BTS' V, Jungkook disclose health concerns amid tour SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - BTS members V and Jungkook opened up about health issues during the group's North American tour, giving fans a rare look at the physical strain they are managing on the road. The two spoke during a Weverse livestream Tuesday after BTS wrapped a concert in Baltimore, sitting down for a casual meal together while talking to fans. V said he had not previously told ARMY, the group's fandom, that he has been dealing with hearing problems for roughly August 12, 2026

Military academy alumni urge defense minister to reconsider three-school merger SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Alumni associations of South Korea’s Army, Navy and Air Force academies urged Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Wednesday to reconsider the government’s plan to merge the three service academies, with Ahn saying he would remain open to their concerns. Leaders of the three alumni associations met Ahn to raise concerns over the proposed integration and argue that the government’s reform goals could be achieved without merging the existing acad August 12, 2026

NCT 127 previews 'Piñata' with noir-style track video before KCON LA stage SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 gave fans an early listen to its upcoming seventh full-length album Tuesday, releasing a track video for "Piñata" ahead of the record's full release later this month, SM Entertainment said Wednesday. The video went up on NCT 127's official YouTube channel at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Rather than a straightforward performance clip, it casts the group as "fixers" in Seoul, following the members through a youth August 12, 2026

Seoul Performing Arts Festival to open with Han Kang adaptation, Avignon-linked works SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - The Seoul Performing Arts Festival returns in October with a lineup led by a stage adaptation of Han Kang's "We Do Not Part," starring Isabelle Huppert and Lee Hye-young. Now in its 26th edition, SPAF runs Oct. 8-25 at venues across Seoul under the theme "Multiverse of Art." The festival is organized by the Korea Arts Management Service, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Council Korea. Thi August 12, 2026

Chinese snacks spread across Korean shelves, drawing curiosity and scrutiny SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Step into an unmanned snack shop in Seoul and the shelves resemble a miniature world market — with China taking an outsized share, from mala konjac and latiao to spicy seafood and candy. The novelty is drawing shoppers, but also closer scrutiny as Korean regulators flag bacterial contamination, high sodium and labeling problems in some imported products. The Chinese packaged fish snack, bought from an unmanned store in downtown Seoul, looked as forc August 12, 2026

Rookie girl band Hearts2Hearts make Japanese debut with 1st single SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - K-pop rookie girl group Hearts2Hearts made their Japanese debut on Wednesday with their first Japanese single, according to their agency, SM Entertainment. "ICONIC HEART," as SM Entertainment moves the rookie girl group further into one of K-pop's most closely watched overseas markets. The single, which was released in Japan the previous day, includes three songs: the title track "ICONIC HEART" and Japanese-language versions of the August 12, 2026

Lee calls for Korea to lead, not chase, with seven future-tech projects SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called for South Korea to move beyond catching up with global technology leaders and take the lead in emerging industries, as the government unveiled seven “SEED” projects. Lee said South Korea must use the opportunity created by its semiconductor industry to prepare for the technologies and industries that will follow the current artificial intelligence boom. “The seven advanced technologies and seve August 12, 2026

Shares of chip parts maker jump on strong Q2 earnings SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Shares of semiconductor parts maker Wonik QnC rose on Wednesday after it posted a more than twofold increase in second-quarter operating profit from a year earlier. Its shares closed 5.31 percent higher at 31,750 won (US$22.44). The gain came as consolidated operating profit jumped 119.1 percent from a year earlier to 30.9 billion won ($21.8 million) for the period between April and June, according to its preliminary earnings report released the same day. August 12, 2026

AKMU's Lee Su-hyun to release rendition of Japanese classic next week SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Sibling duo AKMU's Lee Su-hyun is taking on Seiko Matsuda's 1980 J-pop classic "Blue Lagoon," the latest in a wave of Korean renditions of Japanese songs, production company SH Gold Networks said on Wednesday. Her version of the song is set to be released on major streaming platforms next week. "Blue Lagoon" made Matsuda a household name in Japan, with its bright melody and lyrics about the jitters of young love helping cement August 12, 2026

HBM isn't enough: Chipmakers race to break AI's memory wall SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - The race to build faster artificial intelligence memory is beginning to move beyond simply stacking more DRAM, as chipmakers confront a more fundamental problem: even high-bandwidth memory may not be enough to keep increasingly powerful AI processors fed with data. For the past several years, competition among memory makers has centered on successive generations of HBM, from HBM3E to HBM4 and HBM4E. SK hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron have raced to in August 12, 2026