Former Idol School Contestant, Som Hein, Comes Out Via Instagram

 

The LGBTQA+ community has another reason to celebrate as another Korean celebrity “came out,” a move that is considered controversial in an entertainment industry that’s designed to sell fantasies in a conservative country.

Som Hein (Som Hye-In), a former contestant on Mnet’s Idol School, has come out via Instagram posts featuring closeup shots of her and her girlfriend, Eunbin.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

나의 예쁜 그녀 My lovely girl

A post shared by Somhein (@somgodld) on Aug 10, 2019 at 1:33pm PDT

 

Som, who recently made her solo debut with the single album Mini Radio, also said during an Instagram Live Q&A that she is bisexual.

Som’s coming out and single release are also a sign of new beginnings for the rookie artist. In 2017, she dropped out of Idol School due to health reasons (later revealed as complications from anorexia). Around the same time, a girl named Choi Min-Kyung came forward with allegations that Som bullied her while they were students together.

Som apologized for the incident and apologized to Choi in leaked conversations.

Originally, Netizens felt that Som’s love interest was male, but Som debunked the chatter and confirmed she came out as bisexual.

“Yes, it’s true that I came out. I’m in a same-sex relationship,” Som said in an Instagram story.

Her announcement is a bold but welcome one. She joins a handful of singers who are members of the LGBTQA+ community including Harisu and Choi Hanbit (both are trans females), Holland and MRSHLL (both came out as gay), and Hansol (asexual). 

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On Sunday August 11, 2019, the 2019 Teen Choice Awards were held at Hermosa Beach, California.

The Teen Choice Awards fetes musical acts, sports stars, and actors and actresses, and winners are chosen by American voters 13 and older. The target audience had opportunities to vote for their favorite acts in music, film, television, sports, fashion, Internet, and comedy using the Teen Choice site and social media platforms.

At this year’s festivities, Monsta X performed “Who Do U Love?” sans French Montana.

 

 

The group was a late addition to the performance list as they were notified on August 7 that they would be performing. However, while the group was without Kihyun due to injury, Monsta X did their best to perform for a crowd that did not have a lot of Monbebes in attendance due to the short performance notice. In addition to performing, Monsta X also had an opportunity to walk the red carpet and meet other celebrities.

 

[#MONSTA_X]
TEEN CHOICE 2019@TeenChoiceFOX

with #Charlie_Puth @charlieputh#MONSTAX #몬스타엑스#TEENCHOICE2019 pic.twitter.com/ocs5LHdp9C

— 몬스타엑스_MONSTA X (@OfficialMonstaX) August 12, 2019

 

Meanwhile, during the music awards portion of the show, BLACKPINK, Red Velvet, and BTS earned awards.

BLACKPINK took home one award for “Choice Song: Group” for “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.” The girls beat out the Jonas Brothers (“Sucker”), Panic! At the Disco (“Hey Look Ma, I Made It”), Imagine Dragons (“Bad Liar”), Five Seconds of Summer (“Easier”), and Why Don’t We (“8 Letters”).

The Red Velvet remix of “Close to Me” (Ellie Goulding, Diplo, Red Velvet) took home the award for “Choice Electronic/Dance Song.” The track was voted the best over “365” (Zedd and Katy Perry), “Call You Mine” (The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha), “Find U Again” (Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello), “Happier” (Marshmello and Bastille), and “Who Do You Love” (The Chainsmokers featuring Five Seconds of Summer).

BTS, however, took home four awards.

 

 

For “Choice Collaboration,” BTS and Halsey’s “Boy With Luv” beat Sam Smith and Normani (“Dancing with a Stranger”), Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber (“I Don’t Care”), Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (“Old Town Road”), Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (“Shallow”), and Julia Michaels and Niall Horan (“What a Time”).

BTS beat CNCO, EXO, BLACKPINK, NCT-127, and Little Mix for “Choice International Artist,” while A.R.M.Y defeated Arianators (Ariana Grande), BLINKS (BLACKPINK), CNCOwners (CNCO), Selenators (Selena Gomez), and Swifties (Taylor Swift) for “Choice Fandom.”

Finally, BTS also took home the award for “Choice Summer Tour” for their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself world tour. The group won the award over the Sweetener World Tour (Ariana Grande), When We All Fall Asleep Tour (Billie Eilish), BLACKPINK 2019 World Tour: BLACKPINK in Your Area (BLACKPINK), It’s My Party Tour (Jennifer Lopez), and Shawn Mendes: The Tour (Shawn Mendes).

Congratulations to Red Velvet, BLACKPINK, BTS, and Monsta X for their accomplishments, and congratulations to all the winners at this year’s Teen Choice Awards!

 

—-Olivia Murray

On August 9, 2019, actor Son Seung Won (Hello, My Twenties!) found out his year-and-a-half prison sentence for a hit-and-run DUI has been upheld. 

This was his second court appeal trial. He initially received his year-and-a-half sentence by the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District on April 11, 2019. On April 15, 2019, the defense filed an appeal, while the prosecution—which initially wanted a four-year sentence—also filed an appeal on April 18, 2019. 

The case stems from a December 26, 2018 DUI arrest where Son drove into another vehicle then fled the scene on foot. At the time of his arrest, his blood alcohol level was 0.206 percent. The DUI was Son’s fourth DUI arrest. On November 18, 2018, Son’s license was revoked as punishment from an August 3, 2018 DUI arrest. In addition for being charged with a DUI hit-and-run, he also received charges for driving without a license. 

For the December 26 incident, the passengers in the vehicle he hit sustained injuries. His passenger, actor Jung Hwi, was unhurt, but he released an apology letter and stepped down from his musical performances. 

During Son’s appeal, court officials overturned a decision to rule Son Seung Won as not guilty of danger caused by reckless driving, a decision rendered from the first trial. The court also looked at Son’s settlement with the victims, thus ruling that his initial year-and-a-half sentence was just. The punishment remains. While rendering his verdict, the judge also took Son’s prior arrests into consideration.

“The fact that Son Seung Won drove while drunk in August [2018] and then again in December shows that he disregarded the law. He must be punished with a strict sentence,” the judge said. 

“From the time after the first trial up until my appeal, I felt guilty and reflected on my wrongdoings. I feel as though I learned a lot about life during the past six months. I regretted living my life badly, and I came to learn how precious and valuable family is,” Son said during the appeals process. 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On August 5, 2019, Dispatch reported that TWICE’s Jihyo and soloist Kang Daniel are dating and have been dating for months.

Dispatch initially reported the pair were seen together in Seoul Hannam neighborhood August 1, 2019. The news agency also said the two were spotted together before and after TWICE left the country for their world tour and that Jihyo visited Kang backstage after his debut showcase. Additionally, Dispatch reports that the other TWICE members consider the pair a couple.

Following the reports, JYP Entertainment and KONNECT Entertainment said the two are meeting, but they did not explicitly say the two are dating.

“They are currently meeting with interest in each other,” JYPE said in a statement.

KONNECT Entertainment’s statement reads,

 

Hello, this is KONNECT Entertainment.

First, we would like to apologize for our official position being late, due to us confirming the truth.

We can confirm Kang Daniel and Jihyo are currently meeting with good feelings.

