AJU PRESS ASIA FIRST NEWS AGENCY

Journalist

Choi Song-hui
  • BTS Places Six Songs on Billboard Hot 100 for Third Straight Week
    BTS Places Six Songs on Billboard Hot 100 for Third Straight Week BTS extended its run on Billboard’s main singles chart, placing six songs on the Hot 100 for a third consecutive week. The group also appeared on Rolling Stone’s May special cover, underscoring its global profile. According to Billboard’s latest charts released April 14, “SWIM,” the title track from BTS’ fifth full-length album “ARIRANG,” ranked No. 5 on the April 18 Hot 100. Five other tracks from the album also charted: “Body to Body” at No. 52, “2.0” at No. 67, “Hooligan” at No. 72, “NORMAL” at No. 82 and “FYA” at No. 90. All six have now remained on the Hot 100 for three straight weeks. The album’s momentum continued across Billboard’s global rankings. “SWIM” held No. 1 for a third week on both the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts. All 13 vocal tracks from “ARIRANG” were also positioned within the top 50 of the Global 200 and within the top 40 of Global Excl. U.S., Billboard said. BTS also stayed atop the Billboard 200, Artist 100, Digital Song Sales and Top Album Sales charts for a third consecutive week. Billboard said the group’s three-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 was the first such achievement by a K-pop act — and by a group overall — since 2012. BTS additionally ranked No. 1 on Vinyl Albums, No. 4 on Top Streaming Albums and No. 9 on Streaming Songs. In Japan, “ARIRANG” remained No. 1 for a second straight week on Oricon’s Weekly Streaming Ranking with about 8.55 million weekly plays. Oricon said it was the first time since November 2024 that an overseas artist led the chart for two consecutive weeks. Rolling Stone on April 14 released a group cover and an interview video tied to its May special issue. The project is being published simultaneously across 16 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, with one group cover and seven individual member covers. In the interview, members spoke about their reflections and changes as they returned as a full group after a hiatus. RM said the album’s 14 tracks are “the answer to the question, ‘What is BTS in 2026?’” adding, “If we no longer challenge ourselves, there’s no reason to keep the team going.” Jin said, “I’ve always thought there’s no reason to continue if I’m not with the group.” J-Hope said, “As we filled in each other’s shortcomings, we realized again why we have to be seven.” Suga said he wanted to focus less on results and more on staying healthy and enjoying activities together. Jimin said he would push himself further to raise the team’s standing. V said he used his military service to reset physically and mentally while planning the next step. Jung Kook said his hunger for the stage grew during the break. BTS also completed the opening shows of its “BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’” on April 9 and April 11-12 at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province. About 132,000 people attended across three concerts, and fans in 194 countries and regions joined through live viewings and Weverse online streaming. The fifth full-length album “ARIRANG” is BTS’ first new release in three years and nine months. The album centers on universal emotions, and “SWIM” conveys determination to keep moving forward through life’s hardships. RM participated broadly in writing lyrics, reflecting the group’s current concerns and stories.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-15 08:57:21
  • How Director Lee Sang-min and Actor Kim Hye-yoon Built the Fear in Salmokji
    How Director Lee Sang-min and Actor Kim Hye-yoon Built the Fear in 'Salmokji' Every production holds many perspectives. The same place and time can feel different depending on where a director or actor stands. “Choi Song-hee’s B-Cut” looks beyond the on-screen “A-cut” to the vivid record of what happened off camera. By weaving interviews with directors and actors, it reconstructs the “B-cut” moments that were often more intense than the finished frame. <Editor’s note> ※This article contains spoilers for the film The horror film “Salmokji” begins when an unidentified figure appears in a reservoir road-view image. A team returns to the site to film again and encounters something in the black, deep water. Rather than leaning on a simple ghost story or shock tactics, the movie builds dread by stacking small, unexplained signs and the slow sense that people at the water’s edge are being consumed. On screen, the reservoir swallows the characters; off screen, the director and cast closely discussed how to shape that fear. Director Lee Sang-min and actor Kim Hye-yoon shared a love of the horror genre, but approached the set differently. Lee focused first on sound, devices and the texture of the location. Kim built the emotions of a character who tries to hold on but ultimately begins to crack. Their contrasting instincts, they said, helped make the film’s fear feel more layered. “Kim Hye-yoon is sincere and exemplary by nature,” Lee said. “Since this is my first film at this scale, she was a real support. She gave a lot of good ideas, and I was grateful that she helped organize difficult ensemble scenes. Her expressiveness is excellent, too. She seemed to know exactly what the right ‘degree’ was. I think we worked together really well.” “On set, Director Lee has a firm image of the script in his head, but when it comes to acting, he left room for us to freely offer ideas and try things,” Kim said. “He’s the type who likes building scenes through a lot of conversation.” Their shared genre taste also carried into discussions about equipment and staging. Lee said he regularly watches horror content on YouTube, and that interest fed into the film’s devices. “I really like horror YouTube,” Lee said. “Watching YouTubers use things like a ghost box, I thought, ‘Someday I have to use that in my movie.’ Usually you just hear static, but if, at a certain spot, words start pouring out, that would be terrifying. Those were elements that scared me even on YouTube, so I tried to blend them into the film.” “I like horror a lot, too, so I knew about that equipment,” Kim said. “The director also knew ghost boxes well, so we talked about the gear and discussed how to use it. Ha ha.” Kim plays Su-in, the character who anchors the story. Within the team heading to Salmokji, Su-in must show leadership while carrying an emotional fault line that could collapse first. Kim said she built Su-in around two main ideas: fear of water and guilt. “When the director and I developed Su-in, we used fear of water — trauma — and guilt as key words,” Kim said. “She’s under huge stress from that, so I thought it would be good if she looked exhausted in every way. A bit worn down, drained, and even when she’s with others, as if she’s lost in different thoughts.” Lee said he started by researching road-view filming and then assigning roles needed for the work — including a road-view controller, a command lead and a place-view role — before shaping the characters. Su-in became central, he said, because the water ghost must “pull” someone in, requiring a backstory that would drive that movement. While everyone goes to Salmokji for the road-view job, Lee said he wanted each person to have a different private goal, and needed a leader who could make rational judgments but still be fixated on the reservoir. That is why he gave Su-in “guilt” as a defining trait, he said. Notably, Su-in’s past is not fully explained in the film. Viewers infer it through bits of dialogue and mood. Lee said he chose that approach to keep attention on what happens in the location itself. “I wanted audiences to focus only on what happens in the film’s ‘space,’” Lee said. “I wanted to unpack the backstory, but no matter how I thought about it, it felt like the flow would drift elsewhere. So I think we only conveyed it through nuance. Su-in had an experience where she almost died in water, and because of that trauma she fears water. She’s assigned to Salmokji for the road-view shoot, and even though she doesn’t want to go, she forces herself. We tried to capture the fear of the space itself and the discomfort of water.” “When I first got the script, he told me about Su-in’s backstory,” Kim said. “It’s part of the story, but it doesn’t appear in the film, so I tried to compress those emotions and show them to the audience.” Kim said one scene she remembers most strongly is the stone-skipping sequence. As Kyung-jun and Sung-bin toss stones across the water to pass time, the film briefly seems to ease its pace — then quickly turns the familiar rhythm into something unsettling. “As a horror fan, my favorite scene in this movie is the stone-skipping scene,” Kim said. “It was also the moment that startled me most in the theater. During filming, what comes flying from the other side was CG, so I couldn’t see it with my eyes, but on the big screen it surprised me — and it was really scary.” Lee said sound was his top priority in shaping that moment. “When should it become quiet? The best moment in a horror movie is when everyone holds their breath,” he said. “I wanted to bring that silence to life. I wanted the sound of the stone flying in, the impact, and the splash to feel sharp. I talked a lot with the sound engineer about how strong the lapping should feel. When you don’t know it’s water, we cut the sound down, and once the camera reveals it’s underwater, we made it feel bigger.” In the end, the film’s fear was not built through a single method. Lee tightened tension through the arrangement of space, sound and devices, while Kim carried Su-in’s inner collapse under trauma and guilt. Their different approaches to the same reservoir, they said, locked together to create the film’s distinctive chill. 2026-04-14 15:33:25
  • Na Hong-jin’s Cannes Competition Film ‘Hope’ Lands NEON for North American Release
