The Year of the Golden Pig falls once every 60 years and is associated with wealth and good fortune. So it looks like 2019 could be a lucky year. People born this year have the pig as their Chinese zodiac animal. The Year of the Pig comes every 12 years, so this is a special year for anyone born in 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971, 1959 or 1947.Here are some of the most famous public figures in South Korea who were born in the Year of the Pig.V (BTS), singer, 1995V, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, was bo

The premiere of “The Masked Singer” aired Wednesday night in the US, and Twitter users already have a lot to say about the US remake of the popular South Korean variety show.The show features a dozen celebrities who wear over-the-top stage costumes and masks to hide their identity as they sing before a star-studded panel of judges, including Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke. (The Masked Singer's Twitter)The identity of each contestant is revealed when they are eliminated, and last night it wa

There might be a new power couple in K-pop on the horizon as reports have revealed EXO’s Kai and Black Pink’s Jennie are dating.The singers, from two of K-pop’s most popular groups, were seen walking while holding hands in a park in Mapo-gu in Seoul, Dispatch reported Tuesday morning.(Yonhap)Pictures obtained by the media outlet show the two going for a drive around Sangam-dong before having a stroll at Haneul Park where the two were seen layered up in a coat and a scarf to brace for the cold.Th

Lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung voiced his concerns over the growing sentiment that young men are being subjected to “reverse discrimination,” and urged his online followers to listen to rapper San E’s “Feminist” to better understand their struggle.The member of the minor conservative Bareunmirae Party took to Facebook on Sunday and praised San E’s song, saying society continues to tell young men that they are “oppressing women,” which he said creates antagonism. In a lengthy post, the lawmaker also said

A screening of BTS’ concert film scheduled in Russia’s southern republic of Dagestan has been canceled following accusations that the group is “gay.”The group’s hit film “BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul” was set to be played at a cinema in the city of Makhachkala after hundreds of local fans led a social media campaign to screen the documentary film in their city. (Yonhap)But Cinema Hall, the local cinema where the film was to run, canceled ticket sales just a day after its opening, Russi

The ratings for “SKY Castle” are soaring as enthusiastic viewers gush over the show’s depiction of South Korea’s education craze as well as the larger-than-life housewives played by some of the best actresses on Korean TV.JTBC’s Friday-Saturday series saw its ratings rise from just 1.7 percent viewership with its pilot episode in November to 11.3 percent on Saturday, according to Nielsen Korea. The ratings have risen each week consistently. Yum Jung-ah (left) and Kim Seo-hyung appear in “SKY Cas

Genie Music has revealed some of the most-streamed Christmas carols in December.The music steaming service said that “Because It’s Christmas” by Jelly Christmas 2012 Heart Project was the No. 1 Christmas single between Dec. 1 and Thursday. The song by the supergroup boasting singers Sung Si-kyung and Park Hyo-shin as members was the only South Korean act to chart in the top five. (Yonhap)Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree” from her album “Wrapped in Red” was a runner-up, while Mariah Carey’s

South Korea saw one of the largest protests staged by taxi drivers in its history on Thursday as tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets of Seoul to oppose Kakao’s carpooling service.The protest dominated headlines here after causing traffic congestion and highlighting the impact of carpooling services on the industry, which many protestors said are a threat to their job security.Despite heavy media coverage, the pro-taxi movement appears to have backfired on Twitter, as users on the

There is a new girl group in the K-pop scene. Billing itself as the very first “e-sports girl group” in South Korea, Aqua hopes to incorporate gaming into the growing music scene. At first glance, the six-piece group consisting of Hyeonju, Sua, Haesol, Seungji, Sihyeon and Hyerim looks like a typical K-pop idol group. But with the novel concept of e-sports, the group is already gaining attention, including from gamers, since its debut single with the fitting title “Log In” was released in Novemb

Popular drama series “The Last Empress” has come under fire after allegations emerged that the major network SBS and production company SM Life Design Group made staff work nearly 30 hours in a row.A group consisting of labor union members, including the Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center and Hope-Solidarity Union, filed a report on the matter to the Seoul Regional Employment Labor Office on Tuesday morning. According to a document outlining the filming schedule, revealed by the group, staff of “T

Jordan Peterson’s self-help book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” has become one of the biggest best-sellers this winter in South Korea, after translated videos of the clinical psychologist’s lectures and interviews criticizing political correctness and feminism have gone viral here.Local publisher Maven said Friday that Peterson’s book had sold over 105,000 copies since its release in late October, topping major online retailer Yes24’s sales chart last week.The warm reception led Peter

A map of the South Korean capital showing the districts’ names in English is garnering attenetion across online communities.The post was uploaded to social aggregator Reddit by user nanain_melons in November, and has since been shared on websites like Bestiz and MLB Park.The map gave Mapo the English name “Cannabis Port,” as the word “Ma” can mean “cannabis” and “Po” can refer to ports. (Reddit user nanain_melons)Yongsan was written as “Dragon Mountain,” which on par with the actual meaning, as

Young restaurant and cafe owners recently opened up to TV personality Sam Okyere about the effects of gentrification on the once-lively neighborhood of Itaewon -- now a place beset with rising rents and fewer visitors.Okyere was walking around Itaewon filming an episode of tvN’s new variety show “Shift,” which aired Friday, in which he pretended to be a candidate campaigning for the 2022 local elections in the Yongsan district.During the documentary-style episode, he met with business owners in

It seems San E has beef with journalists, as the outspoken rapper has announced he will release a new single called “Giregi” Tuesday -- a portmanteau meaning “garbage reporter” in Korean.In an Instagram post released Monday afternoon, the rapper teased the new single as he bounced up and down while wearing a zipped ski mask that left just his eyes visible.The term “giregi” is heard repeatedly as the short clip teased the latest in a series of politically charged songs the rapper has released in

Here are some of the best South Korean series to watch on Netflix in December -- a drama, a sci-fi thriller and a rom-com. “SKY Castle” A dark but humorous look at South Korea’s obsession with education  "Sky Castle." (JTBC)Number of episodes available: six Living in a luxurious residential area in the suburbs of Seoul, a group of housewives who are determined to see their children enter South Korea’s top medical school lay bare the country’s notorious education craze and its negative consequenc

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

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

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

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

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