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

Ruling Adilet sweeps first vote for new Kazakh parliament Almaty, August 24 (AJP) -Kazakhstan's ruling Adilet party swept to a landslide victory with 71.17 percent of the vote in preliminary results from Sunday's parliamentary election, far ahead of its rivals in the country's first vote for the new single-chamber Kurultai. The Central Election Commission said Monday that Adilet received 6,528,948 votes. Auyl came a distant second with 6.26 percent, followed by Respublica with 5.56 percent, Ak Zhol with 5.21 percent and the Nationwide Social Democratic Party with 5.11 percent. The five cleared the 5 percent threshold required to win representation in the 145-member Kurultai. The People's Party of Kazakhstan received 3.11 percent and the Baitaq Green Party 1.0 percent, falling below the threshold. Another 2.51 percent of voters chose the "against all" option. Adilet finished 64.91 percentage points ahead of Auyl. The other four parties that crossed the threshold were grouped closely between 5.11 percent and 6.26 percent. The final distribution of the Kurultai's 145 seats has yet to be announced. Turnout stood at a preliminary 74.08 percent, with 9,351,539 of 12,623,289 registered voters taking part, according to the CEC. That was nearly 20 percentage points higher than the 54.21 percent turnout in Kazakhstan's 2023 parliamentary election. A new parliament Sunday's election was the first parliamentary vote under Kazakhstan's new Constitution, approved in a nationwide referendum on March 15. It took effect on July 1. The change ended about three decades of a two-chamber parliament under the system established in 1995. The former Senate and lower-house Mazhilis have been replaced by the Kurultai, a single chamber with 145 deputies serving five-year terms. The way lawmakers are elected has also changed. In 2023, 69 Mazhilis members were elected through party lists and 29 from individual districts, where independent candidates could also run. This time, all Kurultai members are elected through party lists under proportional representation in one nationwide constituency. Kazakhstan's party system also changed ahead of the election. Adilet was established earlier this year and absorbed Amanat, the country's long-dominant ruling party, in June. Amanat won 53.90 percent of the party-list vote in the 2023 election. The two results cannot be directly compared because both the election system and the parties have changed. But the merger meant Adilet entered its first national election with much of Amanat's existing political base behind it. The seven parties differed over what to focus on, but their campaigns broadly shared promises of economic growth, national development and better living standards. Adilet focused on stronger government institutions, law and order and economic growth. Auyl emphasized farming, food security and rural development. Respublica focused on entrepreneurs and private business, while Ak Zhol stressed business conditions and stronger parliamentary oversight. The Social Democrats put more weight on labor rights and social protection. For some voters, however, the question was much simpler - whether the new parliament could make daily life better. "I voted with the hope that the incoming parliament would put jobs and the cost of living at the top of its agenda," said Anastassia Akhmetova, a 25-year-old office worker. Akhmetova said people wanted to see and feel real change in their everyday lives. Yerjan, a 27-year-old taxi driver, said he did not vote because his work schedule left him little time to go to a polling station. He said he nevertheless hoped the election would help Kazakhstan move in a better direction. Regional observers back election process Regional election observers gave largely positive assessments of how voting was carried out. The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, or TURKPA, called the election an important step in Kazakhstan's political development, noting that it was the first parliamentary vote under the new single-chamber system. Its observers said voting was orderly at the polling stations they visited and that voters were able to cast their ballots in secret and without interference. TURKPA also praised steps taken to make voting easier for people with disabilities and Kazakh citizens living abroad. Its representatives highlighted the use of technology, including artificial intelligence, saying some of Kazakhstan's practices could be useful for other Turkic states. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization also gave a positive assessment. The SCO said its 17 observers from six member states visited 120 polling stations in Astana and the nearby Akmola Region before and during election day. The mission said it received no complaints or objections on election day and saw no violations that it believed could have affected the result. Observers also noted families and younger voters arriving at polling stations despite periods of rain on Sunday. The election has also drawn attention from Kazakhstan's neighbors. