The US House Armed Services Committee formerly announced the members for the 116th congress on Wednesday, including second generation Korean-American Rep. Andy Kim (Democrat-New Jersey) in the roster.  Andy Kim (AP)Kim will serve in the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats & Capabilities, responsible for dealing with defense and joint enabling activities, intelligence support and strategic communications, according to committee Chairman Adam Smith.“I’m honored to have been selected to

A Seoul citizen watchdog organization reported over 50,000 illegal online prostitution advertisements in 2018, helping police crack down on illegal establishments and adult entertainment establishments. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday, the watchdog organization reported 52,677 sex trafficking advertisements online and smartphone applications. Advertisements for dating for pay and on-site massages, widely perceived as a means of prostitution, made up the majority 82.7

K-pop group BTS has appeared as a drawing topic for a college entrance exam in Seoul, touching off a debate about its fairness.  (Yonhap)The 2019 Art and Design drawing test for Seoul Women’s University’s Ceramics & Fiber Arts major was to “draw a craft object based on your image of BTS.” The university provided a side note clarifying that BTS are singers. The test details prompted some internet users to take issue with its fairness, especially for those who are not familiar with BTS. In the hyp

Donka 2014, a restaurant praised by celebrity chef Baek Jong-won for its delicious pork cutlets on the TV program “Alley Restaurant,” is experiencing the downside of fame.As a result of Baek’s comments, the restaurant has seen extremely long lines outside its door. One Instagram user claimed to have lined up outside the restaurant since 10:50 p.m. the night before. Many other customers were seen with blankets and hot packs to fight the winter cold while waiting there at night.  (SBS)The racket f

Many Korean social media users expressed their anger towards Creatures Inc., a Japanese developer affiliated with “Pokemon” video game franchise, after its employees allegedly revealed photos worshiping the Yasukuni Shrine.Photos uploaded on Twitter by the company on Monday show its employees worshiping at the Yasukuni Shrine. The photos are captioned, “We are worshiping at the Yasukuni Shrine to celebrate the year’s first day of work.” (Screenshot from Twitter)The Yasukuni Shrine commemorates J

Korean-American actor Daniel Henney has donated a total of 200 million won ($178,000) to the Community Chest of Korea. His donation exceeds the 100 million won needed to qualify to become a member of the Honor Society of the charity organization.  (Daniel Henney Instagram)The Community Chest said Henney’s contributions will be delivered to the Purme Foundation, Seungil Hope Foundation, Pearl S. Buck Foundation and Plan Korea to help people in need.“I hope my donation will help formulate a philan

YouTube star Na Dong-hyun, better known as “Great Library,” began streaming his shows on Twitch on Monday, steering many of his fans to the game-streaming platform.Na, who has some 1.9 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most recognizable names on YouTube in Korea. However, he announced Sunday that his platform of choice for live streaming will be Twitch. 　 (Screenshot from YouTube)“Using the YouTube live platform for two years, I experienced many troubles. There were some features that d

Reports that model and actor Lee Kwang-soo is in a relationship with actress Lee Sun-bin have been confirmed by the two celebrities’ agencies.Lee Kwang-soo’s agency, Kingkong by Starship, said on Monday that “Lee Kwang-soo and Lee Sun-bin have been dating for five months after meeting each other on the ‘Running Man’ TV show.” (Yonhap)Representing Lee Sun-bin, Imagine Asia has also confirmed their relationship.The two first met in September 2016 when they were filming the SBS TV program “Running

Suan, a 10-year-old male English springer spaniel, is looking for a new home upon his retirement after eight years of service as a rescue dog.  (Yonhap)Deployed to Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters in 2010, Suan had specialized in finding missing people at the scene of building collapses and mountainous regions. He was dispatched to 197 rescue operations and saved six lives in the process. The canine is retiring due to old age. The headquarters has put Suan up for adoption, in sea

The Korea Tourism Organization announced it will cooperate with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to provide consultations and legal assistance to tourists who experience racism here, starting from Thursday. (Yonhap)Data put forth by Statistics Korea on Wednesday showed that 1 out of every 5 foreigners in South Korea suffer discrimination. Of those who said they had experienced discrimination, 60.9 percent said it was based on their nationality. Catering to the needs to protect the h

