Kakao Entertainment, Disney Korea plan K-pop IP projects SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) -Kakao Entertainment and Walt Disney Company Korea have formed a strategic partnership to develop projects combining K-pop intellectual property with Disney stories and characters, Kakao Entertainment said Wednesday. The companies plan about 10 projects over the mid to long term, spanning music, content, commerce and live entertainment. Kakao Entertainment and Disney Korea will also explore other forms of cooperation, including the possible creation of September 16, 2026

South Korean thriller wins top prize at genre film festival in Paris SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Director Park Hoon-jung's action thriller "Sad Tropics," also known as "Tristes Tropiques," has won the top award at the annual L'Etrange Festival in Paris, the film's distributor said on Wednesday. The 107-minute film won the top honor, the Nouveau Genre Grand Prize, after competing in the festival's international competition, which wrapped up its two-week run last Saturday. Now in its 32nd year, the festival, September 16, 2026

Man arrested over 2.4 billion won ticket scalping scheme SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korean man in his 30s has been arrested for allegedly reselling nearly 9,000 concert and sports tickets at prices up to 30 times their face value, police said Wednesday. The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency said the man was referred to prosecutors on obstruction-of-business charges. He allegedly used macro programs and accounts belonging to himself and relatives to buy 8,967 tickets between September 2018 and April this year. The ticket September 16, 2026

South Korean footballers to face Saudi Arabia after 4-1 win over Qatar at Asian Games SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korea will face Saudi Arabia next week in its second and final group-stage match in men's football at the Asian Games in Japan, after making a strong start for a fourth consecutive gold medal with a huge victory over Qatar on Tuesday. The next match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, where South Korea opened the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Qatar, powered by a first-half hat trick from Eom Ji-su September 16, 2026

TWICE to release live vinyl SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - K-pop girl group TWICE will release a special live vinyl record from the Seoul finale of its "THIS IS FOR" world tour next month, JYP Entertainment said Tuesday. The record, titled "TWICE Special Vinyl WORLD TOUR FINALE in SEOUL - LIVE," will be released at 1 p.m. on Oct. 16. It will feature live versions of songs performed during the group's Seoul finale at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park in July. The Seoul concerts were held f September 15, 2026

South Korea aims for gold in women's volleyball at Asian Games SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korea is aiming a long-awaited gold medal in women's volleyball at this year's Asian Games in Japan, which kick off later this week. Ranked 28th in the world, South Korea will play its preliminary group-stage opener against Hong Kong (127th) in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture on Thursday, before facing Qatar (107th) and Viet Nam (32nd) in the following days. A gold medal has been elusive for South Korea since the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. The September 15, 2026

South Korea 3rd largest presence at Asian Games after Japan, China SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) -South Korea will field the third-largest athlete contingent at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, behind host Japan and China, according to official Games Hub data. Japan registered 919 athletes for the Games, bigger than China's 803 and South Korea's 780, showed the official competition information platform as of Monday. A total of 10,798 athletes have registered for the Games, which formally open Saturday and run through Oct. 4. Thailand h September 15, 2026

South Korea ready to face Qatar in men's football opener at Asian Games SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korea begins its bid for a fourth consecutive gold medal in men's football at the Asian Games in Japan on Tuesday. Led by coach Lee Min-sung, South Korea's under-23 squad will face Qatar in its opening match at 7:30 p.m. at Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium in Nagoya before taking on Saudi Arabia next week in its second and final group-stage match. South Korea won gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, the 2018 Games in Jakarta-Palembang an September 15, 2026

AI music can make the charts. Can it win fans? SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - Pitchfork, one of America's best-known music publications, does not hand out zeroes often. But in August, American rapper Tyga's "$TARFACE" got one. The album had already drawn attention after Tyga acknowledged using artificial intelligence as a production tool, including for 1980s-style synthesizers and guitar solos, while saying the lyrics and vocals remained his own. Pitchfork did not reject the album simply because AI was inv September 14, 2026

LE SSERAFIM, Ejae team up for new remix single SEOUL, September 14 (AJP) - K-pop girl band LE SSERAFIM released a remix version of "Made My Night" featuring Ejae of "Kpop Demon Hunters," the group's agency Source Music said on Monday. Ejae took part not only as a featured vocalist but also in the song's production, according to the agency. In her lyrics, EJAE references several of LE SSERAFIM's earlier tracks, including "FEARLESS," "ANTIFRAGILE" and "CRAZY." The September 14, 2026