North Korea: Last News

Popular YouTuber Sara Holmes, known as 'HojuSara' on social media, has died aged 31 after a four-month battle with leukaemia.The Australian native had 340,000 subscribers on YouTube, where she blogged about her life in South Korea, including food, culture, travel and beauty. Sara, who was fluent in South Korean and had a Korean fiancé named Hyun, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in May, not long after she and Hyun had travelled to her home of Brisbane after nearly two years away due to Covid restrictions. A heartbroken Hyun announced her death on 5 September on her various social media accounts as he shared some pictures of Sara and of them both together.

Eddie Redmayne To Be Honored With Zurich’s Golden Eye

BLACKPINK’s latest single ‘Pink Venom’ has been deemed unfit for broadcast by South Korean broadcasters KBS.KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) has removed BLACKPINK’s recent single ‘Pink Venom’ from rankings on its weekly music programme Music Bank. According to a previously-released evaluation report by the broadcaster, per KoreaJoongAng Daily, KBS had deemed the track unsuitable for broadcast due to its lyrics.The broadcaster ruled that ‘Pink Venom’ had violated article 46 of Broadcasting Regulations set by the Korea Communications Standards Commission.

Grief and guilt are the twin quiet rivers running beneath Koji Fukada’s ambiguously titled Venice competition entry Love Life, a delicately tangled story of generational conflict and the silences that, without being overtly aggressive, can drive people apart. Anyone familiar with the work of Japan’s greatest cinema maestro, Yasuhiro Ozu, will recognize the general territory. It is a space within which tectonic social shifts are disguised under layers of traditional social observance, often involving large meals, and where profound emotions may be — and often must be — contained within a glance.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A weekend concert by Hong Kong acting and singing superstar Andy Lau Tak-wah attracted a record-breaking 350 million viewers on Douyin, the mainland Chinese sister company of TikTok. The concert ran for two hours and attracted 100 million viewers in the first 30 minutes, with tens of millions more joining by the end. The figures beat Lau’s own previous record on the platform, which he set in July last year at a concert to celebrate his 40 years in the business. The South China Morning Post said the record numbers were swelled by a recent wave of nostalgia for Canto-pop or Cantonese-language contemporary music, though the paper also noted that Lau also performed a couple of Mandarin-language classics.

TWICE vocalist Nayeon has opened up about dealing with malicious comments as an idol.In the latest episode of YouTube talk show No Prepare, TWICE members Nayeon and Chaeyoung appeared as guests to discuss the girl group’s return with their 11th mini-album ‘Between 1&2’.During the episode, host and rapper Lee Young-ji asked if the idols had any advice for handling hate comments as celebrities. In particular, Lee brought up videos that have been maliciously edited to make them appear rude or unfriendly, which happens frequently in Korean online communities.Nayeon quickly opened up about her own experience, sharing that she had often been subject to such hate and speculation at the beginning of her career.“At first, you tend to care about it a lot and want to tell people that it’s not true.

ONEUS have made a comeback with their new mini-album ‘Malus’, led by its lead single ‘Same Scent’.In the dance-focused ‘Same Scent’ music video, ONEUS don smart burgundy and black suits while performing the song’s sultry choreography across several stunning sets. The members also appear in individual shots, where they shoot longing gazes to the camera.“I can’t get it back, no more, no more / I can’t get you off my mind, my, my, my, my mind / Off my mind, my, my, my mind / A flavour just like you,” they sing in the final chorus of the new tropical house track.In addition to ‘Same Scent’, the boyband’s ‘Malus’ mini-album comprises an intro track and five B-sides, the last of which is an English-language version of the lead single.