    Na Hong-jin’s Cannes Competition Film ‘Hope’ Lands NEON for North American Release Na Hong-jin’s new film “Hope” (HOPE), invited to compete at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, has secured a North American release through a partnership with U.S. distributor NEON. Founded in 2017, NEON has handled North American distribution for high-profile international titles, including multiple Palme d’Or winners at Cannes and an Academy Award best picture winner. NEON has brought a run of Cannes Palme d’Or winners to North American audiences since 2019, including Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite,” “Titane,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Anora” and “It Was Just an Accident.” With the new deal, NEON is set to present six films at the 79th Cannes Film Festival across competition and noncompetition sections, including “Hope,” “Sheep in a Box” and “Suddenly Worsening Condition.” NEON also recently handled North American distribution for Park Chan-wook’s “No Choice,” continuing its role in expanding the global reach of Korean cinema. In a statement on taking North American distribution rights for “Hope,” NEON said it was “very pleased” to partner with the “one and only” Na, along with Forged Films and Plus M Entertainment, to bring the film to audiences worldwide, adding, “Please look forward to it.” “Hope” begins at a police outpost in Hopohang, near the Demilitarized Zone, where chief Beomseok hears from local young men that a tiger has appeared, putting the village on alert as he confronts an unbelievable reality. The film is Na’s first in 10 years since “The Wailing.” It is set to premiere as a world premiere at Cannes in May and is scheduled to reach theaters this summer.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-13 17:30:18
  • TXT Returns With 8th EP After Renewing Contract, Shifts to More Personal Stories
    TXT Returns With 8th EP After Renewing Contract, Shifts to More Personal Stories TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) returned with a new album that the group said reflects their own stories more directly, after passing a major career milestone: renewing their contracts seven years after debut. A showcase for the group’s eighth EP, “7TH YEAR: When the Wind Paused Briefly in the Thornbush,” was held Sunday afternoon at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul. The release is TXT’s first since all five members renewed their contracts with BigHit Music in August 2025. The group said the album compares the anxiety and uncertainty they felt over the past seven years to “thorns,” and looks back on that period while committing to a new start. Leader Soobin said, “We’re greeting you with our eighth EP. It feels new because it’s our first album after renewing our contracts. We’ll show you a great side of ourselves.” Hueningkai said the group “put a range of emotions into the music.” Beomgyu added, “We came back with a heartbreaking love story. It’s already our eighth year, and time feels like it flew by. Thank you for being with us as we grew.” Yeonjun said the group prepared “with the mindset of debuting” because it is their first comeback after renewing. Taehyun said, “As always over the past seven years, we’ll work hard.” The group also spoke about moving smoothly through what is often called the “seven-year hurdle” in K-pop, when many groups face difficult contract talks. Taehyun said aligning the members’ views “didn’t even take an hour.” “We wanted to keep promoting as a team, and we wanted to keep promoting with our fans, so it was like, ‘Of course we’re doing this, right?’” he said. He added that the group wanted to reassure fans quickly, and said they sought advice from BTS member RM, who “warmly” congratulated them and reviewed documents with care. Soobin said people told them coordinating among members can be harder than negotiating with the company, but the group reached agreement quickly. He said the company talks took longer than the members’ discussion, but he later learned the process was still considered early and that cases like theirs are rare. The members said the album marks a shift away from a “persona” toward more personal material. Taehyun said the group held long interviews with the production team and found their thinking was similar as they looked for “the most honest story” they could tell at this point. He said the change also raised questions about how to keep the work truthful when drawing from real life. Beomgyu said that while there were many happy moments, there were also periods of anxiety and worry, and he wanted to capture those feelings honestly. Yeonjun said that even after renewing and entering their eighth year, the experience is not “only glamorous,” and he still feels a desire to go higher. He said he once thought debuting would automatically make them global stars, but reality was different, and the process helped him learn and grow. Yeonjun also said he experienced a severe burnout during preparations, while also working on a solo album. “It was a meaningful time,” he said, adding that what he wants at the end of that process is “the team.” He said he hopes to keep the group together “as long as possible” and promote happily with the members. Soobin said discussing their seventh anniversary contract made the members feel especially precious to him. He recalled that the group struggled after COVID-19 hit about a year after debut, cutting off many experiences they expected to have, but said the members matured mentally and became closer through what they went through. The title track, “7TH YEAR: When the Wind Paused Briefly in the Thornbush,” continues TXT’s pattern of long song titles. Hueningkai