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 upcoming single chosen as official song for Japan's Winter Cup SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - The latest song by K-pop boy group RIIZE has been chosen as the official track for Japan's national high school basketball championship, expanding their activities in Japan beyond concerts and music releases, their agency SM Entertainment said on Tuesday. "Rise Over" will be used for the 79th All Japan High School Basketball Championship, better known as the Winter Cup, which runs Dec. 23 to 29 in Tokyo, the Japan Basketball Association said. The song will be released next week as part of RIIZE's third Japanese single, "Sunburst." SM described "Rise Over" as an up-tempo rock song built around the tournament's spirit of challenge, with lyrics about getting back up despite setbacks. Members addressed that they hope the song would bring strength to players and resonate beyond the arena. The collaboration adds a sports element to RIIZE's Japan promotions ahead of the release of "Sunburst." RIIZE will hold a showcase in Osaka on Aug. 26, the day of the album's release. AJP Takeaways: - RIIZE's new song "Rise Over" has been chosen as the official cheer song for Japan's Winter Cup 2026 high school basketball championship. - The tournament will run from Dec. 23 to 29 in Tokyo. - "Rise Over" will be released Aug. 26 as part of RIIZE's third Japanese single, "Sunburst." - SM Entertainment described the song as an up-tempo rock track about overcoming setbacks and moving forward. 2026-08-18 14:23:55
NCT 127 to build buzz for new album with teaser medley SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - A medley featuring all nine songs from K-pop boy group NCT 127's seventh full-length album is set to be released at midnight Tuesday, ahead of the album's release next week to build excitement to their fans. A music video for "BLINGY," set to be released on Aug. 24, is also expected to be uploaded on the group's YouTube channel, with clips of the title track and other songs, including "IKR" and "Getaway." "IKR," short for "I Know, Right?" is an upbeat hip-hop track built around arcade-style synth sounds and a message of rejecting familiar formulas. Moreover, "Getaway" moves in a lighter direction, using retro synths and a funk-influenced rhythm to carry a message of stepping away from a busy routine, even briefly. The two tracks show SM Entertainment's vision for the album, weighing between sharper hip-hop energy and a more relaxed indie-pop mood. "BLINGY" will be released on global music platforms at 6 p.m. next Monday with a physical release the same day. With the release of the album, NCT 127 will continue their overseas activities, appearing on NBC's "America's Got Talent" later this week before performing at KCON LA later this month. AJP Takeaways: - NCT 127 will release a highlight medley for their seventh full-length album "BLINGY" on Tuesday. - The album contains nine tracks, including title song "Blingy" and album tracks "IKR" and "Getaway." - "IKR" is an up-tempo hip-hop track built around arcade-style synth sounds and a defiant message. - "Getaway" is a retro-tinged indie-pop song with a funk-influenced rhythm and a more relaxed mood. 2026-08-18 14:15:34
Jun. K to roll out 'Your Lips' on Aug. 17 SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - JUN. K of 2PM will release a new digital single, "Your Lips," featuring Wendy of Red Velvet, on Aug. 17, JYP Entertainment said Friday. The album will be released at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT), marking JUN. K's latest solo release after his fourth mini album, "Dear my muse" in September of 2025. Ahead of the release, JYP has been rolling out teaser photos through JUN. K's official social media channels. The latest images, released at midnight Friday, show the singer in a dark, minimal setting lit by sharp lighting, giving the single a more restrained and cinematic mood. Rather than building the rollout around a large-scale concept, the teasers keep the focus on JUN. K's tone and the romantic atmosphere of the song. JUN. K took part in writing the lyrics for "Your Lips," according to JYP. He has long been involved in songwriting for both his solo work and 2PM, including the group's hit song "My House," as well as tracks from "Dear my muse." The new single pairs JUN. K with Wendy, bringing together two vocalists known for controlled, expressive delivery. JYP described the song as a romantic track built around sweet lyrics and the contrast between the two singers' voices. "Your Lips" will be released on major music platforms on Aug. 17. AJP Takeaways · JUN. K of 2PM will release digital single "Your Lips" featuring Wendy of Red Velvet on Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. KST. · The release follows his solo track "Midnight Ticket" and fourth mini album "Dear my muse." · JYP has been releasing teaser photos built around a restrained, cinematic mood ahead of the single. 2026-08-14 16:14:03