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov congratulated President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the Kazakh people on the election, saying he was confident the new Kurultai would help strengthen Kazakhstan's state institutions and support its economic and social development. Japarov also expressed hope that the Kyrgyz-Kazakh strategic partnership would continue to deepen in the interests of peace, stability and development across Central Asia. The comments come as Central Asian countries work more closely on trade, transport, energy and water. Kazakhstan plays a major role in many of those efforts because of its size, economy and location between China, Russia and the rest of Central Asia. Kazakhstan's foreign policy remains largely led by the presidency. The Kurultai, however, will vote on laws and budgets that can support trade, infrastructure and agreements with other countries. That gives the new parliament a role in how Kazakhstan carries out both its domestic plans and its cooperation with neighboring countries. For now, the first test will be at home. Adilet enters the new system with an overwhelming lead, while four much smaller parties have also crossed the threshold for seats. One question will be whether those parties can turn their different priorities into real debate inside the Kurultai. 2026-08-24 19:46:02
KATSEYE No. 1 on Billboard tests boundaries of K-pop SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - KATSEYE's first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 marks a breakthrough for the multinational girl group built by South Korea's HYBE and U.S. label Geffen Records and at the same time raises a complicate question on whether its feat can be counted as another victory for K-pop. The group's five-track EP WILD debuted atop the main U.S. album chart with 170,000 equivalent album units in the week ended Aug. 20, according to Billboard and data provider Luminate. That included 145,000 traditional album sales, 24,500 streaming-equivalent units and about 500 track-equivalent units. It was KATSEYE's first Billboard 200 No. 1 since its 2024 debut and the biggest week by equivalent album units for an all-woman group since Billboard began ranking the chart under its current units-based methodology in December 2015. Formed through HYBE and Geffen's The Debut: Dream Academy project, KATSEYE was conceived as a global act based in the United States. Its original six members came from the United States, the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland, with Yoonchae the only South Korean member. Its songs are performed in English, and the act has been marketed as a global girl group rather than simply another Korean idol group. Its birth and development, however, owe much to the K-pop machinery. KATSEYE was assembled through competitive auditions and developed through the intensive training, choreography, performance and fan-engagement model refined by South Korea's idol industry over the past three decades. HYBE has described KATSEYE as its first localized U.S. group and said it built U.S.-based infrastructure for training and development, marketing and promotion, and artist-and-repertoire operations as part of the project. The company has said the infrastructure could be used to produce more locally based artists in the future. The hybrid model sets KATSEYE apart from an earlier phase of K-pop's globalization, when Korean groups such as BTS, BLACKPINK and TWICE took music and artists developed largely in South Korea into overseas markets. KATSEYE is instead increasingly seen as a "made by Korea" rather than "made in Korea" model — exporting the methods developed by Korean entertainment companies without requiring the resulting artists themselves to be predominantly Korean. The Billboard numbers suggest those methods extend beyond training and choreography. Of WILD's 170,000 first-week units, about 85 percent came from traditional album sales. Billboard said sales were largely driven by more than 30 CD and vinyl variants carrying collectible items such as photocards, randomized inserts and signed editions. Multiple physical versions and collectible merchandise have long been central to K-pop's commercial model, helping highly engaged fan communities generate unusually strong physical album sales even as streaming has displaced CDs across much of the global music industry. The result leaves KATSEYE somewhere between global pop and K-pop — a distinction on which major Western music institutions are already offering different answers. MTV nominated KATSEYE's English-language "Pinky Up" for Best K-Pop at the 2026 Video Music Awards, alongside acts including BLACKPINK, BTS, LE SSERAFIM and Lisa. The song also received a Best Choreography nomination. KATSEYE itself does not primarily identify as a K-pop group, however, and its music does not rely on Korean-language lyrics. The nomination has revived a debate surrounding MTV's K-pop category since it was introduced in 2019: whether K-pop is defined by language, an artist's nationality, ties to the Korean music industry, a particular production and performance system, or some combination of them. The Recording Academy has drawn the boundary differently. Its new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category, which will debut at the 2027 Grammy Awards, includes K-pop, J-po p and C-pop but requires recordings to make "meaningful use" of at least one Asian language. Recordings performed entirely in English are ineligible for the category regardless of the ethnicity or nationality of the performers. The Recording Academy says musical style rather than an artist's ethnicity or nationality determines eligibility, while retaining the Asian-language requirement. Under those rules, an English-only KATSEYE track could be categorized as K-pop by MTV while failing to qualify for the Grammys' Asian Pop category. The differing approaches underline how difficult the boundaries have become as Korean entertainment companies increasingly export the system behind K-pop rather than only Korean artists themselves. HYBE has introduced locally developed acts outside Korea as part of what it calls a "multi-home, multi-genre" strategy, while other major Korean agencies have pursued similar overseas projects. If BTS and BLACKPINK demonstrated that artists created in South Korea could become global pop stars, KATSEYE is testing whether the Korean entertainment model can produce a global act without Korea being the primary language, nationality or market of the finished product. Its Billboard No. 1 offers compelling evidence that it can. The paradox is that the more successfully K-pop's production system travels beyond Korea, the harder it may become to determine where K-pop ends and global pop begins. 2026-08-24 09:19:53
