Kia's Autoland Gwangmyeong plant. The move will also bring an end to Kia's rear-wheel-drive flagship sedan lineage. The front-wheel-drive K8 is expected to become the brand's flagship passenger car, marking Kia's clearest step yet away from traditional luxury sedans. Introduced in 2012 as the successor to the Opirus, the K9 was intended to showcase Kia's premium ambitions, with its top trim featuring a 5.0-liter V8 gasoline engine. The second-generation model, launched in 2018, gained popularity as a chauffeured vehicle for corporate executives, helping annual sales reach 6,585 units in 2022. Demand, however, deteriorated quickly. Sales fell to 3,898 units in 2023 before dropping to 1,870 in 2024. The K9 sold 1,581 units last year, down 15.4% from a year earlier, while first-half sales this year totaled only 734 units, putting the model on track for its weakest annual performance since launch. The K9 has been sold only in South Korea since 2021, after Kia withdrew it from North America and Russia. Genesis has firmly established itself as the dominant player in Korea's premium sedan segment. The G80 has consistently sold between 40,000 and 50,000 units annually since its third-generation launch in 2020, while the flagship G90 has maintained annual sales of around 10,000 units despite carrying a price tag of more than 100 million won. Competition also intensified from below. Hyundai Motor's Grandeur grew larger and more upscale with successive redesigns, narrowing the gap with the K9, while increasingly refined SUVs convinced many buyers they no longer needed a large sedan for premium comfort and cabin space. The K9's competitiveness was further weakened by the absence of a hybrid powertrain. While Kia introduced hybrid versions of the K5 and K8, its flagship remained gasoline-only throughout its life cycle as fuel efficiency and electrification became increasingly important to consumers. The K9 is not the first Korean large sedan to disappear from overseas markets. Kia discontinued the Cadenza, sold domestically as the K7, in North America in 2021, while Hyundai ended sales of the Azera there in 2017. Kia plans to redirect the production capacity and workforce freed by the K9's discontinuation toward next-generation vehicles. The automaker is expanding its EV lineup with the EV2 following last year's launches of the EV4 and EV5, while targeting a global lineup of 14 electric models by 2030. It is also expanding its purpose-built vehicle business following the launch of the PV5, with the PV7 scheduled for next year and the PV9 for 2029. Beyond electrification, Kia is preparing the XV1, a compact electric hatchback that will become Hyundai Motor Group's first software-defined vehicle. Scheduled to debut in Korea and Europe late next year, the model will serve as the platform for the group's planned rollout of Level 2++ autonomous driving technology by 2029. For now, the K9's exit leaves Kia without a large sedan above the K8, a gap the company shows no sign of planning to fill. 2026-07-07 17:27:21
Boy band NCT 127 to mark 10th anniversary with new album SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - K-pop boy band NCT 127 will release their seventh full-length album next month, marking the 10th anniversary of their debut, their management agency SM Entertainment said on Tuesday. Slated for release on Aug. 24 through global music distributor Virgin Music Group, it will be their first full-length album in about two years since their sixth studio album "Walk" released in July 2024. To promote the album, NCT 127 will embark on their fifth world tour, kicking off with three concerts at KSPO Dome in Seoul from Sept. 18 to 20. The tour, dubbed "NEO CITY – THE REDLINE," will be held in Jakarta on Oct. 3, Hong Kong on Oct. 10 and 11, Singapore on Oct. 18, Bangkok on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, and Taipei on Jan. 2 next year with additional dates to be announced later. Having made their debut on July 7, 2016, the members of NCT 127 are part of broader NCT group's Seoul-based subunit, with the name derived from the longitude of the South Korean capital. They have released tracks including "2 Baddies," "Cherry Bomb," "Fact Check," "Kick It," "Sticker" and "Walk," with some of them making entries on the Billboard charts. Their upcoming world tour comes after they performed in Asia and North America from January to May last year for their world tour called "NEO CITY – THE MOMENTUM," with their show in Newark, New Jersey marking the 100th performance in the "NEO CITY" tour series. NCT 127, currently consisting of Doyoung, Haechan, Jaehyun, Johnny, Jungwoo, Taeyong and Yuta, will also headline this year's KCON, an annual music festival in Los Angeles in mid-August, just a week before the release of their new album. 2026-07-07 17:01:14
Hyundai takes Asia's humanoid race beyond the dance floor SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor reclaimed the 500,000-won threshold Monday, rising 2 percent even as the broader market retreated, after its growing robotics portfolio quietly stole attention from investors otherwise fixated on Samsung Electronics' earnings guidance due the following day. Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot, owned by Hyundai Motor Group, showcased a series of football-inspired celebrations during halftime of the Brazil-Norway World Cup round-of-16 match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday. Before nearly 80,000 spectators, Atlas recreated signature goal celebrations associated with global stars including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Matheus Cunha and Son Heung-min before delivering the match ball to the referees. Hyundai said the performance demonstrated the same reinforcement-learning and whole-body control technologies it is developing for industrial applications. The appearance formed part of Hyundai's "Next Starts Now" campaign. Brand marketing chief Ji Seong-won said the roughly five-year project was intended to bring advanced robotics into public view rather than simply advertise the company. Unlike many Chinese humanoid demonstrations that have gone viral for choreographed dances and acrobatic performances, Hyundai emphasized practical mobility and industrial capability over spectacle, underscoring its strategy of building robots designed to work alongside humans rather than merely entertain them. The industrial focus extends beyond humanoids. Hyundai's 1.9-kilogram battery-free wearable exosuit was deployed by Genesis Magma Racing's pit crew during June's 24 Hours of Le Mans, helping reduce shoulder strain during rapid tire changes. The device has since been introduced to a young peach farmer in Eumseong through a NongHyup support program. A state-backed study found it reduced shoulder muscle activity by an average of 33 percent during fruit-harvesting work. The demonstrations come as Hyundai targets annual humanoid production capacity of 30,000 units by 2028. Atlas is expected to begin parts-sequencing work at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia that year before expanding into more complex assembly tasks by 2030. The robotics initiative forms part of Hyundai's broader 125.2 trillion won domestic investment plan through 2030, including a robotics and AI data-center cluster in Saemangeum. Investors appeared to welcome Hyundai's progress in what is increasingly described as "physical AI." While the KOSPI fell 0.46 percent, automobile stocks led the market, climbing 3.45 percent. Kia surged 5.72 percent, while Hyundai Motor rose 2.03 percent to 502,000 won. Hyundai Motor 2Woo B gained 4.44 percent and Hyundai Motor Woo advanced 3.97 percent. Auto-parts manufacturers were the market's third-best-performing sector, rising 3.27 percent. Kumho Tire soared 29.96 percent to hit the daily trading limit, although no company-specific announcement appeared to explain the move. Insurance shares also outperformed, led by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, which climbed 5.64 percent. Brokerages are increasingly trying to identify the long-term winners in humanoid robotics. In a June report, CLSA analyst Brian Lee projected annual global humanoid production would exceed 1 million units by 2030, with the market reaching $320 billion by 2035. CLSA ranked Tesla and Boston Dynamics well ahead of rival developers, arguing both benefit from large-scale manufacturing expertise and captive demand from their automotive businesses. Figure AI ranked a distant third. The brokerage estimated Boston Dynamics' value at roughly 161 trillion won under its base-case scenario, well above the average 86 trillion won valuation assigned by other brokerages it surveyed. Whether Hyundai's early positioning ultimately translates into a durable competitive advantage remains uncertain. South Korea boasts the world's highest manufacturing robot density, with 1,220 robots for every 10,000 workers as of 2024, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Scale, however, belongs to China. The country operates by far the world's largest industrial robot fleet, with more than 2 million units, and its collective humanoid robot output is expected to surpass Hyundai's 2028 production target as early as next year, according to industry estimates. 2026-07-06 17:55:34
Red Velvet out to steal summer with EP 'Velvet Summer' SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Kpop girl group Red Velvet, known for its strig of summer hits, will release a new summer EP, "Velvet Summer," on Aug. 3, agency SM Entertainment said Monday. The release will be Red Velvet's first full-group album in just over two years, following "Cosmic" in June 2024. The five-track EP is led by the title song "Surfin' Boy" and will be available on streaming platforms at 6 p.m. as well as in physical format the same day. Preorders opened Monday through online and offline retailers. Red Velvet has released a string of summer singles over the past decade, including "Red Flavor," "Power Up," "Umpah Umpah" and "Queendom." Ahead of the album's release, Red Velvet will hold a two-day fan concert, "2026 Red Velvet FAN-CON ," at Korea University's Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul on Aug. 1 and 2. 2026-07-06 11:32:57
