NCT 127 to showcase new title track at comeback event next week SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 will showcase their new title track at a comeback event, SM Entertainment said on Wednesday. The group will host "NCT 127 THE 7TH ALBUM COMEBACK LIVE PARTY" at KINTEX in Ilsan, northwest of Seoul next week. The event slated for Aug. 25 comes a day after the release of the group's seventh full-length album, "BLINGY." The title track, "Blingy," is a hip-hop song built around distorted syn August 19, 2026

K-pop girl group i-dle's Soyeon to release new solo album this fall SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Soyeon of K-pop girl group i-dle will return as a solo artist in September, Cube Entertainment said on Wednesday. The release will mark her first solo project in five years and two months since her debut mini album, "Windy," in July 2021. Soyeon is the leader of i-dle and has played a central role in the group's self-produced music. She has written and produced several of the group's major hits including "TOMBOY," &q August 19, 2026

Won closes below 1,400 against greenback for 1st time in 11 months SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - The South Korean won closed daytime trading below 1,400 per dollar for the first time in nearly 11 months on Wednesday, while government bond yields fell as a sharp stock selloff boosted demand for safer assets. The won strengthened 14.1 won from the previous session to close at 1,397.7 per dollar, compared with Tuesday's close of 1,411.8. It marked the first daytime close below 1,400 since Sept. 29, 2025, when the currency ended at 1,398.7. Export August 19, 2026

SK hynix unveils record 40 trillion won buyback plan for shareholder return SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - SK hynix will buy back and cancel 40 trillion won (US$28.6 billion) worth of its own shares, the largest such move by a South Korean listed company. The chipmaker said Wednesday that its board approved the purchase of about 24.07 million common shares or roughly 3.3 percent of its 730.49 million outstanding shares. The buyback will begin Thursday and run through Nov. 19, with the shares purchased on the open market. SK Securities will handle the transacti August 19, 2026

Kazakhstan gives month to prepare Chinese waste plant deals SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Kazakhstan has given itself a month to prepare agreements for a new set of Chinese-built waste-to-energy plants, the government said Wednesday, extending a program that has yet to put a single incinerator into operation anywhere in the country. Three plants are already under construction, in Astana, Almaty and Shymkent, at a combined cost of 293.3 billion tenge ($637.4 million). Together they are designed to burn 4,500 tons of municipal waste a day and g August 19, 2026

BigBang's 20th anniversary comes as older K-pop acts find new life SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - K-pop boy band BigBang marked their 20th anniversary on Wednesday with their first digital single in four years, hoping to continue attracting attention years after their heyday. Their return comes as older K-pop groups are gaining renewed attention, attracting both longtime fans and younger listeners discovering their music years after their debut. But another shift is unfolding at the same time. While veteran acts are finding ways to sta August 19, 2026

China's foreign minister Wang Yi arrives in Korea via Gimpo Airport Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and China's foreign minister, boards a vehicle at Seoul Gimpo Business Center in Seoul, August 19, 2026. August 19, 2026

Türkiye rejects Israeli claim on troop deployment at Syrian airbase SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - The justification Israel gave for bombing a Syrian airbase this week, that Turkish soldiers were about to deploy there, was rejected in full by Ankara on Wednesday, which called the allegations untenable and said their purpose was to make unlawful strikes appear legitimate. Eight strikes hit the runway at the Abu al-Duhur airbase in eastern Idlib province early Tuesday, damaging runways and hangars without killing anyone, according to Syria's state bro August 19, 2026

China's foreign minister Wang Yi arrives in Korea via Gimpo Airport Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and China's foreign minister, arrives in Korea through Seoul Gimpo Business Air Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, August 19, 2026. August 19, 2026

Chip rout sends KOSPI down nearly 6% amid foreign selloff SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korean stocks plunged nearly 6 percent on Wednesday, falling below 6,500 as a rout in U.S. chip shares hammered semiconductor heavyweights and triggered heavy foreign selling. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,471.17, down 5.80 percent from the previous session, after falling as low as 6,400.81 during the day. Losses were widespread, with just three stocks advancing against 703 decliners, while 32 finished unchanged. Foreign investors sold a net 3. August 19, 2026