Please watch over them well.

 

Earlier in the year, TWICE’s three-year dating ban was lifted, so the members are free to pursue relationships if they choose.

Congratulations to Jihyo and Kang Daniel. Hopefully Netizens will have mercy on you.

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On July 30, 2019, Mexican authorities announced they arrested a suspect in connection to the death of Jose Arredondo. Arredondo, a businessman from Bakersfield, California, is the father of K-Pop singer, Samuel Kim.

According to authorities, 50-year-old “Roberto N.” from Hildago, Mexico was taken into custody. The suspect was originally considered a missing person by his family. The Attorney General of the State of Baja California Sur confirmed the arrest along with the Arredondo family’s attorney.

According Baja California Sur authorities, Roberto, whose last name has not been released due to legal reasons, committed the murder in front of others, and those suspects are still at large.

According to family, Roberto was a friend of Arredondo.

“That particular person was a friend of his for 20 years,” Arredondo’s sister, Laura, told Bakersfield news outlet, KGET-TV. “They have one of them, but it wasn’t just one [person involved], it was more. But at least they have one of them, and I know that person is going to talk.”

“He really reached out and helped the community,” Samuel Kim told KGET-TV. “I really hope one day I can be the man he was.”

Meanwhile, Arredondo’s funeral was held on what would have been his 61st birthday.

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On July 31, 2019, former 9Muses member and current soloist, Kyungri, has left Star Empire after seven years with the agency. Via a statement, he company confirmed that Kyungri has opted not to renew her exclusive contract.

 

Hello. This is Star Empire.

We are informing you that our exclusive contract with our artist Kyungri has ended as of July 31, 2019.

We recently spent a long time engaged in serious conversation ahead of the expiration of our exclusive contract, and after careful discussion, we have decided not to move forward with contract renewal.

After joining 9MUSES as a member in 2012, Kyungri has been peerless in working hard and doing her utmost in her activities. She had a precious and meaningful relationship with our agency, in which we went through both good and bad times together.

We sincerely thank Kyungri for spending the past seven years together with us, from 2012 up until now.

We also want to thank the fans who have always given their love and support to Kyungri and who were with her for the entire time during which she was with our agency.

Although our time together has ended, we will be sincerely cheering Kyungri on as she walks her own path in the future.

Thank you.

 

Kyungri seemingly left the company and allegedly threw shade at them using a meme featuring Inuyasha characters Kagome and Inuyasha. Fans captured the now-deleted post and shared it on Twitter.

NOT KYUNGRI POSTING THIS ON HER INSTAGRAM STORY TO SHOW HER LEAVING STAR.. pic.twitter.com/1FCbQohCyy

— connor #ThankYou9Muses (@kyungrismaid) July 31, 2019

THE DUB IS SO SHADY… i love her so muchhh pic.twitter.com/nMRqfrpC3b

— connor #ThankYou9Muses (@kyungrismaid) July 31, 2019

 

The clip, which comes from Inuyasha season 6, episode 128, has become a popular meme over the years and is often used as a joke for people leaving work. However, it has taken on a whole new spin since Kyungri’s use.

Kyungri joined the agency in 2012 as a new member of 9Muses. The underrated girl group disbanded earlier this year.

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

YouTube is a great place to find videos on several different interests. With the rise of the Korean Wave also came the rise of channels that focus on Korean beauty, racism, Asian culture, and a variety of other topics including former idols who discuss their time in Korea. Many of these channels are worth checking out if you haven’t checked them out already! Here are some of our favorite channels you should watch right now.

 

みかんMikan

Mikan is a 20-something female living in Japan. On her channel, she documents her life and experiences in Japan in her often fun, light-hearted videos. Her demeanor makes watching her videos enjoyable. Before you know it, you’ve wasted a few hours watching her content.

Mikan’s videos cover a lot of different topics from fashion college, tips helping fellow foreigners, and shopping. What works with Mikan’s videos is how relatable she is, and her first-hand experiences and tales provide a unique perspective into Japanese life.

 

Abroad in Japan

One of the perks of the channel is how Abroad in Japan’s videos are Travel Channel quality. While Mikan’s videos are more lighthearted, Abroad in Japan is more informative and have a travelogue feel.

Chris Broad dubs himself as the “British Guy in Japan,” and he takes people on a journey through the country using his sharp wit, some sarcasm, and informative storytelling skills. The videos are educational and provide interesting insights on the different aspects of Japanese culture and the country as a whole.

 

Dain Yoon

Dain Yoon is in a class all her own!

The artist behind the popular Instagram page DesignDain also shares videos on YouTube. On her page, she shares videos featuring her art and makeup skills. Her illusionist work tricks the eye and makes for great conversation, and watching the process unfold is even more mesmerizing!

While her page doesn’t have a lot of videos, those that are present provide some interesting views into the mind of this artist!

 

Grazy Grace/Grace TV

Grace, who is a former Unpretty Rapster 3 contestant and a former girl group trainee, has an insightful YouTube channel that explores different aspects of idol life, the “dark side of K-Pop,” K-Pop culture, and different elements of Korea. She candidly discusses topics such as harassment, plastic surgery, K-Pop diets, Korean nightlife, and even how other groups act backstage and off-camera.

Grace delivers her content in a no-nonsense way and tends to “keep it real” while not revealing too much as not to reveal any identities about people, companies, and managers she’s worked with in her career. Her unique, first-hand perspectives do show the pros and cons of idol life, and her videos are eye-opening for anyone who thinks K-Pop is all glamour.

 

MissDarcei

MissDarcei’s channel is full of quality content, and we love her for a variety of reasons: Her videos are fun and funny, she’s down-to-Earth, and she’s a Melanin Girl who tries Asian makeup trends as well as makeup and wigs from Asian brands, thus making her channel one of the most inclusive ones on this list.

Through her videos, Darcei does a fantastic job explaining the makeup t.rends she’s trying for a video, and her impressions are genuine. For example, even if makeup and looks don’t suit her, she still has fun with it and tries to find ways to make looks work. Her spunky, sunny personality enhances the videos as well

In addition to trying Asian beauty trends, Darcei also talks about other topics including her views on how Koreans view black people, dating, and cultural appropriation. Her channel is definitely one of the most well-rounded ones out there and worth checking out!

What YouTube channels do you enjoy for learning more about Asian makeup trends, fashion trends, and travel? Let us know! We’d love to review them.

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

 

On July 29, 2019, Big Hit Entertainment, the company behind global phenoms BTS, announced that they acquired Source Music.

Source Music, which is the home of Gfriend, will be an independent subsidiary under Big Hit.

In a statement, Big Hit stated, “We recently completed a contract to acquire Source Music and it will be incorporated as a subsidiary of Big Hit Entertainment. Source Music will retain its existing management and maintain their label’s color and independence in music.”

Billboard reports that, according to Big Hit, the company is looking to “quickly expand the spectrum of its artists by securing a group of artists with an already-established fandom” and also is looking to Source to provide a “pool of trainees with high growth potential in the girl group category.”   

Big Hit’s acquisition of Source Music is not surprising as the two companies have worked together in the past on two now-disbanded groups 8Eight and GLAM.