Colonial ghosts haunt Korea's celebrity descendants SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) — Actress Hayoung thought she was telling a family story. Speaking on television about coming from four generations of doctors, she proudly recalled a great-grandfather who had studied Western medicine in Japan, opened one of Seoul's early Western-style clinics and, she said, treated Emperor Gojong. Soon, internet users were digging through colonial-era records. They identified the relative as Ahn Sang-ho, whose name appeared in organizations associated with cooperation with imperial Japan. What followed had little to do with Hayoung's latest acting role. Instead, just before South Korea marks the 81st anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15, the 35-year-old actress found herself at the center of a much older argument: How far should responsibility for collaboration reach across generations? The question is particularly combustible in Korea, where disputes over forced labor, wartime sexual slavery and territory continue to keep memories of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule politically alive. But Hayoung's case is more complicated than the online shorthand that quickly took hold. Ahn's name appears on a 1916 roster of governors of the Daejeong Chinmokhoe, an organization that promoted assimilation between colonial Korea and Japan. His name also appeared on a 1909 committee formed to mourn Ito Hirobumi, the Japanese statesman assassinated by Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun. Yet Ahn was not included in the widely cited Encyclopedia of Pro-Japanese Collaborators, published in 2009, and historians differ over whether the records are enough to classify him as a collaborator. Historian Sim Yong-hwan has cautioned against applying that label solely because someone's name appeared in an organization associated with colonial rule. Bang Hak-jin, secretary-general of the Center for Historical Truth and Justice, has said Ahn's participation in such organizations is documented but that the available evidence did not meet the threshold for inclusion in the dictionary. Former Independence Hall director Lee Jun-sik has taken a stricter position, arguing that serving as a governor of an organization promoting assimilation should itself be regarded as collaboration. Those distinctions largely vanished once the debate moved online. Posts began describing Hayoung simply as the descendant of a "chinilpa," a deeply charged Korean term commonly used for people regarded as collaborators with imperial Japan. Hayoung herself has not expressed support for Japan's colonial rule or involvement in any colonial-era activity. Yet the controversy rapidly spread beyond historical debate, drawing in her television appearances, her family's wealth and eventually the companies that had hired her. Samsung Electronics removed six advertisements featuring the actress from its official YouTube channel, while other brands also withdrew campaigns. The episode unfolded just as her Netflix romance drama "Our Sticky Love," co-starring Chung Hye-in, had reached No. 5 among the platform's non-English television series after airing in the first week of August. A history that never fully went away The intensity of the reaction is difficult to understand without Korea's unfinished reckoning with collaboration after liberation in 1945. A special committee established to investigate Koreans accused of assisting Japanese colonial rule was dismantled in 1949 amid political resistance. Many of those accused were never prosecuted, and some retained or later regained wealth and influence. South Korea returned to the issue decades later. A government commission operating from 2005 to 2009 identified 1,006 people as having engaged in pro-Japanese and anti-national activities. A separately compiled private dictionary applied broader criteria and named nearly 4,800 people. More than eight decades after liberation, "chinilpa" remains more than a historical classification. It can function as a political accusation, a moral judgment and, in the age of social media, a label capable of spreading faster than the evidence behind it. Whether that stigma should extend to descendants is another matter. The young Koreans interviewed by AJP did not generally argue that it should. "I sometimes feel bad when someone gets criticized just because they are a descendant," said Kang Seung-yeon, a 21-year-old university student from Seoul's Dongjak district. But Kang said Hayoung's own television appearances made the reaction more complicated. "In Hayoung's case, I think the things she said on television probably made people view the situation more negatively," she said. Kim Su-hwan, a 35-year-old office worker from Gangdong district, had never heard of the actress before the controversy erupted. "I don't think this is a witch hunt just because she's a collaborator's descendant," Kim said. Nor, he said, did the online debate look entirely one-sided. "People with different opinions are busy arguing with each other in the comments." That divide is visible across social media. Some users rejected the idea that Hayoung should bear responsibility for something her great-grandfather may have done nearly a century ago. Others were less concerned with inherited guilt than with whether wealth and social status acquired during the colonial