BTS' Jungkook makes cover of Rolling Stone magazine SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) - Jungkook, a member of K-pop juggernaut BTS, has been featured on the cover of monthly magazine Rolling Stone. Jungkook became the first South Korean artist to appear on the cover of the British edition of the influential music industry trade magazine, with online versions also featuring him in China, France, India, the Philippines and the U.S. "This is a time where I can evaluate whether I can take another leap forward," he told the magazin December 9, 2025

Latest song by SM founder's rookie girl band makes US radio chart SEOUL, December 9 (AJP) -Multinational girl band A20 MAY's latest song has been included in this week's top 40 chart compiled by U.S. Mediabase. Their song "PAPARAZZI ARRIVE" reached No. 39 on the chart released on Sunday, which is calculated based on the most played songs on radio stations in North America. The quintet with Mandarin-speaking and Chinese-American members, groomed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment who later left his namesake com December 9, 2025

Rosé named Variety's 'Global Hitmaker of the Year' for her viral song SEOUL, December 8 (AJP) - K-pop girl band BLACKPINK's member Rosé has been included among American weekly magazine Variety's annual "Hitmakers" list, her agency said on Monday. She was awarded "Global Hitmaker of the Year" at the magazine's ninth annual "Hitmakers" gathering in Los Angeles last Saturday, which recognizes the "artists and collaborators behind the year's 25 most popular songs." "Rising star Ros December 8, 2025

BTS's RM confesses thinking of disbanding group "thousands of times" SEOUL, December 07 (AJP) - BTS leader RM confessed he had repeatedly questioned whether the K-pop superstar group should disband or suspend its activities altogether, despite the seven members all having finished their military service by June this year, implying deep internal pressure and a series of undisclosed circumstances that prevented the group from returning sooner. During a Weverse live session on Saturday, RM directly addressed fans wondering about the group’s lon December 7, 2025

Kpop Demon Hunters makes No. 2 most trending search on Google in 2025 SEOUL, December 06 (AJP) - Google’s Year in Search 2025 revealed a digital world captivated by culture clashes, political shocks and breakout entertainment — and Korea’s cultural engine once again emerged as one of the year’s dominant global forces. While U.S. political turmoil topped America’s trending list, Korean pop culture and gaming IP cemented their global imprint: Netflix’s animated “KPop Demon Hunters” surged to No. 2 in the December 6, 2025

BLACKPINK's Jennie sets new milestone with four RIAA certifications SEOUL, December 2 (AJP) - K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's member Jennie has earned another "gold" certification for a song from her first full-length solo-debut album. According to the U.S. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s latest list released this week, "ExtraL" from her album "Ruby" received the honor. This brings Jennie's RIAA certifications to four, the most among K-pop solo artists, including three tracks from &quo December 2, 2025

K-pop may have to lose the "K" as it sits as a genre, not a category SEOUL, December 02 (AJP) - K-pop has broken a historic barrier at the Grammy Awards — one of the highest measures of global music recognition — entering a "Big Four" category for the first time. Since the Grammys began in 1959, no Korean artist had ever been nominated in any of the major categories. That changed when the Recording Academy announced its 68th Grammy nominees in early November, naming BLACKPINK's Rosé, the OST "Golden" from December 1, 2025

NewJeans drop social media moniker ahead of comeback after legal dispute SEOUL, December 1 (AJP) - K-pop girl group NewJeans has deleted their short-lived social media account used during their dispute with management agency ADOR, sparking anticipation for their impending comeback. The account under the name of "NJZ," which served as the quintet's main channel to communicate with fans, is no longer accessible as of Monday. The girls created the account earlier this year under their own new name to rebrand themselves amid escalating ten December 1, 2025

Stray Kids achieve eighth consecutive No. 1 on Billboard 200 SEOUL, December 1 (AJP) - K-pop boy band Stray Kids' latest album topped the Billboard 200 albums chart this week, surpassing American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl," which had held the top spot for seven weeks. "Stray Kids claim their eighth No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart as 'Do It' debuts atop the ranking dated Dec. 6," the American music chart said on Sunday, adding, "With an eighth No. 1, Stray Kids December 1, 2025

Stray Kids earn six new RIAA certifications SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - K-pop boy band Stray Kids received six new certifications from the U.S. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on Wednesday. They earned a "gold" certification for their latest album "Karma," after selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S. since its release in August this year, bringing their total certified albums to six, including the previous ones like "Ate," "Maxident," and "5-Star." They a November 27, 2025