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Got7 drops teaser and announces first full group comeback since leaving JYP Entertainment
- K-pop boy group Got7 announced a full group comeback on Monday, following their last group release “Encore” in February last year, with teasers to celebrate the eighth anniversary of their fandom Ahgase (short for “I got 7”).
- The self-titled EP is slated for a May 23 release at 6:00 p.m. KST, following an in-person concert for fans on May 21 and 22 at the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Korea. An online version of the May 22 show will also be available.
- New social media accounts have been created for the group since their departure from JYP Entertainment last year.
- The members have been busy with solo projects in the meantime, such as Bambam’s new music under the Golden State Warriors’ new entertainment division and Jackson Wang’s performance as part of 88rising at Coachella.
K-pop boy group Got7 celebrated the eighth anniversary of their fandom Ahgase (short for “I Got 7”) on Monday with a teaser for their new EP to announce an upcoming full group comeback.
The seven-member group will release its self-titled EP on May 23 at 6:00 p.m. KST. New official social media accounts on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter were created for the group on May 6th and feature a teaser video of their logo.
Weibo starts displaying users’ IP locations to discourage ‘bad behavior’
- Chinese social media site Weibo has implemented new account settings that displays users’ IP locations on their account pages and every comment they post.
- Weibo said users in China will have their current province or municipality location displayed, while overseas users will only have their country indicated.
- According to the platform, the feature is designed to discourage people from “impersonating parties involved in hot topic issues, malicious disinformation and traffic scraping, and to ensure the authenticity and transparency of the content disseminated."
- The setting, which can not be disabled, has earned mixed reactions from users, with some expressing concerns about losing online anonymity and others supporting it for its potential to curb online misinformation.
Chinese social media platform Weibo has begun publishing users’ IP locations on their account pages to discourage “bad behavior.”
The platform, which is home to over 570 million monthly active users, announced the change via a post on Thursday, the same day it took effect.
Instagram ‘systematically fails’ to protect women from online abuse in DMs, study says
A recent report by the U.S.-based nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) says Instagram “systematically fails” to protect women from online abuse and harassment.
According to CCDH’s “Hidden Hate” report, the Meta-owned image-sharing platform did not act on 90% of complaints made about gender-based abuse and harassment received via direct messages, despite them being reported via its tools. The platform also did not resolve image-based sexual abuse messages within 48 hours.
Ukraine removes Emperor Hirohito from Hitler, Mussolini video after anger and protests from Japan
- Amid protests from Japan, Ukraine has removed an image of former Japanese leader Emperor Hirohito from a video uploaded online that showed him next to fellow World War II Axis leaders Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
- The video, posted on Twitter by the Ukrainian government on April 1, showed the three leaders above a caption that read, “Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945.”
- This sparked severe backlash from Japan, including comments from Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki, who said, “Portraying Hitler, Mussolini and Emperor Showa [Hirohito] in the same context is completely inappropriate.”
- Some Japanese netizens on social media called for Japan to stop supporting Ukraine, while others commented that Japanese wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo would have been a better choice for the video.
- The Ukrainian government, following Japan’s protests of the image, removed the picture of Hirohito from the video and expressed their regret to Japan.
- “Our sincere apologies to Japan for making this mistake,” the Ukrainian government said in a tweet on Sunday. “We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan.”
- Japan has supported Ukraine in their ongoing conflict with Russia, donating $300 million as well as accepting hundreds of displaced Ukrainians since the Russian invasion began in late February.
Amid protests from Japan, Ukraine has removed an image of former Japanese leader Emperor Hirohito from a video it posted online showing him next to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
The video, uploaded to Twitter by the Ukrainian government on April 1, showed the three World War II Axis leaders above a caption that read, “Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945.” This sparked severe backlash from Japan, including comments from Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki, who said, “Portraying Hitler, Mussolini and Emperor Showa [Hirohito] in the same context is completely inappropriate.” He called the depiction “extremely regrettable.”
Study: Online posts about Korean pop culture have jumped 3,000 percent since ‘Squid Game’ release
- A recent South Korean study found that online English-language posts relating to Korean pop culture increased by 3,000 percent, or 30-fold, following the release of the Netflix series “Squid Game.”
- The Korea International Cultural Exchange Agency and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced their findings yesterday after analyzing data on Korean pop culture’s global impact.
- The report was based on data collected from various social platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Reddit and Rotten Tomatoes, between June and December of last year.
- “Squid Game” made history upon its September 2021 release when it became the “biggest series launch” in Netflix history with over 111 million viewers in its first month.
A South Korean study found that online English-language posts related to Korean pop culture increased by 3,000 percent, or 30-fold, following the release of the popular Netflix series “Squid Game.”
The Korea International Cultural Exchange Agency (KOFICE) and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released the report yesterday. They analyzed data from 15 countries across three categories of online media between June and December of last year.
Video of Minnesota high school students mocking Asian accents, performing Nazi salute draws condemnation
- Edina High School students in Minnesota recorded and posted a video online in which they spoke in derogatory, mock Asian accents and performed a Nazi salute.
