[Newsmaker] Emmy-winning director Hwang says that ‘Squid Game 2’ is his next project

His Emmy trophy for outstanding directing for a drama series in hand, director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the mastermind behind global phenomenon “Squid Game,” on Friday confidently entered a celebratory press conference following the Emmys win at the Westin Josun Seoul. At this stage, Hwang confirmed that his next project will be nothing other than a second season of “Squid Game.” “We will film the sequel next year and the series will likely be released in 2024. I am workin

Sept. 16, 2022

[Newsmaker] Suriname may take legal action against producers of 'Narco-Saints' over unfair portrayal

The government of Suriname said it will consider legal action against the producers of the recent Netflix series "Narco-Saints," which possibly casts a negative image of the country. The South Korean Embassy in Venezuela issued an advisory to ensure the safety of South Korean nationals living in Suriname, according to local reports on Thursday. "Narco-Saints," which is titled "Suriname" in Korean, revolves around a South Korean drug lord operating in Suriname and

Sept. 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] Hero dog’s death reignites debates on animal cruelty

Boksun was once hailed as a hero for helping save her owner while he was experiencing a stroke three years ago. Last month, she was found bleeding heavily at her home in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, having been brutally injured by an abuser. Her owner took her to a vet, but after learning about the hefty medical costs, gave up on saving her. She was later found dead inside a refrigerator of a dog meat restaurant. The tragic story of Boksun, made public by a local animal rights group, raise

Sept. 14, 2022

[Newsmaker] Redevelopment boom is erasing Seoul's heritage

Earlier this year, a popular Pyongyang-style cold noodle restaurant in central Seoul closed down after 37 years. The closure of Eulji Myeonok came after a court ruled that a redevelopment project in the area should be allowed to go ahead following a yearslong legal battle, forcing the restaurant to leave the building it used to occupy. Founded by the daughter of Korean War refugees, the restaurant was loved by customers across generations. People waited in line on its last day for a final taste

Sept. 13, 2022

[Newsmaker] Queen Elizabeth II's coffin takes long road through Scotland

  EDINBURGH, Scotland -- In a somber, regal procession, Queen Elizabeth II's flag-draped coffin was driven slowly through the Scottish countryside Sunday from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Mourners packed city streets and highway bridges or lined rural roads with cars and tractors to take part in a historic goodbye to the monarch who had reigned for 70 years. The hearse drove past piles of bouquets and other tributes as it led a seven-car cortege from Bal

Sept. 12, 2022

[Newsmaker] A cloudy, but pleasant Chuseok day forecast

  Mostly pleasant weather conditions are forecast for the upcoming four-day Chuseok holidays, which kicks off Friday, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Thursday. On Chuseok, which falls on Saturday, skies will likely be cloudy, but it will be possible to see the full moon through the clouds in most parts of the country, it added. According to the state's weather authorities, the central region will be mostly sunny on Friday with some clouds expected over the southern region and J

Sept. 8, 2022

[Newsmaker] Apple Pay in final-stage talks to enter Korean market

Apple Pay is in the final stage of talks with local credit card issuer Hyundai Card to start its Korean services by the end of this year, according to news reports on Wednesday. Apple’s digital payments service, launched in 2014, has since expanded its Asian reach, including China, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. But it has struggled to enter Korea mainly due to a lack of technological infrastructure here. Most local retailers use the magnetic secure transmission technology, in which devic

Sept. 7, 2022

[Newsmaker] 6 out of 10 digital sex crimes targeted minors

Six out of 10 arrests for digital sexual violence in Korea during 2020 involved sexual exploitation of minors, government data showed Tuesday. Among the victims of overall sexual violence cases, women accounted for the majority with 88 percent. The data was part of the report, titled "2022 Statistics on the Life of Men and Women," by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Since 1997, the government had been releasing the annual report under the title "Statistics on the Life o

Sept. 6, 2022

[Newsmaker] Lee You-mi wins Emmy, first for Korean actor

Lee You-mi, 28, won the Emmy Award for outstanding guest actress in a drama series on Monday. At the televised ceremony of the 2022 Creative Arts Emmys, Lee was named the winner of outstanding guest actress in a drama series, beating Marcia Gay Harden from “The Morning Show,” Martha Kelly from “Euphoria” and Hope Davis, Sanaa Lathan and Harriet Walter from “Succession.” “I’m so happy to win a prestigious award. I would like to thank director Hwan

Sept. 5, 2022

[Newsmaker] Leak ruins NASA moon rocket launch bid; next try weeks away

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's new moon rocket sprang another dangerous fuel leak Saturday, forcing launch controllers to call off their second attempt this week to send a crew capsule into lunar orbit with test dummies. The inaugural flight is now off for weeks, if not months. The previous try on Monday at launching the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever built by NASA, was also troubled by hydrogen leaks, though they were smaller. That was on top of leaks det