period might have survived across generations among families that benefited under Japanese rule. Others pushed back against that assumption as well. There is no evidence that Hayoung's family's present-day wealth came from Ahn Sang-ho's colonial-era activities. When ancestry met privilege The tenor of the controversy shifted after older clips of Hayoung began circulating alongside the historical material. In footage from a 2025 cooking program, she said her family home had five refrigerators and joked that food sometimes went to waste because no one finished it. The comment had nothing to do with colonial history when it was made. Neither, on its own, did talking about generations of doctors in her family. But after internet users identified Ahn, those remarks were recirculated through a different lens: not simply as family anecdotes, but as displays of inherited status. For some younger Koreans, that was the point at which the controversy stopped being primarily about ancestry. "Korea clearly has a painful history when it comes to pro-Japanese collaborators, but in Hayoung's case I think a lot of the problem came from being careless about what she said," said Kim So-young, a 23-year-old student. She cited the comments about the refrigerators and the family's medical background. "I think people did not respond well because it sounded like she was boasting," Kim said. "Then people started looking further into her family history." For Kim, having an ancestor suspected of collaboration was not enough on its own to justify the reaction. "Being a celebrity means your livelihood depends on how you are seen," she said. "You have to be careful and humble." Timing intensified the scrutiny. The controversy erupted in the run-up to Liberation Day, when stories of independence fighters, colonial repression and Koreans who cooperated with Japanese authorities return to the center of public attention. Sim has offered a similar interpretation of the episode, saying the anger appeared to be driven less by Hayoung's bloodline than by the impression that she had proudly presented a family history she did not fully understand. Hayoung later acknowledged that point herself. In an apology posted on Instagram, she said she had known her great-grandfather only through fragmentary stories passed down within the family. She said she began examining historical records after the controversy and learned about his activities connected to pro-Japanese organizations. Her agency had initially dismissed the allegations as baseless. It reversed its position after confirming the authenticity of the 1916 roster and apologized for responding before adequately checking the historical record. Korea has seen it before Hayoung is hardly the first Korean celebrity to discover that an ancestor's colonial-era record can suddenly become part of a modern career. Actor Kang Dong-won faced controversy in 2017 over his maternal great-grandfather. Criticism intensified after his agency sought the removal of articles discussing the family history. Kang later apologized, saying he had not properly understood his ancestor's record. Actress Lee Ji-ah responded differently after reports emerged about her grandfather. She visited the Center for Historical Truth and Justice to examine historical documents herself and later said that no circumstance could justify collaboration. Musician Jeon Beom-sun disclosed his own descent from a figure associated with collaboration before public controversy forced the issue. Those cases suggest that ancestry alone does not determine the scale of the backlash. How a public figure discusses that history — and how the person responds once it emerges — can matter just as much. The opposite dynamic also carries weight. Actor Yoon Ju-bin is the grand-nephew of independence fighter Yoon Bong-gil, one of Korea's most celebrated anti-colonial activists. He kept that connection largely out of public view for years after making his acting debut and has said his family warned him against using Yoon's name for commercial benefit. That contrast has resurfaced during the debate over Hayoung. One family connection can become a source of suspicion if it appears to have been celebrated without scrutiny. Another can generate respect precisely because it was not exploited. More than inherited guilt Hayoung's case ultimately offers little evidence of a simple generational vendetta against descendants of people associated with colonial rule. The young Koreans interviewed by AJP did not say people should be condemned because of their bloodline. Their judgments were more conditional. For some, whatever Ahn Sang-ho did should have no bearing on how his great-granddaughter is judged today. For others, the issue became harder to separate from Hayoung herself after she publicly expressed pride in a family history that she later acknowledged she did not fully know. The historical question remains unsettled as well. Ahn's participation in organizations associated with colonial rule is documented. But historians still disagree over how that participation should be classified, and he was not among those included in the best-known private dictionary of collaborators. There is also