ADOR faces police complaint over alleged leak of NewJeans member Hanni's visa information SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - K-pop girl group NewJeans' agency ADOR has been reported to police over allegations that it disclosed private visa information belonging to member Hanni to the media during its contract dispute with the K-pop group. Pop culture critic Kim Sung-soo filed a criminal complaint against ADOR and several of its employees with Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on Tuesday, accusing them of violating South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act. Kim all July 29, 2026

BLACKPINK's Jennie Breaks K-pop's U.S. Radio Barrier SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - K-pop has long dominated U.S. streaming and album charts, but mainstream radio has remained one of the industry's toughest markets to crack. BLACKPINK's Jennie has now helped break that barrier, becoming only the second K-pop-related act to top Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay chart, Forbes reported Monday, citing Billboard data. Jennie's collaboration with Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala, "Dracula," climbed to No. 1 o July 28, 2026

Large-scale K-pop festival planned for launch next year with global ambitions SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) - A large-scale K-pop event will be held late next year as part of a program unveiled on Monday by the presidential committee for promoting Exchanges in South Korean Popular Culture. The event, tentatively dubbed "Fanomenon," will run from Dec. 2 to 12 next year at Changdong in northern Seoul and KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, featuring headliner concerts, a fandom-focused awards show and industry exhibitions. Those plans were presented at a p July 27, 2026

BTS' 'Butter' becomes seventh music video to surpass 1.1 billion views on YouTube SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) - K-pop juggernaut BTS' hit single "Butter" has garnered over 1.1 billion views on YouTube, their management agency said on Monday. Released in May 2021, the song's music video reached the milestone earlier in the day, becoming the group's seventh video to achieve the feat. It became their seventh music video to surpass 1.1 billion views, following "Dynamite," "DNA," "Fake Love," "IDOL," "Boy July 27, 2026

NCT 127 to mark 10th anniversary with seventh studio album SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) - K-pop boy group, NCT 127 will mark the 10th anniversary of its debut with the release of its seventh studio album, "BLINGY," on Aug. 24, the group's first full-length release since 2024's "Walk." The nine-track album will be released at 6 p.m. KST across global streaming platforms, with physical editions arriving the same day, SM Entertainment said Monday. Preorders opened Monday through online and offline retailers. According July 27, 2026

SM Entertainment to host running event for K-pop fans this fall SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - A running event bringing together K-pop singers and their fans will be held this autumn, talent mill SM Entertainment said on Friday. Dubbed "SMTOWN RUN CLUB 26," the event is scheduled to be held at Wangsan Marina in the western port city of Incheon on Oct. 3, featuring a 10-kilometer course followed by live performances by SM artists and singers. The event was inspired by the "SM London Run," a fan-coined name for an impromptu run last July 24, 2026

Jennie takes creative control of new single 'Less than a Lover' SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - BLACKPINK's Jennie released a new single, Less than a Lover, on Friday after taking part in both the songwriting and visual production of the project. The track arrived at 1 p.m. (0400 GMT), according to OA Entertainment. Jennie contributed to its lyrics and composition, drawing on the atmosphere of summer while developing the song. Less than a Lover centers on the anticipation and lingering uncertainty of a relationship suspended somewhere between frie July 24, 2026

K-pop impresario Park Jin-young shows off biceps in photos for new single SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - K-pop singer and producer Park Jin-young on Friday shared several behind-the-scenes photos to promote his new single released the previous day. "WET" marks his first summer-themed single since "When We Disco," his 2020 collaboration with Sunmi, a former member of K-pop girl group Wonder Girls. The reggae-inspired track was also chosen as the main theme song for this year's "Waterbomb," one of South Korea's biggest summe July 24, 2026

 Seoul Arts Center chief Chang reports over $1 million cello collection SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) -A prized cello, bow and Steinway piano worth nearly $1 million appeared among the assets disclosed by internationally acclaimed cellist Han-Na Chang after she joined South Korea's mandatory wealth disclosure system as president of the Seoul Arts Center. Han-Na Chang, president of the Seoul Arts Center and an internationally acclaimed cellist, reported assets totaling 7.82 billion won ($5.6 million), according to a public asset disclosure released Friday July 24, 2026

China-based K-pop boy group CIIU to release album next month SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - China-based K-pop boy group CIIU will release their first extended play (EP) next month since making their debut last year, their agency JYP Entertainment said on Friday. CIIU debuted in August 2025 under JYP Entertainment's "Globalization by Localization" strategy, which develops artists tailored to individual overseas markets. The strategy first produced Boy Story in China before expanding to Japan-based girl group NiziU and U.S.-based girl gro July 24, 2026