 

 

 

Bang Si-hyuk, co-CEO and founder of Bit Hit Entertainment, said, “A shared philosophy behind artist promotion and management was the main driver that brought Big Hit and Source Music together. Since we know each other so well, we expect the acquisition to be a success. I’m pleased that both companies can now begin painting an even bigger picture.”

“I am thrilled that Source Music has joined Big Hit,” said Source Music’s CEO So Sung Jin.  “I believe this to be a prime opportunity for achieving the next level of excellence for the artists, trainees and members of the label. Big Hit’s track record of creating global artists quickly and expertly sets a solid foundation for Source Music. We will strive to provide even more amazing content to our fans through this organic relationship with Big Hit.”

The acquisition is the first in Big Hit’s plan to follow a multi-label structure. Currently, the company is worth around $1 billion USD, and with the success of their artists and global branding, their worth is expected to increase.

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

Even though he is currently serving his required military service as a public service worker since March 21, 2019, former U-KISS member Kiseop announced that he will be getting married August 24, 2019!

Kiseop announced his upcoming nuptials to rookie model and actress Jung Yoo-Na via a letter posted on Instagram.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ 안녕하세요. 기섭입니다. 먼저 여러분들께 전해드릴 말씀이 있어서 글을 쓰게 되었습니다. 갑작스러우시겠지만 이렇게 글을 쓰게 된 이유는 제가 평생 함께하고 싶은 사람을 만나게 되었기 때문입니다. 그녀는 제 인생에 있어서 두 번 다시없을 소중한 사람입니다. 오랜 시간 동안 늘 한결같이 저만을 바라봐 준 그녀를 위해 지금부터는 제가 그녀의 행복을 책임지고 싶습니다. 그래서, 저는 그녀와 아름다운 나날들을 걸어가기 위해 결혼을 약속하게 되었습니다. 같은 곳을 바라보기로 맹세한 만큼 더 겸손하고 책임감 있는 사람이 되겠습니다. 항상 저를 사랑해주시고 믿어주신 팬 여러분의 감사한 마음… 절대 잊지 않고, 행복하게 살겠습니다. 앞으로 새로운 도전과, 여러분들 앞에 좋은 모습으로 보답하겠습니다. 저희 두 사람이 함께하는 아름다운 나날에 많은 축복과 응원을 보내 주시면 감사하겠습니다. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀-기섭 올림-

A post shared by ⠀KISEOP (@ki_seop91) on Jul 31, 2019 at 8:02pm PDT

 

The message reads:

Hello. This is Kiseop. I am writing because I have news to deliver to you all. This may be sudden, but the reason I am writing this is because I’ve met someone whom I want to spend the rest of my life with. She is a precious person like no other in my life.

From now on, I want to take responsibility for the happiness of this woman who has protected her place by my side for such a long time. As a result, I’ve promised marriage with her, so that we can walk toward beautiful days in the future together.

As I pledge to look toward one future with this person, I promise to become a humbler and more responsible person. I will never forget the thankfulness I feel for my fans, who always loved me and believed in me… I will live happily.

From here on, I will do my best to repay you with new challenges and new sides. I would be thankful if you send your abundant cheers and congratulations for our future together.

 

During a TV Report phone interview, Kiseop stated he and Yoo-Na met while they were both under NH EMG. She was training to be a in a girl group before switching to modeling and acting. Yoo-Na appeared in U-KISS’ MV for their fifth Japanese release, “Distance,” in 2012.

 

“Jung Yoo-Na and I were both born in 1991,” Kiseop said, “so we were friends at first but naturally became a couple.”

When asked about getting married while in the military, Kiseop added, “It’s not easy deciding to get married as a public service worker. I’m nervous, but I’m more excited for the days that we will have together in the future.”

For their wedding, Comedian Kim Yong Myung will host while Huh Gak will perform the congratulatory song.

Congratulations to Kiseop and Yoo-Na on their big day!

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia, better known by his stage name Badshah, is an Indian rap-music composer rapper and singer known for his Hindi, Haryanvi, and Punjabi songs. Badshah used to rap really well so that people began to wiggle out of nowhere. He is ridiculously popular, not only in India but worldwide.

How a Civil Engineer, Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia become a famed rapper music composer, i.e. BADSHAH? Let’s find out.

His story starts from 19 November 1985, when in the Capital of India, New Delhi, Badshah was born as Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia in Delhi, to a father from Haryana and mother from Punjab. He also has a sister, named Aparajita.

Badshah was fond of music from the early stage of his childhood, he also used to participate in variour scool, inter-school music competition. He completed his schooling from Bal Bharati Public School, Pitampura, Delhi where he used to perform in his school choir. Prior to becoming a full-time musician, he had enrolled as a math student at the prestigious St. Stephens College in Delhi before moving to civil engineering at PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh during which he was exposed to new Punjabi music which promoted him to take on rap writing. He has stated that if he had not become a rapper, he may “have been an IAS officer”, according to one of his interview Badshah has also done an engineering job in the corporate.  He started his career in the music industry with his new name ” Cool Equal”. But after some time, he changed his name to Badshah. Just after college he started rap-writing and rapping was just a hobby for him, as he just wanted to become an IAS officer. But at the end he could not ignore his passion for music.

In 2006, he started his music career with Mafia Mundeer Band along with another Indian Superstar, Yo Yo Honey Singh. The band became very popular, and as expected Badshah too became quite popular among people. However, till now his name was Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodiya, but just to shorten his name he acquired his Stage Name as Badshah. Pre 2012, Badshah and Honey Singh were said to be the best of friends. What happened between them after that, what led the group to disband and why the two acclaimed rappers seem to be at warheads with one another still is a mystery today.

After working with Mafia Mundeer for 12 years, in 2012, Badshah split out himself and started his own Independent Rapping. His first independent song was in Haryanvi, named “Kar Gayi Chull”. This particular song went viral among people so much so that it was adopted in to a Bollywood movie ”Kapoor And Sons”. He has also performed with various famous singers like Diljit Dosanjh, Gippy Grewal and Astha Gill, and given various BIGHITS songs. Likewise in 2013, Badshah made his bollywood debut with ”Dhup Chick” song for the movie ”Fugly” in collaboration with Raftaar and Astha Gill. In 2014, his song ”Saturday Saturday” was adopted in the bollywood movie ”Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya”, after the release of this movie ”Saturday Saturday” bagged very good response from audiences, and we can call this song as being his Career’s turning point. Now an amazing rapper has entered into Bollywood, he was achieving spectacular success day-by-day, with his increasing fan-following he has now become the 1st choice for Music Directors in a very short span. After this he has worked with Big Bollywood Players and Sprinkled his rap’s magic in big blockbusters movies like BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN, SULTAN, BAAR BAAR DEKHO, AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL, SHIVAAY and BADRINATH KI DULHANIYA. Besides these filmy songs, his SINGLE TRACKS were also very popular, those includes- ”DJ WALEY BABU (2015)” with Astha Gill. One of his song “Kaala Chashma” from the movie BAAR BAAR DEKHO his rythm was widely admired and this particular song got 440+ millions views on YouTube.