Hyundai, Kia take wearable robot from factory floors to farms and Le Mans SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor and Kia are expanding the use of their wearable robot beyond auto plants, testing the device in settings ranging from peach farms to one of the world's toughest endurance races. The companies released a video Sunday showing Choi Hye-rang, a young peach farmer in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, using the X-ble Shoulder wearable robot during farm work. Choi is the first recipient of the device through a support program run by the NongHyup Young Farmers Support Center. Peach farming involves repeated overhead work, including flower thinning, fruit thinning, bagging and harvesting. These tasks require workers to keep their arms raised for long periods. "It gives support only when I raise my arms," Choi said in the video. "I wear it whenever I work, and sometimes I even forget I have it on." The X-ble Shoulder weighs 1.9 kilograms, including the vest, and does not require a battery or external power supply. It uses a non-powered structure that provides support only when the wearer lifts their arms. Hyundai and Kia said the device was designed to be light enough for long outdoor use and adjustable for different body types. Choi said the range of vest sizes made it easier for smaller users to wear. A study led by the Rural Development Administration found that the X-ble Shoulder reduced shoulder muscle use by an average of 33 percent in five types of fruit-growing work, including peaches, grapes and apples. The device has also been tested in a very different environment: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the French endurance race in which cars and teams operate for a full day under intense physical and time pressure. At the 94th running of the race, held June 13 and 14 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Hyundai Motor Group deployed the X-ble Shoulder to support Genesis Magma Racing crews working on the No. 19 GMR-001 hypercar. The vehicle made its Hypercar-class debut at the event. Each tire for the GMR-001 weighs about 13 kilograms, and crews may handle as many as 56 tires per car during the race. Hyundai Motor Group said the wearable robot helped reduce shoulder load by up to 60 percent and muscle fatigue by about 30 percent during loading and unloading work. Hyundai and Kia developed the wearable robot through their Robotics Lab. The companies began deploying wearable robots more actively at their own production sites last year. Kim Kyu-jung, who led development of the X-ble Shoulder, said comfort was central to the design because workers are unlikely to keep using a device that restricts movement. "No matter how advanced the function is, it is difficult for a wearable robot to be used continuously at industrial sites if it is uncomfortable to wear or move in," Kim said. "We focused on making the motion feel natural while reducing the burden on the shoulders." The device's point of maximum torque can be adjusted depending on the user's work posture. Before introducing the product to a worksite, Hyundai and Kia analyze the type of movement required and provide consulting to help set the device for each user. "We don't just supply the product — we support initial consulting so it can be used effectively on-site," said Park Se-heon, a senior researcher at the Robotics Lab. "Inquiries are coming in not only from manufacturers but from agriculture and other industries as well." Hyundai and Kia said they plan to expand the use of wearable robots from manufacturing into agriculture, motorsport and other fields where workers face repeated shoulder and arm strain. 2026-07-06 11:05:04
South Koreans must choose their words under new online rules SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - South Koreans are being forced to watch their language and behave online as amendments to the Information and Communications Network Act take effect on July 7. The mock tests are already underway. Rather than making direct assertions, some users now recommend softer wording — phrases such as "it is said," "some claim" or "I heard" — reflecting growing uncertainty over where the legal boundaries of online speech may lie. Whether those linguistic workarounds would provide any legal protection remains unclear. Simply adding qualifying language does not automatically shield users from liability. Yet the advice continues to circulate, suggesting that public perceptions of the law are already influencing how some internet users choose to express themselves online, days before the amendments take effect. The amendments prohibit the deliberate distribution of false or manipulated information intended to cause harm or obtain an improper benefit. Courts may award punitive damages of up to five times the recognized amount of harm against certain professional publishers that meet thresholds for subscribers, publication volume or viewership to be specified by presidential decree. Large online platforms will face new reporting, transparency and appeals obligations, while repeated redistribution of information already found by a final court judgment to be illegal, false or manipulated could trigger administrative fines of up to 1 billion won ($650,000). Supporters say the amendments are intended to curb increasingly sophisticated misinformation while strengthening legal remedies for victims. They also note that the law explicitly exempts satire and parody, includes protections against abusive lawsuits intended to silence public-interest criticism, and provides exemptions for whistleblowing and other public-interest reporting. Critics, however, argue that uncertainty over how courts and platforms will interpret concepts such as "false" or "manipulated" information may make users more cautious long before those legal boundaries are ever tested. An online petition opposing the amendments had drawn more than 140,000 signatures as