AJP On the Spot: Inside Astana's historic vote ASTANA, Aug. 23 (AJP) —"Today is undoubtedly a truly historic day for our country. For the first time, we are holding elections to the unicameral Kurultai," President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said after casting his ballot Sunday. "We have achieved significant results. At the same time, much work remains to be done, and the goals before us are of particular importance. Today's elections are only the beginning of this major undertaking." Around him, dozens of cameras remained trained on the polling area inside Astana's Palace of Independence. Tokayev had entered the room before tightly packed television crews and photographers, approached a transparent ballot box and slowly placed his ballot inside. Camera shutters erupted. The act itself took only seconds. But it marked the first parliamentary election under a new Constitution that has redrawn Kazakhstan's political architecture three decades after the Central Asian country built its post-Soviet system around a powerful presidency. For international journalists behind the press line, reaching that moment had taken most of the morning. The journey began nearly five hours earlier, before Astana was properly awake. At 5:30 a.m., the hotel was almost completely silent. Outside, cold rain fell steadily onto an empty road. A white car pulled up. Two men assigned to escort AJP reporter entered the lobby and led the way outside. After brief greetings, the car set off through the rain toward Qazmedia Center, the 22-story broadcasting complex in central Astana that houses several of Kazakhstan's national television and radio outlets. By shortly after 6 a.m., the building was beginning to fill with journalists from the country's major news organizations, many of whom regularly cover Tokayev and attend presidential briefings. They arrived carrying cameras, tripods and microphones. Conversations were quiet. Credentials were checked and names counted. AJP was the only South Korean media outlet represented among the journalists assembled for the presidential vote. The bus pulled away into the rain. For about 15 minutes, it moved through the wet streets of the capital, passing the sprawling Hazret Sultan Mosque, one of Astana's best-known landmarks, before arriving at the Palace of Independence. Opened in 2008, the palace is one of the capital's main venues for state ceremonies, high-level meetings and international events. Reporters stepped off the bus and headed inside through the drizzle. Most were directed toward a press room. The AJP reporter, however, was stopped by a security officer and taken to a separate business conference room. Coffee, tea and small refreshments had been prepared inside. Several security personnel remained in the room, but there was no indication of when the next move would come. The wait continued for hours. The wait stretched for nearly three hours. The room remained quiet enough that every opening door and approaching footstep drew attention. At around 10 a.m., a senior security official entered. The officers in the room turned toward him almost in unison. He looked across the room, pointed toward the AJP reporter and signaled that it was time to move. The route led through the Palace of Independence toward the polling station on the first floor. The atmosphere changed immediately. Kazakh journalists were already packed into position behind a designated press line. Photographers had secured their angles. Television crews stood shoulder to shoulder with cameras trained on the polling area. After hours of travel, security screening and waiting, there was suddenly nothing left to do but stand still. A Kazakh family entered shortly before the president and cast their ballots. Then Tokayev walked in. Dozens of cameras turned toward him at once, filling the polling station with the rapid mechanical clatter of shutters. Photographers tracked Tokayev as he moved through the room and approached the ballot box. Another burst of shutters followed as he slowly placed his ballot inside. For a few seconds, a routine act being repeated by voters across Kazakhstan became the sole focus of the press line. Tokayev then moved to a nearby area set aside for the media. The significance of the vote goes well beyond a president putting a ballot into a box. Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest economy and a major oil and minerals exporter, had spent most of its history since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 under a political system dominated by its presidency. Nursultan Nazarbayev led the country from independence until 2019, when he stepped down and handed the presidency to Tokayev, a former prime minister, foreign minister and senior United Nations official whom Nazarbayev had chosen as his successor. Tokayev's early presidency was therefore initially viewed largely as a continuation of the political order established under Nazarbayev. That changed dramatically in January 2022. Protests over fuel prices spread into nationwide unrest and violent clashes that left more than 200 people dead. A Russian-led security force was briefly deployed at Tokayev's request. The crisis also marked Tokayev's decisive break with Nazarbayev and figures associated with the former president's political network. Tokayev has described the upheaval as an attempted coup involving Nazarbayev loyalists. What followed was a succession of political and constitutional changes that Tokayev presented as the construction of a "New Kazakhstan." A 2022 constitutional overhaul altered the presidency and introduced a single seven-year presidential term. Tokayev won that seven-year mandate later that year. The changes continued in 2026. In March, voters approved an entirely new Constitution in a nationwide referendum, with the Central Election Commission reporting 87.15 percent support on turnout of 73.12 percent. Tokayev described the overhaul as a move away from Kazakhstan's previous "super-presidential" model and toward a greater division of state powers, although critics have questioned whether the new system sufficiently constrains presidential authority. The Constitution took effect on July 1, simultaneously ending the 1995 Constitution and terminating the mandate of the former parliament. The Senate and lower-house Mazhilis that had formed Kazakhstan's bicameral legislature disappeared. In their place came the Kurultai. The new chamber has 145 deputies elected for five-year terms through party lists in a single nationwide constituency. The Constitution defines it as the country's highest representative body exercising legislative power. The changes extend beyond parliament. The new political framework also creates the office of vice president and restructures several state institutions, making Sunday's vote part of a broader reorganization of how Kazakhstan is governed. The election outcome itself is not expected to be in doubt. The pro-presidential Adilet party, formed this year through the merger of the longtime ruling Amanat party — previously known as Nur-Otan — with a smaller party of the same name, is widely predicted to win an overwhelming majority, with several other parties loyal to Tokayev also expected to enter the new legislature. The new constitutional order is also being closely watched for what it could mean for Tokayev's own political future, and for Kazakhstan's position between its two largest neighbors. Kazakhstan's Constitutional Court has ruled that Tokayev, who has served as president since 2019, may seek another seven-year term under the new Constitution — a legal maneuver that leaders in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have used in similar ways to extend their own time in power. Asked by reporters after voting Sunday whether he intended to run again, Tokayev said it was too early to say. Kazakhstan has continued its long-standing effort to balance ties with Moscow and Beijing while courting investment from the West. Tokayev met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Omsk in July for a regional cooperation forum, even as Kazakhstan signed billions of dollars in trade and investment deals with China at a summit in Shanghai the same month. Analysts have long described this approach — preserving close ties with both powers without fully aligning with either — as central to Kazakhstan's foreign policy since independence. Moreover, political stability in the country carries significance well beyond its population because of its energy resources, minerals and strategic location at the center of Eurasia. Still, the political meaning of the new system remains contested. Tokayev has cast the constitutional changes as a modernization of government and a departure from the highly centralized model inherited from the Nazarbayev era. Outside analysts nevertheless question whether the changes instead leave the presidency dominant while reorganizing the institutions around it. The morning also offered a glimpse of the machinery surrounding presidential coverage in Kazakhstan. What gave the scene its weight was everything around it — a country dismantling one parliamentary system and beginning another, a president who emerged from the old order but now presides over its restructuring, and an unresolved question over how long that president may remain at the center of the new one. 2026-08-24 07:39:23
Kazakhstan ties constitutional reform to stability before vote ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Aug. 23 (AJP) — The Kazakh government presented its constitutional overhaul to foreign correspondents as a way of protecting stability rather than disturbing it, a day before voters choose the country's first single-chamber parliament. Arman Issetov, deputy minister of foreign affairs, made the argument on Saturday (local time) at a briefing for journalists on a press tour covering the election, held at a hotel in Astana on Saturday afternoon. Polling stations open Sunday at 7 a.m. local time and close at 8 p.m. "Stability does not mean the absence of change," Issetov said. In today's world, he said, it requires the state to adapt to new circumstances in good time. He placed the reform against a shifting external picture, describing an international system that is becoming more complex and less predictable. Geopolitical tensions are rising, he said, trade and economic links are changing, and competition is intensifying over investment, technology and transport