Sept. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Alone in the world: Two young adults talk life after aging out of foster care

Every year in South Korea, some 2,500 adolescents leave the foster care group homes where they spent their formative years, forced to stand on their own two feet. Trying to figure out life on their own, these young people often face financial and psychological difficulties, but their struggles go unheard, as they are legal adults. Last month in Gwangju, two such young people gave up on their lives just days apart, which has brought attention to the strife of those who have aged out of the state

Sept. 2, 2022

[Newsmaker] New jobs for tycoons’ Samsung, SK chiefs to promote Busan Expo

South Korea’s two most influential business leaders -- Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won -- are set to take a rather public role in promoting the country’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. According to local reports quoting a source at the presidential office, Lee and Chey will be named presidential envoys for Korea’s World Expo bid and that they are set to visit the UK and Japan, respectively, in their new roles. Lee

Sept. 1, 2022

[Newsmaker] Last Soviet leader Gorbachev, who ended Cold War and won Nobel prize, dies aged 91

Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, hospital officials in Moscow said. Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany. But his internal reforms helped weaken the Soviet Union to the point whe

Aug. 31, 2022

[Newsmaker] Does Korea need a ‘loneliness minister’?

An empty fridge, a sink full of instant noodle packets, and notices for unpaid bills were what filled the home of a 50-something man in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, who was found dead on June 28. His passing added to the growing number of lonely deaths in South Korea, where nearly one-third of all households consist of a single person. Social isolation and loneliness are becoming severe issues in modern society, a problem that ails not just South Korea. In recent years, countries like the United Kingdom

Aug. 30, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korean Im Sung-jae finishes runner-up at PGA Tour season finale

South Korean Im Sung-jae has just missed out on PGA Tour history, finishing runner-up in the season finale in a bid to become the first Asian champion of the FedEx Cup. Despite a strong late push, Im ended in a tie for second place at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Sunday (local time) at 20-under, one behind the champion, Rory McIlroy. The winner of the Tour Championship, which followed three playoff tournaments, is also crowned the FedEx Cup champion. McIlroy took ho

Aug. 29, 2022

[Newsmaker] Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik becomes S. Korea’s fourth cardinal

Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik became the fourth South Korean cardinal in an appointment ceremony at the Vatican on Saturday. You, 70, was sworn in at St. Peter’s Basilica at 4 p.m. as one of 20 new cardinals appointed by Pope Francis. The appointment was announced in May. He was also among 16 cardinal electors under 80 years old, who are eligible to vote for the next pontiff in a secret conclave. You became the fourth Korean cardinal after the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, th

Aug. 28, 2022

[Newsmaker] Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik to become S. Korea's fourth cardinal

VATICAN -- Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik became the fourth South Korean cardinal in an appointment ceremony at the Vatican on Saturday. You, 70, was sworn in at St. Peter's Basilica at 4 p.m. as one of 20 new cardinals appointed by Pope Francis. The appointment was announced in May. He was also among 16 cardinal electors under 80 years old, who are eligible to vote for the next pontiff in a secret conclave. You became the fourth Korean cardinal after the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, th

Aug. 27, 2022

[Newsmaker] 'The cultural front': Ukraine theatre goes underground

Mykolaiv -- It's an opening night like no other at Mykolaiv's theatre, with the audience ushered down into an underground shelter this week for the first performance since war broke out. "We need this place to fight on the cultural front too," says artistic director Artiom Svytsoun. The tiny underground stage and the minimalist set provide "a form of 'art therapy'" for the people who have stayed in Mykolaiv and need something other than the grinding fear of war. Welcoming aud

Aug. 26, 2022

[Newsmaker] Biden forgives millions of student loans; critics fear inflation

WASHINGTON- President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the US government will forgive $10,000 in student loans for millions of debt-saddled former college students, keeping a pledge he made in the 2020 campaign for the WhiteHouse. The move could boost support for his fellow Democrats in the November congressional elections, but some economists said it may fuel inflation, and some Republicans in the US Congress questioned whether the president had the legal authority to cancel the debt. Debt forgivene

Aug. 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] Chung Euisun heads to US as inflation law puts Hyundai Motor EV strategy in peril

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun made an emergency trip to the US on Tuesday to seek ways to deal with the latest US tax credit bill that has scrapped subsidies for foreign-made electric vehicles. Amid looming concerns that the bill may jeopardize the carmaker’s EV strategy, Chung left for Washington, D.C., with Hyundai Motor President Gong Young-woon who is in charge of public relations, media outlets reported Wednesday, quoting unnamed sources. They plan to meet high-ra

Aug. 24, 2022