The 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival: Dates and Posters Revealed

We are proud to inform you that the dates for the 23^rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN or PIFAN) is out, along with the reveal of this year’s official posters.

The unicorn in Ridley Scott’s movie Blade Runner – the movie was based on a novel by Philip K. Dick – is said to be the main inspiration for the two posters for the 2019’s International Film Festival held in Bucheon, South Korea. As many of you know, Blade Runner is an acclaimed sci-fi movie, released in 1982; set in the year 2019. 

 

The two unveiled posters promote the science fiction genre, which is also the Korean Film Festival’s theme and concept for this year. Even for those who have watched the film (or its sequel Blade Runner 2049) may find it ambiguous on what the origami unicorn actually represents.

The first poster displays an image of an origami unicorn and Cells of Fantasy descending from a BIFAN spaceship, filling up the Bucheon’s sunsetting sky. Mountainous scenery with masses of buildings can also be seen below.

 

 

The second poster shows the majestic unicorn-shaped piece of origami that has now landed on a complex building of Bucheon, and a couple of spaceships, like the one featured in the first poster, invading the territory. And what looks like a streak of lightning lights up the night sky. The imposing unicorn doesn’t have eyes, but its stance makes one wonder whether it has the ability to see, dominate, or control the surrounding scene.

Through the two official posters of this year, BIFAN is evidently promoting the sci-fi genre, which is the primary concept for the 23^rd BIFAN, as mentioned.

The 23^rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival is to be held over the course of 11 days, from June 27 until July 7, 2019, in the city of Bucheon. Bucheon is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, known as a satellite city of Seoul, 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the country’s capital.

 

▶ Dates for the 23^rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival: From June 27 (Thurs) until July 7 (Sun) 2019.

▶ Dates for B.I.G 2019: June 30 (Sun) to July 4 (Thurs) 2019.

 

[INFORMATION & CONTACT]

Foreign Press Manager┃Jennifer EARWOOD

23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Jun 27 ~ July 7, 2019)

Fantastic Office Bldg. @Bucheon City Hall, 210 Gilju-ro, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, 14547, South Korea

M. +82 (0)10 5036 7019 F. +82 (0)32 322 9629

E-mail. bifan.intlpress@gmail.com, foreignpress@bifan.kr

 

 

 

—-J. Chung

 

In a sad piece of news, actress Han Ji Sung, 28, was killed in a three-car crash early May 8, 2019. Initially, Han’s name was not released.

According to reports, Han and her husband pulled over on the right lane of the Incheon International Airport Expressway, so her husband could use the bathroom. While he was away, Han exited the vehicle and was then struck by two cars in succession. According to the police, the vehicle’s warning lights were on.

According to Allkpop, Han was struck by a 56-year-old taxi driver and a 73-year-old male driver. Both may face charges in Han’s death.

Police are investigating why Han didn’t pull over on the shoulder and why she may have stepped out of the vehicle. However, since Han was killed on-impact, that answer may never be known.

“When I returned to the car after using the restroom in the vicinity’s bushes, the accident had already happened,” Han’s husband told the police.

Han’s acting resume included roles in the dramas Happy Sisters, Moonlit Gymnastics, Second to Last Love, and the film Sori: Voice from the Heart. She also had a role in the upcoming film, One Punch.

Prior to acting, Han got her start in Harvest Entertainment’s 2010 idol group B.Dolls where she went by the name Seo I. She appeared in the MV for “Winter Story,” the group’s second release. B.Dolls has been inactive since 2011 and is considered disbanded even though an official announcement was never made.

 

 

“Han Ji Sung left us in a tragic accident. She was a wonderful actress who had a great passion for acting. She had so much ahead of her in the future. It’s such a shame she passed away so suddenly,” one of Han’s acquaintances said.

We send our condolences to her friends and family.

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On May 6, 2019, Big Hit Entertainment announced plans to change TXT’s fan club name after the name, Young One, stirred controversy.

Fans weren’t happy that Big Hit’s male rookie group announced Young One was their chosen fan club name as it is the same name as Tiffany Young’s fan club. Young, who is still considered a member of Girls’ Generation despite leaving SM Entertainment in 2017, announced Young Ones as her fan club name in 2018 and expressed the significance of the name. Her fan club and SONE reached out to Bit Hit asking them to reconsider TXT’s fandom name.

On TXT’s fan café, an admin posted a message addressing the controversy.

Hello,

This is TXT’s official fan community manager.

After TXT’s official fan club name was announced on April 25, it has come to our attention that the name is currently being used by the fandom and fan club of other artists.

In the process of deciding on the official fan club name, similarities to pre-existing fan club or fandom names were not fully cross-checked.

We apologize to all the patient fans and anyone that might’ve been offended by the announcement.

At this time, we have decided to revise TXT’s official fan club name.

We plan to carefully and thoughtfully check the fan-submitted ideas before the official announcement.

