Semiwon lotus festival blooms in Yangpyeong A spot-billed duck drinks water at Semiwon in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, August 4, 2026. August 4, 2026

Semiwon lotus festival blooms in Yangpyeong Visitors take photos of lotus flowers at the Semiwon Lotus Flower Cultural Festival in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, August 4, 2026. August 4, 2026

Semiwon lotus festival blooms in Yangpyeong A visitor takes photos in front of lotus flowers at the Semiwon Lotus Flower Cultural Festival in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, August 4, 2026. August 4, 2026

Semiwon lotus festival blooms in Yangpyeong ​​​​​​Visitors take photos in front of lotus flowers at the Semiwon Lotus Flower Cultural Festival in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, August 4, 2026. August 4, 2026

Boy band WayV promote upcoming album with US debut performance in New York SEOUL, August 4 (AJP) - K-pop boy band WayV made their U.S. debut performance at SummerStage in New York's Central Park, using the outdoor set to preview choreography from their upcoming mini-album "Vision Wings" ahead of their release, their agency SM Entertainment said on Tuesday. The group performed at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield last Sunday as part of the free, annual SummerStage festival. The show also featured New York-based group THE EITHER and Chopstix August 4, 2026

aespa set to kick off world tour after making Lollapalooza debut in Chicago SEOUL, August 4 (AJP) - K-pop girl band aespa made their Lollapalooza debut in Chicago on Tuesday, delivering a 14-song set that showed off the seven-year-old group's road-tested stage command, according to their agency SM Entertainment. The quartet took the Allianz Stage at Grant Park, opening with debut single "Black Mamba" and 2021 hit "Next Level" before moving through a run of fan favorites - "Armageddon," "Supernova" and "Whipl August 4, 2026

NEO Battery Materials to invest $62 million in Gimje battery hub SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Canadian battery technology company NEO Battery Materials will invest $62 million to expand a production hub for next-generation batteries used in drones, defense systems and other high-performance applications in Gimje, North Jeolla Province. The company’s Korean subsidiary signed an investment agreement Tuesday with Jeonbuk State and the city of Gimje at its first factory in the Gimje Free Trade Zone. Under the agreement, NEO Battery Materials Kor August 4, 2026

Bloomberg warns volatile South Korean stock market is 'becoming uninvestable' SEOUL, August 4 (AJP) - South Korea's stock market is becoming "uninvestable" as extreme volatility erodes investor confidence in the KOSPI, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. In a column headlined "South Korea Is Becoming Uninvestable, Too," the daily's columnist Shuli Ren warned, "In recent years, global asset managers have complained that China is uninvestable, mainly over two issues - the government's policy failures and its disregard for inves August 4, 2026

KOSDAQ continues to outperform KOSPI after tightened rules on leveraged ETFs SEOUL, August 4 (AJP) - South Korea's junior KOSDAQ outperformed the benchmark KOSPI for a third straight session on Tuesday, extending its broad rally. Tighter regulations on single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reduced trading in chip stocks, broadening gains to biotechnology, robotics and other growth stocks. The KOSDAQ closed at 780.72 points, up 5.88 percent, while the KOSPI gained 1.62 percent to 6,358.95. The latest gain marked the third consecutive session August 4, 2026

Young K tops Hanteo chart with second solo album 'YOUNGEST' SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - DAY6’s Young K topped a weekly album chart with his second solo studio album, “YOUNGEST,” a 15-track record built around questions about his identity as a singer-songwriter. The album and its title track, “Shut The Door,” were released July 27, nearly two years and 10 months after his first full-length solo album, “Letters with notes.” “YOUNGEST” ranked first on Hanteo Chart’s weekly album char August 4, 2026