BTS, ENHYPEN, and SEVENTEEN lead Parrot Analytics global demand rankings for 2025 SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - BTS has been named the most popular act in the global entertainment market for 2025, according to a year-end report from Parrot Analytics. The group spearheaded a dominant year for the South Korean entertainment giant HYBE, with labelmates ENHYPEN and SEVENTEEN also securing spots within the top 10. The 2025 annual report, "What Audiences Loved in 2025," ranked BTS at the top of the "Talents of the Year Under 30" category. ENHYPEN too February 6, 2026

Back to back in conventional arms, India and Korea have room for alliance SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Drones and AI-enabled systems now dominate headlines from modern battlefields. Yet, when wars grind on, they still come down to firepower. A recent study by the Royal United Services Institute and the Open Source Centre estimated that Russian artillery accounts for roughly 70 percent of Ukrainian casualties. The Council on Foreign Relations similarly notes that artillery remains the “king of battle,” responsible for about 80 percent of casualti February 6, 2026

Actor Lee Beom-soo settles divorce after lengthy legal battle SEOUL, February 6 (AJP) - Actor Lee Beom-soo has settled his divorce from his wife Lee Yoon-jin after a lengthy legal battle, his management agency said on Friday. According to the agency, the estranged couple "amicably" decided to end their marriage after resolving misunderstandings through thorough discussions. They also agreed to maintain mutual respect and support as parents of their children, one son and one daughter. The agency warned against the spread of gr February 6, 2026

RIIZE member Shotaro to miss Macau concert amid worsening China-Japan friction SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Shotaro, a Japanese member of the K-pop boy group RIIZE, will not participate in the group's upcoming world tour performance in Macau, organizers announced Friday. The sudden withdrawal comes just one day before the scheduled event, as diplomatic and trade tensions between Beijing and Tokyo continue to impact the entertainment industry. In a statement posted to social media, the Macau concert production team confirmed that Shotaro would be absent fro February 6, 2026

Meet Korea's bread driver in the capital of bread – Daejeon  SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Sixty-four-year-old An Sung-woo is not your typical South Korean taxi driver. His mornings resemble those of a corporate executive more than a cabbie. Immaculately dressed, he reviews a customized PDF itinerary on his tablet, fine-tunes it, and sends it to his clients with a courteous text. Then he goes to work — delivering bread. An’s passengers are not commuters or late-night revelers. They are bread connoisseurs. Devotees February 6, 2026

Auto capacity looms over Korea–Germany race for Canada's $41bn submarine project SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Auto-sector capacity — and Ottawa’s efforts to shield its car industry from U.S. tariffs — is emerging as a decisive variable in the two-horse race between South Korea and Germany for Canada’s Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), sources said after meetings this week with visiting Canadian officials. “Both South Korea and Germany are automotive manufacturing nations,” said Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s special envoy February 6, 2026

Hanwha Ocean to build Korea's largest wind turbine installation vessel SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Hanwha Ocean said on Friday it had secured a 768.7 billion won ($530 million) order to build a wind turbine installation vessel from affiliate Ocean Wind Power 1. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for the first half of 2028. The company said deployment will initially be considered for domestic offshore wind projects. According to Hanwha Ocean, the vessel will be the first in South Korea capable of installing 15-megawatt-class offshore wind turbine February 6, 2026

US senators raise alarm over lifting nuclear restrictions on South Korea SEOUL, February 6 (AJP) - A handful of U.S. senators have sent a letter to President Donald Trump, expressing concerns over allowing South Korea to pursue nuclear enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, it was revealed on Friday. In the letter sent on Jan. 30, four U.S. Democratic senators Chris Van Hollen, Edward Markey, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden urged Trump to implement the "strongest possible non-proliferation measures in any revised nuclear cooperation agree February 6, 2026

At lowest place, Archdiocese of Seoul diaconate ordination SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Eleven newly ordained deacons lie prostrate during the 2026 Archdiocese of Seoul Deacon Ordination Ceremony at Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul on Feb. 5. Deacons serve as ordained ministers assisting priests, proclaiming the Gospel and delivering homilies during Mass, administering the sacrament of baptism and presiding over marriage rites. The priestly ordination ceremony is scheduled to be held on Feb. 6. February 6, 2026

Blockchain expert says adoption in banking is shifting toward financial infrastructure SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Global financial institutions are increasingly viewing stablecoins and tokenized deposits as essential infrastructure rather than speculative assets, according to Xin Yan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sign, a blockchain technology company. This shift is driven by the demand for programmable money that can function natively on-chain. Unlike traditional fiat currency, which relies on fragmented legacy systems, on-chain assets allow for direct February 6, 2026