From Ejae to BTS, K-pop in spotlight at World Cup SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - K-pop is set to steal some of the spotlight at this year's FIFA World Cup, with singer Ejae, who gained global fame through Netflix's hit animation, scheduled to perform at the opening ceremony, and BTS set to headline the halftime show at the final. According to organizers, Ejae, along with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, is scheduled to perform "DNA," the official anthem of this year's World Cup, at the opening ceremony in Mexico City on June 11, 2026

K-pop boy group CORTIS sells out North American presale for first tour SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - Rookie K-pop boy group CORTIS has sold out all North American dates for its first tour, "PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN," during membership presales, the group's agency BigHit Music said Wednesday. CORTIS — an acronym for Color Outside the Lines — is a five-member boy group under Big Hit Music and Republic Records in the US, consisting of James, Juhoon, Martin, Seonghyeon, and Keonho debuted last year. Tickets for six North American shows, June 11, 2026

Watchdog cracks down on unfair K-pop membership practices SEOUL, June 10 (AJP) - Unfair practices are rampant among paid memberships offered by major entertainment agencies and K-pop fandom platforms, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said on Wednesday. After surveying about 18 entertainment agencies and six fandom platform operators, the commission found a range of unfair clauses and binding terms, prompting it to request revisions, which the companies agreed to make voluntarily. Such memberships usually offer benefits like early June 10, 2026

LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, KATSEYE to release joint single 'ICONIC BY MISTAKE' SEOUL, June 08 (AJP) - Girl groups LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and KATSEYE will release a joint digital single, "ICONIC BY MISTAKE," this week, HYBE said Monday. The agencies announced the collaboration through Weverse, an online K-pop fan platform, saying the single will be released at 1 p.m. (0400 GMT) on June 12. One day before the release, the three bands will jointly perform their digital single song for the first time through a cable TV music show, M COUNTDOWN. The co June 8, 2026

I-DLE to release ninth EP 'We made' in July SEOUL, June 08 (AJP) - K-pop girl group I-DLE will return with its ninth EP, "We made," on July 6, its agency Cube Entertainment said Monday. The agency unveiled a teaser for the album through the five-member group's official social media channels at midnight. "We made" marks I-DLE's first release in six months since the digital single "Mono (Feat. skaiwater)" in January, and its first EP in a little over a year since "We are" in June 8, 2026

Korea Maritime and Ocean University opens guesthouse for BTS concertgoers in Busan SEOUL, June 06 (AJP) - Korea Maritime and Ocean University will open part of its campus guesthouse to visitors traveling to Busan for BTS’ upcoming concerts, joining the city’s campaign to provide fair and affordable accommodation during major events. The university said Saturday it will participate in Busan Metropolitan City’s “Fair Accommodation Challenge” ahead of BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Busan, scheduled for June 12 and 13 at Busan As June 6, 2026

Producer Klozer set to release first full-length album SEOUL, June 4 (AJP) - South Korean producer and artist Klozer is set to release his first full-length album on Thursday, according to distributor Danal Entertainment. The 10-track eponymous album is scheduled to be available on AURORA, Danal Entertainment’s global music distribution platform, as well as other music streaming sites. All songs on the album were written and composed by Klozer. The title track, "More Than Expected," features Babylon and Newaile. The R June 4, 2026

BTS to release limited-edition vinyl in celebration of 13th anniversary of their debut SEOUL, June 4 (AJP) - K-pop juggernaut BTS will release a limited-edition vinyl version of their fifth full-length album "ARIRANG" on June 12, one day before the group marks the 13th anniversary of their debut, BigHit Music said Tuesday. K-pop juggernaut BTS will release a vinyl version of their fifth full-length album "ARIRANG" next week, their agency BigHit Music said on Thursday. The limited-edition album, set for release on June 12, a day before the 13th a June 4, 2026

New boy band to hold debut showcase in Tokyo later this month SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - A new boy band will make a debut, Starship Entertainment said on Tuesday. In partnership with Japanese entertainment agency Amuse, the seven-member rookie band, dubbed AEN, will consist of four Korean and three Japanese members: Bomin, Haru, Haruto, Jiyong, Junseo, Kaira, and Kyuhyun. Their name stands for "a new era of now" and also carries the meaning of "eternity" in Japanese. Six members excluding Haruto, previously appeared on Sta June 2, 2026

K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN Land at No. 7 on Billboard's Midyear Top Tours chart SEOUL, June 2 (AJP) - K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN ranked seventh on Billboard's midyear Top Tours chart, according to the biannual rankings compiled by the American music magazine. In the chart tracking the highest-grossing concert tours worldwide over the six-month period, the 23-member band generated about US$88 million from 25 shows during the tracking period from Oct. 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. According to the group's agency Pledis Entertainment, their ranking was the h June 2, 2026