{
  "id": 17212481,
  "title": "K-pop idols take on new challenge with YouTube language and culture project",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/k-pop-idols-take-on-new-challenge-with-youtube-language-and-culture",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-30T10:42:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20261030/k-pop-idols-take-on-new-challenge-with-youtube-language-and-culture-project"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Korea Times reports that K-pop idols are expanding their influence by participating in a three-part YouTube series focused on Korean language and culture. Produced by the King Sejong Institute Foundation in collaboration with SBS, the series features popular artists engaging with language learners worldwide. The second episode, set to air on Saturday at 2 p.m., will see Ricky of AND2BLE and Mǎ Jingxiang of CLOSE YOUR EYES compete against eight outstanding Korean language learners, selected from the 2026 King Sejong Institute Korean Speaking and Writing Contest, which received 3,715 applicants from 75 countries and 178 institutions. The episode will also reunite the two idols, who previously teamed up on an audition program in 2023. In November, the boy group VERIVERY will serve as honorary Korean language teachers at the King Sejong Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia, conducting a special class using their own song lyrics to explain meanings and introduce useful language.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}