KBS nighttime talk show “Tonight, Kim Je-dong” has come under fire after critics accused the program of airing a segment that “glorified” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Tuesday’s episode included an interview with a man who described the North Korean leader as “humble” and a “capable and talented leader.”Tonight, Kim Je-dong."(KBS)Kim Soo-geun, who heads the pro-Kim Jong-un group called Welcome Committee for a Great Man, introduced himself as a “real fan” of Kim on the show, before praising the

Politics Dec. 10, 2018

The year 2018 has been a year to remember for South Koreans. They watched the historic summit between the two Koreas in April and also saw the minimum wage rise to 7,530 won ($6.73). Unprecedented levels of fine dust put the environmental authorities on alert. But according to Twitter, it was feminism and the #MeToo movement in schools that dominated the national dialogue, at least on the social media platform. On Wednesday, the top 10 most-tweeted social issues in Korea were revealed as f

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2018

Lawmaker Hong Moon-jong from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party appeared on TV Tuesday night and expressed reservations about President Moon Jae-in’s tendency to prioritize North Korea over other issues.While appearing on the latest episode of MBC’s “100 Minute Debate,” Hong commented on Moon’s approach to North Korea after the presenter asked the panel whether Moon was obsessing over North Korea despite problems within the South. (MBC)The nighttime topical show had a panel of experts and p

Politics Dec. 5, 2018

A tweet from K-pop sensation BTS has become the country’s most retweeted of the year. In a tweet Wednesday, the social media platform revealed the “Golden Tweet of 2018”: a post with a short clip of Jungkook singing in a studio to a background track. (Yonhap) The monumental tweet in K-pop history from the group’s main account @BTS_twt had been retweeted over 620,000 times with over 1.2 million likes as of

Performance Dec. 5, 2018

A new survey suggests that people in higher positions in the workplace are more likely to see work meals, widely known as ‘hoesik’ in South Korea, as necessary.According to a recent survey conducted by Job Korea targeting 230 Korean employees, over 73 percent of the respondents said hoesik felt like overtime work.While the majority of respondents said the ideal number of work meals was one per month, the findings showed a gap in opinions between those in higher positions and their juniors. (Hera

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2018

Rapper San E has yet again managed to put himself in the headlines after offending the audience with his comments about feminism during a concert over the weekend.While onstage at the concert Brand New Year 2018 on Sunday, San E used an expletive before rapping in English before an audience of 5,000: “Womad is poison. Feminist, no. You’re a mental illness.”In another politically charged comment, the rapper said he supports “normal women” before criticizing radical online feminist communities Wom

Performance Dec. 3, 2018

A major English-language newspaper in Japan said it would no longer use the term “forced labor” when reporting on Koreans who worked in Japan before and during World War II, despite the fact that many of the workers were there against their will.In an editor’s note on the paper’s website Thursday, the Japan Times said people previously described as victims of “forced labor” would now be called “wartime laborers” instead. (A capture image of the Japan Times)“Because the conditions they worked und

Politics Nov. 30, 2018

As temperatures plunge and people like to snuggle up indoors, home entertainment becomes essential. And for that, we have put together a list of new South Korea drama series that will make for some great winter TV viewing.(MBC, tvN)“Encounter” 9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, tvN  (tvN)The new tvN series is already a success as far as ratings are concerned. The pilot episode broke the previous record for the most watched first episode of all shows on the drama-focused cable channel.Featuring Song H

Television Nov. 30, 2018

Viewers will soon find out if Shin Ha-kyun has what it takes to pull off a success like the popular British series “Luther” as he plays Idris Elba’s role in the upcoming Korean adaptation, “Less Than Evil.”In the upcoming nighttime MBC series, Shin plays the hardworking and stylish detective Woo Tae-seok, who is not afraid to overstep the bounds of the law if it means catching criminals.Woo’s motto is, “Do whatever it takes to catch the criminals.” This often gets him in trouble and earns him th

Television Nov. 29, 2018

Korea’s entertainment industry has been hit with more debt allegations against celebrities’ parents in recent days as actress Cha Ye-ryun and Wheein of girl band Mamamoo became the latest to find themselves swept up in the furor.As the controversy, fueled by Microdot’s parents accused of failing to pay off debt and fleeing to New Zealand, continues to rumble on, debate is heating up over whether it is fair to hold children accountable for the misconduct of their parents.Rapper Microdot has found

Television Nov. 29, 2018

The new tvN series “Memories of the Alhambra,” starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye, enters uncharted waters for a South Korean TV series, as the story centers on an augmented reality game.As the nighttime weekend show bills itself as “suspense romance,” it does not fall short of spectacle and action, featuring fight scenes between players of an AR game as they live out what gamers dream of in the exotic city of Granada in Spain.(tvN)Director Ahn Gil-ho says he made the show imagining what could

Television Nov. 28, 2018

Key of SHINee said he wanted to prove he could pull off making new music as a solo artist despite a hectic schedule.On Friday, the singer will release “Face,” his first solo album in his 10-year career, which includes a track produced by American DJ and producer Skrillex. The record is testament to not only Key’s musical versatility but his determination to prove he can get the best of both worlds: making music and starring in films.  (Yonhap)He stars in a movie set to be released next year. “I

Performance Nov. 27, 2018

Actress Song Hye-kyo is returning to the small screen with the new romance series “Encounter,” ending a hiatus following her high-profile marriage to Song Joong-ki in 2017.She will star opposite actor Park Bo-gum as his love interest. Park has also been away from TV for nearly two years, since “Love in the Moonlight.” Song plays Cha Soo-hyun, the daughter of a prominent politician and a celebrity in her own right as the ex-wife of a conglomerate heir, widely known as a chaebol in Korea. Cha take

Television Nov. 21, 2018

Feminist writer Eun Ha-sun who has been fined 2 million won ($1,770) for misleading people into donating toward LGBT causes via texting said she would appeal the ruling.Eun, known for her outspoken views on feminism and LGBT issues, is now in a legal battle with an anti-LGBT religious group after her Facebook post with a wrong phone number misled some 90 people to donate 3,000 won ($2.60) each to the Seoul Queer Culture Festival.The amount of the donation reached nearly 440,000 won after Seoul W

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2018

Rapper Microdot has apologized in the face of growing pressure to address fraud allegations surrounding his parents.In a statement released Wednesday, the rapper said, “First and foremost, I want to apologize to those who were hurt because of what my parents did.” (Microdot`s Instagram)“As a son, I think I have some responsibility to bear. I want to meet each and every one (of the victims) and listen,” he added. Microdot also apologized for his previous comments that the allegations are unfounde

Performance Nov. 21, 2018