NewJeans change name to NJZ amid dispute with agency

SEOUL, February 7 (AJP) - K-pop girl group NewJeans on Friday unveiled their new name as they are about to start their independent activities. On a post on social media, the quintet shared that their new name is NJZ and that they will perform at a concert in Hong Kong, which is part of "ComplexCon," a cultural festival scheduled to be held in the city from March 21 to 23. Their brand-new name was coined after they accepted proposals from fans late last month, although d

February 7, 2025

Singer Song Dae-kwan dies of heart attack

SEOUL, February 7 (AJP) - Singer Song Dae-kwan died of a heart attack on Friday. He was at 78. According to his agency Starlineup Entertainment, Song, who had been hospitalized several times this year, felt unwell the day before and was rushed to a hospital, but died while receiving treatment. Making his debut in 1967, Song shot to fame with his iconic song "Sunny Day" in 1975, ending a decade-long period of obscurity. He remained popular among older fans, mostly with t

February 7, 2025

Webtoon-based anime 'True Beauty' to return with second season

SEOUL, February 7 (AJP) - Webtoon-based anime "True Beauty" will return with its second season, according to StudioN, an affiliate of South Korea's largest portal Naver. The anime, adapted from Naver's hit webtoon series by Lim Ju-kyung, known by her pen name Yaongyi, is expected to be available on American streaming platform Crunchyroll sometime this year, with an exact release date yet to be decided. When the first season was released in September last

February 7, 2025

Member of '90s Mexican alternative rock band joins HYBE's new Latin American label

SEOUL, February 5 (AJP) - Emmanuel del Real, a Mexican singer and guitarist known as "Meme," has joined a new label under HYBE, the agency behind BTS, targeting Latin American fans. The agency said Wednesday that it has established its Mexico-based label called Docemil Music and signed Meme as its first artist. Meme is a member of Mexico's leading alternative rock band Café Tacvba, which gained fame with live concerts at garages and pubs, enjoying their heyda

February 5, 2025

South Korean medical drama becomes most-watched non-English series on Netflix

SEOUL, February 5 (AJP) - Netflix's South Korean medical drama "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" has become the most-watched non-English TV show worldwide, surpassing the second season of the much-hyped series "Squid Game." The eight-episode series, released on Jan. 24, garnered 11.9 million views and a total watch time of 82.7 million hours for the week ending Feb. 2, the U.S. video-streaming site said on Wednesday. The second season of "Squid Game,&

February 5, 2025

Actor Son Suk-ku most favored star in advertising

SEOUL, February 4 (AJP) - Actor Son Suk-ku appeared most frequently in TV commercials last year, according to an analysis released by an IT startup on Tuesday. IGAWorks analyzed about 9.5 million users of telecom KT's internet protocol television (IPTV) service and satellite subscribers to calculate data, also using its own mobile algorithm it developed. It found that Son was the most sought-after model with 6.96 billion ad exposures, followed by actress Go Youn-jung (

February 4, 2025

Vietnamese rapper becomes social media sensation in South Korea

SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - Vietnamese rapper 7dnight is emerging as a new talent in the hip-hop scene as his song "Không Sao Cả" gains popularity on social media, crossing borders from his homeland to his second home, South Korea. The 23-year-old rapper has worked as a migrant laborer in South Korea for seven years, transporting steel at construction sites during the day while developing his rap skills at night. Despite a congenital condition that left him with only two fin

February 3, 2025

Netflix adaptation of South Korean web cartoon becomes global hit

SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - Netflix's South Korean medical drama "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" is gaining widespread popularity across the world. Released in time for the Lunar New Year holiday late last month, the eight-episode series ranked No. 2 worldwide among TV shows as of last week, according to FlixPatrol, which tracks global streaming rankings. It has also taken the top spot in 19 countries including Bangladesh, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Hong K

February 3, 2025

Rosé's latest hit song racks up 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming fastest to reach milestone

SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - The music video for Rosé's latest hit song "APT." has garnered over one billion views on YouTube as of the end of last month. According to her agency last week, the catchy song, by the member of the girl group BLACKPINK, reached the milestone on Jan. 31, about three months after its release in October last year, becoming the fastest K-pop music video to do so and the fifth fastest among all music videos worldwide. Her latest feat bro

February 3, 2025

BLACKPINK's Jennie teases upcoming album with pre-release track

SEOUL, January 31 (AJP) - Jennie, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, teased a track from her upcoming full-length solo album on Friday, ahead of its release this spring. "Love Hangover," a dance song featuring American singer-songwriter and rapper Dominic Fike, is part of tracks included in the album "Ruby," which is set for release on March 7. The song explores the inner conflict of trying to break free from someone who feels both toxic and healing, ca

January 31, 2025