US rapper Wiz Khalifa has refused to apologize for the controversial “eyes looking Korean” lyric in his song “Hot Now” and defended himself by saying he has Korean friends.The rapper was asked about the controversy over the lyric while on the New York-based radio show “The Breakfast Club” and said, “I have Korean friends that are not offended so I don’t know these people who are saying that.”He told the critics to “chill out” and added he is “not racist” and loves Koreans. (Twitter)Khalifa’s new

오바마 전 미국 대통령이 17일 열린 만델라 탄생 100주년 기념 강연을 트럼프 대통령에 대한 간접적 비판이라고 외신이 해석했다.AP통신은 오바마 전 대통령의 강연이 트럼프 대통령의 여러 정책과 비교된다며 트럼프 대통령의 이름을 언급하지 않고 비판한 것이라고 말했다. 오바마는 강연에서 만델라가 중시했던 가치인 민주주의, 다양성, 그리고 관용의 정신을 강조하며 “두려움, 분함, 경비 삭감의 정치가 몇 년 전에는 상할 수 없는 속도로 뜨고 있다”고 현 정치 상황을 비판했다.미국 우선주의(America First) 캠페인으로 당선된 트럼프는 파리기후협약 탈퇴, 이란 핵 합의 폐기, EU와 캐나다와의 무역전쟁 등 논란의 연속인 정 행보를 이어가고 있다.이날 행사장에는 넬슨 만델라 전 남아공 대통령 부인인 그라사 마셸 여사 등 1만5천여 명이 넘는 관객이 참석했다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Delta Air Lines has been accused of firing four employees for speaking Korean in the workplace.A group of former Delta employees Ji-Won Kim, Lilian Park, Jean Yi and Jongjin An, all of whom are of Korean descent, claim they were fired for speaking Korean by Delta in May 2017, KIRO 7, a local channel in Seattle, Washington, reported on Tuesday.An was told by her manager that there had been complaints from non-Korean agents that “they feel uncomfortable” and was told to “limit speaking Korean.”(AF

Amber has confirmed via social media that she has been keeping in touch with bandmate Krystal.The singer was asked by a fan via Twitter on Saturday whether she has missed Krystal, as four-piece girl group f(x) has been on hiatus for about two years.In response Amber said she talks to “that little one” every other day. (Yonhap)The Taiwanese-American singer also responded to a YouTube video the fan linked chronicling moments in their friendship.“Good song and lyrics. The story had a nice build but

“Top Gun” fans are in for a treat, as the 1986 film starring Tom Cruise will return to the big screens in Korea.The much beloved action film will hit cinema screens again on Aug. 23, 31 years since the film premiered in South Korea, the film’s distributor Little Big Pictures said Tuesday.The surprise return of the megahit comes only a month after the release of Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” which is scheduled to be released July 25. (Little Big Pictures)Cruise’s fans will be able to

K-pop boy band Seventeen’s new EP “You Make My Day” is dominating online music charts.The group released the EP on Monday night, and within hours, saw multiple tracks from the record chart in the top 100 on a number of charts including Bugs, Melon, Mnet and Genie Music.As of Tuesday morning, the lead single from the EP “Oh My!” was at number seven on the online streaming service Bugs, while other tracks from the EP “Holiday” and “Come to me” charted at number 39 and number 44, respectively. (Ple

International pop group Now United posed for the camera in a studio in Yongsan, Seoul, as part of the promotion for their debut album “Summer in the City” in South Korea. Now United poses in a studio in Seoul. (Yonhap)Formed by English producer Simon Fuller, the group consists of five boys and nine girls from across the world including the US, Germany, Russia, China, Finland, India, Japan, Brazil and South Korea.The 14 members were put together after taking part in the final audition in Los Ange

Telsa CEO Elon Musk has come under fire after calling one of the divers involved in the Thai cave rescue mission a “pedo.”In a series of tweets Sunday, Musk said he never saw “this British guy” in the caves while he was there, referring to diver Vernon Unsworth, and called him a “pedo guy.”Musk also said he would bet a “signed dollar” on his accusations -- presumably that the man is a pedophile -- being true. The tweets have since been deleted following backlash, but captured images of the origi

British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding will perform for the first time in South Korea in September.The female singer will hold her first Korean gig at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park in southern Seoul on Sept. 6.Goulding was propelled to stardom with her debut album “Lights” in 2010, topping the BBC’s Sound of 2010 list and leaving behind the likes of Hurts and Owl City. (Live Nation Korea)The singer has a bank of hit singles including “Lights,” which peaked at the second spot on the US Billboard

Tens of thousands of people descended on Seoul Plaza on Saturday to celebrate this year’s Seoul Queer Culture Festival.In honor of the annual event, we asked a group of LGBT people what the Pride event means to them.(Video shot and edited by Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)YouTuber Lee Yeol said Pride means so much to sexual minorities.“We often hide ourselves in everyday life as we live in a society where it is difficult to be truly ourselves. That’s why to be able to express ourselves and send

South Korean films landed deals worth $10 million at this year’s Marche du Film, a trade event for the film industry held alongside the Cannes Film Festival. Films sold at this year’s event in Cannes include “Believer,” as well as “The Spy Gone North,” “Drug King” and “Her Story.”According to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Korean production houses inked a total of 292 deals at the event this year, valued at a record 11.6 billion won ($10.3 million). The value of the deals jumped 47 p