no evidence that Hayoung's family's present wealth originated from his colonial-era activities. What the controversy reveals instead is how quickly separate questions can collapse into one another in South Korea: what an ancestor did, whether descendants benefited, how wealth is displayed and what responsibility a person has when invoking family history in public. For most Koreans alive today, Japanese colonial rule survives through textbooks, films, family stories and national commemorations rather than personal memory. The generation that experienced it directly is rapidly disappearing. The argument has not disappeared with them. Eighty-one years after liberation, Korea is still deciding not only how to remember those who collaborated and those who resisted, but where historical responsibility ends and the lives of their descendants begin. AJP Takeaways: · Actress Hayoung is facing backlash ahead of South Korea's Aug. 15 Liberation Day after colonial-era records linked her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho to organizations associated with cooperation with imperial Japan. · Ahn appeared in records tied to pro-Japanese organizations but was not included in the 2009 Encyclopedia of Pro-Japanese Collaborators. Historians remain divided over whether his activities warrant the collaborator label. · Interviews with Koreans in their 20s and 30s suggest the controversy is not simply about inherited guilt. Hayoung's remarks about her family's wealth and four-generation medical pedigree have also fueled criticism. 2026-08-14 16:11:37
BTS' 'FAKE LOVE' tops 1.4 billion YouTube views SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - K-pop supergroup BTS' music video for "FAKE LOVE" has surpassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube, adding another long-running catalog hit to the group's list of billion-scale videos. The video crossed the mark at around 3:46 p.m. KST, according to the agency. "FAKE LOVE" is the sixth BTS music video to reach 1.4 billion views, following "Dynamite," "Boy With Luv," "DNA," "MIC Drop" and "IDOL." Released in May 2018, "FAKE LOVE" became one of the defining tracks of BTS' "LOVE YOURSELF" era. The song blends grunge rock guitar with trap rhythm, using a darker sound to frame the realization that a love once believed to be fate was built on illusion. The track was the lead single from "LOVE YOURSELF: Tear," the album that made BTS the first K-pop act to top the Billboard 200. "FAKE LOVE" also entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 10 and reached No. 42 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart, marking one of BTS' early major chart breakthroughs outside Korea. The 1.4 billion-view mark comes as BTS continues the North American leg of its "ARIRANG" world tour. The milestone also underlines the staying power of BTS' pre-"Dynamite" catalog, with "FAKE LOVE" continuing to draw viewers more than eight years after its release. AJP Takeaway · BTS' "FAKE LOVE" music video surpassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube at around 3:46 p.m. KST, BigHit Music said Thursday. · It is BTS' sixth music video to reach 1.4 billion views, after "Dynamite," "Boy With Luv," "DNA," "MIC Drop" and "IDOL." · Released in May 2018, "FAKE LOVE" was the lead single from "LOVE YOURSELF: Tear," BTS' first Billboard 200 No. 1 album. · The song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 42 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart at release. 2026-08-14 15:52:45
Hyundai Motor Group teams with musician KIRARA SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has released an electronic track produced with Korean musician KIRARA, using music to depict the process of turning raw material into a finished vehicle through the company's manufacturing technology. The track, titled "Temper", was released Thursday on Hyundai Motor Group's official YouTube channel and major streaming platforms, including Melon, Bugs, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. The song opens with an ambient passage suggesting the untapped potential of raw material, gradually layers in beats as a car body takes shape, then settles into a clearer sound by the end to mark the vehicle's completion. To capture the precision of that process, KIRARA drew on ambient techno, layering in glitch textures and breakbeat rhythms. Hyundai Motor Group said the release is part of an effort to present its work — spanning robotics, software-defined vehicles and other areas beyond traditional manufacturing — in a more accessible format. KIRARA, active since 2014, has released five full-length albums. Her sound blends delicate melodies with contrasting emotions, drawing on 1990s British dance music and 2000s Japanese electronic music. She performs her own compositions live using computers and MIDI controllers more than 30 times a year at clubs and festivals in Korea and abroad, including the Pentaport Rock Festival, the Venice Biennale in Italy, SXSW in the U.S. and Spain's Primavera Pro. In February, she won Best Electronic Album at the 23rd Korean Music Awards for her fifth album, "KIRARA" — her second win in the category, after "moves" in 2017. "Working on this piece