of late June, while the U.S. State Department has separately expressed concern that the law could create barriers to free expression and online trade. "It's not that people suddenly understand the law," said Frank Hur, 31, an office worker in Seoul. "It's that people aren't sure where the line is, so they'd rather just be careful." Hur said nearly all of his conversations — personal and professional alike — now take place through messaging apps and social media. Even workplace documents are routinely shared over KakaoTalk, he said. "If there's a team out there reviewing that kind of thing, doesn't that just mean someone's listening in on private conversations?" he said. "Honestly, it's a little frightening." Hur said he and many people around him regularly use satire to cope with everyday frustrations and politics — the very kind of expression the amended law explicitly excludes from its definition of prohibited false or manipulated information. That safeguard has done little to ease his concerns, he said, because what worries him is less the wording of the law than how it may ultimately be enforced. Kim Su-jeong, 46, another office worker in Seoul, said she understands why governments want stronger tools to combat misinformation, given the real harm malicious online content can cause. What she questions is whether legal uncertainty may end up affecting far more people than those intentionally spreading falsehoods. "A handful of people keep doing what they do, and everyone else — people just trying to live their lives — ends up getting blamed along with them," Kim said. She added that sensational headlines and unverified information have already made it difficult for many people to distinguish fact from opinion, making the uncertainty surrounding the new law feel even more unsettling. Both said they have become more cautious about what they post online — not because they expect immediate enforcement, but because they remain unsure how the new rules will ultimately be interpreted. In practice, the amendments are narrower than much of the online discussion surrounding them suggests. The enhanced damages provision applies only to publishers that distribute information professionally and meet thresholds to be defined by presidential decree. Courts must also find that the publisher knew the information was false or manipulated, intended to cause harm or obtain an improper benefit, and actually caused legally recognized harm. Ordinary social media users generally fall outside that enhanced liability framework. Satire, parody and certain forms of public-interest reporting are explicitly excluded from the law's prohibition, while separate anti-SLAPP provisions seek to prevent powerful individuals from using punitive-damages lawsuits to suppress legitimate public-interest criticism. Large online platforms will be required to establish reporting systems, publish transparency reports and provide appeals procedures. News organizations, internet news services and internet broadcasters, however, are exempt from several of the law's strongest platform-enforcement measures, including mandatory content removal and account suspension. South Korea is not alone in struggling to balance efforts to curb harmful online content with protecting freedom of expression. Germany's 2018 Network Enforcement Act, or NetzDG, similarly expanded platform responsibility for removing illegal content, prompting years of debate over whether companies were incentivized to remove lawful speech to avoid liability. In one widely cited case, the satirical magazine Titanic had content removed despite its apparent satirical intent. The European Union's Digital Services Act, which some Korean lawmakers cited as a model during the legislative process, likewise expanded transparency and risk-management obligations for major platforms, although it relies primarily on platform compliance rather than direct government review of individual content. Singapore's Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act has drawn the sharpest criticism among comparable laws. It allows individual government ministers to declare an online statement false and order its correction or removal. Rights groups say the law has disproportionately targeted opposition politicians and government critics. In March, a government critic became the first person criminally charged under the law after repeatedly ignoring correction orders. Whether South Korea's amendments ultimately reshape online discourse will depend on how courts, regulators and platforms apply them after they take effect. For now, what appears to be changing is not necessarily the law itself, but public perceptions of it — and those perceptions are already influencing how some users choose their words online, even before the amendments come into force. 2026-07-03 17:31:05
