korea
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.
Meet Sohn Kee-chung, the Korean Olympian forced to represent the Japanese empire
Sohn Kee-chung, an ethnic Korean marathon runner, is a poignant reminder of his country’s dark past. His record-breaking performance in the 1936 Berlin Games was widely celebrated, but there was one caveat to those looking on at his success from home — Sohn had no choice but to represent the Japanese empire.
Born in 1912, just two years after Japan’s annexation of Korea, Sohn had only ever known living under colonial rule when he entered the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Still, a dedicated nationalist, he signed the roster for the Games with his Korean name along with a small drawing of the Korean flag. Officially, he was recognized as a member of the Japanese delegation with the romanized Japanese name “Son Kitei.” To this day, Sohn is listed on the official Olympics website with these attributes.
Harvard Professor Sparks Outrage for Claiming Korean ‘Comfort Women’ Were Willingly Employed in Japan
A Harvard Law School professor has stoked controversy over claims that Imperial Japan had employed “comfort women” under contracts during World War II.
J. Mark Ramseyer, who teaches Japanese legal studies, argued that those women — most of whom were Korean — were recruited and not taken by force to become sex slaves, contrary to previous reports on the subject.
South Korean Rapper Iron Found Dead at 28
South Korean rapper Iron, born Chung Heon-chul, was found dead on Monday, right outside an apartment block in Seoul.
6-Year-Old Boy Found Safe in New Jersey After Missing From a Torched House in Pennsylvania
A child who went missing in Wyncote, Pennsylvania has been located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on Monday afternoon.
Isaac Hwang, 6, was reported missing on Sunday after his mother came to pick him up from his father’s home on the 1400 block of Clements Road.
TikToker’s Japanese Tattoo Causes #CancelKorea and #SorryFilipinos Debate
A tattoo of a Filipino-American TikTok star has sparked a virtual word war between social media users from South Korea and the Philippines.
Online backlash: A TikTok dancing video of influencer Bella Poarch caught the attention of South Koren users who spotted her Japanese rising sun flag tattoo.
Sam Okyere Deletes Instagram After Response to ‘Once You Go Black You Never Go Back’ Comment
Ghanaian TV personality Sam Okyere deleted his Instagram account following a controversial response to a comment deemed sexually offensive and racist.
The 29-year-old TV personality deleted his Instagram on Wednesday, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
South Korea Sends the Most EPIC ‘Care Packages’ For Citizens in Quarantine
Governments from different countries have achieved varying degrees of successes and failures in dealing with the current pandemic.
South Korea’s COVID-19 response is hailed by many as among the most effective. Learning its lessons from previous outbreaks, the government has set in place an efficient response system that addresses the detection, containment and treatment of the disease.
Asian-Owned Mall in Alabama Loses $200,000 After Being Set on Fire By Looters
A retail store in Alabama was burned down after it was hit by looters last month, overshadowing peaceful nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd.
California Fashion Mall, a retail store in downtown Birmingham that has been in business for 30 years, took extensive damage caused by the fire on May 31, according to WBRC.
South Korean Official Says Kim Jong Un is ‘Alive and Well’
Multiple reports claimed that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is either in a vegetative state or has passed away, but South Korean presidential adviser Moon Chung-in said Kim was “alive and well.”
Rumors of Kim Jong Un’s death circulated following a viral social media post from HKSTV Hong Kong Satellite Television Vice director Shijian Xingzou that cited a “very solid source.” Shijian’s post reportedly gained traction on Weibo, where she has over 15 million followers, reports International Business Times.
All-Korean Musical About Tupac Shakur Sparks Controversy
Controversy has arisen online after an announcement circulated about “All Eyez On Me”, an upcoming musical featuring the story of the legendary rapper, Tupac Shakur, that will feature an all-Korean cast.
Written by playwright Sung Jong Wan and composer Kim Min Soo, this biographical musical follows the life of Tupac from his rise to fame to the day of his death. The musical, which will run from April 10 to May 24 at the Uniplex in Seoul’s Daehak-ro district, is named after the late artist’s 1996 studio album, “All Eyes On Me”, according to Allkpop.
Bong Joon-ho Was Once Blacklisted in South Korea for His ‘Liberal’ Films
Bong Joon-ho, the Academy Award-winning director of “Parasite,” was reportedly blacklisted by the South Korean government four years ago for being too liberal.
Bong, along with his two other “Parasite” collaborators, actor Song Kang-ho and producer Miky Lee, were included on the list of 9,000 artists the South Korean government blacklisted in 2016, according to an op-ed by Korea expert S. Nathan Park in The Washington Post via Insider.