to express Hyundai Motor Group's new technologies felt like a continuous sense of wonder, similar to when I first learned synthesizing as a young musician," KIRARA said. "I wanted to capture both the precision of that advanced technology and the feeling I had encountering it, through music with the same precision." Hyundai Motor Group said the collaboration draws on KIRARA's experimental work in Korean electronic music to give shape to the process behind its innovation. The company plans to release a video later this month showcasing new manufacturing technology set to the track. AJP Takeaway · Hyundai Motor Group released "Temper," an electronic track made with Korean musician KIRARA, on Thursday across YouTube and major streaming platforms. · The track translates the process of refining raw material into a finished vehicle into sound, using ambient techno, glitch textures and breakbeat rhythms. · Hyundai Motor Group is using the collaboration to present work in robotics, software-defined vehicles and manufacturing innovation through music. · KIRARA won Best Electronic Album at the Korean Music Awards in February for her fifth album, "KIRARA," following an earlier win for "moves" in 2017. 2026-08-14 15:51:12
Kim Koo tops independence fighter searches ahead of Liberation Day SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Kim Koo, Ahn Jung-geun and Yu Gwan-sun were among the most searched independence activists on the Independence Hall of Korea's online biographical dictionary this year. The results show how public interest remains centered on Korea's best-known anti-colonial figures ahead of Liberation Day. The Independence Hall of Korea said Friday it analyzed user activity on the Korean Independence Movement Information System's biographical dictionary from Jan. 29 to Aug. 13, finding that the three ranked among the most searched independence figures. Kim, better known by his pen name Baekbeom, served as chairman of the Korean Provisional Government and remains one of the central figures of the independence movement under Japanese colonial rule. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Kim's birth, which UNESCO has designated as an associated commemoration. Ahn Jung-geun is remembered as a symbol of armed resistance for assassinating Ito Hirobumi, Japan's first resident-general of Korea, at Harbin Station in 1909. Yu Gwan-sun, a high school student at Ewha Haktang, was arrested by Japanese police for taking part in the March 1 Independence Movement and died at Seodaemun Prison after being tortured by Japanese authorities. The Independence Hall said the enduring popularity of the three figures reflects their place as symbols of resistance, sacrifice and national self-determination. Kim Eun-ji, a researcher at the Independence Hall's Academic Research Department, said Korea's liberation on Aug. 15 was achieved through the blood, sweat and effort of all who devoted themselves to independence. She said the institution will continue working to introduce lesser-known independence activists to the public through tools such as the digital biographical dictionary. AJP Takeaway: · Kim Koo, Ahn Jung-geun and Yu Gwan-sun were among the most searched independence activists on the Independence Hall of Korea's online biographical dictionary from Jan. 29 to Aug. 13. · The search results show public interest remains concentrated on Korea's most symbolic anti-colonial figures ahead of Liberation Day on Aug. 15. · Kim Koo served as chairman of the Korean Provisional Government, and 2026 marks the 150th anniversary of his birth. 2026-08-14 10:28:48
JYP Entertainment Q2 operating profit falls 41% as tour, merchandise sales drop SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - JYP Entertainment's second-quarter operating profit fell 41.4 percent from a year earlier as lower concert and merchandise revenue outweighed stronger album and digital music sales. Operating profit for the April-June period came to 31 billion won ($21.7 million), down from 52.9 billion won a year earlier and 7.1 percent from the first quarter. The result was 18.7 percent below the FnGuide consensus of 38.1 billion won. The operating margin narrowed to 16.9 percent from 24.5 percent a year earlier, while the gross profit margin fell 3.1 percentage points to 38.7 percent. Revenue declined 15.1 percent on year to 183.1 billion won, 8.5 percent below the market estimate of 200.1 billion won. JYP attributed the decline largely to a high comparison base from Stray Kids' large-scale concerts and merchandise sales in the same period last year. Concert revenue fell 35.7 percent to 39.9 billion won as the number of major performances declined, despite tours by TWICE, DAY6, ITZY and NMIXX. Merchandise revenue dropped 34.5 percent to 43.9 billion won, reflecting the absence of large online merchandise sales and a high base from Stray Kids' tour merchandise a year earlier. Appearance revenue also fell 28 percent to 7 billion won. Music sales were stronger. Album revenue rose 36.7 percent to 37 billion won as Stray Kids' back-catalog shipments climbed to 420,000 copies from 120,000 a year earlier and JYP released five major new albums, up from three in the same