Recently, Badshah, being the first Indian artist to do so, hit another milestone when surpassing the number of views ever achieved within a 24 -hour period with his song “Paagal” by crossing 75 million views, which is stated to have surpassed BTS’s “Boy With Luv” and Taylor Swifts “Me!”  Currently as of this writing, his single “Paagal” has received over 117 millions views.

 

https://www.india.com/buzz/badshah-reveals-google-tool-helped-him-break-world-record-with-song-paagal-3729682/

 

https://www.complex.com/music/2019/07/youtube-reportedly-reevaluating-after-indian-rapper-badshah-breaks-views-record

 

Let’s talk a little about Badshah’s Personal Life.

He is married to Jasmine. They also given birth to a cute daughter.

This was the story of one India’s leading Superstar , Badshah, whose raps are learned by heart among kids, teenagers and adults.

 

 

 

 

—-Prak Hartiwar

 

It’d be safe to claim that K-Beauty has become a force to be reckoned; successfully solidifying its existence in the mainstream world of cosmetics and skincare industry. According to Wikipedia, K-Beauty is an umbrella term referring to Korean cosmetics and skin care from South Korea (that’s obvious…) and the wave has reached far and wide to many parts of the world in a short pace of time.

For a while now, Korean cosmetics and skin care products have topped the shopping list of tourists who visit Korea. The main characteristics of K-Beauty products are that they’re mild, high-in-moisture, natural, dewy with less pigmentation than the standard western cosmetic products. In this article, we’ll cover the basics on what K-Beauty can offer you.

 

1. K-Beauty is Unique & Diverse…

Whether you’re in need for an excellent anti-aging factor or just looking to try out something new, you may want to try out K-Beauty for a change. Simultaneously, I really do advise you to choose wisely when selecting K-Beauty products, especially when (or you’re a newbie) you decide to settle with a new item. There are countless Korean brands and products that are reliable, certified, top-class quality manufactured by established businesses

but I personally would not advise anyone to just grab an item, just because it has “MADE IN KOREA” on its packaging or website description. Don’t let that fool you.

Do your research and watch/read a lot of unbiased reviews before making the wise purchase. If something is ridiculously cheap, then there’s probably a good reason why that may be so. A great product consisting a lot of natural ingredients, ability to preserve the skin and not cause any irritations or problematic issues, is basically what I look for. Read the description and ingredients. Some might have dodgy English translations but they will more or less convey their meaning to the reader.

As with selecting any other skin products, the trick is to find the right K-Beauty product that matches and suits your skin type – which is not easy as it sounds– I also recommend that you find separate skin and cosmetic products for each season, as your skin condition shifts. If something works well for you all days of the year, that’s really great but the intensity of the heat, humidity, the exposure to the sun should all be taken into consideration when picking the right K-Beauty products that truly benefit and elevate the well-being of your skin.

 

2. Innovative

Koreans are very sensitive to trend and love coming up with new and innovative ideas for products. The same goes for K-Beauty.

You can find wide range of unique skin products of all kinds of ingredients like fruit, veggies, stem cells, mugwort, gold, nano, honey, pearl, ginseng, green tea and other things that you probably never even imagined being used for skincare. It’s also fun to pick out different mask sheets and other basic skin care products that are mild and soothing to the skin tone and provides moisture… It’s hard to keep up with all the new products emerging all the time, but with K-Beauty, it definitely adds more fun to your daily skin routine. It’s a no brainer why certain K-Beauty products have a cult following.

 

3. Moisture, Dewy skin, Glass Skin…

If you have intensely dry/sensitive skin, you’d need to get the inner skin hydrated, moisturized and revitalized first. The quicker you start the better. Don’t wait until you get wrinkles, because dryness of the skin can hasten wrinkles and make one look older than they are. I’m quite convinced that Korean skin care and cosmetics will assist you in this department, since they are designed to promote the soft moisture and dewiness that keep you from getting chapped lips or itchy forehead for instance. What you apply before you go to bed is super crucial, as you all know. Vast change rarely happens overnight, but in some cases, it could.

The majority of Korean cosmetic brands are created to produce what we call ~ glass skin (flawless, translucent skin) because clean, bright shine bring out the best in your skin tone and boost your appearance in many forms and ways. Some say, beauty is only skin deep – and they may be right about that, ha-ha.

 

4. Advanced Science Technology 

K-Beauty skin brands are very competitive and they drive hard to produce the most effective skin item that becomes the next big thing and recognized for their uniqueness and level of performance. These might be one of the factors that makes Korean skin products reliable, safe and effective to the skin. Skin experts and professional marketers work to tackle and resolve skin troubles via vast amounts of scientific research and experiments.

Korean labs for cosmetics aim to develop new and innovative skin products with natural, organic, healthy ingredients and contents to bring the best to their clients with the help of modern technology. Many of these labs oppose testing on animals too, and we predict to find more vegan products to emerge.

 

5. Korean Herbal Medicine…

Korean herbal medicine – a.k.a Oriental medicine – skin products are known to be antioxidant, effective in calming inflammation, with amazing anti-aging effects that are full of nutrients and organic ingredients. Anything that protects the skin from air pollution should be immensely praised, and Korean herbal medicine is trusted to protect your skin from harmful substances, germs and all types of pollution. 

Korean medicine brand cosmetics are usually pricey, compared to the rest, especially the oldest Korean herbal medicine brand (yes, that brand that starts with a “S”) created in the mid 60’s, but it definitely has reasons for being steep in terms of the cost.

The primary ingredient, which is ginseng, is extremely rare and takes many years to cultivate. It took a lot of time in the laboratory and years of research to come up with the first ever Korean herbal medicine brand that the world has ever seen. Korean Herbal Medicine skin products are highly recommended to people who want to remove wrinkles and maintain a youthful look, and those with various skin complications. There are a few other Korean Herbal brands of a considerably lower range price available too.

 

6. The cost

Most of you’ll agree that K-Beauty products are overall ~ affordable. Most legit items actually perform beyond their cost. Just because something is moderately priced, it doesn’t necessarily mean the effects are less than mediocre, and vice-versa.

Since there are so many K-Beauty brands competing with one another, many tend to price their products at the minimum price range. The price would not only vary depending on the content, but other aspects like packaging, the promotion, the endorsement and more would be taken into consideration.

Established cosmetic companies do tend to have higher range of products available but one company will own few to several brands targeting different age groups… I’ve witnessed middle-aged youtubers reviewing “K-Beauty makeup products” that’s usually targeted for teenagers and I found that somewhat strange. You don’t want to purchase something just because it looked cute and on a bargain. Look into the ingredients before making a purchase; anything full of chemicals and artificial which is harmful for your skin shouldn’t really be on your radar.

If you search the brand or the manufacture online and it’s not available, even in Korean, then you could assume the company isn’t established (or reliable), for that matter. A reputable cosmetics company would never do business without a website in the 21^st century.

 

7. K-Beauty for Men

It’s no secret that a lot of young millennial men in Korea choose to wear concealers, BB cream, foundation and whatnot… Due to that reason, K-Beauty products for men were able to strive to develop products suitable for the male consumers. These days, skin management requires more than just dabbing aftershave and sunblock cream. Grooming is now considered as mandatory and no one of any gender would want to accelerate skin-aging… Of course, you can find skin products for men elsewhere as well ~ but quite a number of K-Beauty brands create their products exclusively to suit the male skin and tone, by using natural, organic and beneficial-to-the-skin formulas for men.

