Soundtrack for K-pop anime reaches No. 3 on Billboard 200 albums chart SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - The soundtrack for Netflix's latest animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" ranked No. 3 on this week’s Billboard 200 albums chart, the American music chat said Sunday. Released on June 20, the album jumped five spots from No. 8 the previous week, becoming "the highest-charting soundtrack to an animated film since 'Encanto' spent nine weeks at No. 1 in 2022." The previous top-performing soundtrack was "Wicked," which reached No. 4 in January following its debut at No. 2 in December last year. The album's impressive chart ascent comes after the success of the K-pop musical fantasy film, which revolves around a fictional girl group called Huntrix, who lead double lives as demon hunters to battle evil spirits disguised as a rival boy band. The album which has 12 tracks also includes hit songs like "Take Down," "Golden," and "Soda Pop" as well as an additional version of "Take Down" sung by girl group TWICE members Jeong-yeon, Ji-hyo, and Chae-young. Directed by Korean Canadian Maggie Kang, who reportedly wanted to create a story rooted in her Korean background and heritage by blending traditional mythology with K-pop, the 100-minute film features several South Korean stars, including Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Yun-jin, and Lee Byung-hun, who lent their voices. 2025-07-07 14:42:30

Aespa to drop collaboration song with PUBG: Battlegrounds SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - K-pop girl group aespa will release a collaborative song titled “Dark Arts” with the popular online game PUBG: Battlegrounds on July 15, SM Entertainment said Thursday. The song conveys a strong will to achieve victory in a survival battle, featuring intense rhythms and fast-paced guitar sounds. The upcoming release follows aespa’s recent single “Dirty Work,” which dropped last Friday and topped most South Korean music charts. The physical album sold over 910,000 copies within its first six days, according to Hanteo Chart, a South Korean music ranking and album sales tracking site. The song also ranked in five categories on China’s QQ Music and reached No. 1 on Japan’s AWA trending chart. Meanwhile, aespa will embark on their third world tour at the end of August, beginning with a three-day concert in Seoul. 2025-07-03 17:15:36

S. Korea enters final phase of minimum wage talks for next year SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - South Korea’s Minimum Wage Commission is holding its ninth plenary session at the government complex in Sejong on Thursday to finalize next year’s minimum wage. A final decision could come as early as Thursday night or early Friday morning. The labor side initially demanded a 14.7 percent increase from this year’s hourly wage of 10,030 won ($7.38), proposing 11,500 won. However, it revised its demand down to 11,260 won two days ago during the previous session of negotiation. The business side, which had called for a freeze, raised its offer to 10,110 won. While the gap between the two sides has narrowed from 1,470 won to 1,150 won, no agreement has been reached yet. Labor representatives argue that a significant increase is necessary to ensure a basic standard of living. “With such a low rate of minimum wage increase, it’s hard to guarantee the livelihoods of workers or stimulate domestic consumption,” said Ryu Ki-seop, secretary general of the Federation of South Korean Trade Unions, during the previous session. In contrast, the business side insists that the current minimum wage is already too high and could burden small business owners. “The minimum wage directly affects not only the labor market but the entire economy. It must be decided very carefully,” said Ryu Gi-jeong, executive director of the South Korea Enterprises Federation. “Next year’s minimum wage should be based on what those who already struggle to meet current standards can afford,” he added. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement, public interest commissioners, composed of labor experts and academics, are expected to present a mediation proposal with suggested upper and lower limits. The commission must submit its proposal to the Ministry of Employment and Labor by mid-July. A minister should fix the minimum wage by August 5. 2025-07-03 11:20:22

Reunited BTS members gear up for new album ahead of return next spring SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - K-pop boy band BTS will resume group activities next spring with the release of a new album, as all seven members recently reunited after completing their mandatory military service. During a live-streamed event on their platform on Tuesday, the first since their reunion last month, they shared their upcoming plans with fans. "We'll soon start working on the album," said leader RM. "We plan to release it by spring, definitely before summer." He added, "We'll then embark on a world tour to promote the album." The album, expected to be produced in the U.S., will be the band's first release since "Proof," which came out in June 2022. Since their debut in June 2013, BTS have topped the Billboard 200 albums chart six times and achieved six No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 singles chart. 2025-07-02 16:47:54

FBI on hunt for disguised North Korean IT workers in crypto theft scheme SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - U.S. federal investigators have been searching for four North Koreans allegedly involved in an IT scheme to steal cryptocurrency from blockchain firms and launder the illicit proceeds of their thefts. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), they were placed on a wanted list on Tuesday with a reward of up to US$5 million for information leading to their capture. "Kim Kwang Jin, Kang Tae Bok, Jong Pong Ju, and Chang Nam Il are wanted for their alleged involvement with a scheme to steal virtual currency from two companies, valued at over $900,000 at the time of the theft, and to launder the proceeds of those thefts in 2022," it said, adding that they "speak English and Korean and have ties to the United Arab Emirates and Laos." The U.S. Department of Justice also indicted them the previous day, accusing them of using "fake and stolen personal identities to conceal their North Korean nationality, pose as remote IT workers, and exploit their victims' trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars." Such schemes "target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime's illicit programs, including its weapons programs," it added. North Korea-linked hackers are believed to have stolen more than $1.34 billion in cryptocurrency through dozens of separate scams last year alone, according to a report by U.S.-based blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. 2025-07-02 14:25:57

