Son Suk-ku has never been hotter. After mesmerizing viewers as the mysterious Mr. Gu in JTBC’s hit drama “My Liberation Notes,” the 39-year-old actor plays a ruthless villain who kidnaps and kills tourists for ransom in Vietnam in the film “The Roundup,” the biggest box office hit since the pandemic hit South Korea. Before “My Liberation Notes,” the last episode of which aired on May 31, Son was little known. He did some acting in stage productions

Television June 8, 2022

The 2022 local elections are upon us. Here’s a quick look at the vote by key numbers. 2.2 percent This is the first local election in which 18-year-olds can cast ballots. They already hit the polls during the presidential election in March after the voting age was lowered from 19 to 18 in late 2019. The number of 18- and 19-year-old voters stands at 973,335, or 2.2 percent of the country‘s 44.3 million eligible voters. 7 sheets In the June 1 elections, most voters will

Politics May 31, 2022

Feral cats were shot dead at a US air base in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, a tipster told The Korea Herald. Military personnel at the US Air Force’s Kunsan Air Base shot cats with pellet guns as a part of the Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Striking Hazard program, according to the tip from a person who participated in the BASH program firsthand in 2020. “The man in charge at the time openly bragged to me how he loved to shoot anything because he was authorized to do so, and he especi

Social Affairs May 31, 2022

With just a few days left until the June 1 local elections, 26-year-old rookie politician Park Ji-hyun dropped a bombshell on the liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday, openly calling on the party’s old guard to retire. Park, who is only four months into partisan politics yet leads the main opposition party’s interim leadership as its co-head, said the party is in need of drastic reforms, attributing its failure to win over voters to a culture of tolerance tow

Politics May 25, 2022

More than 10 feral cats have been shot and killed by US troops stationed here, according to a news report Monday, sparking controversy over animal cruelty. Public broadcaster KBS aired a video showing someone who appears to be military personnel firing at a cat crouching in a cage with an air gun. The broadcaster said it was filmed at Osan Air Base, a US Air Force base located in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in December last year. “The harmful animal handling team shot the (captive) c

Social Affairs May 24, 2022

In the upcoming June 1 local elections, a total of 126,668 foreign residents will be eligible to vote, according to the electoral rolls finalized Friday. The figure is an increase of some 20,000 from four years earlier, according to the National Election Commission. Of them, 99,969 are Chinese nationals, accounting for nearly 79 percent of the total. Amid a rise of anti-Chinese sentiment and resurgence of the right wing in South Korea, this dominance by the neighboring country is prompting s

Politics May 23, 2022

JTBC’s drama “My Liberation Notes” does not conform to the typical K-drama mold. There’s no handsome chaebol prince; there’s no crazy mother-in-law. What you see in it are three siblings who live in a small and humble house on the outskirts of Seoul. Although it takes one and a half hours to their workplaces in Seoul, none of them have a car because their conservative father -- who despises unnecessary spending and believes in the dignity of labor -- won&rsquo

Television May 17, 2022

At age 71, Kim Im-kyung is learning how to be a fangirl. At her three-room apartment in Seoul, Kim turned one whole room into a shrine dedicated to her idol -- Korean trot singer Lim Young-woong -- decorating it with his posters and a collection of fan merchandise like a light stick. To help Lim’s songs rank high on music charts, she plays his latest album through an online music streaming service all day long, despite personally owning five physical copies of it. She watches al

Performance May 12, 2022

Tuesday did not just mark the start of a new government led by President Yoon Suk-yeol. It also marked the first official debut -- at least in the eyes of the public -- of first lady Kim Keon-hee, who has been ostensibly missing on the campaign trail. Kim, 49, has been keeping a low profile for months after being embroiled in various controversies surrounding her past, including an allegation that she falsified credentials to take a part-time lecturer seat at a local university. She delivered

Politics May 11, 2022

Theme parks in South Korea are crammed with visitors as the country marks Children’s Day on Thursday, buoyed by relaxed COVID-19 containment measures. On this special holiday for kids, parents play a guessing game in picking places to go to entertain their children, as theme parks and other kid-friendly venues usually get massive crowds. Those who chose Everland as their destination this year seem to have failed on making the right decision, as postings on social networking sites compl

Travel May 5, 2022

Popular internet slang words derived from the Korean word “eorini,” which means children, may promote negative stereotypes and discrimination against children, the country’s human rights watchdog said Tuesday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea urged related government bodies to find ways for the public to refrain from using the newly coined words that compare a beginner in a certain field to a child, saying it can demean children. “Eorini” is a for

Social Affairs May 4, 2022

Virtual walking tours have emerged as an alternative to quench a thirst for travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, letting people explore far-flung destinations from the comfort of their own homes. YouTube channels centering on such virtual tours produce videos intended at giving viewers the vivid feeling of walking through an ordinary neighborhood in Seoul and other areas in the country. To diversify their content and attract more viewers, these creators are adding new features like time-lapse

Television April 24, 2022

Local clinics and hospitals received over 700 billion won ($564 million) won in total in February and March for conducting rapid antigen tests from the national health insurance scheme, data has revealed. According to data submitted to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday, the National Health Insurance Corp. received claims for payment of medical expenses involving COVID-19 rapid antigen tests totaling 730.3 billion won between Feb. 3 and April 3. This is e

Social Affairs April 21, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly cruel to older people. Digitally estranged, those living alone were virtually cut off from the world as social distancing disrupted operations of senior centers and other community services. To fill this void in senior care, authorities and institutions have deployed companion robots. These care machines with artificial intelligence have been billed as an example of the pandemic accelerating the deployment of cutting-edge technology. They are inten

Social Affairs April 14, 2022

Impeached President Park Geun-hye on Friday endorsed her close aide Yoo Young-ha, who seeks to run for Daegu mayor in the June elections, making her first political move after being freed from prison in December. “I believe that the dream I wanted to achieve will come true by Yoo in Daegu that is my hometown and Yoo’s,” the former leader said in a five-minute video released via Yoo’s YouTube channel. Park, who was ousted from power in 2017 after a corruption scandal i

Politics April 8, 2022