As the days are growing hotter and more humid this season, more people are looking to protect their skin from sun damage, and through this article, I’m suggesting that this might be a good opportunity to search for what could become your next must-have K-Beauty item.

 

— J. Chung.

 

We are very aware that there are many animal lovers out there, so we’ve sat down with Ms. Park So-youn, the activist and founder of CARE Animal Rights Organization based in Korea.

Ms Park has dedicated most of her life by rescuing animals from horrific environments, and has built up the first and largest animal rights organization in Korea in 2002. The organization is going through a lot of difficulties lately due to several allegations, there’s so much misunderstanding and biased opinions that need to be rectified. Ms. Park has been cleared of most of the charges and legal procedures are still on-going.

We wanted to delve deeper to learn more about the animal organization, how we can co-exist with the animals in this world, and how we can prevent cruelty to animals and so much more. We’d like to send out a big thank you to Ms. Park and the organization for the interview. We wish them all the best!

 

Thank you for taking the time out for an interview with us. Please introduce yourself to our readers, and let us know more about what you do.

I am the representative of CARE, an organization for animal rights; I’m also a vegan and an animal activist.

 

Tell us how the name CARE initially came into being.

CARE was organized in 2002, and its name in English has always been the same. The initials standing for Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, this means that animal rights should be respected just as much as human rights. By 2015, we’d begun using the same name in Korean also, with the epithet Animal Rights Group, so that we would be known as the Animal Rights Group CARE. Since 2015, we’ve been only using our English version of the name.

 

Tell us how you became an animal activist.

I think my life basically changed from the age of 8. Since I was so into animals, my mother had to wake me up in the morning just to tell me every time animals appeared on TV. I was fascinated with all kinds of animals, as beings that looked so different from us and still had such amazing, spectacular and lovable qualities.

Grown-ups tend to buy their kids soft, cuddly toys in the shape of animals, and show them picture books featuring animal characters. Most kids love animals, at times equating them with human-like characters. I was no different, just more into such things than most. But contrary to all that, when my mother asked me what I wanted to eat, and I would always say “meat!”; I loved eating meat from an early age. I never thought the animals I loved and the meat were one and the same.

Things then changed when I entered elementary school and my mother began taking me to school for about a week, until I got used to carrying a heavy satchel. In the mornings we would past a market, and one of the shops I had to pass by was a butcher’s, where we used to shop for meat. And what I saw there was totally new, because in the evenings, when we usually went there, I had never been able to come across such scenes! What I saw were some men, with their van in front of the butcher’s shop, from which they unloaded and carried in large chunks of something, hanging them on the ceiling of the shop. With a closer look, I could see legs still attached to them. I was so shocked at the sight of it all, and when I asked my mother what they were, she said “they’re pieces of the meat that you like so much!” I just collapsed to the ground and cried my eyes out.

It was as if I had killed my own friends and ate them: that was an awakening. I could never forget that shock, and at that moment I made a promise in my heart to help my animal friends, once I grew up. From that day on I could not consume meat. I would get sick at the very smell. I told my older sister about what I found out about meat, and we both became vegetarians. We were told off at the table because we refused to eat meat, then we would cry and sometimes eat just rice; this repeated day after day. My mother finally came to give up on us, and began cooking two separate meals- one with and the other without meat. Even dumplings were made in two types, one with and another without meat. It was the same with soup and potted food. My mother took all that trouble, all those years, because her two daughters would have to go without food otherwise. 

Painful experience awaited in the holidays, when we visited relatives. In the rural countryside, we saw cattle with their noses pierced, and during winter, there would be icicles under their bellies, wild birds would be caught and raised… all that was so painful to see. Things were not much different in Seoul, where we lived. In the summer they would leave their dogs for days until their return, and those dogs would often starve. I would sometimes secretly take rice from home to feed neighbors’ dogs.

I have a lot of compassion in me. It was the same with people, not just animals. I couldn’t ignore people in need. But in my early twenties, I realized that human welfare was better taken care of by the government and social activist groups. For animals, however, hardly anyone cared. So I became involved in animal rights movement. At first I volunteered to work at various places, and this led to the organization of a group.

 

 

Enlighten us on what your activities and work consist of.

CARE is foremost an organization when it comes to revisions in animal protection laws in this country. Since the first revision in 2006, CARE has been behind most of the laws that have been revised. If you look at how we have achieved that, we have investigated incidences of animal abuse, rescued the animals involved, created an issue over it and campaigned; then finally, the creation or revision of law and system. This procedure is in itself typical and characteristic of CARE’s activities.

At the same time, one thing we can gather from this is that it takes a huge unfortunate incident in order for the laws to change in Korea. CARE’s activities include the revision of laws, campaigns, education, investigation, abuse reports, rescue, and running shelters and adoption centers. Although we work for laws and systems to change, with every cruelty and abuse issue, we never neglect the animals involved.

We work for various animal issues, but one we are very deeply engaged in is the attempt to ban dog slaughter in this country. Recently we have shut down dog slaughterhouses and rescuing the remaining dogs raised for meat. CARE is the group that rescues the most animals in Korea, and that includes the animals that are never rescued even by the government, the animals existing in the blind spots uncovered by rescue laws. This means that sometimes unhealthy animals with no hope for adoption, or animals with violence issues are rescued by us. We wish all of these animals may be given chances of life also, but it is simply impossible to do, on our resources. This is why CARE had euthanized these animals, according to the standard procedures. It should be noted, however, that Korea’s laws do not allow euthanasia carried out by private organizations.

CARE did not go out of its way to publicize these tragic realities, but early January this year, the person in charge of the recently euthanized animals talked to the press about it; this drove CARE into dire circumstances, where CARE came very close to becoming abolished. For two months every newspaper in Korea reported on the issue, and CARE is still suffering from various distorted presentations of the true facts.

The animal protection laws of Korea do not restrict the ownership of animals by their abuser; dogs in slaughterhouses are neglected, and indeed, slaughter itself is not punished by law. In these circumstances CARE has shut down dog farms and slaughterhouses, rescuing all the dogs from those places and 20% of those dogs, with no better choice left, had been euthanized. And this is what has been, for the last months, disparaged and misrepresented as if we have slaughtered those animals.

I am facing police investigation regarding this issue, and must meet various rumors and wild suppositions. But I am willing to turn this around so that we could throw a light upon these animals, so cruelly abused under the realities of this country, and make things better for animals in a realistic and rational way, by making a change in the system.

The animal rights groups of Korea and the many people acting for animals are often engrossed in moralistic idealism, and unwilling to voice the reality that is so harsh for these animals. Unconditional opposition against euthanasia is the result of simply ignoring the reality, and in turn ignoring the animals dying even at this moment. CARE sees the need for proper awareness of animal rights and continuing education. So that is another of our objective at this point.

 

What is the most crucial goal for CARE?

