Former K-pop idols face tough job market once spotlight fades SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - K-pop's global rise has drawn a steady stream of young people hoping to become idols. But rising to stardom is only part of the story. When groups disband or contracts expire, many former performers must enter a job market where years of training and stage experience do not fit neatly into a conventional resume. They also face a difficult employment climate. As of February 2026, South Korea's employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 stood at 43.3 perce July 16, 2026

K-pop impresario Park Jin-young to release new single later this month SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - K-pop singer and producer Park Jin-young will release a new single next week for the first time in about six years, his namesake agency JYP Entertainment said on Thursday. "WET," slated for release on July 23, marks Park's first seasonal release since "When We Disco," his 2020 duet with singer 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 July 16, 2026

Red Velvet ready for full-group return with sold-out concerts SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - K-pop girl group Red Velvet's upcoming concerts have all sold out, SM Entertainment said on Thursday. The now-five-member group, which originally debuted as a quartet, will hold three concerts from July 31 to Aug. 2 in Seoul. The group initially planned to hold shows only on Aug. 1 and 2, but both sold out during presales opened for their fans, prompting SM Entertainment to add another show on July 31 which also quickly sold out. The concerts will be th July 16, 2026

Na Hong-jin's sci-fi thriller off to good box-office start SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - Director Na Hong-jin's return to the big screen got off to a strong start, as his sci-fi thriller "Hope" topped the South Korean box office, attracting more than 330,000 moviegoers on its opening day. According to ticket sales data released by the Korean Film Council on Thursday, "Hope" drew about 333,000 moviegoers the previous day, marking the strongest opening of any Korean film released this year. The impressive start surpassed d July 16, 2026

South Korean action-packed thriller stays atop Netflix's global non-English TV chart SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - SBS' latest drama series, "Agent Kim Reactivated," which is also available on Netflix, remained the global streaming giant's most-watched non-English TV show for the second consecutive week. According to the latest chart released by Netflix's rankings website Tudum on Wednesday, the action-packed revenge thriller garnered 9.1 million views for the week ending Sunday, staying at the top of the chart after its first episode aired late last July 15, 2026

TWICE's sold-out Seoul finale concludes yearlong world tour SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - K-pop girl group TWICE wrapped up their sixth world tour with three sold-out concerts at KSPO Dome in southern Seoul over the weekend, JYP Entertainment said on Monday. The yearlong tour covered 81 shows across 44 locations around the world, marking one of the group's largest global concert tours so far. The "THIS IS FOR" tour began at Inspire Arena in Incheon in July 2025 before traveling across Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe. Alo July 13, 2026

Leeteuk, Heechul team up as subuit for Super Junior SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - Leeteuk and Heechul of K-pop boy group Super Junior have teamed up as a new unit, their management agency SM Entertainment said Monday. Their six-track EP, "Promise," under Super Junior-83z, named for their shared 1983 birth year, is set for release at 6 p.m. later in the day. Reminiscent of the nostalgic sound of the 1990s and 2000s, the song centers on a heartfelt confession delivered through the duo's contrasting vocal styles. Its music July 13, 2026

K-pop boy band Stray Kids to release new album next month ahead of world tour SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - K-pop boy group Stray Kids will release a new album next month, their management agency JYP Entertainment said on Monday. Slated for release on Aug. 7, the EP "This & That" features all eight tracks produced by the group's production trio, 3RACHA - Bang Chan, Changbin and Han - including the prerelease single "RUN IT," which dropped on June 24. The trio have written and produced Stray Kids' songs since before the group's July 13, 2026

Korean golfers sweep with Ryu Haeran's major double and Tom Kim's Open win SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) -South Korea enjoyed one of its most successful weekends in international golf as Ryu Haeran captured her second consecutive major championship and Tom Kim ended a difficult two-year spell by claiming the Genesis Scottish Open, giving the country victories on both the LPGA and men's PGA Tour stages. Ryu completed a stunning ascent to the summit of women's golf by winning the Amundi Evian Championship in France on Sunday, just two weeks after claiming t July 13, 2026

Korean bass wins second prize at Sumi Jo International Singing Competition SEOUL, July 11 (AJP) - South Korean bass Yoo Seung-ho won second prize at the second Sumi Jo International Singing Competition, held in France. Yoo, 25, placed second in the competition's final round, held Friday at the Château de La Ferté-Imbault in France's Loire region. A graduate of Gyeongbuk Arts High School, where he finished at the top of his class, Yoo is currently a senior majoring in vocal music at Seoul National University. "Everyone was an July 11, 2026