[Newsmaker] Comedian Park Soo-hong to sue brother, sister-in-law

Comedian Park Soo-hong plans to take legal action against his brother and sister-in-law, following a financial dispute over his earnings. Park will file suit against his brother and sister-in-law for alleged embezzlement on Monday, Park’s lawyer Noh Jong-eon said Saturday. “Park and his brother established an entertainment company, agreeing to share the earnings 7 to 3. The agency’s earnings all came from Park,” the announcement read. “Park’s brother an

April 4, 2021

[Eye Interview] ‘All I did was get sick but suddenly I was turned into someone who had done a terrible thing’

On March 22, 2020, Soh Chang-rok was diagnosed with COVID-19. Henceforth, he would be known as “Seongbuk-gu #13” to the public. That Soh was a professor at Korea University and a human rights expert with years of experience at the UN did not mean anything. He was just the 13th confirmed case of COVID-19 in Seongbuk-gu. In the early days of the pandemic, authorities routinely posted information on confirmed patients, including their sex, age, the district where they lived as well as

April 2, 2021

New CEOs take over at Korea Herald, Herald Corp.

The Korea Herald announced Wednesday the appointment of Choi Jin-young as The Korea Herald CEO and Jeon Chang-hyeop as the Herald Corp. CEO and publisher. Choi was a two-term mayor of Namwon, North Jeolla Province, and previously served as the president of Woolim Holdings. He is a graduate of Kyung Hee University. As The Korea Herald CEO, Choi is expected to focus on expanding digital content and strengthening The Korea Herald brand.  Herald Corp. also promoted Jeon Chang-hyeop, seni

March 31, 2021

[Herald Interview] South wind of Tongyeong to carry hope

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- The hosting of the 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival may bring hope to the entire music performance scene, says the festival foundation’s new head Lee Yong-min. Lee has been appointed as CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Foundation, following the previous German CEO Florian Riem. “I have been part of this team for a long time. Not much has changed. But yes, I am learning that there are certain responsibilities tied to my post

March 28, 2021

[Eye Interview] Remembering Korean War heroes through photos

In the South Korean military, there is a saying among soldiers: “Our enemy is not North Korea, but the officers.” This has become somewhat of a running joke among the troops -- most of them in their early 20s serving their mandatory duty required by law -- because the officers are usually the ones who discipline young soldiers or give them extra work. That was what photographer Rami Hyun, who has taken pictures of more than 1,400 Korean War veterans across the world, used to thin

March 27, 2021

K-pop artists voice support for #StopAsianHate

Korean celebrities and K-pop stars have joined the growing chorus of support for the #StopAsianHate movement, speaking out against the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia last week that killed 8 people, six of them Asian women. Notably, Korean American singer Eric Nam, who was born and raised in Atlanta, wrote an opinion piece for Time magazine on Saturday, titled, “If you’re surprised by the anti-Asian violence in Atlanta, you haven’t been listening. It’s time to hear our vo

March 22, 2021

Oscar-nominee Youn Yuh-jung reaches career peak at age of 73

Youn Yuh-jung has a career that spans over half a century, with a number of hit films and TV series under her belt. At the age of 73, the veteran actress has made South Korean film history by being nominated for best supporting actress at the 93rd Academy Awards for her performance in the US immigration film "Minari." No other Korean actor, even stars from the Oscar-winning "Parasite," has received an Oscar nomination. Born in 1947, Youn rose to fame in South Korea with her

March 15, 2021

Historic Buddhist temple destroyed in suspected arson attack

While the main hall at Naejangsa, one of the country’s oldest Buddhist temples, burned down Friday in a suspected arson attack, a monk representing the temple denied the claim that there was a disagreement between the monks there. According to reports citing local police, the fire at Naejangsa in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, was reported Friday at 6:37 p.m., a few minutes after it is believed to have started. A Buddhist monk reportedly called the fire authorities and was apprehended

March 7, 2021

Allegations of school violence by stars cast gloom over entertainment scene

A series of claims accusing celebrities and sport stars of school violence is spreading like wildfire in Korea via social media. The claims, also being dubbed the “school #MeToo” movement, began with the controversy regarding volleyball athletes and twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-yeong. After the Lee sisters admitted to the charges, accusations of school bullying by sport stars and celebrities followed swiftly. Actors Cho Byeong-kyu, Park Hye-su, Kim Dong-hee and K-pop s

March 1, 2021

YMCA hosts 2nd International School Ski Racing Competition

It was a tough season for skiers this winter with many events canceled or scaled down to meet the COVID-19 safety requirements. However, Seoul YMCA managed to go ahead with its series of competitions for junior ski racers, while strictly complying with all COVID-19 regulations. The organization persevered to give youth skiers a sense of continuance after training hard all season. “Despite the hardships brought on by COVID-19, we believed it would be important to hold the competitions as