Despite children’s love of slime-based toys, a large number of slime products have been recalled after being found to contain hazardous substances. Both online and offline sales of the recalled products were prohibited as of Thursday, and a list was uploaded on the Korean Agency of Technology and Standards website (www.safetykorea.kr).  (Yonhap)KATS announced on Thursday that it was ordering recalls of 76 of the 190 slime products on the market for violating safety standards, on the basis of saf

“Ddiye,” a 10-year-old YouTube sensation who charmed the Korean public, has announced she will take a break because “haters” reported her videos for no apparent reason. The YouTuber uploaded her first ASMR video Nov. 2 and had gained 5.9 million views for it as of Tuesday. The child’s unscripted actions -- nibbling on sea grapes with a microphone taped near her mouth -- distinguished Ddiye from numerous professional ASMR YouTubers. Her instant popularity brought in over 460,000 subscribers in a

Municipal governments in Japan are moving forward with legislation to address hate speech. Although the laws protect people of all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds, it is Koreans in Japan who stand to benefit most as anti-Korean sentiment is prevalent throughout the nation.Tokyo’s Kunitachi City Council approved an ordinance on Wednesday banning discriminatory practices and hate speech.  (Yonhap)The bill specifically prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, occupation and s

Cheerleaders have pointed out sexual harassment prevalent online, particularly the Ilbe Storehouse.Baseball team Samsung Lions cheerleader Hwang Da-geon said in a post on her Instagram on Monday, “Cheerleader as an occupation is fun, but is this the price I have to pay? I can’t bear to look at the dirty comments section.” (Instagram)Hwang, 18, says she has been sexually harassed by online comments uploaded to online community Ilbe Storehouse. Aside from the comments, she said people have been se

A man dressed up as Santa Claus appeared in front of the venue of the UN Climate Change Conference COP24 in Poland on Tuesday to raise awareness of Korea’s fine dust problem.The one-man protester, revealed to be Korea Green Foundation Chairman Choi Yul, covered himself with black dust to emphasize Korea’s poor air quality.  (Korean Green Foundation)His sign reading “Stop fossil fuel, there’s no border in the sky” attracted the attention of passersby, with many stopping to take pictures and read

An increasing number of Korean-American judges are making their mark in US courts. Eumi K. Lee was appointed as an Alameda County Superior Court judge on Friday (local time), becoming the first Korean-American judge in that California county, which is part of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Eumi K. Lee (UC Hastings College of the Law-Yonhap)Despite their relatively small presence on US benches, Korean-American judges are setting some notable records. In July, Dorothy C. Kim became the first Korean-

Photographer Choi Won-seok, widely known as “Rotta,” denied sexual harassment allegations at his first court hearing Monday.Rotta is charged of indecent assault for allegedly touching the abdomen, waist, thighs and genitals of a 21-year-old model during a photo shoot in June 2013.  Photographer Rotta (Rotta`s Instagram)During the trial Monday, Rotta’s lawyer acknowledged that the photographer did have physical contact with the model, but denied that it was without consent. The Public Prosecutor’

A middle-aged man has been arrested for running around naked in front of the National Assembly building, police said Friday.The 61-year-old man was spotted heavily drunk and walking around naked in freezing temperatures in front of the National Assembly around 7:15 a.m. Seoul was forecast to be minus 10 degrees Celsius at that time. (Yonhap)Yeongdeungpo Police dispatched officers to the area after security guards at the National Assembly reported the man. According to police, the man was found m

The Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution to designate Dec. 8 as Koreatown Day on Wednesday, making it the first ethnic town to be given a celebratory date. The Korean American History Museum has been pushing for Koreatown Day to be recognized since 2017, to celebrate the town’s 45th anniversary. The resolution for Koreatown Day was proposed by LA City Council President Herb Wesson. (LA City Council President Herb Wesson Twitter)Many ethnic enclaves exist in the diverse city of Los Angele

Korean retailers Homeplus and Wemakeprice have discontinued sales of Fukushima-imported instant noodles after the product’s place of origin label stirred up health concerns.Otaru Shio Ramen -- produced in Fukushima, Japan, and imported to Korea by Homeplus and Wemakeprice -- has Fukushima printed as the area of production in Japanese. However, the Korean label specifies only Japan as the place of origin, prompting some consumers to point out that the translated label is misleading and takes away