period last year. Digital music revenue jumped 71.6 percent to 19.7 billion won, helped by stronger overseas demand and a reclassification of YouTube revenue. Advertising revenue increased 20.5 percent to 13.6 billion won. The weaker revenue mix and higher costs also weighed on profitability. Content production costs increased 25.9 percent from a year earlier, while selling and administrative expenses rose 6.9 percent even as overall revenue declined. Net income fell 40.3 percent to 21.7 billion won, coming in 27.8 percent below the FnGuide consensus of 30.1 billion won. JYP said it expects Stray Kids to drive stronger IP monetization in the second half through the group's new mini album "THIS & THAT," its "RUN IT" world tour, festivals and expanded merchandise and licensing businesses. The company plans to extend the tour into more regions in 2027 while expanding SKZOO pop-up stores and collaborations with global IP partners. It also expects more than 200 concerts across its artist roster in 2026. SKZOO is Stray Kids' official character brand, featuring animal-inspired characters modeled after the group's eight members and used across merchandise, pop-up stores and licensing collaborations. JYP Entertainment shares closed at 40,850 won, down 11.2 percent, or 5,150 won, on Thursday. AJP Takeaway · JYP Entertainment’s second-quarter operating profit fell 41.4 percent to 31 billion won, missing the FnGuide consensus by 18.7 percent, as weaker concert and merchandise sales outweighed gains in music. · Revenue declined 15.1 percent to 183.1 billion won, with concert and merchandise revenue down 35.7 percent and 34.5 percent, respectively, against a high base from Stray Kids’ activities a year earlier. · Album revenue rose 36.7 percent and digital music revenue jumped 71.6 percent, but the stronger music business was not enough to prevent the operating margin from falling to 16.9 percent from 24.5 percent. 2026-08-13 17:55:36
Korea still looks cheap on paper. Why doesn't it feel that way? SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - South Korea can still look remarkably cheap to someone arriving from New York or Berlin. For Koreans earning and spending in won, it increasingly does not feel that way. Years of rising prices have made more spending discretionary as household incomes struggle to keep pace, squeezing what remains after necessities. Yet for visitors earning dollars or euros, a restaurant bill or cab fare in Seoul can still look like a bargain. A three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant costs about $140 in New York, compared with 92,500 won ($65) in Seoul, according to Numbeo, the crowdsourced global cost-of-living database. Numbeo puts a mile of standard taxi travel at about $3.50 in New York against 1,327 won in Seoul, excluding the starting fare. Miki Vranjes is spending a month in Korea partly because of that price appeal. "You should see how expensive things are in Germany," he said. "The price for anything in Germany is insanely high." Fresh from her previous stop in Tokyo, Cortney Haze sees less of a bargain. "I don't think I find prices for anything in Korea extraordinarily cheap compared to the United States or even Japan, to be completely honest," she said. At some restaurants, she noted, burgers can run above $10. The exchange rate explains part of the divide. The won weakened sharply during the first half of the year, with the dollar-won rate averaging above 1,530 around the end of June. It has since recovered to around 1,422 won per dollar, strengthening roughly 7 percent from that level. Even after the rebound, the exchange rate continues to make many Korean prices look relatively low when converted into dollars. That distinction — cheap after currency conversion versus affordable on a Korean paycheck — runs through the numbers. The Middle East war added another burst of inflation this spring as energy costs surged. OECD-wide inflation climbed to 4.6 percent in May as energy inflation reached 15.8 percent, before headline inflation eased to 4.2 percent in June. The OECD has said the conflict has pushed up energy and other input prices while squeezing real incomes. Korea's consumer inflation slowed to 2.8 percent in July from 3.2 percent in June, helped by falling petroleum prices. U.S. inflation similarly eased to 3.4 percent in July from 3.5 percent in June and 4.2 percent in May. Germany moved the other way last month, with inflation rebounding to 2.8 percent in July from 2.3 percent in June. Cheap compared with where? The OECD's comparative price data broadly support the impression that Korea remains inexpensive relative to many advanced economies. Its monthly comparative price levels measure the cost of a representative basket of consumer goods and services using purchasing-power estimates and market exchange rates. That means currency swings can change the comparison even when domestic sticker prices do not. Rebasing the OECD's May figures to make each comparison country equal to 100 puts Korea at about 71 against Germany and 58 against the United States. Against Japan, Korea stands much closer, at about 93. That makes Haze's reaction understandable. Korea looks substantially cheaper