Please check the announcement regarding the revision for more information.

Thank you.

When a new fandom name will be released has not been announced, but TXT fans may not have to wait too long, especially since Big Hit seems willing to appease fans and other fandoms. Stay tuned for a new fandom name!

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On May 7, 2019, Girls’ Generation member and actress Sooyoung signed with Saram Entertainment!

“Choi Sooyoung has showed stable performances through various characters, regardless of genre, including movies and dramas,” Saram Entertainment said. “She has proved infinite potential by continuing her global career based on a positive mindset and confident attitude. We will fully support her efforts to continue her activities in more diverse areas based on trust and communication.”

Sooyoung’s transition into acting has been met with much success. In 2014, she won the Excellence Award for the miniseries My Spring Days (MBC Drama Awards), and in 2015, she won the Actress Excellence Award for the same series at the 8^th Korea Drama Awards.

Since 2008, Sooyoung has appeared in 18 television, film, and variety roles.

While under Saram Entertainment, Sooyoung joins fellow celebrities Honey Lee, Uhm Jung Hwa, Kwon Yul, Go Sung Hee, Han Ye Ri, Lee Je Hoon, Jo Jin Woong, and Yoon Kye Sang.

You can check out Sooyoung’s acting chops in 2019’s TV series So I Married an Anti-Fan and the films Memories of Dead End and Girl Cops.

Congratulations to Sooyoung on her new agency!

 

—-Olivia Murray

Congratulations are in order again for BTS, as they just snagged two awards at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards!

During the May 1, 2019, BTS scored the “Top Social Artist” award for the third consecutive year. This year, they were nominated alongside EXO, GOT7, Ariana Grande, and former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson.

You voted and the results are in! Congrats @BTS_twt, our #BBMAs Top Social Artist! pic.twitter.com/javTPx2ces

— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) May 1, 2019

 

 

Additionally, the group also snagged the “Top Duo/Group” award. BTS won over Dan + Shay, Maroon5, Imagine Dragons, and Panic! at the Disco.

During their award speech, BTS thanked ARMY for helping them achieve the award.

In addition to winning their two awards, BTS performed “Boy with Luv” with Halsey.

 

 

Congratulations again to BTS on their wins!

—-Olivia Murray

 

May 2019 is shaping up to be a hot month for comebacks as Ladies’ Code have also thrown their hats into the comeback ring!

On May 3, Polaris Entertainment released a teaser photo featuring Ashley, Sojung, and Zuny with the comeback date as May 16, 2019.

This will be Ladies’ Code first comeback since “The Rain” and the mini album Strang3r in October 2016; they released the digital single “The Last Holiday” in December 2018.

Between group activities, Ashley and Sojung both released solo tracks. Sojung released “Better Than Me” and “Stay Here” and May 2017 and March 2018, respectively. Ashley released “Here We Are” in July 2018. Recently, Zuny was cast in her first drama role in the KBS2 drama Justice. The drama, which is set to air in July of this year, is about a lawyer who signs a contract with the devil in order to seek revenge on another man. Zuny will play a young woman who’s going blind named Shim Sun Hee.

Ladies’ Code’s contracts are also expected to be up this year as most K-Pop contracts last seven years, so there are fans that feel this may be Ladies’ Code’s last comeback before their contracts end.

We hope Ladies’ Code’s comeback will be successful. No matter what the future holds, we hope it’s bright for them!

 

 

Related: Check out our interview with Ladies’ Code that we held earlier this year!

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

On May 3, 2019, Banana Republic provided an update on the contract talks with EXID. In a statement, the company announced the LE, Solji, and Hyerin have renewed their contracts, while Hani and Junghwa have decided to look for new agencies.

Upon the announcement, Banana Republic released the following statement:

Hello, this is Banana Culture Entertainment. This is our official statement about EXID’s contracts.

Solji, LE, and Hyelin expressed their wishes to remain with the agency and re-signed with us. Hani and Junghwa have, after a long discussion with the agency, reached an agreement with us and decided to go their separate ways after their contracts expire at the end of May 2019.

The three EXID members who have renewed their contracts with us will be focusing on their individual promotions for the time being. Solji and LE are preparing to promote as solo artists, highlighting their singing, rapping, and producing talents, and Hyerin is planning on tackling a variety of broadcast and music activities with her various talents and appealing image.

EXID is an important group to Banana Culture as well as the fans, and as such, we are not thinking of this as the group disbanding. The members are also thinking of it more as a turning point from which they can take on new challenges. We are deliberating on ways in which EXID can promote together in the future.

We will do our best so that Solji, LE, and Hyerin can carry out stable and active solo promotions.

We also express our deep gratitude to Hani and Junghwa. Though their contracts are officially expiring, we sincerely wish them the best in their future endeavors.

We ask for your encouragement and support for the five members of EXID, who have new roads ahead. Thank you.

