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  Cortis teams with Juicy J for 'Motion' ahead of Lollapalooza debut SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - K-pop rookie boy group Cortis has enlisted Academy Award-winning rapper Juicy J for its latest digital single, "Motion," as the rookie group prepares for its debut appearance at Lollapalooza Chicago this weekend. BigHit Music said Friday that the track was released at 1 p.m. KST. Drawing inspiration from the Memphis hip-hop sound that emerged in the U.S. South during the 1990s, "Motion" reinterprets the genre through the group's own mus July 31, 2026
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  NMIXX to make Japan debut with 'N=MIXX' SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - NMIXX will officially enter the Japanese market later this year with the release of its first Japanese best album, "N=MIXX," as the JYP Entertainment girl group expands overseas following a year of international touring and growing recognition from global music publications. JYP Entertainment said Friday that "N=MIXX" will be released on Dec. 9, marking the six-member group's official Japanese debut — roughly four years and ni July 31, 2026
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  Red Velvet returns as full group with summer EP 'Velvet Summer' SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) — K-pop girl group Red Velvet will return as a full group on Aug. 3 with "Velvet Summer," its first five-member release in more than two years, marking a return to the summer season that helped establish the act as one of K-pop's defining warm-weather groups. SM Entertainment said Friday that the five-track EP and its lead single, "Surfin' Boy," will be released at 6 p.m. KST on Aug. 3. The comeback is the group's first r July 31, 2026
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  Stray Kids to kick off 2026 comeback with self-produced EP 'THIS & THAT' SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Stray Kids will return on Aug. 7 with "THIS & THAT," the group's first release of 2026, following a year of stadium tours, international festival appearances and record-setting success on the Billboard 200. JYP Entertainment said Friday that the group will release the EP and its title track, "This & That," at 1 p.m. KST on Aug. 7. The eight-track project marks another self-produced release for the group, with in-house unit July 31, 2026
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  BTS' quiet Grammy boycott speaks volumes  SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - It is hardly Grammy season, but BTS brought the awards debate into the middle of summer with a quiet boycott that produced loud repercussions. On July 29, all seven members of BTS posted the same message on their Instagram Stories within minutes of one another. There was no press conference, no statement from HYBE and no explanation beyond a few lines translated from Korean: they would not submit their comeback album, ARIRANG, for consideration at the 69t July 31, 2026
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  Actress Kim Min-ha to host this fall's Busan film fest SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Actress Kim Min-ha will host the opening ceremony of this year's Busan International Film Festival, to be held this fall in the southern port city. Organizers of the annual festival, now in its 31st year, said Friday that the rising actress has been chosen as the sole host of the ceremony. Since making her acting debut in 2016, she gained widespread recognition for her role in Apple TV+'s drama series "Pachinko" in 2022 and has since a July 31, 2026
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  K-pop trains idols for debut, but not for what comes after SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - If surviving South Korea's fiercely competitive education system seems difficult, try becoming a K-pop trainee. "Once school ends, you go straight to the practice room," one trainee recalled. "There's no time to see friends or even grab something to eat together." For thousands of teenagers, that routine is the price of pursuing one of the country's biggest dreams. K-pop has built one of the world's most soph July 30, 2026
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  South Korea to field about 1,100 athletes at Asian Games in Japan this fall SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - South Korea will field about 1,100 athletes in 41 disciplines at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan this fall, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Thursday. According to the ministry, an intra-agency task force formed to prepare for the 20th Asian Games is holding its first meeting ahead of the quadrennial sporting event, slated to take place in Aichi Prefecture and its capital city of Nagoya from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, which would bring together July 30, 2026
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  Hanroro revives 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' in latest J-pop remake project SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) — Singer-songwriter Hanroro has reinterpreted "A Cruel Angel's Thesis," the iconic opening theme from the Japanese anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion," as part of a Korean project reimagining classic J-pop hits for a new generation of listeners. The remake will be released at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) Thursday, music producer SHgold Networks said. Originally recorded by Yoko Takahashi in 1995, "A Cruel Angel's Thes July 30, 2026