An appeals court upheld rapper Iron’s 2016 sentence of eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, after a lower court found him guilty of multiple counts of assault.The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday found Iron, 26, guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend on several occasions, including an assault during a sexual encounter.He was also ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.  (Yonhap)Iron was booked without detention in September 2016 after punching his girlfriend

Performance Nov. 23, 2018

Rapper Zico is leaving Block B after his five-year contract with the group’s label recently expired. Seven Seasons, which represents Block B, announced in a statement on Friday that Zico and the agency had agreed not to renew.“We thank Zico for (all the efforts he put in) as the leader and producer of Block B,” Seven Seasons said in its statement. “We wish Zico luck on his new beginning. We will always support him.”  Zico (Yonhap)The remaining six band members have extended their contracts, Seve

Performance Nov. 23, 2018

Cri-J, the fan club of actor Jang Geun-suk, is taking legal action in defense of its hero’s reputation. The fan club told local media Friday that it had launched a fundraiser in August, seeking 20 million won ($17,690) to sue online rumormongers who had posted “unfounded ill-intended words (against Jang Geun-suk).” Fans say the targets of the suit repeatedly left malicious comments about Jang. With the funds it raised, the fan club recently filed a defamation suit against the commenters. (Tree J

Performance Nov. 23, 2018

Three young Korean cuisine chefs were awarded Monday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, for their innovative dishes using local ingredients. An event the same day invited a panel of judges to taste and evaluate 10 up-and-coming Korean chefs’ new creations at the Korean Cuisine Cultural Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)(Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)The contesting restaurants were selected at the start of this year a

Culture Nov. 19, 2018

Starting in September 2019, Korea may change the look of its license plates for newly registered cars. Instead of six digits, the new plates under consideration would have seven. The Hangeul character that follows the second digit would instead follow the third. The addition of a digit would allow 210 million new cars to roam the country, a move the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport calls “ample preparation for the era of a reunified Korea.” The ministry is also considering a change

Mobility Nov. 19, 2018

A janitor who has donated 21 million won ($18,600) to charity over the past seven years, setting aside 20 percent of his monthly income, has drawn praise for his efforts.Shin Woong-sun, 56, recently told the Yonhap News Agency that “emptying led to happiness” for him. Shin started working as a janitor in 2002, when he was 40. His main job was cleaning the streets. In 2005, he developed spondylitis, a type of arthritis that affects the spine. He also lives with a circulatory ailment called Raynau

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2018

Students in Korea who were born in the year 2000 took the national collge entrance exam Thursday, and several pop stars were among them. On the morning of the test day, reporters spotted several teenage stars headed to their assigned test sites.  Kim Chae-won (Yonhap) Kang Hye-won, Kim Chae-won and Sakura Miyawaki (Yonhap)IZ*ONE’s Kim Chae-won went to a high school in Songpa-gu, Seoul, flanked by her bandmates Kang Hye-won and Sakura Miyawaki who walked her to the gates in support.  Choi Bo-min

Performance Nov. 16, 2018

“POP/STARS” by virtual K-pop girl group “K/DA,” composed of game characters from online multiplayer arena game “League of Legends,” has made it to the top of the US iTunes’ K-pop and Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales charts, following its release on Nov. 3.“K/DA Ahri, K/DA Evelynn, K/DA Kai’Sa, and K/DA Akali take the world stage with their debut single,” reads the description of the song’s music video on YouTube, which had garnered nearly 55 million views as of Wednesday. (Billboard)On Billb

Performance Nov. 14, 2018

Not long after a study revealed that 25 percent of elderly Koreans eat by themselves all the time, making them vulnerable to depression, a new report claimed Tuesday that a clear correlation exists between lone diners in their 20s and the obesity rate in that age group. According to a research team led by professor Jang Sung-in of Yonsei University College of Medicine, those eating alone had a higher chance of having a higher body mass index, and this especially stood out in Koreans in their 20s

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2018

Idols often seem to live in a different universe, surrounded by glitz and glamor onstage and on TV screens. But when it comes to Suneung, Korea’s annual college entrance exam, stars are on the same plane as every other 18 year-old in the country. Although not all celebrities decide to take Suneung, there are quite a number who wish to continue their studies alongside their careers. Stars who have said they will take the test this year are: Weki Meki’s Choi Yoo-jung and Lua; DIA’s Somyi; Stray Ki

Performance Nov. 13, 2018

Uniqlo will begin a four-day sale from Friday through Monday at all of its stores across Korea and on its online shopping mall. The apparel brand announced the sale Monday, adding that it would include Heattech items designed to insulate consumers against the winter cold. The sale will also include ultra light down vests and turtleneck sweaters, some of the bestselling products at Uniqlo.  (Uniqlo)By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

Industry Nov. 12, 2018

A Korean-language speech contest will take place on Nov. 24 at the Multicultural Family Support Center in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul.This is the fourth year the contest will be held. Twelve expatriates who pass a preliminary round of evaluation will be invited to speak at the final competition.Participants are to write their own speeches on topics concerning why they love Korea and what about Korea draws them to like it. The occasion will serve as a chance to think about how policies in Korea for

Expat Living Nov. 12, 2018

Seoul Metropolitan City will increase the number of subway cars and buses Thursday, as well as put more taxis on the road and dispatch 790 emergency transportation vehicles to facilitate smooth traffic on the morning of the Suneung exam. Suneung is South Korea’s annual college entrance exam that many still believe determine the course of one’s life. This year’s Suneung falls on Thursday, as parents of students taking the exam this year have already started morning prayers at temples and churches

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2018

 진행자: 임정요, Paul Kerry1. Tech firm CEO detained over workplace abuse allegations기사요약: 경찰이 회사 직원을 폭행하고 수련회 등에서 엽기행각을 벌인 것으로 알려져 물의를 빚은 양진호 한국미래기술 회장을 7일 전격 체포했다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638[1] Yang Jin-ho, the CEO of a cloud storage* service company, was taken into police custody Wednesday over multiple workplace* harassment and abuse allegations by his employees.*cloud storage: 클라우드 스토리지*wor

Podcast Nov. 7, 2018

BTS member RM’s United Nations speech has appeared in study material at schools worldwide, Herald Business reported Sunday. His speech was used in middle and high school classrooms for academic purposes in countries like South Korea, the US, Singapore and Vietnam. For example, at a Korean high school, in an English reading comprehension and composition exam that took place on Oct. 16, a problem went, “Read the following excerpt from BTS’ leader RM’s speech at UNICEF’s youth initiative ‘Generatio

Performance Nov. 6, 2018