A resident has been accused of taking down local election banners which had been covering his store sign.The Election Commission of South Chungcheong Province said Tuesday that a resident of Cheonan has been reported to the Cheonan Branch of Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office. The man is accused of taking down two placards at around 6:30 a.m. on May 31, that of a South Chungcheong Provincial governor candidate and a Cheonan city councilor candidate.  Placards hang near the entrance of an apart

Social Affairs June 5, 2018

SHINee is set to release the second part of its upcoming full-length album on June 11. According to S.M. Entertainment Monday, SHINee will drop “The Story of Light EP. 2” next Monday as part of the group’s sixth studio album.  (S.M. Entertainment)SHINee’s sixth album will consist of three separate EPs with five tracks each, said the group’s agency. SHINee released “The Story of Light EP. 1” on May 28, with “Good Evening” as its lead track. The lead track of the upcoming EP will be “I Want You,”

Performance June 4, 2018

Police said Friday that they booked a man without detention for secretly taking pictures of women at a library in Korea University in Seongbuk-gu, northern Seoul.According to police, a man in his 30s, only identified by his surname Kim, was arrested at the scene around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, upon a victim’s police report. Kim’s smartphone contained more than 10 photos of women taken Thursday.  (Yonhap)Police have confiscated the smartphone and requested a digital forensic procedure to be carried ou

Social Affairs June 1, 2018

North Jeolla Province saw a number of noise reports filed on the first day of official campaigning for the June 13 local elections. Twenty-eight reports on loud noise were made from 7 a.m. to noon on Thursday, according to Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency.These reports were mostly complaints about “songs blaring in the morning from campaign vehicles.” Many of these reports concerned areas with heavy traffic, such as the crossroads near Jeonju Sports Complex. Campaign vehicles are lined up at a r

Politics May 31, 2018

K-pop fans will be able to watch performances by a host of popular girl groups and boy bands including Twice, SHINee and Wanna One at one venue this August.According to the Korea Management Federation on Wednesday, the second Korea Music Festival will be held from Aug. 1-2 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.  (Korea Management Federation)K-pop groups SHINee, Twice, Wanna One, iKON, BTOB, Apink, EXID, Mamamoo, NCT, Momoland, WJSN, Pentagon, Gugudan and SF9 are currently part of the lineup. The KMF also

Performance May 30, 2018

A man in his 20s has been booked without detention for threatening to attack women with hydrochloric acid at a mass rally which took place in Seoul last weekend. Seoul Hyehwa Police said Thursday that they booked a man, only identified by his surname Kim, for claiming to head to a women’s rally with hydrochloric acid at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.The rally, which gathered some 12,000 women on Saturday near Hyehwa Station, was a protest against the “discriminatory treatment” of cases involving mal

Social Affairs May 24, 2018

Girl group Momoland is set to debut in Japan as well as make a comeback to Seoul next month.The group’s agency, Dublekick Company, said Thursday that Momoland will return with an upbeat dance track on June 26 in Korea. According to the company, Momoland again partnered with the producer of “Bboom Bboom,” which was released on the group’s third EP in January. The song gained much popularity, with its music video topping 100 million views on YouTube in April. (Dublekick Company)Prior to its comeba

Performance May 24, 2018

A man in his 30s was arrested for having attempted to sexually assault a middle school girl after luring her to a motel.According to Pohang Bukbu Police Station in North Gyeongsang Province Thursday, the man approached the victim on a street on Monday afternoon, asking her to help him find his cellphone.He attempted rape after luring the student to a motel room. He was stopped by the motel owner who heard the victim’s screams, then arrested by the police on the spot.  (123RF)The man seemed to ha

Social Affairs May 24, 2018

Contrary to popular belief, steak is paired more often with soju than wine in Korea, showed sales data from convenience stores here. According to convenience store chain GS25, soju, or Korean distilled liquor, turned out to be the alcohol that consumers bought the most with steak at its stores from April through May 15.Three different types of soju topped the list of alcoholic beverages bought with GS25’s recently launched steak product, which is a chunk of quick-frozen beef cut for one person.S

Industry May 23, 2018

A man has been caught driving under the influence near Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday morning, after reportedly threatening to blow up the presidential office.The Seoul Jongno Police Station said Tuesday that he has been booked and is currently under investigation for driving the wrong way down the street in front of Cheong Wa Dae at around 3:50 a.m.The man called the police on Monday evening and warned that he would “go to blow up Cheong Wa Dae at 4:30 a.m.” He drove toward the presidential office in

Social Affairs May 22, 2018

Group drinking on campus grounds has long been the typical image of college festivals in Korea, but this year, the festivals won’t be the same.According to announcements given by several university student councils near the start of May, the Ministry of Education, following a request from the National Tax Service, advised student bodies on May 1 to restrict the sale of alcohol, which students had commonly done on campus grounds. The reason was that those without a license to sell alcohol could f

Social Affairs May 18, 2018

The official music video for “Good Boy” by Big Bang’s G-Dragon and Taeyang hit 200 million views on Friday. The video, released in November 2014, has gained popularity with its flashy neon images and unique camera movement, according to YG Entertainment.  (YG Entertainment)Along with the music video’s popularity, a video of the two-member unit’s performance for “Good Boy” at the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards was the K-pop video with the most views around the world at the time.Other songs by Big B

Performance May 18, 2018

While Steven Yeun’s “flag controversy” has yet to settle down, a music video from Puerto Rican singer Ozuna also stands accused of using the disputed symbol of the former Japanese Empire.Seo Kyoung-duk, professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University, said Thursday that he has sent a letter of protest to Ozuna’s official Instagram and Facebook accounts regarding the official video of his song, “Siguelo Bailando.” A screenshot taken from the official music video of Ozuna's song, "Si

Performance May 17, 2018

The upcoming trial for former President Lee Myung-bak appears to be attracting fewer citizens than that of ousted President Park Geun-hye. Forty-five people entered their names at the Seoul Bankruptcy Court in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, on Wednesday to secure seats for ex-President Lee’s first trial, scheduled for May 23.  Empty seats are seen at a courtroom at the Seoul Bankruptcy Court in southern Seoul, where the seat allocation procedure for ex-President Lee Myung-bak’s trial took place Wedn

Social Affairs May 16, 2018

Lee Hi and Zion T will perform at this year’s Summer Sonic, one of Japan’s most renowned music festivals.According to the two singers’ agency, YG Entertainment, they have been added to the list of artists who will perform at Summer Sonic 2018 in Tokyo on Aug. 19. Summer Sonic is held every year simultaneously in two metropolitan cities, Tokyo and Osaka, for two days. It is scheduled to be held this year on Aug. 18 and 19.   Singer Lee Hi (top) and Zion T (YG Entertainment)Top Korean groups such

Performance May 15, 2018