beside Germany or the United States, but much less so after a stop in Japan. Individual purchases make the point even more vividly. A Big Mac in Korea costs 5,700 won, after McDonald's Korea raised prices in February. In Japan, McDonald's currently lists one from 500 yen. Korea's Big Mac is therefore actually more expensive in dollar terms at current exchange rates — roughly $4 versus a little over $3 in Japan. Taxi fares tell a different story. A standard Seoul taxi starts at 4,800 won for the first 1.6 kilometers, then adds 100 won for every 131 meters. In Berlin, the base fare is 4.30 euros, followed by 2.80 euros per kilometer for the first three kilometers. When income does not keep up Lee Dong-hyun, a 35-year-old office worker in Seoul, said a familiar joke among his friends — that prices rise every year while salaries barely move — has become increasingly difficult to laugh about. "I feel like I work all day at the office, doing a lot but somehow accomplishing nothing, and at the end of it there's nothing left in my bank account," he said. His routine is mostly work and home, with money going to meals, coffee, dinner and exercise. Even without large purchases, Lee estimates he spends around 2 million won a month. He has considered cooking more often, but groceries do not feel particularly cheap either. Official household data explain why the squeeze persists even as headline inflation eases. Average monthly household income rose 2.4 percent from a year earlier to 5.481 million won in the first quarter. After inflation, real income increased just 0.4 percent. Consumption spending, meanwhile, jumped 5.3 percent to 3.105 million won, or 3.1 percent in real terms. The average household surplus fell 3.1 percent to 1.239 million won. And the latest wage data suggest the squeeze has not disappeared. Real wages fell 1.4 percent in May, the second consecutive monthly decline, as inflation outpaced nominal pay growth. That is why slowing inflation does not necessarily feel like falling prices. It means prices are rising more slowly from levels that households already regard as high. For a visitor converting dollars or euros, Korea can therefore remain relatively inexpensive. For a Korean worker measuring those same prices against a paycheck, the arithmetic can look very different. AJP Takeaways • Korea remains considerably cheaper than the U.S. or Germany on broad international price comparisons, although its gap with Japan is much narrower. • Exchange rates amplify Korea's apparent cheapness for foreign visitors, even after the won's roughly 7 percent rebound from its late-June lows. • Korean households face a different equation: real household income rose just 0.4 percent in the first quarter while consumption spending climbed 5.3 percent and household surpluses fell. 2026-08-13 17:53:08
NCT 127 to appear on 'America's Got Talent' SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 will appear as a special guest on NBC's "America's Got Talent" next week, adding a high-profile U.S. television stage to the rollout of its upcoming seventh full-length album, "BLINGY," SM Entertainment said Thursday. The group is set to perform during the live broadcast on Aug. 19, U.S. time, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. The performance comes five days before "BLINGY" arrives on Aug. 24, putting NCT 127 in front of a mainstream American audience just as the album cycle begins. "America's Got Talent," now in its 21st season, remains one of NBC's marquee entertainment franchises, spotlighting acts across singing, dance, comedy and other categories. NCT 127 will follow the AGT appearance with a performance at KCON LA, extending a run of U.S. stages tied to the comeback. The group had already built anticipation stateside with outdoor ad campaigns in New York and Los Angeles in July that drew notice on X, formerly Twitter. "BLINGY" will be released on streaming platforms at 6 p.m. KST on Aug. 24, with nine tracks including the title song "Blingy." SM describes the record as built around a sense of unshaken confidence, citing two tracks in particular. "Legacy" pairs aggressive drums and distorted bass with layered choir vocals, rapid-fire rap and melodic singing, carrying a message of spreading positive energy from Seoul, the group's home base. "Step Up," meanwhile, leans into a '90s-style old-school hip-hop groove, with lyrics about pushing through chaos and crisis on the group's own terms. Since Aug. 12, NCT 127 has been rolling out "ASSEMBLE!" concept content on its social media, mixing glimpses of the members' everyday lives with the chemistry among its five members. A physical edition of "BLINGY" will be released alongside the digital version on Aug. 24 and is currently available for preorder at online and offline retailers. AJP Takeaway · NCT 127 will appear as a special guest on NBC's "America's Got Talent" on Aug. 19, U.S. time, ahead of its Aug. 24 comeback. · The AGT appearance adds a mainstream U.S. television stage to the rollout for the group's seventh full-length album, "BLINGY." · "BLINGY" includes nine tracks, led by title song "Blingy," and will be released digitally and physically on Aug. 24. 2026-08-13 15:29:48