said people see the long title and say it feels like a TXT song, calling it part of the group’s identity. Soobin said he was glad to have a Korean-language title again, and that fans saying it reminds them of the group’s early days felt like a compliment because TXT prepared with a debut-like mindset. Yeonjun said he suggested a hand-tutting move in the chorus and said the choreography turned out well. The EP includes six tracks: “Bed of Thorns,” “Stick With You,” “Take Me to Nirvana,” “So What,” “21st Century Romance” and “Next of Next.” Taehyun said that while achievements such as Billboard rankings matter, the group’s top priority is staying healthy and happy, and that the process should be enjoyable. “If we need something measurable, I want to be No. 1 on Billboard,” he said. TXT’s eighth EP, “7TH YEAR: When the Wind Paused Briefly in the Thornbush,” will be released worldwide at 6 p.m. Sunday. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-13 16:03:25
  • TXT Says All Members Renewed Contracts After Advice From BTS RM
    TXT Says All Members Renewed Contracts After Advice From BTS' RM TOMORROW X TOGETHER said all members have renewed their contracts. The group made the announcement Sunday at a showcase for its new album, “Seven Year (7TH YEAR): When the Wind Briefly Stopped in the Thornbush,” held at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul’s Seongbuk district. Taehyun said it took “less than an hour” for the members to agree. “We wanted to keep promoting as a team, and we also wanted to stay with our fans, so it came together naturally,” he said. He added that the group wanted to share the news sooner rather than make fans wait until the seven-year mark. Taehyun said he sought advice from BTS, including RM. “He spoke to me very thoughtfully, checked things one by one, and warmly told me it’s already been seven years and that we’ve worked hard,” Taehyun said. Soobin said others had told him aligning views among members can be harder than negotiating with a company, but TXT reached agreement within an hour. He said talks with the company took some time by the group’s standards, but he later heard it was still relatively quick. “I heard cases like this are rare, and thankfully it seems to have worked out well,” he said. The album’s title track, “One More Day a Day (Stick With You),” portrays the longing to hold on to a love that appears to be nearing its end, singing from the perspective of someone who cannot let go while the other person prepares for a breakup. TXT is set to hold a comeback showcase at 8 p.m. Sunday at the same venue to meet fans.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-13 15:36:54
  • TXT Releases First Album Since All Members Renewed Contracts
    TXT Releases First Album Since All Members Renewed Contracts TOMORROW X TOGETHER shared their thoughts on releasing a new album after all five members renewed their contracts. A showcase for the group’s new release, “7TH YEAR: When the Wind Stopped for a Moment in the Thornbush,” was held on the afternoon of the 13th at Korea University’s Hwajeong Campus in Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. The title track, “One More Day a Day (Stick With You),” sings of the longing to hold on to a love that is nearing its end. It portrays a heart that cannot let go, unlike a partner preparing for a breakup. Soobin said the album title is “really long,” adding that the group put a range of emotions into the music and prepared hard for the release. “It feels new because it’s our first album after renewing our contracts. We’ll show you a cool side of us,” he said. Hueningkai echoed him, saying, “The album is ‘7TH YEAR: When the Wind Stopped for a Moment in the Thornbush.’ The title is really long. That’s how many different emotions we put into the music. We prepared hard.” Beomgyu said the group, known for telling a coming-of-age story, has returned with a “heartfelt love story.” “It’s already our eighth year, and time feels like it’s gone by fast. Thank you for being with us as we’ve grown,” he said. Yeonjun said that because it is their first comeback since renewing their contracts, they prepared “with the mindset of debuting.” “I’m really curious how you’ll see it. We’ll work hard,” he said. Taehyun added, “As always over the past seven years, we’ll work hard.” The group will meet fans at a comeback showcase at 8 p.m. today at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-13 14:48:14
  • Actress Ji Ye-eun Confirms Dating Dancer Bada of Street Man Fighter
    Actress Ji Ye-eun Confirms Dating Dancer Bada of 'Street Man Fighter' Actress Ji Ye-eun and dancer Bada have confirmed they are dating. Ji’s agency, CP Entertainment, told Aju Business on the 13th that the two, who had been colleagues, “are seeing each other with good feelings.” The agency added, “We ask for your warm support.” The two are both born in 1994 and are said to have developed their relationship after working in the entertainment industry. They reportedly grew closer through a shared religion. Ji debuted in the 2017 web drama “How To” and drew attention through variety shows including the “SNL Korea” series and “Running Man.” Bada is the leader of We Dem Boyz, the dance crew that finished runner-up on Mnet’s “Street Man Fighter.” He has created choreography for Zico’s “Saebbing” and Jennie’s “Like Jennie,” among others.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-13 11:00:14