controversial plastic surgeries in attempts to look like BTS’ Jimin, has apologised to K-pop group and the Asian community.On August 21, London — who previously changed their name to Jimin — took to Instagram to upload a lengthy letter apologising for being “unhealthily obsessed” with BTS‘ Jimin, to the extent of undergoing plastic surgery in an attempt to look like the K-pop idol.The influencer shared that they had decided to write the letter after a “great period of self-reflection and after undergoing therapy and mental health help” to deal with their multiple personality disorder, obsessive behaviour and addiction to plastic surgery.A post shared by Oli London (@londonoli)London went on to discuss being a victim of bullying as a child, which led to their self-esteem issues. “At age 23, I moved to Korea and lived there for 1 year and this changed me as a person forever,” they wrote.“I funnelled all of my attention and love into someone I greatly admired and idolised — Park Jimin,” they explained, which they say led them to undergo a total of 32 plastic surgeries in an attempt to look like the BTS singer, to become “as beautiful and talented as Jimin.”The influencer has previously shared that they identify as “non-binary, Korean and Jimin,” as stated in a video posted on their Youtube channel below.“I have finally come to realise that this was WRONG and UNHEALTHY,” London shared.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief South Korea’s cinema box office slipped to its lowest level since mid-May as local film “6/45” took the top spot with just $3.06 million over the weekend in its second week of release. Comedy “6/45” was released a week earlier and scored $2.74 million in its opening weekend, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). The latest weekend, then, represents an 11% improvement for the title. It increased its share of the market to 45% during the latest weekend and advanced its cumulative total to $8.36 million. Depressed by a lack of significant new releases, the nationwide box office over the Friday to Sunday period, however, dropped to $6.75 million. This was the lowest scoring weekend since the first half of May.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two Korean and two Indian movies make the cut in the Busan International Film Festival’s New Currents main competition section. Thet are joined by one each from Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Germany. The section has a track record of making significant discoveries among new Asian films and directors.The selected titles are eligible for multiple awards, including the New Currents Award, the FIPRESCI Award, the NETPAC Award, and the KB New Currents Audience Award. The selection comprises: “Ajooma,” directed by Hu Shuming (Singapore-Korea); “Blue Again” from Thailand’s Thapanee Loosuwan; “Hail to Hell,” by Korea’s Lim Oh-jeong; “Memento Mori: Earth,” by Vietnam’s Marcus Vu Manh Cuong; “No End,” directed by Nader Saeivar and flying the flags of Germany, Iran and Turkey; “A Place Called Silence,” by Malaysia’s Sam Quah; “Shivamma,” fromIndia’s Jaishankar Aryar; Japanese director Kubota Nao’s “One Thousand and One Nights”; “A Wild Roomer,” from Korea’s Lee Jeong-hong; and The Winter Within,” directed by Aamir Bashir, and structured as a co-production between India, France and Qatar.

Big Mouth has come under fire for dialogue that allegedly perpetuates racial insensitivity.In the second episode of Big Mouth, which first aired on July 30, the series’ main character Park Chang-ho (played by Lee Jong-suk) provokes a fellow inmate on death row, asking if his mother had seaweed soup after giving birth to him.In South Korea, it is custom for Korean mothers to have seaweed soup after giving birth. However, Chang-ho continued to rile the inmate up by asking what his mother had eaten after his birth for him to grow into a psychopath.“Did your mother eat seaweed soup after giving birth to you? I am really curious as to what she ate to have given birth to a psycho like you.

Netflix has announced a premiere date for its upcoming Korean original drama series Glitch, starring Jeon Yeo-bin, Nana and more.Netflix Korea made the announcement earlier today (September 2) sharing the premiere date and first poster for the upcoming mystery series, which will star Jeon Yeo-bin (Vincenzo, Alienoid) and Nana (Oh! Master, Memorials), among others.In the poster attached to the announcement, a woman stands in the middle of a crop circle formation drawn on the floor of an outdoor parking lot. She looks up towards glitching, glowing lights.

"The F.B.I." star William Reynolds has died at 90, Fox News Digital can confirm. His son, Eric Regnolds, confirmed that his father passed from non-COVID related pneumonia on Aug. 24.

Jeff Benjamin With new headlines dropping daily about the global expansion of K-pop, overseas investors now have a chance to cash in. Today, Sept. 1, a K-pop and Korean-entertainment ETF — under the ticker name KPOP — launched on the NYSE Arca Exchange through South Korean IP investment company Contents Technologies. With top pop-culture players on board, KPOP marks the first time investors in the U.S. and Europe can access the companies most directly involved in the expanding K-pop music scene. Of the 30 corporations in the exchange-traded fund, the major holding companies of KPOP include several of the scene’s most internationally influential names, all publicly listed on the local Korea Composite Stock Price Index. 

. has died. He was 90.