routes. Kazakhstan sits at the heart of Eurasia and maintains friendly relations with all countries around the world, he said, and for a country in that position political and economic stability are its most vital national resources. Most of what he said concerned domestic machinery rather than diplomacy. His central claim was that a growing economy has outpaced the institutions meant to govern it. The more complex the economy becomes, he said, the more effective state institutions have to be, and the larger the volume of private enterprise and investment, the more legislation has to be predictable and public administration competent. He cited growth of 6.5 percent at the end of 2025, attributing it to industry, construction, transport and investment activity, alongside government work on industrial production, logistics routes and the digital economy. That figure has not held. The Bureau of National Statistics, the same agency behind the 2025 result, recorded growth of 3.0 percent in the first quarter of this year and 4.1 percent in the first half. Issetov said the reform was not change for its own sake, and that its purpose was to bring political institutions into line with modern Kazakhstan. The goal, he said, is for state institutions to deal more effectively with what touches people directly, among it job creation, income growth, regional development, the quality of education and health care, infrastructure, openings for entrepreneurs and social protection. Voters choose all 145 seats of the Kurultai, the chamber that replaced the Mazhilis and the Senate when the new constitution took effect July 1. Seven parties are fielding 545 candidates in a single nationwide district, and seats go only to lists that clear five percent of valid votes. Self-nomination is not allowed. The Central Election Commission has registered 12,605,788 voters. Adilet holds first place on the ballot with 186 candidates, more than double any rival list. Registered on June 1, it absorbed Amanat, which took 53.9 percent in 2023 and held the largest bloc in the Mazhilis, after congresses of both parties approved the merger in June. The constitution behind the change was approved in a referendum on March 15, with the Central Election Commission (CEC) putting support at 87.15 percent on turnout of 73.12 percent. Issetov spoke as a deputy minister rather than for the presidency, and his remarks tracked the case President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has made in public, that the vote opens a new cycle of reform. He closed by saying the government wanted to preserve what he called Kazakhstan's greatest achievement, its stability and its capacity for development, while building a political system fitted to what the country needs next. 2026-08-23 09:09:07
NCT 127 to open pop-up store in Seoul to promote new album SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 will open a pop-up store in Seoul next week to promote the release of their seventh full-length album, their agency SM Entertainment said on Thursday. NCT 127's upcoming album "BLINGY" is set for release on Aug. 24 with nine tracks, including the title song of the same name. The pop-up store, called "NEO LOST&FOUND CENTER," will open the following day and run through Sept. 1 in Seoul's hip district of Seongsu. The store is inspired by the album's storyline, in which the group members appear as "fixers" operating in Seoul. Their agency said the venue will be designed as a lost-and-found office and the fixers' hideout, allowing visitors to experience the album's concept. Visitors who fill out a request form at the store will be matched with one of the members through a "fixer ID card." Everyone entering the venue will also receive a poster featuring the group in character, while albums and special merchandise will be available for purchase. Similar pop-up stores will later open in Bangkok, Shanghai and Tokyo. AJP Takeaways · NCT 127 will open a Seoul pop-up store for their seventh full-length album. · "NEO LOST&FOUND CENTER" will run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 1 at Musinsa Empty Seongsu. · The pop-up is based on the group's "fixers in Seoul" album concept. 2026-08-20 15:34:42
BIGBANG's new single sweeps music charts immediately after release SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - K-pop group BIGBANG swept major music charts with their first new single in more than four years, their agency YG Entertainment said on Thursday. The digital single "BiiiG," released the previous day, reached No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 chart within an hour of its release. The track also topped other major music charts including Bugs, Genie and Vibe later that day. "BiiiG" is a high-energy hip-hop track built around a heavy beat and repeated hook. Member G-Dragon took part in writing and composing the song. Meanwhile, BIGBANG will embark on their 20th anniversary world tour, "XX: COSMOS," with three shows in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province this weekend. The tour will continue across 19 cities in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia, with 33 concerts in total. AJP Takeaways · BIGBANG topped major Korean music charts with new digital single "BiiiG." · The song reached No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 within an hour of release. · YG Entertainment said it also topped Bugs, Genie and Vibe as of midnight Thursday. 2026-08-20 14:23:43