Feb. 25, 2021

Kyung Hee University law professor elected to lead Korean Association for Property Law

Professor Tsche Kwang-jun of Kyung Hee University Law School has been elected to head the Korean Association for Property Law, the university said Tuesday. In addition to the new post, Tsche heads Kyung Hee University Law School’s Legal Research Institute and the Institute for International Affairs. He also serves on a Fair Trade Commission committee and on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “(I) will research with the association focusing on issues regarding property laws in

Feb. 23, 2021

Actor Yoon Jeong-hee’s daughter files for guardianship over Yoon in Korea

Violinist Paik Jin-hee, daughter of actor Yoon Jeong-hee and pianist Paik Kun-woo, asked a Korean court to designate her as Yoon’s legal guardian in Korea last year, while she and her father were in conflict with her mother’s siblings over Yoon’s legal guardianship in France. According to news reports, Paik Jin-hee filed a case with the Seoul Family Court in October to be designated Yoon’s legal guardian in Korea. Yoon suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The court

Feb. 22, 2021

Yoon Jeong-hee’s siblings speak up about neglect accusations against Yoon’s husband Paik

With pianist Paik Kun-woo and his wife Yoon Jeong-hee at the center of attention over accusations of Paik‘s neglect in the care of Yoon, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, Yoon’s siblings released an official statement Tuesday, acknowledging it was they who posted the petition on the Blue House website that accuses Paik and his daughter of neglecting Yoon. The siblings apologized for going public with family matters. “Paik kept his distance from his wife and her f

Feb. 10, 2021

Pianist Paik Kun-woo's management agency denies accusation of neglect of wife Yoon Jeong-hee

Pianist Paik Kun-woo’s agency has denied the accusation that Paik and his daughter have been negligent in the care of Paik’s wife actress Yoon Jeong-hee, who suffers from Alzheimer‘s disease. A petition accusing Paik and his daughter of neglect was uploaded Friday, some three months after Yoon’s siblings lost a lawsuit in the French courts challenging the designation of Paik and the couple’s daughter as Yoon‘s legal guardians. On Sunday, Paik’s agency

Feb. 7, 2021

PyeongChang Peace Forum 2021 to open Sunday

PyeongChang Peace Forum 2021 will open Sunday for a three-day run in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, featuring discussions on recent challenges to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Marking the third anniversary of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation will hold its third annual forum at the PyeongChang Alpensia Convention Center from Sunday to Tuesday under the auspices of Gangwon Province, PyeongChang County and t

Feb. 4, 2021

KAIST hopes to revolutionize disease control with mobile clinic module

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology on Thursday unveiled a mobile clinic module for building negative pressure isolation facilities to combat infectious diseases. Developed by a team led by professor Nam Tek-jin, the head of KAIST’s industrial design department, each module is a negative pressure unit that can be connected to other modules to form a larger facility that can be expanded as required. According to KAIST, the module is designed mainly to accommodate patie

Jan. 21, 2021

[Herald Interview] An interaction designer talks about Silicon Valley

Encountering the word “designer,” one generally imagines a creative person with artistic talent -- someone who shows artworks at a gallery, or who takes the commercial route and sells stylish, sleek items they have created. But an “interaction designer” is something else. Silicon Valley-based Han Seung-heon, who holds this position at Google, works for the Google Assistant team. He and his colleagues recently launched a service called Family Notes, which can be used wi

Jan. 3, 2021

[Herald Interview] Woman who saved Statue of Peace in Berlin

The Statue of Peace, which symbolizes the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II, stands in a central district in Berlin known as Mitte. It was the first of three such statues to be installed in a public place in Germany. But in October, it was on the verge of being removed due to strong opposition from the Japanese government. Many activists and nongovernmental organizations in Germany gathered around the statue and raised their voices about the importance of keeping i

Dec. 14, 2020

Body of S. Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk likely to be cremated in Latvia

The body of South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, who died from COVID-19 complications in Latvia, is likely to be cremated in the Baltic country, a diplomatic source familiar with the matter said Saturday. Kim's family has asked the South Korean Embassy in Latvia to take care of the funeral process, the source said, citing difficulties in travel over the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Korean Embassy is in talks with the family over the funeral process. The 59-year-old director died early Friday (l

Dec. 12, 2020

Renowned Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk fell from grace after MeToo allegations

Filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, who is known to have died from COVID-19 complications in Latvia, was one of South Korea's most decorated film directors, especially on the international stage. He rose to global fame after winning best director and best film awards at two of the three major international film festivals. But he left his home country after becoming embroiled in the #MeToo movement, facing accusations of sexual and physical abuse from an actress in 2017. Born to an impoverished family in th

Dec. 12, 2020