CARE must become recognized as the group that stands out among all animal rights organizations. CARE has never been afraid to voice its agenda against the government’s wrongful policies, and so has led to many successful results. We are adamant and proud in stating that we have always acted for the lessening of pain for animals, instead of working to enrich ourselves. But after the malicious press reports on the recent euthanasia issue, and because of the lack of sufficient understanding on euthanasia itself, we have lost two thirds of our sponsors. We are planning a project to make our sponsors understand and be educated. We must publicize the integrity of our activities, and work at multiplying our sponsors again.

We must also stabilize our shelter facilities. In Korea, there is no legal foundation for private animal shelters, so that most such facilities are run illegally. We are worried about the shelter grounds of CARE; we are demanding the revision of laws, to allow legal management of shelters by private organizations, and striving to secure real estate for CARE animal shelters. CARE is an organization that must exist in Korea. It is the only group with a voice for animals’ interest. The objective of CARE is to advocate animals. Sometimes we come to a crossroads of decisions. There are compromising points for the stability of the organization. But we always find our answer by putting animals first. The integrity of CARE is in its determination to champion for animals, and we strive not to lose that determination, in the face of all kinds of adversity.

 

What are the main reasons for opposing dog meat consumption? And tell us more about your future plans for this issue.

There are 10 million pets in Korea. The pet culture is becoming more and more sophisticated. However, it is also the only country with dog farms, and the only dog meat consuming democracy. It is also the only country with animal protection laws as well as dog slaughtering realities. The actions of dog farms and slaughterers, though illegal, are protected in the name of livelihood, and the enormous pain of the slaughtered dogs is neglected.

We don’t hope for an overnight change of the national awareness of these issues, but with the right pressure on the government, it will have to face decisions. This is why an international, global action is required. We have ideas for all the world citizens to create sensation; that will be carried out this year. We are against dog meat because pain is the same for all animals. The pain of animals are directly linked to us humans, and we are obligated to lighten the pain of animals, even if we begin by relieving the pain of one kind of animal. If we look upon dogs, universal pets, as meat, how could we relieve the pain of other animals?

 

Are there any special episodes you recall the most, regarding rescued animals?

I can think of a lot of animals with the deepest pain, but a dog rescued last year, called Gang-gun, is especially weighing on my mind. Fire had spread to a dog farm in the country, and all the dogs were burned to death except this guy, who survived burnt wounds to the whole of his body. He was found, dying from burns and hunger for a whole month, and taken to the local shelter and left there. When CARE heard about him, he was rescued as an emergency case, received veterinary treatment, and is now protected in our adoption center. He needed plastic surgery among other measures, because his ears had shriveled and eyelids had melted down. He has slowly opened up to people and is happy now, but still waiting for adoption. We are hoping for an overseas adoption for him.

I also remember Tori well, a dog adopted by the president Moon Jae-in. Tori had been an abandoned dog facing death for meat consumption, but after being rescued and treated by CARE he had been waiting to be adopted for 2 years. Due to prejudices against black dogs, Tori had not been given a chance sooner. After we told the story of Tori, president Moon adopted him, with a message that everyone, human or animal, must be freed from prejudice and discrimination.

 

Tell us about the procedures for animal adoption to overseas. Is your adoption work active these days?

The animals rescued by CARE are hurt by cruelty and abuse, and found in hoarders’ homes, farms and slaughterhouses. We rescue dogs, cats, horses, oxen and cows, goats, deer, chickens, rabbits, and other animals abused in zoos. Adoption of these animals takes time, but the hardest problem is faced by dogs. It is hard to find more adopters in this country. Korea still cares a lot about purebreds, and the outward appearance of each breed is thought of as very important. A lot of the dogs rescued by CARE are large and mixed breed dogs; there are very few people willing to adopt them. And, as the main form of residence in Korea is the apartment, there are not enough houses with gardens that require bigger dogs. As hard as it is to find adopters, we cannot send them to people who would tie the dogs down to give leftover food.

So recently, we have been working hard at overseas adoption. We send profiles of dogs with their stories, pictures, movies along with their state of health, and when dogs are adopted we send them after domestic quarantine procedures. Before those procedures we often provide general and rabies vaccines and spaying. We also gather volunteering travellers to take the dogs on their trips abroad, to save transport fees. We feel so rewarded when healthy and loving dogs find good homes abroad, after having found it so hard to become adopted here. Disabled dogs with no hope of adoption in Korea are often chosen by people in other countries. We are saddened at the realities of this country – that these dogs will likely never find homes here – but that’s where education comes in. We must work at that too.

 

When do you feel the most rewarded?

I do feel the most rewarded when CARE’s activities lead to changes in laws, and bans against certain actions. We have illegalized dog meat festivals such as what we see in China. That was in 2003. There were plans to hold a dog meat festival in Seocheon, expanding it gradually nationwide. However, on the day before, all the equipment and publicizing banners were got rid of, so that the whole thing was called off. We held protestations so that there is no dog meat festival in the country. Also, we have prevented the live burial of cattle and pigs, which was the convention when viruses struck. We did this by filming and exposing the atrocities.

The year of 2006 saw the deadliest incident of Incheon, Jangsu-dong, where dogs were rescued despite facing theft charges. That led to the first revision in animal protection laws in 15 years. That was also when we got our first and only legal precedent of illegalizing and imposing a fine on dog slaughter for the purpose of meat consumption.

 

Share with us your plans and future hopes for animal rights organizations.

As I’ve stated before, there must be a change of awareness about animal rights. Before the recent hardship we’re going through, and what needed to change first was the awareness of the government, the legislators and executors of the law in my opinion. But now, I think education must come first for animal rights activists. The biggest problem is the idealistically moral attitude that ignores the realities faced by animals. There are also groups working for their own private interests and gain by using animals; we need to educate activists and sponsors to prevent such behavior.

Now that a bill to ban dog slaughter has been introduced, CARE will work to make it pass. We will definitely resolve this problem in Korea, the only democracy where dog meat is consumed. We have various plans for better awareness of the public and the passing of laws, within the year. 

 

 

Thank you for your time. We wish you and CARE all the best!

***

 

To help the animals in need, please consider making a small donation: https://careanimalrights.org/donate/

 

Or volunteer your precious time: https://careanimalrights.org/volunteer/

 

Please visit the website, if you wish to adopt an animal: https://careanimalrights.org/

 

 

J. Chung.

We apologize for the delay, but here is your K-Pop Top 30 as voted by you, our readers. We hope you enjoy how you picked this month’s tracks!

 

The marriage between Song Hye-Kyo and Song Joong-Ki is officially over.

On July 22, 2019, the now-former Song-Song couple had their divorce finalized at the Seoul Family Courts. Neither of the Songs released a statement regarding the finalization, but Song Hye-Kyo’s agency, United Artist Agency (UAA), provided a statement to the press. The statement did release some tidbits regarding what the divorce entailed.

“We inform you that the arbitration procedure was completed with both sides agreeing on a divorce without alimony or division of property,” the UAA rep said.

Meanwhile, on July 25, 2019, Song Hye-Kyo and her lawyers filed a formal complaint against those spreading malicious rumors about her online.

“On July 25, we filed formal complaints with the Bundang Police Station against numerous suspects for spread of false information, defamation of character and insult,” UAA said in a statement.

Song Hye-Kyo’s legal counsel reiterated that a complaint had been filed.

