North Korea to send about 100 athletes to Asian Games in Japan this fall SEOUL, August 25 (AJP) - North Korea is expected to send about 100 athletes to the upcoming Asian Games in Japan this fall. In an interview with the Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang mouthpiece in Japan on Tuesday, Ko Chol-ho, a senior sports official with North Korea's National Olympic Committee, said Pyongyang hopes its athletes will win more medals than they did at the previous Asian Games, despite sending a smaller delegation and competing in fewer disciplines. North Korea fi August 25, 2026

BLACKPINK's Jisoo to return with new single 'CLICK' SEOUL, August 25 (AJP) -BLACKPINK's Jisoo will release a new single, "CLICK," on Sept. 4, her agency Blissoo said Tuesday. The release will mark Jisoo's first solo music in 11 months since "EYES CLOSED," her collaboration with former One Direction member Zayn, released last October. Blissoo said further details about the new single would be unveiled in stages ahead of its release. Jisoo debuted as a member of BLACKPINK in 2016 and has August 25, 2026

Im Sung-jae misses PGA Tour Championship after seven straight appearances SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - Golfer Im Sung-jae failed to qualify for the PGA Tour Championship for the first time in seven years after finishing outside the top 30 in the FedExCup rankings over the weekend. At the BMW Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sunday, the second event of the three-stage FedExCup playoffs, Im tied for 10th at 8-under 272, but it was not enough to secure a spot in the season finale, leaving him 37th in the overall FedExCup rankings. Only the top 30 pla August 24, 2026

KATSEYE No. 1 on Billboard tests boundaries of K-pop SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - KATSEYE's first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 marks a breakthrough for the multinational girl group built by South Korea's HYBE and U.S. label Geffen Records and at the same time raises a complicate question on whether its feat can be counted as another victory for K-pop. The group's five-track EP WILD debuted atop the main U.S. album chart with 170,000 equivalent album units in the week ended Aug. 20, according to Billboard and data provider Lumin August 24, 2026

CORTIS marks first anniversary with expanded EP, two new tracks SEOUL, August 23 (AJP) - K-pop boy group CORTIS will mark its first anniversary with an expanded edition of its second EP, adding two new tracks as the group continues its ongoing nine-city tour. The group will release "GREENGREEN playextended" at midnight on Monday, adding "PACK IT UP" and "MONEYMONEYMONEY" to the six tracks from its second EP "GREENGREEN." CORTIS gave fans an early preview of the two songs Saturday during the first August 23, 2026

Brazilian artists donate works to Seoul embassy before Biennale SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - Thirteen Brazilian artists have donated works to the permanent collection of the Brazilian Embassy in Seoul, the embassy announced at a closing reception Friday evening, just over two weeks before their country opens its first national pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale. The pavilion, "Devorações do Amanhã – Brasil em rebento," or "Devouring Tomorrow," opens Sept. 5 at the Gwangju History and Folk Museum and run August 22, 2026

In Busan, Overwatch stops visiting and moves in BUSAN, August 22 (AJP) - A row of Overwatch's heroes had stepped off the screen onto a strip of astroturf — D.Va flashing her decorated pistol, Reaper looming under his hood, while Genji meditated on an orange beanbag, eyes shut tight in ease. All around the packed halls of BEXCO, thousands of fans of Blizzard's tactical shooter Overwatch buzzed with hype, clutching tote bags branded with the iconic circular pattern and the stamp-rally cards that would soon be creased August 22, 2026

BOYNEXTDOOR opens 13-show Japan run with new single SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - The Japan leg of K-pop boy band BOYNEXTDOOR's first world tour opens Friday at K-Arena Yokohama, the start of a three-night run that carries the six-member group through 13 shows in six cities into October. Last year, the group played six Japanese cities across 13 dates, but in concert halls seating a few thousand, venues such as Pacifico Yokohama and Fukuoka Sunpalace. Every date sold out. This year, the same city count runs through arenas, starting w August 21, 2026

BIGBANG returns as trio for first stadium tour in 9 years SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - Nine years after its last full tour, BIGBANG opens a 20th anniversary world tour Friday at Goyang Stadium northwest of Seoul, the first concert run in the group's history with three members on stage instead of five. The Goyang shows run three nights through Sunday and are sold out, including seats released later with restricted views. General ticketing drew roughly 210,000 people into the online queue at once, the heaviest demand for any single concert August 21, 2026

NCT 127 to open pop-up store in Seoul to promote new album SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 will open a pop-up store in Seoul next week to promote the release of their seventh full-length album, their agency SM Entertainment said on Thursday. NCT 127's upcoming album "BLINGY" is set for release on Aug. 24 with nine tracks, including the title song of the same name. The pop-up store, called "NEO LOST&FOUND CENTER," will open the following day and run through Sept. 1 in Seoul's hip district o August 20, 2026