(Photos courtesy of each groups' respective agencies)

August signals the start of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but it also marks the month for many artists releasing new albums.

During previous Olympic years, August had been a quiet month for K-pop artists, as music and variety shows were postponed.

The 2012 London Olympics saw a stark fall in K-pop artists’ activities, as focus shifted to the international multisport event.

This conflict in schedules has already left fans wondering whether K-pop artists will be actively promoting their albums in August, or whether broadcasting networks and stations will be turning their focus to the Olympics Games.

Fortunately, the time difference between Brazil and Korea is 12 hours, which means music and variety shows will not be postponed for the Olympics Games later this month, according to sources at various broadcasting stations.

(Left: SBS "Inkigayo" poster, KBS "Music Bank" banner, MBC "Show! Music Core" poster)

One source explained, “The time difference between Brazil and Korea makes day and night completely different from here and there, so it won’t affect album releases and promotions.”

Representatives at various agencies have also justified their artists’ August releases by pointing out that music programs and variety shows were not being postponed.

Another representative explained: “Some artists like Sistar, Wonder Girls, Beast and EXID released albums in July to avoid conflicting schedules with the Olympic Games. But the unexpected popularity of ‘Show Me the Money’ season 5 actually affected their album reception and popularity more.”

K-pop artists scheduled for album releases in August are therefore not expected to be heavily affected by the 2016 Olympic Games.

By Lee Sang-won (sangdoze@heraldcorp.com)