Netflix to release final season of 'Squid Game' in June

SEOUL, January 31 (AJP) - Netflix's megahit South Korean series "Squid Game" will come to an end with its third and final season in June, the global streaming giant said on Thursday. Netflix teased the dystopian thriller's upcoming season with a promotional poster, hinting at new competitors entangled in another ruthless contest along with the show's main characters including the enigmatic "Front Man." Scheduled for release on June 27, the final se

January 31, 2025

K-pop band aespa kicks off world tour in Seattle

SEOUL, January 30 (AJP) - K-pop sensation aespa kicked off their world tour in North America and Europe with their concert in Seattle. The four-member band began their tour "2024-25 aespa LIVE TOUR - SYNK: PARALLEL LINE" on Tuesday at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Seattle. Despite opening additional restricted-view seats, all tickets were sold out. The girl band showcased hit songs from the past year, including "Supernova," "Armageddon," and "Wh

January 30, 2025

Rosé hits No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100, sets K-pop record

SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - BLACKPINK member Rosé's "APT." reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on Monday, setting a record for the highest-charting song by a female K-pop soloist. The track, featuring Bruno Mars, rose two spots from last week, surpassing her previous record of No. 5, Billboard reported. The song has spent 14 consecutive weeks on the chart since its October debut at No. 8. "APT." also became the first K-pop song to top Bi

January 28, 2025

BTS' Jin shares Lunar New Year's greetings and new OST release

SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - BTS member Jin extended heartfelt Lunar New Year's greetings to fans on Saturday through the online fan community platform Weverse. The 32-year-old singer also announced the release of "Close to You," an original soundtrack (OST) for the tvN drama "When the Stars Gossip," starring Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Min-ho, set to drop on Sunday. In his Weverse post released Saturday, Jin wrote, "Hello everyone, this is Jin. How have you all

January 26, 2025

Occult thriller 'Dark Nuns' tops local box office on debut

SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - "Dark Nuns," a Korean occult movie, took the top spot at the box office on its opening day, Friday, attracting over 163,000 viewers and accounting for 51.3 percent of daily ticket sales, according to the Korean Film Council. As of Saturday morning, the film had a reservation rate of 37.3 percent, with over 201,000 advance tickets sold, signaling its potential to dominate weekend box office rankings. The movie depicts nuns performing a f

January 25, 2025

Hong Sang-soo's latest film invited to Berlinale

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - Director Hong Sang-soo's latest film has been invited to compete at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, which opens next month. It marks the sixth consecutive year Hong has been invited to the festival since 2020, having taken home awards five times for his films including "A Traveler's Needs" (2024) and "The Woman Who Ran" (2020). Hong's 33th feature, "What Does That Nature Say to You," which wil

January 24, 2025

BLACKPINK's Jennie to drop first full-length album in March

SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - Jennie, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, will release her first full-length album in March, according to her agency. Set for release on March 7, "Ruby," which contains 15 tracks, includes her previous single "Mantra," which was released in October last year. The album also features several collaborative songs with global artists including English and Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa. Fans are already excited for Jenn

January 23, 2025

Korean contemporary dance group joins Coldplay's experimental video project

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - Ambiguous Dance Company, a South Korean contemporary dance troupe, has joined British rock band Coldplay's experimental video project, "A Film for the Future," unveiled Wednesday. The project brings together over 150 global artists and draws inspiration from Coldplay's album Moon Music, released last year. Ambiguous Dance Company performed choreography in sync with the song as part of the collaboration. The video for A Film for th

January 22, 2025

Agency behind BLACKPINK to search for new K-pop talent next month

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - YG Entertainment, a talent mill behind K-pop icons like 2NE1, Big Bang and BLACKPINK, will search for the next K-pop stars through a nationwide audition tour that kicks off early next month. The auditions will begin in Gwangju on Feb. 7 and will make stops in several other cities including Daejeon on Feb. 8, Jeonju on Feb. 9, Daegu on Feb. 15, Busan on Feb. 16, and Seoul on Feb. 22 and 23. Open to young K-pop wannabes born between 2007 and 2014, the audi

January 22, 2025

Song Hye-kyo ready to impress viewers with unconventional role in horror film

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - Actress Song Hye-kyo is expected to show a new side of herself in her upcoming film "The Dark Nuns" slated for release this week. Directed by Kwon Hyeok-jae, the exorcism-themed film marks Song's return to the silver screen about a decade after her appearance in "The Crossing," the 2014 Chinese epic drama directed by acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo. It is also her first venture into the horror genre in her acting career spanni

January 22, 2025