RIIZE's upcoming single chosen as official song for Japan's Winter Cup SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - The latest song by K-pop boy group RIIZE has been chosen as the official track for Japan's national high school basketball championship, expanding their activities in Japan beyond concerts and music releases, their agency SM Entertainment said on Tuesday. "Rise Over" will be used for the 79th All Japan High School Basketball Championship, better known as the Winter Cup, which runs Dec. 23 to 29 in Tokyo, the Japan Basketball Association August 18, 2026

NCT 127 to build buzz for new album with teaser medley SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - A medley featuring all nine songs from K-pop boy group NCT 127's seventh full-length album is set to be released at midnight Tuesday, ahead of the album's release next week to build excitement to their fans. A music video for "BLINGY," set to be released on Aug. 24, is also expected to be uploaded on the group's YouTube channel, with clips of the title track and other songs, including "IKR" and "Getaway." "IK August 18, 2026

Kazakhstan lines up social infrastructure push for 2027-2029 SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - Hospitals, children's rehabilitation centers and sports facilities will top Kazakhstan's construction priorities for the 2027~2029 budget period, committing the state to another round of building at a time when its own auditors report that much of the last round went unfinished. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set the priority at a meeting on the economy and budget planning at Akorda on Monday, according to the presidential press service. He was br August 18, 2026

SK hynix weighs options for California-based subsidiary amid rumors of US listing SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - SK hynix appears to be considering various options to strengthen its U.S. subsidiary Solidigm amid growing rumors of a potential U.S. listing. According to a corporate disclosure to the Korea Exchange last week, SK hynix said it had been exploring ways to strengthen its California-based semiconductor subsidiary's competitiveness including a possible U.S. listing. However, an SK hynix spokesperson declined to provide additional details, telling AJP that & August 18, 2026

Chip rally pushes KOSPI past 7,200 SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI opened 3.3 percent higher on Tuesday, led by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics, which extended a two-week rally driven by foreign investors, even as most stocks on the main board declined. The index opened at 7,211 on Tuesday, up 233.06 points, in its first session since Friday after Monday's substitute holiday for Liberation Day. Decliners outnumbered advancers 630 to 234, even as the large-cap KOSPI 200 rose 4 percen August 18, 2026

Brain tumor chip predicts which drug works for each patient SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - Patients with the deadliest form of brain cancer usually learn whether a drug works by taking it and waiting for the next scan. A South Korean research team has built a chip that can run that test first, outside the body, using cells taken from the patient's own tumor. The waiting is not free. Glioblastoma kills most patients within 15 months of diagnosis even after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and fewer than five percent live five years. Four August 18, 2026

Trump hints at prospects for talks with North Korea as US scales back joint exercise SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has responded to his overture for talks, describing the current state of U.S.-North Korea relations as "very positive." When asked why Kim had not responded to his calls for talks, Trump pushed back, saying, "How do you know he hasn't responded?" When pressed on whether Kim had in fact responded, Trump replied, "Yeah, he has." But Trump did not p August 18, 2026

Kim Min-seok takes S. Korea's ruling party helm SEOUL, August 17 (AJP) - South Korea's governing party handed its leadership on Monday to the man who served as President Lee Jae Myung's first prime minister, giving the president's closest political partner control of the party machine three days after his approval rating fell to the lowest level of his term. Kim Min-seok took 54.08 percent of the vote at the Democratic Party of Korea's national convention in Daejeon, defeating the incumbent leader, Jung Chung-ra August 17, 2026

President Lee sends condolences to Indonesia after quake kills 53 SEOUL, August 17 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung expressed condolences on Monday to victims of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia over the weekend, killing at least 53 people. "I cannot contain my sorrow at the news that a powerful earthquake in eastern Indonesia has caused great damage," Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "On behalf of the government of the Republic of Korea, I extend my deep condolences to the victims and bereaved familie August 17, 2026

Third-heaviest rainfall in Korean records kills 1 in southern city SEOUL, August 17 (AJP) - Record rainfall along South Korea's southern coast killed one person and injured four on Monday, and the island city of Geoje logged the heaviest single day of rain since observations began there in 1972. Geoje recorded 577.4 millimeters between midnight and 1 p.m., the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Among the 97 surface stations whose records the agency ranks, only two days have produced more, both on Aug. 31, 2002, when Typhoon Rusa droppe August 17, 2026