  • TWS VR Concert Film Rush Road Tops 40,000 Viewers in Korea
    TWS VR Concert Film 'Rush Road' Tops 40,000 Viewers in Korea K-pop group TWS has wrapped up its first VR concert film, “TWS VR CONCERT : RUSH ROAD,” after a successful run in South Korea. The film surpassed 40,000 cumulative viewers and posted an average seat occupancy rate of 81%. The results came despite a limited release in a single theater, outperforming previous VR concert titles and setting a notable mark in the K-pop VR concert market. “Rush Road” sold out repeatedly from its opening week, prompting extended screenings and multiple repeat viewings that sustained demand. After tickets went on sale, individual showings quickly sold out, and the title rose to No. 1 on the Megabox box office. It maintained steady occupancy through the end of its run. The company credited the performance in part to the members’ hands-on involvement. From early production, the group contributed ideas on performance structure and camera direction to improve the final product. They also met audiences in person at stage greetings held shortly after release and continued fan engagement through the Weverse community. Audience feedback was also strong, with favorable reviews posted on Megabox and on social media. The film drew not only the group’s fan base, known as “42,” but also a sizable share of general moviegoers and fans of other artists, suggesting VR concerts can serve as an entry point beyond core fandom. The film opens at a rock festival setting and moves through locations including a rooftop and an aurora-themed space, aiming to heighten immersion. It also features close-range performances designed for VR viewing. After ending its domestic run, “TWS VR CONCERT : RUSH ROAD” is continuing with sequential screenings in major cities overseas. 2026-04-13 09:51:15
  • Horror Film Salmokji Tops Box Office in Opening Weekend, Nears Break-Even
    Horror Film 'Salmokji' Tops Box Office in Opening Weekend, Nears Break-Even Film "Salmokji" led the box office in its opening weekend, extending its strong run.  According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated box office database on April 13, "Salmokji" drew 536,452 moviegoers from April 10-12 to rank No. 1 for the weekend. The result put it ahead of competing releases "Project Hail Mary" and "The Man Who Lives With the King."  Its opening-weekend total was the biggest for a horror film since "Metamorphosis" drew 571,901 in 2019, and it far exceeded the 305,151 posted by "The Medium" in its first weekend in 2021.  The film also gained momentum on its third day in theaters, April 10, when it attracted 111,766 viewers, topping its opening-day figure of 89,913. Weekend attendance continued to climb. The break-even point is about 800,000 admissions, and the film is expected to pass that mark soon.  "Salmokji" is a horror film in which an unidentified figure appears on a road-view image, and a film crew heading to a reservoir for a reshoot encounters something in the dark, deep water. Lee Sang-min directed. The cast includes Kim Hye-yoon, Lee Jong-won and Kim Jun-han. 2026-04-13 08:36:20
  • BTS’ ‘ARIRANG’ tops Billboard 200 for third straight week, a K-pop first
    BTS’ ‘ARIRANG’ tops Billboard 200 for third straight week, a K-pop first 그룹 방탄소년단(BTS)의 정규 5집 '아리랑(ARIRANG)'이 K팝 사상 처음으로 미국 빌보드 메인 앨범 차트에서 3주 연속 1위를 기록했다. Billboard said in a chart preview article on April 12 (local time) that BTS’ fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG,” remained No. 1 on the main albums chart, the Billboard 200, for a third straight week. The group held off Morgan Wallen’s “I’m The Problem” and Kanye West’s “BULLY.” It is the first time a K-pop act has led the Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks. Among groups, it is the biggest run since Mumford & Sons’ “Babel,” which logged five nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2012-2013. It is also the first album since Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” last year to debut at No. 1 and stay there for three straight weeks. For the latest tracking period, “ARIRANG” posted 124,000 equivalent album units, Billboard said. That total included 71,000 in album sales, 50,000 in streaming equivalent albums (SEA) and 3,000 in track equivalent albums (TEA). Driven by strong physical sales, it also ranked No. 1 for a third week on the Top Album Sales chart. “ARIRANG,” described as reflecting the group’s identity, contains 14 tracks, including the title song “SWIM.” “SWIM,” which ranked No. 2 on Billboard’s main singles chart, the Hot 100, last week, is expected to remain near the top this week, according to the report. BTS also held “BTS World Tour ARIRANG in Goyang” from April 9 to 12 at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex in Goyang, south of Seoul. The three-day run drew about 132,000 fans, marking the group’s first solo tour in about four years since 2022’s “BTS Permission to Dance on Stage.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-13 07:45:16