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has issued a safety warning over the use of mini electric fans, a popular item in Korea during summer. “People often overlook safety when using portable fans that are small and convenient,” a senior official at the Safety Ministry said in a statement Friday, urging people to be careful. Between 2015 and 2018, a total of 40 accidents involving mini fans were reported, data from the Korea Consumer Agency’s Consumer Injury Surveillance System revealed. Photo

트럼프와 법정싸움을 진행 중인 미국 포르노 배우 스토미 대니얼스가 오하이오 주에 있는 스트립 클럽에서 자기 몸을 손님이 만지도록 허락한 이유로 경찰에 체포되었다. 뉴욕타임스에 따르면 그녀의 변호사 마이클 애버니티는 트위터를 통해 대니얼스가 스트립 클럽 사이렌스 젠틀멘스 클럽 무대에 있는 동안 한 손님이 “성적이지 않게” 자신의 몸을 만지도록 허락한 것을 이유로 주 법에 따라 경범죄 처벌을 받을 것으로 예상한다고 전했다.오하이오 주의 지역방어법(community defense act)은 가족 구성원이 아닌 사람이 나체 댄서나 반나체 댄서와 접촉하는 것을 금지한다.본명이 스테파니 클리포드인 그녀는 지난 2006년 ‘트럼프와 성관계를 했으며 그 정보를 발설하지 않는 대가로 13만 달러를 받았다’고 주장하고 있다. 그러나 당시 현 부인인 멜라니아 트럼프와 결혼한 상태였던 트럼프는 그녀의 주장을 부인하고 있다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

The death of a photographer at the center of a sex abuse scandal surrounding a female model has thrown the case up in the air.The 42-year-old suspect, who is accused of coercing model and YouTuber Yang Ye-won into taking explicit photos and then leaking them, was found dead in an apparent suicide in a river in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday morning.YouTuber and model Yang Ye-won shares her story of alleged sexual abuse. (YouTube)In a note found in his car by police, he claimed the investigation w

The music video for Twice’s “Heart Shaker” has been watched more than 200 million times on YouTube, following in the footsteps of the group’s previous singles.The group’s agency JYP Entertainment confirmed Thursday that the video, which was released in early December last year, surpassed 200 million views on YouTube on Wednesday night, becoming the fifth video from the group to reach the 200 million threshold.Another of the nine-piece band’s singles “TT” became the first video by a female K-pop

A 9-year-old boy in Daejeon drove his mom’s car for nearly 7 kilometers on Wednesday before ramming into 10 vehicles, becoming the second child to get behind the wheel of a parent’s car in a week in Korea.The minor drove on the road, traveling between a local district office, a supermarket and his apartment -- places he has been to with his mom. The accident resulted in damage to a total of 10 cars at several sites before the boy was caught by police within an hour of leaving home.The boy, who i

Starbucks’ plan to ban plastic straws has given momentum to the fight against plastic waste in South Korea.Both the Starbucks headquarters and Starbucks Korea announced plans to reduce plastic waste earlier this week by introducing a new lid and paper straws.The move was a major feature in headlines Tuesday, prompting major TV networks SBS and KBS to run segments on the environmental impact of plastic waste during their news programs. The move has also emboldened environmental activists and effo

K-pop sensation BTS’ latest album has become one of the most sold records in the US so far this year.BTS’ third studio album “Love Yourself: Tear” has become the ninth most sold physical album in the US during the first half of 2018, becoming the only foreign language record to chart in the top 10, according to Nielsen Music’s Mid-Year Report for 2018.The group sold 132,000 physical copies of the Korean-language album between its release on May 18 and the week ending June 28.(Big Hit Entertainme

Most parts of South Korea will experience cloudy skies Wednesday, with a few spells of rain expected in inland areas.As the rain front moves east, most of the central region will see between 5 and 30 millimeters of rain in the morning, with a chance of sudden showers in inland regions in South Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province in the afternoon, due to an unstable atmosphere. (Yonhap)Temperatures are forecast to reach around 23 degrees Celsius in Seoul, Incheon and Suwon, before risi

부적절한 남녀관계의 경우, 처음 한두 번은 배우자를 속여도 세 번째엔 다수가 걸린다는 분석이 나왔다. 영국 일간지 메트로에 따르면 온라인 데이팅 사이트 Illicit Encounters이 설문조사를 한 결과, 바람을 피웠을 때 세 번째 불륜 이후나 4년이 지난 뒤 파트너로부터 걸릴 확률이 가장 높다는 결과가 나왔다.조사에 참여한 1천 명의 응답자 가운데 63%가 배우자한테 불륜한 사실을 들켰다고 말했다. 그 중 대다수는 세 번째 불륜 이후에 걸렸다고 대답했다.첫 번째 불륜 이후 배우자나 파트너로부터 들킨 사람은 11%, 두 번째 불륜 이후는 12%, 세 번째 이후는 21%로 가장 높은 수치를 기록했다.수치 차이에 대해 전문가들은 불륜을 세 번 이상 저지르면 긴장을 풀고 계심을 늦추지만, 처음 불륜 행위를 한 뒤에는 걱정하기 때문이라고 설명한다.설문조사에 따르면 결혼한 뒤 바람을 핀 86%가 결혼 전에도 바람 핀 경험이 있는 것으로 밝혀졌다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)