Dreamcatcher will be releasing new music in October, which will reportedly be the sequel to ‘Apocalypse: Save Us’.Earlier today (September 1), a representative from South Korean music label Dreamcatcher Company issued a brief statement to Korean news outlet XSports News announcing that the girl group are due to drop a new album next month.“Dreamcatcher is in the midst of preparing with the aim of making a comeback in October,” read the statement, as translated by Soompi. At the moment, specifics about the comeback are scarce, however details about the release’s format, exact release date, tracklist and more are expected to arrive in the weeks leading up to the release.The K-pop group’s forthcoming return to music will mark their second comeback of the year following April’s ‘Apocalypse: Save Us’, which was Dreamcatcher’s sophomore studio album. That record included title track ‘Maison’.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Venice Film Festival’s market is kicking off with an attendance level close to its 2019 pre-pandemic days and strong interest in feature films and VR works being pitched at its gap-financing platform “We already have a total of more than 2,400 industry professionals registered to attend, which is close to pre-pandemic levels since in 2019 the number was 2,700 [at the end of the market],” says Pascal Diot, head of the Venice Production Bridge, as the informal mart is known. Of these, 1,700 are accredited with the VPB’s Golden Trade pass, while the remaining 1,000 are registered as part of film delegations.

Deadline his father’s cause of death was a result of non-COVID pneumonia complications.The actor, born William Reynolds, enjoyed a glittering 40-year acting career after landing his first role in the early 1950s.Reynolds’ early credits include “The Battle at Apache Pass,” “Carrie” and “Francis Goes to West Point,” according to his IMDb page.In 1952, he played the son of Laurence Olivier’s character in “Carrie and Mustapha.”The actor went on to serve in the Korean War, after which he returned to the small screen and put his name on the map.He landed a guest role on “The Islanders,” and later appeared in an episode of “The Twilight Zone.”Reynolds later starred in the 1967 series “Dragnet” before appearing in “Maverick.”He also had a few film credits under his belt, including “The Mississippi Gambler,” “Gunsmoke,” “There’s Always Tomorrow,” “Away All Boats,” and “The Land Unknown.”In 1966, Reynolds got his big break and landed the role of Agent Colby on ABC’s “The F.B.I.” which became his most famous role to date.His stint on the show lasted two seasons before he was made a series regular and asked to stay on for six seasons.His final two credits include “Project U.F.O.” on which he appeared from 1966 until 1974, and in 1989, he appeared in “Hairway to the Stars.”Reynolds then bowed out from acting, and instead pursued a career in business, according to Deadline.He was married for 42 years to actress Molly Sinclair until her death in 1992. Reynolds leaves behind the pair’s children Carrie, Eric, and grandchildren Anthony and Nicholas. He also leaves behind his great-grandchild, Gianni.A public memorial service to honor Reynolds will be held on Sept.

Gregg Goldstein Becoming Nicholas Sparks’ literary agent and then film production president might not seem like the best preparation for making a romantic drama about cannibalism, but Per Capita Prods. founder Theresa Park is transitioning to a wider, edgier range of projects with ease.  Park is producing an animated children’s show based on Michael Buckley’s bestselling fantasy novel series “The Sisters Grimm” for Apple TV+. And she arrives in Venice for the Sept. 2 world premiere of “Bones and All,” Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of Camille DeAngelis’s novel about a couple (Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell) whose tastes run more towards hand eating than the hand holding found in Sparks’ works. The MGM/UA feature follows two other offbeat projects in Per Capita’s first year of releases: A24’s robot drama “After Yang” starring Colin Farrell and the Apple TV+ female-centered series “Roar” with Nicole Kidman. 

BTS exemptions from mandatory military service.Debates over the necessity of BTS’ fulfilment of local military conscription requirements have long been a point of public contention, which have recently intensified as the boyband’s oldest member, Jin, is due to turn 30 this December. The law calls for all male Korean citizens – no older than age 30 – to enlist in the military for mandatory service.On August 31, The Korea Times reported that South Korea’s defence minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers that he has ordered officials to implement a survey to gauge the public’s opinions on BTS’ enlistment.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief South Korea’s leading entertainment group CJ ENM has appointed Steve W. Chung as its global chief growth officer. He will be based in Los Angeles. Previously, Chung served as chief growth officer at Fox Corporation. Prior to that Chung was the founder and CEO of Frankly, a publicly-traded media tech company based in San Francisco. He was also a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and an executive producer in China.  Chung currently serves as a board member of the non-profit National Asia Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) and received his B.A from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.