South Korea
South Korean President Moon Jae-in to bring BTS along with him on trip to America
K-pop mega group BTS will accompany South Korean President Moon Jae-in as special presidential envoys at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.
Awarding ceremony: The seven-man group was awarded the certificates on Tuesday appointing them as “Special Presidential Envoys for Future Generations and Culture” in a ceremony at the Blue House, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
‘You have to sleep with me’: Korean actress Heo Yi Jae reveals the moment she suddenly decided to retire from entertainment
South Korean actress Heo Yi-jae revealed to Way, a member of disbanded K-pop group Crayon Pop, why she left the South Korean entertainment industry.
What happened: On Way’s popular YouTube channel, Heo appeared as a guest on Sept. 10 to talk about her experience in the entertainment industry in a Korean-language video titled “The reality of a Korean actress (slapping, shameless actors).”
Popular South Korean influencer who’s landed over 100 sponsorships is not actually a real person
Rozy is a South Korean social media personality whose ads are racking up millions of views on YouTube, and she isn’t even a real person.
AI-powered social media star: The influencer, who now has over 58,000 Instagram followers, is actually a virtual human created by South Korean content-creation group Sidus Studio X. She is the first of her kind in Korea to be based on artificial intelligence, reported Korea.net.
South Korea’s first honorary rescue dog saved 90-year-old owner by laying next to her for 40 hours in freezing rain
When an elderly woman with dementia went missing in South Korea, leading to a team of police, firefighters and volunteers to search the area, it was Baekgu the dog that saved the day. In acknowledgement of his noble deed, the 4-year-old dog has been appointed as the country’s first honorary rescue dog.
The search: Baekgu’s owner, a 90-year-old woman, was reported missing on Aug. 25, according to CNN. Security footage from a local farm showed her leaving her village with a small white dog.
How Spam Became a Luxury Item in South Korea
After the U.S., the world’s largest consumer of Spam is South Korea. But how did a simple processed meat product turn into a popular luxury item in an East Asian country?
With its pale pink hue and spongy texture, Spam has been called “disgusting” and “inedible” in the U.S since the late 1930s. Hormel Foods Corporation states that their product contains just six ingredients, but the canned good has received a reputation for being “mystery meat,” prompting Hormel to create campaigns such as “Don’t Knock It ‘Til You’ve Fried It.”
Former Kpop star Seungri receives 3-year jail sentence, Twitter reacts
Former K-pop idol and Big Bang member Seungri received a three-year jail sentence after being charged in 2019 for procuring prostitutes for businessmen, but his fans are still fighting for him.
Conviction: Seungri, 30, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, was convicted by the General Military Court of the Ground Operations Command in Yongin on the charges of mediating prostitution and illegal gambling, according to Nate via All Kpop.
Bang PD, the Man Behind BTS, Steps Down as CEO
Bang Si-Hyuk (Bang PD) is stepping down from his role as CEO of HYBE, the company which launched K-pop juggernaut BTS, as part of the company’s leadership reconstruction plan so he can focus on his music production career.
Stepping down: HYBE, formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment, announced in an official statement that Bang will still be a chairman on the Board of Directors and assist in the “decision-making of the company’s core business.”
South Korea’s ‘King of Instant Noodles’ Passes Away at 91
Shin Choon-ho, 91, founder of the wildly successful food and beverage company, Nongshim, died last Saturday of a chronic illness.
Noodle king: Known as the “King of instant noodles,” Shin was the chairman of the South Korean-based company for 29 years, having founded it in 1965, according to the Korea Times.
Delivery Worker Dies of Suspected Overwork, Korea’s 17th Since Pandemic Start
A South Korean labor union is blaming overwork as the cause for the recent death of a 48-year-old parcel delivery worker in Seoul.
The man, identified only by Lee, was found dead inside a cheap rental room located in southeastern Seoul called “gosiwon” over the weekend, reported Yonhap News. Lee is reportedly the 17th person to die of such circumstance in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic spread last year.
South Korea’s First Trans Soldier Found Dead in Her Home at 23
Byun Hee-soo, South Korea’s first transgender soldier who was forcibly discharged from service over a year ago, has been found dead.
Sudden death: The 23-year-old former South Korean soldier was found dead in her home on Wednesday at 5:49 p.m., according to Yonhap News.