Cliché or not, BTS "Arirang" rework delivers globally  SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) - RM winces. When the first draft of “Body to Body” lands with a bold Arirang sample layered toward the end, the BTS leader isn’t convinced. It feels, he says, almost too obvious — like “mixing bread, pork cutlets and kimchi” into one plate, a blend leaning too heavily on sentiment. Jimin laughs it off. Strange as it sounds, he says, the mix “may taste very good.” J-Hope leans further in: if they’re goi March 30, 2026

BTS returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 With 'ARIRANG' SEOUL, March 30 (AJP) - BTS has claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200 with ARIRANG, the group's fifth studio album, earning 641,000 equivalent album units in its first week, the largest opening for a group album since the chart adopted unit-based tracking in December 2014, Billboard reported Sunday. The Billboard 200 ranks albums based on physical and digital sales, streaming activity converted into album units, and track-equivalent albums. Of that total, 532,000 came f March 30, 2026

BTS sets Latin America tour across five cities in October SEOUL, March 28 (AJP) - BTS will embark on a Latin America leg of its world tour in October, performing across five cities, the group’s agency said Saturday. Big Hit Music released detailed schedules for the “Arirang” world tour in Latin America, with concerts set to begin in Bogotá on Oct. 2–3. The tour will then continue to Lima on Oct. 9–10, Santiago on Oct. 16–17, Buenos Aires on Oct. 23–24, and São Paulo on Oct. 28 and 30& March 28, 2026

Foreign attendees account for 25% at BTS comeback show in Seoul SEOUL, March 27 (AJP) - About one in four attendees at BTS’ comeback performance in central Seoul on March 21 were foreign nationals, according to city data on Friday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government estimated that 75,927 people were present in the Gwanghwamun, Deoksugung and City Hall station areas between 8 p.m. (1100 GMT) and 9 p.m. during the concert, including 19,170 foreign nationals, or roughly 25 percent. By nationality, Thai nationals made up the largest March 27, 2026

Nobel laureate Han Kang wins prestigious American literary award SEOUL, March 27 (AJP) - Han Kang, South Korea's first Nobel laureate in literature, has won another prestigious award for her novel "We Do Not Part." Han took home an award at the annual awards ceremony of the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) in New York on Thursday, which "presents awards for the finest books published in English in six categories" - fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography, poetry, and criticism. The fiction honor adds to her gro March 27, 2026

BTS comeback detonates across screens, streets and systems within a week SEOUL, March 26 (AJP) — It has been barely a week since BTS dropped its first full-member studio album in six years and staged a comeback performance in downtown Seoul livestreamed to nearly 20 million viewers on Netflix — and the aftershock is already everywhere. The group has not paused for breath. Fans across the world are flooding platforms with dance challenges to the title track “SWIM,” its hypnotic hook now echoing from smartphones to city streets March 26, 2026

BTS live return takes world by storm, album tests "creative mettle"  SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - The livestreamed BTS open-air stage performed before more than 100,000 people in Gwanghwamun for a comeback after a four-year hiatus drew 18.4 million viewers, according to Netflix, marking one of the largest synchronized global concert events to date as the group returned with its first studio album in six years Arirang,” described by The New York Times as “a raucous test of its creative mettle amid rapidly changing genre norms." The perfo March 25, 2026

Baeksang Arts Awards set for May 8, adds musical category SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - Baeksang Arts Awards, South Korea's premier honors for television, film, and theater, will expand its awarding categories by adding a musical category starting this year's event in May, the organizers of the annual event said Tuesday. The Baeksang ceremony's decision to adopt the musical category into its selection of awards divisions reflects the increasing popularity of stage performances in South Korea. According to the Korea Arts Manageme March 24, 2026

DAY6's Wonpil to release solo EP "Unfiltered" on March 30 SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - K-pop band DAY6 member Wonpil has treated fans on Tuesday by offering an unexpected gift, a glimpse at this upcoming solo album scheduled to be released on March 30. The track preview for the 31-year-old's new album called "Unfiltered" was released through a video uploaded through the group’s official social media channels. The teasers featured snippets of all seven songs on the album, including the title track "Love Ward." March 24, 2026

'Baby Shark' creator Pinkfong garners more than 210 billion views, 300mln subscribers SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - The Pinkfong Company, the creator of global children's hit "Baby Shark" song, has surpassed 210 billion cumulative views and 300 million subscribers, highlighting the global popularity of the online content that united children across the globe for more than a decade, the company said Tuesday. Baby Shark gained global popularity through a combination of simple repetition, an easily recognizable melody, and strong visual synchronization, making March 24, 2026