BTS 'ARIRANG' tour turns city stops into civic events SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) -K-pop megastars BTS are turning their "ARIRANG" world tour into more than a stadium run, with cities from Toronto to Mexico City and Paris rolling out civic honors and tourism campaigns to capitalize on the group's global drawing power. City councils, governors and even national leaders are treating BTS concert stops as public events, tourism opportunities and highly visible gestures of welcome. Toronto's city council recently reviewed August 10, 2026

BIGBANG to reunite solo colors on 20th-anniversary single 'BiiiG' SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - K-pop super group BIGBANG will release a new digital single, "BiiiG," on Aug. 19, marking the group's first new song in more than four years and tying the comeback directly to its 20th anniversary. YG Entertainment unveiled the release poster through its official channels Monday. The single will arrive two days before BIGBANG opens its 20th-anniversary world tour, "XX : COSMOS," with three concerts at Goyang Stadium from Aug. 21 to August 10, 2026

KickFlip's Donghyeon to release 'Breathe' with Britain's Etham SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - K-pop artist Donghyeon of KickFlip is turning a fan moment into an official collaboration, teaming up with British singer-songwriter Etham for a new single, "Breathe," JYP Entertainment said Monday. The song will be released on major streaming platforms at 1 p.m. (0400 GMT) on Aug. 14. The pairing came together after Donghyeon posted a cover of Etham's "12:45 (Stripped)" on KickFlip's official Instagram account on Aug. 8. Eth August 10, 2026

Rookie boy band CORTIS' Instagram followers surpass 15 million SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - Rookie boy group CORTIS have surpassed 15 million followers on Instagram, becoming the fastest K-pop group to reach the milestone among those that debuted over the past five years. According to their agency BigHit Music, their Instagram account passed the mark as of last Wednesday, about a year after they opened the account. The rising group's five members, who made their debut in August last year, have also built a strong following on other major plat August 9, 2026

Stray Kids hit 'mega IP' scale, but say risk still drives the music SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - Stray Kids are now spoken of in the language of K-pop scale: record album debuts, sold-out tours and the kind of commercial weight that makes a group more than a performing act. But at a press event in Seoul ahead of the release of the group's new EP, "THIS & THAT," the eight members kept returning to a different idea — that the safest version of Stray Kids is not necessarily the one they want to repeat. The EP will be released August 6, 2026

In a record year for K-pop, NOWZ picks a lane instead of a fight SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NOWZ released its latest digital single "Achilles" on Wednesday into one of the busiest stretches of the K-pop calendar, but the group framed the comeback less as a head-to-head contest and more as an attempt to sharpen its own identity. The five-member boy group released "Achilles" at 6 p.m, (0900GMT) marking its first Korean comeback in about 10 months since "Play Ball" and its first new release in five month August 5, 2026

Boy band NEXZ's new album teased ahead of release later this month SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NEXZ will release their fourth mini album later this month, returning four months after their single released last spring, their agency JYP Entertainment said on Wednesday. "SAUCIN'," set for release on Aug. 24, combines "sauce" with the suffix "-ing," reflecting the group's idea of bringing their own flavor and style wherever they go. The members then move through the arcade with their own s August 5, 2026

Stray Kids to return with new EP 'THIS & THAT' SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - K-pop boy group Stray Kids will release their new EP "THIS & THAT" on Aug. 7, an album meant to showcase the group's range, and the confidence that comes with it, JYP Entertainment said Wednesday. The eight-track EP, led by the title track "This & That," will be released at 1 p.m. KST, or midnight Eastern time in the United States. The release follows Stray Kids' SKZ IT TAPE "DO IT," which made the group t August 5, 2026

KISS OF LIFE teams up with I'm donut? for sweet collabo SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - K-pop girl group KISS OF LIFE, known for the powerful music and performances that have taken past releases to No. 1 on Thailand's iTunes chart, has teamed up with doughnut brand I'm donut? for a limited collaboration tied to its new single album, "SWEAT." For the project, I'm donut? created four doughnuts and three merchandise items built around the album's desert-inspired concept, using images of blazing sun, sand, heat haze an August 5, 2026

Boy band WayV promote upcoming album with US debut performance in New York SEOUL, August 4 (AJP) - K-pop boy band WayV made their U.S. debut performance at SummerStage in New York's Central Park, using the outdoor set to preview choreography from their upcoming mini-album "Vision Wings" ahead of their release, their agency SM Entertainment said on Tuesday. The group performed at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield last Sunday as part of the free, annual SummerStage festival. The show also featured New York-based group THE EITHER and Chopstix August 4, 2026