“We have filed a formal complaint with the Bundang Police Station against numerous suspects after collecting evidence on malicious acts, distribution of false information and malicious slander in relation to Song Hye-Kyo,” her lawyers said. “Our company is planning to file criminal complaints against the remaining communities, comments and YouTubers as soon as evidence is collected.”

The lawyers continued, “False information and posts, malicious slander and fabrication and distribution of unimaginable stories related to Song Hye-Kyo have been continuing. This has not only surpassed the level of social tolerance but is also causing unbearable distress to Song Hye-Kyo.”

During an interview, Song Hye-Kyo said she would be taking time off for the rest of the year.

“This year, I will take some personal time off. I need to have some time for myself… I will take it easy. And next year, I will start a new project—maybe—but nothing has been fully decided yet. Let’s see if the stars align,” she told the Hong Kong Tatler.

The famed couple met on the set of Descendants of the Sun in 2016. The pair married October 31, 2017. They announced their divorce June 27, 2019.

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

It hasn’t even been a full year since their debut, but up-and-coming power rookies, ATEEZ, have signed with the American music agency RCA Records.

On July 24, 2019, the group (full name ATEEnagerZ ) announced their signing with RCA Records. Sony Music Entertainment Korea, KQ Entertainment—the group’s managing company—and RCA Records shared their excitement over the news.

“We’ve been watching the success of ATEEZ build for the last few months and are excited to partner with Sony Korea and KQ Entertainment to help take them to the next level,” says John Fleckenstein, co-president, RCA Records. “K-pop is undeniable, and ATEEZ is stepping out as a frontrunner in the space.”

“It has been our privilege to be part of ATEEZ’s journey with KQ Entertainment from the very beginning,” says Joseph Chang, managing director, Sony Music Entertainment Korea. “ATEEZ’s management, KQ Entertainment, led by Sean Kim (CEO), includes visual creative, A&R, in-house producers and more, which enabled ATEEZ to be successfully formed. KQ and ATEEZ have pursued an original sound and style, and with the immense support from their ATINY fanbase across the globe. We are thrilled to continue this journey to international stardom with RCA Records in the US.”​

“We are so excited about this new journey with RCA Records. We already feel the love from our ATINY fans in the U.S. and can’t wait to continue to showcase our music and powerful, energetic performances to them and are looking forward to gaining new fans along the way,” ATEEZ told Billboard.

The group, which toured successfully in North America and Europe earlier this year, are more than ready to tap the US market. Each of their concerts this year were sold out, and their music has appeared on several music charts globally. The signing paves the way for ATEEZ to promote more in the US while releasing music to their Western audiences.

RCA Records is home to Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Alan Walker, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Childish Gambino, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews Band, Enrique Iglesias, Foo Fighters, H.E.R, P!nk, Jimmy Eat World, Khalid, Usher, Pentatonix, and Shakira among other artists. Here’s to hoping ATEEZ find as much success as the aforementioned have!

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

From October 25 to November 3, 2019, you can have your chance to see TEENTOP in one of five US locations!

TEENTOP will return to the US for another tour, this time with their PARTY to. N9ne tour. The five-member group last toured the US in December 2018 with their 2018 TEENTOP Night in the USA tour.

For the 2019 tour, StudioPav and Top Media will bring the group to Dallas, Puerto Rico, Chicago, San Jose, and Los Angeles.

Tickets will go on-sale in August. Will you be happy to see TEENTOP again?

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

B.A.P’s leader, Bang Yongguk, will enlist this coming August. He will be the first B.A.P member to enlist. It should be noted that while B.A.P dissolved upon leaving TS Entertainment, the group does not consider themselves disbanded.

Bang will enlist August 1, 2019 as an active duty soldier. His enlistment time and location has not been revealed.

“I think of it as a time during which I’ll be able to take a brief break,” Bang said of his upcoming enlistment date.

Prior to the military announcement, the rapper also announced the release of his new single, “Orange Drive.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

This song is killing me?#studiolife#orangedrive#comingsoon

A post shared by BANG YONGGUK (@bangstergram) on Jul 13, 2019 at 10:03am PDT

 

“‘Orange Drive’ is my way of expressing my gratitude to my fans, and it’s also a promise about Bang Yongguk’s next steps as an artist,” Bang said.

The single will be released July 31, 2019 at 6pm KST.

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On the third Friday of July 2019, Stock shares of Korea’s entertainment agencies’ (both former and current) owners have dropped approximately 30 percent, as the industry struggles with a long list of scandals, and due to Korea’s current political and economic dispute with Japan.

The combined value of stocks held by seven of the country’s top entertainment agency owners fell a drastic 28.7 percent to 512 billion won ($435.5 million) as of July 19th, which is 41.5 percent less from the start of 2019.

Former CEO of YG Entertainment Yang Hyun-suk experienced the most decline, with his value of stocks vastly dropping 41.1 percent to 93 billion won from last year’s 158.5 billion won – resulting in the company’s most serious crisis since the day of its founding. Many investors are blaming Yang and Seungri for the downfall.

Back in June, Yang stepped down as the CEO – due to various allegations of drug use, soliciting prostitution, tax evasion and etc., – but holds a 16.12 percent stake in the agency, making him still the largest shareholder of the company.

 

  

The value of shares owned by SM. Entertainment’s founder Lee Soo-man also dropped 29.4 percent to 162.7 billion won. (Lee owns a 19.04 percent stake.) While JYP Entertainment’s founder Park Jin-young’s holdings fell 29.9 percent to 133.3 billion won from what it used to be worth 193 billion won.

 

 

Likewise, stock prices of both SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment have hit low at 29.7 and 29.9 percent respectively, compared to the beginning of year 2019.

Last year of 2018, Japanese investors accounted for more than 15 percent of the total market share for the three major Korean agencies. Thus, Korean pop artists have been able to hold concerts and release albums in Japan for a great number of years.

For the good of all the supporters involved in fandoms, company or businesswise that may be affected by these recent scandals and fiasco, we wish to see this situation to somehow elevate and improve in the near future.

 

J. Chung.

 

Kyoto, Japan: A suspected arson attack has left 34 dead and 34 injured at Kyoto Animation (KyoAni). According to CNN, the attack is Japan’s worst mass-killing in over 20 years. In 2001, an arsonist killed 44 people in Tokyo.

Among those dead include 12 men, 20 women, and one person whose identity is unknown. Their ages ranged from their 20s and 30s. Six of the victims were in their 40s, while one was at least 60-years old. Many of the victims just joined the animation team. One victim is a South Korean national who is in critical condition.

Kyoto Animation had at least 160 employees; 74 were present at the time of the incident.

KyoAni president, Hideaki Hatta, said that everything in the building was also lost including artwork and reference materials.

“It’s all gone,” Hatta said. “The computers are all gone as well.  I don’t know the amount of damage. it’s massive.”

On Thursday July 19, 2019, 41-year-old Shinji Aoba went to the studios for “revenge” according to reports. According to police, Aoba, who was also armed with knives, poured 11 gallons of gasoline around the entrance and first floor of the renowned animation studio. He also doused staff with gasoline before setting the building, staffers, and himself on fire while yelling “YOU DIE!” According to Sankei News, an employee chased Aoba out of the building; he was apprehended by police by a nearby home.

