South Korean pop idol Rain has postponed his scheduled tour of the United States due to a lawsuit involving a US band and a recording firm with the same name, organizers said Tuesday

Star M Entertainment, organizer of the singer and hip-hop dancer's world tour, said the US plaintiff demanded that he not use the name Rain during his US concerts.

"We have postponed the US tour. We will push for it when the case is settled," Star M Entertainment said.

The singer had planned to perform in Hawaii, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles from June 15 to 30.

But Rain Corporation, which works with a US band also called Rain, filed a legal action against the South Korean singer's use of the name for US concerts.

Since his 2002 debut the 25-year- old singer, whose name is Jung Ji Hoon, has called himself Rain at every concert at home and abroad.

Riding on the "Korean wave" of pop music, films and TV dramas sweeping across Asia, he has become a pan-Asian heartthrob. Since late 2006, he has been on a six-month tour of 11 countries and territories as a warm-up before entering the US market, organizers said.

This year Rain became the first South Korean entertainer to make People magazine's annual "100 most beautiful people" list. He was also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2006. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE