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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Actress Kim Sun-a will play a counselor who works with children in MBC’s upcoming thriller “Children of Nobody.”Kim, who has a number of hit TV series under her belt, including “My Lovely Sam Soon,” will play Cha Woo-kyung on the Wednesday-Thursday show, which starts airing this week. Cha unravels a mystery surrounding a child, and she finds clues in poems.Speaking to the press during a showcase event on Tuesday, the actress said she had taken on the role because the original book was fun to rea

Rapper San E has defended his song “Feminist,” despite facing public criticism the song is “sexist” and “ignorant” of what feminism actually stands for.In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, the rapper said “Feminist” was not meant to bash women, as he encouraged fans to give his song a thorough listen.(Yonhap)“I chose the topic to highlight the pressing (social) issue of gender-based hate,” the statement read.“My intention was to point out the hypocrisy upheld by people like the narrator

Questions from this year’s English test for the Suneung, South Korea’s national college entrance exam, have baffled the internet community, including many Native English speakers.Final-year high school students all across South Korea took the exam Thursday, but many still cannot get over the difficulty of the English exam.(Yonhap)“When are we going to stop taking these exams with extremely difficult sentences that we are most likely not to encounter?” one user commented on web portal Naver. “It

A South Korean student alleged she was assaulted by a group of “racist” teenagers in what she deems a “hate crime” in central London on Nov. 11, which has left her feeling “broken” and “helpless.”In a lengthy Facebook post Thursday, the student studying at the University of Creative Arts, said she was targeted by “a mixed group of racist white and black strangers” as she was walking down the street late Sunday afternoon.She wrote, “I first ignored the group following me, but they kept throwing t

After nearly three years since appearing on popular TV show “Non-Summit,” Blair Williams’ name is back in entertainment news.This time, the spotlight was shared with his family, who recently appeared on “Welcome, First Time in Korea?”Sitting down at a cafe in the upscale neighborhood of Sinsa-dong, the 26-year-old, originally from Brisbane, Australia, looked back on showing his family around Korea on TV, an experience that he called “a blessing.”(Video shot and produced by Lim Jeong-yeo/The Kore

When the press show for YouTube Premium series “Top Management” was held in Seoul in October, it received a great deal of attention from local media outlets.Starring up-and-coming actor and singer Cha Eun-woo of boy band Astro, the show’s pilot episode was watched nearly 1.7 million times in a week.Nadine Zylstra, head of YouTube Originals for the Asia-Pacific region, said at the event that the company recognizes how influential South Korean pop culture has become on the global stage. “Through t

Though Jo Kwon’s career is currently on hold, LGBT fans cannot thank him enough for his support for the LGBT community on Twitter.The singer is currently serving in the military after enlisting earlier this month to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military service requirement, but his online presence is stronger than ever. This is due in large part to his willingness to voice support for sexual minorities -- a rare bold move in the K-pop world.Jo Kwon. (Jo Kwon‘s Instagram)In one of the recent t

E’Dawn from boy band Pentagon is leaving Cube Entertainment.The singer, who was mired in controversy after going public with his relationship with fellow singer HyunA, will no longer be at Cube Entertainment as of Wednesday, the agency confirmed in a statement.“Cube Entertainment agreed with E’Dawn to end his contract on the 14th,” the statement read. (E'Dawn's Instagram)The decision comes nearly a month after the agency cut ties with female solo artist HyunA, who remains romantically connected

BTS-related headlines had been mostly about breaking sales records or appearing on international TV programs; that was prior to Thursday, when Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi axed the group’s appearance last minute over a T-shirt worn by Jimin that was deemed too political.“There has been controversy over the design of a T-shirt worn by a member (of the group) and we asked the intention behind wearing (the shirt) and worked together with the record label. Regretfully, however, we decided to postpo

The 2018 midterm elections, which saw some of the most highly contested battles in US politics and a record-high voter turnout, received close attention in South Korea, dominating Wednesday’s headlines. And just like the newly split US Congress, with the Republicans holding the Senate and the Democrats taking the House of Representatives, public opinion here is somewhat divided.A screen at the New York Stock Exchange shows US President Donald Trump at a press conference. (AP-Yonhap)On Thursday,