NCT Dream members renew contracts with SM Entertainment SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - All six members of NCT Dream have renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment, the talent agency said on Thursday. According to SM Entertainment, Chenle, Haechan, Jaemin, Jeno, Jisung and Renjun decided to remain with the agency based on their mutual trust and commitment to the group, with Haechan having already completed his contract renewal. NCT Dream debuted in August 2016 as a subunit of NCT, releasing songs including "Hot Sauce," "Hello Future," "Glitch Mode" and "Beatbox." The contract renewals come as NCT members celebrate their 10th anniversary this year. NCT 127, another NCT subunit, also renewed contracts with the agency earlier, keeping two of NCT's main teams under the agency. SM Entertainment said it will continue supporting NCT Dream as they prepare for more activities in the second half of this year. AJP Takeaways · All members of NCT Dream have renewed contracts with SM Entertainment. · Chenle, Haechan, Jaemin, Jeno, Jisung and Renjun signed new deals, following Haechan's earlier renewal. · NCT Dreamdebuted in August 2016 as part of NCT. · NCT 127 also renewed contracts with SM Entertainment earlier. 2026-08-20 14:15:54
Annual festival in Wonju to showcase cultural diversity SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - The provincial city of Wonju will host its annual cultural festival next month, offering food, games and other activities from around the world, organizers said on Thursday. Now in its fourth year, the festival, known as the WOW Festival, will take place Sept. 5 at the Wonju Dancing Performance Hall in Gangwon Province, featuring booths showcasing traditional games, clothing, food and cultural programs from around the world. Food booths and trucks will offer French, German, Hawaiian, Italian and North Korean dishes, while other programs will introduce traditional Korean culture. Visitors can also join hands-on craft programs including gem soap and keyring making, plaster clay art, resin crafts, sugar candy or dalgona making, bead bracelet making and hanji crafts. Other activities will include airbrush tattoos and more. Launched in 2023, the festival aims to give locals an opportunity to experience different cultures and promote greater mutual understanding. Lee Ji-hee, who oversees the festival, said she hopes the event will give visitors a chance to experience different traditions and gain a better understanding of cultural differences. AJP Takeaways · Wonju will hold the fourth Wonju World Culture Festival or WOW Festival on Sept. 5. · The event will take place at the Wonju Dancing Performance Hall in Gangwon Province. · The festival will feature food, games, clothing and cultural programs from different regions. · Food booths and trucks will offer German, Hawaiian, French, Italian and North Korean food. 2026-08-20 10:10:47
NCT 127 to showcase new title track at comeback event next week SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 will showcase their new title track at a comeback event, SM Entertainment said on Wednesday. The group will host "NCT 127 THE 7TH ALBUM COMEBACK LIVE PARTY" at KINTEX in Ilsan, northwest of Seoul next week. The event slated for Aug. 25 comes a day after the release of the group's seventh full-length album, "BLINGY." The title track, "Blingy," is a hip-hop song built around distorted synth sounds, heavy drum beats and a chanting chorus. SM Entertainment said the song also draws on rage and dubstep elements. The choreography includes hard-hitting hip-hop movements, changes in pace and a repeated hand gesture. Member Taeyong took part in creating the choreography, according to SM. The nine-track album will be released on global music platforms at 6 p.m. on Aug. 24. AJP Takeaways · NCT 127 will premiere the performance of its new title track at a comeback event on Aug. 25. · The event will be held at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Ilsan. · The seventh full-length album, "BLINGY," will be released on Aug. 24. · The title track, "Blingy," is a hip-hop song with distorted synths, heavy drum beats and a chanting 2026-08-19 18:02:50
K-pop girl group i-dle's Soyeon to release new solo album this fall SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Soyeon of K-pop girl group i-dle will return as a solo artist in September, Cube Entertainment said on Wednesday. The release will mark her first solo project in five years and two months since her debut mini album, "Windy," in July 2021. Soyeon is the leader of i-dle and has played a central role in the group's self-produced music. She has written and produced several of the group's major hits including "TOMBOY," "Nxde," "Queencard" and "Fate." In 2024, she was promoted to full membership in the Korea Music Copyright Association. This year, i-dle was named to Forbes Asia's "30 Under 30" list. Soyeon has also worked under the producer name icebluerabbit, including on i-dle's January digital single "Mono," featuring skaiwater. She previewed the solo track "ICE BLUE RABBIT" during i-dle's 2026 world tour, "Syncopation." Cube said Soyeon has collaborated with overseas artists including Odetari and Anderson .Paak. Ahead of the comeback, Soyeon performed on EBS music program "Space Gonggam" on Tuesday. She is scheduled to perform at Waterbomb Sokcho 2026 on Saturday. AJP Takeaways · Soyeon of i-dle will return as a solo artist in early September. · It will be her first solo project in five years and two months since "Windy" in July 2021. · Soyeon has written and produced i-dle hits including "TOMBOY," "Nxde," "Queencard" and "Fate." · She also works under the producer name icebluerabbit. 2026-08-19 18:00:25