BOYNEXTDOOR's 'VIRAL' enters Melon monthly chart as Busan shows sell out SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - K-pop boy group BOYNEXTDOOR's latest single "VIRAL" entered Melon's monthly chart for June, while tickets for the group's upcoming Busan concerts sold out, the group's agency KOZ Entertainment said Friday. VIRAL, the lead track from BOYNEXTDOOR's first full-length album "HOME," ranked No. 80 on Melon's June monthly chart released Tuesday. According to the agency, it was the only song released in June to enter the monthly chart. Two other BOYNEXTDOOR songs also appeared on the chart. Pre-release track "Knock Knock" ranked No. 94, while the group's digital single "I LOVE YOU Just for Today," released in January last year, ranked No. 58. VIRAL was released on June 8. Members Myung Jaehyun and Woonhak took part in writing the song, which expresses the group's wish for its music to spread to more listeners. The song has also gained attention beyond music charts. It was recently adopted as an official cheer song by the LG Twins, a professional baseball team in Seoul. VIRAL has continued to place on several weekly charts. It ranked No. 23 on Circle Chart's digital chart, No. 27 on its streaming chart and No. 21 on its download chart for the week of June 14 to 20. It also placed No. 24 on Spotify Korea's Weekly Top Songs chart for June 19 to 25 and No. 41 on Melon's weekly chart for June 22 to 28. The chart results come as BOYNEXTDOOR prepares to begin its first world tour. The group will open "BOYNEXTDOOR TOUR KNOCK ON Vol.2" with three concerts at KSPO Dome in Seoul from July 17 to 19. It will then hold two concerts at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan on Aug. 1 and 2 — the group's first-ever solo shows in the city. Tickets for both Busan shows sold out during general sales Tuesday, following the earlier sellout of all three Seoul concerts during presales. After South Korea, the tour will move to six cities in Japan — Kanagawa, Saga, Osaka, Miyagi, Nagano and Chiba — followed by 10 stops in North America, including Dallas, Pompano Beach, Chicago, New York, Toronto and Vancouver. It will then continue to six cities in Asia: Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei and Hong Kong, among others. The tour marks an expansion from the group's debut solo tour last year, which ran 23 shows across 13 cities. BOYNEXTDOOR's album "HOME" has also performed strongly. The album became the group's fourth consecutive million-selling release on Hanteo Chart and debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 dated June 27 — up from No. 40 for its previous release and a career high for the group. BOYNEXTDOOR consists of Sungho, Riwoo, Myung Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak. 2026-07-03 14:10:26
G-Dragon named ambassador for UNESCO World Heritage Committee SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - G-Dragon of K-pop boy band BIGBANG has been named promotional ambassador for the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, set to open in Busan on July 19, Korea Heritage Service said Friday. It will be the first time Korea has hosted a session of the UNESCO body, which reviews the conservation of World Heritage sites and decides on additions to the World Heritage List. Ahead of the session, the JUSPEACE Foundation, founded by G-Dragon, will launch a public campaign called "Heritage in Peace" on July 10 in partnership with UNESCO. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness of World Heritage protection and encouraging voluntary donations to the UNESCO World Heritage Fund. The agency said it is meant to build a model linking citizens, companies and host cities in heritage conservation efforts, with proceeds going toward protecting sites threatened by war, climate change and natural disasters. The Korea Heritage Service said G-Dragon was chosen for his global profile and for his charitable work through JUSPEACE, which he established in 2024 through copyright donations. He serves as the foundation's honorary chair. The foundation runs programs built around the ideas of justice and peace, including recovery support for firefighters, mental health initiatives and efforts to nurture creative talent among younger generations. The agency said the work reflects UNESCO's broader mission of promoting international cooperation for peace. As ambassador, G-Dragon will appear in campaign videos and take part in on-site events during the committee session, delivering what organizers describe as a message of peace through culture and public participation. "World Heritage sites are shared assets that belong to all humanity," a representative for G-Dragon said, adding that the artist hopes to share a message of peace that people can understand and act on. The Korea Heritage Service said it expects G-Dragon and the JUSPEACE Foundation to draw wider attention to the Busan session and expand public participation in World Heritage protection. 2026-07-03 11:36:35
NCT's Jaehyun to release solo ballad "99 Degrees" on July 10 SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - NCT's Jaehyun will release his new solo single "99 Degrees" on July 10, SM Entertainment said Friday. The single will be released at 6 p.m. KST across major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Melon. Jaehyun co-wrote and composed the track. "99 Degrees" is a piano-led ballad that builds from a delicate opening into a fuller arrangement before settling back into Jaehyun's vocals for a quiet, intimate close. The title refers to 99 degrees, one degree short of boiling point, as a metaphor for an incomplete state that becomes whole through love. The release marks Jaehyun's latest solo output following his debut album "J" and tracks including "Unconditional," "Horizon" and "Forever Only." Jaehyun is scheduled to hold his "JAEHYUN FAN-CON TOUR " in Taipei from July 4 to 5, just days ahead of the new single's release. 2026-07-03 11:04:40