South Korea

From admirer to labelmate of G-Dragon, BLACKPINK, WINNER, and TREASURE? Please sign us up! The South Korean music firm YG Entertainment announced on March 7 that a global audition will be held in Manila on April 16 at the ZERO Studio in Quezon City. The auditions are available to potential idols between the ages of 2004 and 2012. They must …

Sandara Park, a K-pop diva, surprised her fans with a “huge spoiler” — she is releasing a solo album! “‘Sandara Park’ will be the premise of my album,” she announced on her Twitter account on February 28. Park informed fans that it is too early to discuss the album. She also stated her want to share the record with fans, …

Physical: 100, South Korea’s latest Netflix blockbuster, looks to be greatly influenced by the cultural phenomenon Squid Game. As with the imaginary Squid Game, the series is a variation on the survival game, a common reality TV genre, and the winner of the final game will get a substantial prize. Yet, this prize is not an inconceivable amount (ultimately about …

South Korea’s rent-free renting system, which landlords and renters alike benefitted from over a lengthy period of rising residential property prices, is suffering as a result of a drop in housing values. With the “jeonse” arrangement, renters pay a deposit of up to 70 percent of the home’s value, then live rent-free for two years until the landlord returns the …

In an effort to better confront North Korea’s threats, South Korea and the United States will conduct tabletop drills in Washington, D.C., the week after next, according to Seoul’s defense ministry on February 17. Nuclear-armed North Korea launched a record number of missiles in 2018, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking anyplace in the United States, and resumed …

Thursday, February 16 was the first time in six years that South Korea has referred to North Korea as its “enemy” and reported an increase in Pyongyang’s stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium. The yearly white paper provides a peek of the secretive North’s expanding nuclear and conventional military arsenals. The North Korean dictatorship and military were referred to as “our adversary” …

Monday, February 13 marks the debut of an artificial intelligence (AI) chip by South Korean company Rebellions Inc, which is competing for government contracts as Seoul seeks a position for local firms in the expanding AI market. The company’s ATOM processor is the most recent Korean effort to challenge global leader Nvidia Corp in the hardware that drives potentially transformative …

After more than two years together as a couple, GOT7 member JAY B and special effects artist PURE.D have decided to end their relationship. The breakup was confirmed by JAY B’s agency, CDNZA Records, according to a report from Soompi. The agency stated that the two “naturally grew apart” while “focused on their respective work,” and that they have agreed …

The South Korean actors Seo In-guk and Park So-dam will co-star in the next fantasy drama Death’s Game! According to a report by Soompi, the series would be about a guy named Choi Yi-jae (played by In-guk) who is given a second shot at life after confronting death by traveling 12 times between the two realms. So-dam will portray Death, …

South Korean entertainment business HYBE said on February 10 that it will purchase $335 million worth of shares in competitor SM Entertainment in order to bolster its dominance in the K-pop sector. The transaction would make HYBE the top shareholder of SM Entertainment, as it acquires a 14.8% interest in its rival from the previous largest shareholder and SM founder, …