Prosecution chief steps down citing concerns over prosecutorial reform SEOUL, July 1 (AJP) - Prosecutor-General Shim Woo-jung tendered his resignation on Tuesday, citing concerns over prosecutorial reform, one of the major priorities expected to be pursued by the new administration. In a brief written statement, Shim said the reform, which would involve a major overhaul of the prosecution, should be implemented through thorough discussions among scholars, experts, and other professionals, as it is directly related to the "fundamental rights of all citizens." Shim, who served about nine months of his two-year term, also warned, "If implemented with a set deadline along with a fixed conclusion, that could lead to many unexpected side effects." He then added that he felt it was the right time to leave his post, citing "various circumstances." His resignation comes shortly after President Lee Jae-myung named his close aide and five-term lawmaker Jung Sung-ho as the new justice minister earlier in the week, who is expected to spearhead the reform. Amid long-held criticism over the prosecution exercising excessive powers, the Lee administration has vowed to implement sweeping prosecutorial reform by separating investigations from indictments. Shim will officially step down at a ceremony scheduled for Wednesday. 2025-07-01 17:32:26

'Squid Game' finale maintains top spot among TV shows on Netflix SEOUL, July 1 (AJP) - The third and final season of Netflix's South Korean series "Squid Game" has remained the most-streamed show, since its release last Friday. The much-anticipated season of the dystopian thriller ranked No. 1 among TV shows in 93 countries worldwide as of Tuesday and maintained the top spot for three consecutive days, according to FlixPatrol, which tracks global streaming rankings. The six-episode finale continues the deadly, high-stakes saga that began with its first season in September 2021, once again revolving around hundreds of cash-strapped players who "accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games" for a tempting prize. Despite some criticism over its repetitive formula, the megahit series continues to draw attention from many viewers. As part of efforts to create buzz for the show, a couple of promotional events — including a parade and a fan meet — were held in central Seoul last weekend, drawing a horde of people. In particular, the parade in Gwanghwamun was live-streamed on YouTube, garnering about 4.4 million views in less than two hours. Meanwhile, also among the top ten on the global chart was rom-com "Our Unwritten Seoul" starring Park Bo-young. 2025-07-01 16:17:29

Lee to hold press conference to mark 30 days in office SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung will hold his first press conference later this week to mark his first full month in office, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said on Monday. The conference, slated to take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, will allow Lee to outline his key policies while discussing a wide range of issues in a town-hall setting which includes an interactive Q&A session with journalists. Meanwhile, according to a recent survey of over 2,500 voters by pollster Realmeter released earlier in the day, Lee's approval rating stood at nearly 60 percent last week, less than a month into his presidency. The figure rose about 0.4 percentage points from 59.3 percent the previous week, as he appears to still be enjoying a blissful honeymoon period since his inauguration on June 4. Realmeter attributed the robust rating to a series of livelihood-related measures including cash vouchers to boost private consumption and revive the struggling economy, along with stringent restrictions on household loans aimed at curbing real estate speculation. 2025-06-30 17:55:12

Lee holds phone talks with Singapore PM SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung talked with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong over the phone, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said on Monday. In their first phone conversation since Lee took office early this month, the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various fields. According to Kang, Wong congratulated Lee on his election and expressed hope for closer ties, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two leaders also agreed to "establish a strategic partnership" in key areas including artificial intelligence (AI), while promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Lee invited Wong to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled to take place in the historic southern city of Gyeongju in late October, with Wong expressing confidence in South Korea's successful hosting of the event. 2025-06-30 17:13:33

Season's first heat wave advisory issued in Seoul SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - This summer's first heat wave advisory was issued for Seoul as daytime highs soared to over 30 degrees Celsius on Monday. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued the advisory for the capital at noon, about 11 days later than last year. Such an advisory is issued when daytime highs soared over 33 degrees Celsius and are expected to persist for two days or longer. According to the KMA, the advisory came after the capital sweltered through its first tropical night, when the mercury did not drop below 25 degrees at night. Similar heat advisories were also issued for most parts of the country including neighboring Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, and southern provinces, as sizzling heat gripped the nation, with daytime highs soaring between 27 and 35 degrees. "The scorching heat along with lingering humidity is expected to persist for a while, although sporadic showers will temporarily abate a little in some areas," the KMA warned. 2025-06-30 15:56:22