Aoba sustained burn severe burn wounds to his face, legs, and chest and is currently being treated at the hospital.

Hiroyuki Sakai, deputy chief at the local Fushimi Police Station, said, “He’s been anesthetized and can’t talk. We’re waiting for word from the doctors on when we can question him.”

However, police did state Aoba admitted to starting the fire. Police state his motive is that the animation studio stole a novel idea he had.

A witness who saw Aoba’s arrest said Aoba “seemed to be discontented, he seemed to get angry, shouting something about how he had been plagiarized.”

Aoba has not been arrested yet due to be treated at the hospital. However, on July 20, an arrest warrant has been issued.

According to NHK, Aoba had a prior criminal record. In 2012, Aoba spent three years in prison for robbing a convenience store. He was also in treatment for mental health problems. The Associated Press also reports that neighbors in his apartment building had reoccurring issues with Aoba.

Hatta said no one at the studio knew who Aoba was.

“We’ve never heard his name before. I understand he’s 41 years old. We would have recognized him immediately if he had contacted us before,” Hatta said.

Hatta also revealed that the studio received death threats before, but police cannot find a connection between those threats and Aoba.

During a press conference, Hatta said there are plans to tear down the badly burned studio one and replace it with a public park that will be home to a memorial monument.

“…when I consider the staff and the people in this neighborhood, there are people who don’t want to see such a gruesome sight,” Hatta said of the building.

Globally and locally, fans have shown an outpouring of love, support, and grief over the loss of the victims and studio.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”ja” dir=”ltr”>Kyoto Animation is home to some of the world’s most talented animators and dreamers — the devastating attack today is a tragedy felt far beyond Japan. KyoAni artists spread joy all over the world and across generations with their masterpieces. 心よりご冥福をお祈りいたします。</p>&mdash; Tim Cook (@tim_cook) <a href=”https://twitter.com/tim_cook/status/1151875113903542272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>July 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

“The criminal who does this seems to have been mentally disturbed, but I can’t forgive him. The young people at Kyoto Animation were beautiful and warm and it is hard to accept they are gone,” Bing Xie, 25, a Chinese student at Kyoto University, told Reuters.

KyoAni is a small animation studio in Japan, but it has a large following. They are known for Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, K-ON, and Violet Evergarden among several other productions.

The investigation into the fire is still ongoing.

Photo credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

by:  Free Bird

The California sun beat down on them hard. While RapMon had been used to the harshness of the climate, J-Hope and G-Dragon were both unused to it. As they continued to the nearest hotel it didn’t take long for them to ditch their outer layers. They felt confident that no one would recognize them in this part of town.

All three of them now had simple tees on and felt very content feeling the breeze on their skin. Almost immediately they had grabbed the attention of the L.A. people, in particular the women. It wasn’t often a group of vibrant young handsome men, especially Korean ones, casually walked around these parts.

As they continued walking they had noticed the stench of the streets. Unlike the cleaner and more maintained streets of their home country, downtown L.A. was more of the opposite. There was tobacco and smoke. The sidewalk was cracked and uneven. There was graffiti on stopped trains and they all held onto their pockets as they walked past some shady people. There was less fear however, as they were somewhat enjoying this newfound thrill of the true “streets”.

Their gamble that they would remain anonymous had worked. It seems that the light of K-POP had not shined too brightly in these areas. However they still had to be on guard now.

“Hey guys check this out!” J-Hope opened up his phone to his social media was kind of freaking out. People were finding out two members of B.T.S. and Big Bang leader G-Dragon were missing. Their sweat of heat then turned to worry. “We have to find a place to stay ASAP.”

They finally turned around the block and entered a family owned hotel joined called Oasis. To the boys it seemed very inviting from the lit bright blue sign, offers of a pool, and most importantly of all, air conditioning.

It was euphoric getting that initial blast of cool air from the inside after spending nearly two hours in the California sun. All three exhaled a single “Ahhh…” in unison. After they had acclimated to the temperature of the room they stepped forward to the front desk where a young girl had fallen asleep on the front desk. Her nametag read “Kim”.

J-Hope dinged the call bell once to no reply. He then hit it multiple times in succession to finally awaken the receptionist. “Oh! I’m so sorry I fell asleep,” She fixed her hair and clothes. “It’s just we usually don’t get customers these days.” She stood up to look attentive and put on a genuine smile. “How are you today? Are you looking to stay?”

RapMon answered with his best English, “Yes we are. We want to stay for a night.” Kim replied “Of course! We’d be happy to have you three tonight.” She registered them into her computer and handed them their keys. “Before you go don’t forget we have our house-made lunch and dinner.” The boys were also then reminded that they have not had a single bite to eat since they landed and were rightfully starving.

“We will definitely try it after we settle down.” The three of them proceeded to their room, which was the closest to the reception area. In fact this hotel was quite small. There were only six rooms, none of which were occupied.

They opened their door and were greeted by a cozy little place. “Hey! At least the view is nice.” J-Hope ran to the window showcasing their view of the graffiti wall of the adjacent building. Both G-Dragon and RapMon gave him a death stare.

G-Dragon made a judgment of the room. It was quite well maintained yet undisturbed. He felt a little bad as it seemed that she ran the entire place herself. He collapsed into the bed and was surprised by the soft embrace of the mattress. “I haven’t felt this kind of comfort since I was home…” He closed his eyes and imagined his mother coming in to tuck him in. Had it not been for J-Hope jumping on the other bed he would have certainly dozed off for hours.

“This is so bouncy!” He was jumping like a child. He however wasn’t small like one. RapMon pressed into the mattress synchronized with his jump. “Ow sh.t!” J-Hope’s head smashed into the ceiling and made a small indent. Dry wall and dust fell onto the bed.

“Woops…” RapMon covered his mouth with regret while J-Hope was rubbing the spot on his head where he hit the ceiling. G-Dragon was fully aware at this point and was rubbing the bridge on his nose.

They all looked up and noticed the profound indent J-Hope’s head made. “We can pay for that.” RapMon said. “Uh no. You’ll pay for that.” They chuckled. There was a knocking on the door from Kim. “Is everything okay in there?”

They all beamed at the door. “We are okay! Everything is good!” RapMon assured her. “Are you sure? That sounded kind of bad. I should come in.” She began to unlock the door with her master key.

“No no!” G-Dragon held the door knob shut. RapMon yelled, “We are naked!” Kim immediately unhanded herself from the door and ran back. “I’m so sorry please take your time!” She covered her flushed face.

Kim usually kept her manner when attractive men came through. But whenever she came close to them when they were indecent, she would lose her cool. And these boys she could tell were Korean. And little did the boys know, she was quite the K-POP fan.

“Phew, that was a close one…” G-Dragon turned around to a half-naked J-Hope and RapMon. “Why are you…?” He looked at them with confusion. They hurriedly pulled their clothes back on. “Just in case, if she actually came in we would actually be naked!” G-Dragon sighed.

“I don’t know about you guys, but some food sounds real good right now.” RapMon rubbed his stomach. “I need some ice.” J-Hope’s head still hurt from the jump. G-Dragon put his arms around the two of them and huddled them in. “C’mon! Let’s fuel up and get ready for our night in L.A.!”