- The video, which has been taken down after it circulated online, was denounced by district officials.
- Principal Andrew Beaton sent a statement to students on Monday evening, writing, “The nature of the post is culturally insensitive and violates our core values. We responded immediately, investigated and took appropriate action in alignment with district policy and protocols.”
- Louisa Darr, a 17-year-old Asian American senior at the high school, said, “It was extremely hurtful for the rest of my peers and me to see. I've felt nothing but heartbreak and disappointment and fear these past couple of days.”
A video in which Edina High School students in Minnesota can be seen mocking Asian accents and performing a Nazi salute was denounced by district officials and taken down from social media.
Three white male students recorded and posted a video online in which they spoke in derogatory, mock Asian accents while two white female students sat on a couch laughing, according to the Star Tribune.
Chinese authorities investigate man who allegedly boasted on social media about caging mentally ill wife
- Authorities in China's Shaanxi Province are now investigating a local villager who was accused of bragging about abusing his wife while livestreaming on Kuaishou, a local TikTok-like video-sharing app.
- The man, identified as Li Limin, was jobless and often held livestreams. To allegedly make his streaming more interesting for his viewers, he shared stories about abusing his wife, Tang Xiaoyu.
- Screenshots included in Xianshidemuyang’s WeChat post about Li showed alleged ligature and burn marks on Tang’s body. Several netizens have accused Li of causing Tang’s mental disorder since he would beat her often and confine her whenever she attempted to flee.
- Li was also accused of taking Tang from the side of a road in 2009, forcing her to marry him and holding her against her will since then.
- Unconfirmed sources who reached out to Xianshidemuyang claimed that Tang looks similar to Wang Guohong, a student from Qinghai Province who went missing in 2009.
Authorities in China’s Shaanxi Province said they are now investigating a Chinese man for allegedly abusing his mentally ill wife and locking her in an iron cage.
The allegation was reportedly posted on WeChat by the public account Xianshidemuyang (The Look of Reality), claiming that the man, identified as Li Limin, had previously boasted about abusing his wife, Tang Xiaoyu, on his Kuaishou account.
Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei sparks outrage among social media followers over vaccine refusal meme post
- Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei drew backlash on Thursday for sharing a vaccine refusal meme on Instagram in which a group of men dances around atop a mountain with the on-screen caption: “My and my friends living off the grid after refusing the vaxxine [sic].”
- Ai, 64, explained the vaccine rollout should not be “compulsory” and that the decision “should belong to individuals.”
- The activist has revealed that while he has already taken his COVID-19 vaccine shots, he identifies “with those who do not want to get vaccinated.”
- Many social media users criticized the activist for his recent Instagram post, with one user writing, “I lost seven family members to this pandemic. Dancing is not the first thing I have in mind.”
Famed Chinese dissident artist and activist Ai Weiwei recently ignited outrage among his followers after sharing an anti-vaccination meme in support of his stated belief that vaccines should not be compulsory.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Ai, 64, reshared a clip of a group of men dancing atop a mountain while playing drums. The on-screen caption read, “My and my friends living off the grid after refusing the vaxxine [sic].”
Naomi Osaka responds to critics in latest Instagram Q&A: ‘IDGAF anymore’
- Naomi Osaka, 24, slammed her critics in a recent Instagram Stories Q&A, saying "IDGAF anymore" about their comments.
- For her 2022 goal, Osaka plans to approach the new year with a less worrisome mindset and "find a way to enjoy the game [tennis] again."
Star tennis player Naomi Osaka recently slammed her critics during a Q&A session she held on Instagram Stories for her fans.
Osaka, 24, revealed she does not care anymore about the comments of her critics after one of her fans told her to play at the Australian Open as if she has something to prove, according to EssentiallySports.
Woman is shocked to see photo of her and her boyfriend on Chinese TV show but with her head edited out
- A Dutch influencer found a picture of her and her boyfriend in a Chinese drama with her face edited out and replaced by the show’s lead actress.
- Her TikTok video about the situation went viral, and the show’s production crew later sent her an apology.
A Dutch influencer was left speechless when she discovered that a Chinese drama used a picture of her and her boyfriend that had her face replaced with the show’s lead actress’ face.
Rianne Meijer, a social media influencer with over 102,000 followers on TikTok and more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram, shared the hilarious discovery in a viral TikTok on Oct. 13, 2021, according to Insider.
Video: Paolo Montalbán shares emotional first reunion with ‘Cinderella’ co-star Brandy after 24 years
Filipino American actor Paolo Montalbán recently posted a picture and clip of his first reunion with “Cinderella” co-star Brandy since they last saw each other 24 years ago.
The reunion: Montalbán, 48, fulfilled his fans’ request to post a proper picture of his reunion with Brandy, 42, on Christmas Day on Instagram, as well as a short clip of last month’s meeting, which included a hug..
Brave schoolchildren in China rescue pregnant teacher as she faints in class
A group of schoolchildren in China were quick to help a pregnant teacher who collapsed while teaching the class.
Heroes: The students were in class in southern China when their pregnant teacher suddenly fainted in front of them.