On May 3, Banana Culture also stated the group will make their final full-group comeback on May 15, 2019. In a statement, Banana Culture said the girls will carry out promotions overseas and domestically.

“EXID will be making a group comeback with a new mini album on May 15,” Banana Culture said. “After this mini album release, EXID will carry out various broadcast promotions both in Korea and overseas throughout May, before taking a temporary hiatus as a group. We have come to an agreement with Hani and Junghwa, who will not be renewing their contracts with us, that they will still carry out all of EXID’s comeback promotions to the fullest before they seek out new agencies.”

Banana Culture added, “As the members are preparing for a new chapter of their careers, they also said, ‘Let’s do our very best this time for our fans,’ and are currently practicing diligently. We ask for your anticipation and support toward the new album.”

The company and group are not using the word “disbanded,” so there is some hope they may work together in the future. We wish EXID the best with their future endeavors.

 

—-Olivia Murray

*Japan is made up of 6,852 islands. The four largest are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu – over 400 of these islands are inhabited.

*Japan’s capital city, Tokyo hosts over 36 million people. The name was originally “Edo” but got changed to “Tokyo” in 1890, in light of the Meiji Restoration. Tokyo is believed to be the second most expensive city in the world to reside in.

*The highest point in Japan is the Mount Fuji, at 3,776m (12,388ft). Over one million people climb the volcanic mountain each year, during the climbing season of July and August.

*Japan hosted the 1964 Summer Olympic games in Tokyo and will hold it again in the coming year of 2020. Japan also hosted the 1972 and 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo and Nagano.

 

 

*The birth rate in Japan, is categorized as one of the lowest in the world. There are more seniors than children, 21% of the Japanese population is elderly, which is the highest proportion in the world. (There are also more pets than children.)

*Japan has the second most McDonald’s in the world (after the U.S).

*Japan has more than 1500 occurrences of earthquakes per year, on average.

*Japan boasts of a public bathhouse culture which originated centuries ago.

*Japanese consumes more fish than any other nation in the world – around 17 million tons per year. It’s also common knowledge that Japan is famous for raw fish – sushi, but Horse meat is also considered a healthy delicacy, eaten sliced thinly and eaten raw.

*Geisha means “person of the arts” and the first geisha were men dressed as women.

*There are 19 Nobel Prize winners from Japan, which is highly impressive, considering that there are many nations that don’t have winners. 

*The Japanese citizens do not elect their political leaders directly, and have a parliamentary system of government, which was adopted from England.

*Baseball is hugely popular in Japan. It was first introduced by American Horace Wilson, who was an English professor at the Kaisei Academy in Tokyo. The first game ever held there was in 1873, in Tokyo.

*In Japan, the roads don’t have names and only displays numbers. Apart from in Kyoto and some Hokkaido cities, most Japanese streets are nameless.

*The Japanese typically eat KFC on Christmas Eve, ever since the 70s. Sales soars during this festive season.

 

 

*The Japanese enjoy fiesta; some companies allow employees to take 30-minute naps between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. This practice is called inemuri, and valued as a sign of dedication and hard work.

*Hikikomori refers to half a million young Japanese citizens, who seclude themselves from all social ties to spend most of their time on the internet, playing video games, pointlessly killing time alone, at home. This is considered a social issue which stemmed from a downturn of economy.

*Japan is known for Hello Kitty, Nintendo and Harajuku – and anything that is considered cute. The word “kawaii” is derived from a phrase that means “a radiant face” of someone who is embarrassed. This later mutated to the modern “cute” and means “able to be loved.”

*There is no tipping in Japan – it may be taken as an insult, so don’t consider doing it. 

*In Japan, the “go” lights are more of a turquoise or aqua color, and in some areas they’re just plain blue.

 

 

*For Russia and Japan, World War II isn’t over yet. Moscow and Tokyo never signed the peace treaty that would’ve ended the war. The animosity continued due to the territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, an island located between the two nations, which Russia invaded in 1945 and continues to occupy. Presently, 30,000 Russians live on the island with missiles pointed to Japan.

*Godzilla was given Japanese citizenship and appointed as the ward’s tourism ambassador.

*Japan is the only country in the world with a reigning emperor. The first time that the Japanese citizens heard their emperor’s voice was when he announced the country’s surrender in World War II, via radio.

*Japan owns more than a dozen UNESCO World Heritage sites.

*Scientists in Japan invented ice cream bars that do not melt. While they experimented to help farmers affected by the aftermath of the tsunami in 2011, they accidentally discovered a chemical that solidifies cream almost instantly, in a wholly organic way that will maintain its shape and not melt for hours.

 

 

— J.Chung.

 

After 19 days of denials, the now-former singer and actor, Park Yoochun (TVXQ, JYJ), has admitted to taking drugs. His admission comes days after he tested positive for drugs following a hair sample analysis and days following his arrest.

On April 29, 2019, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency stated that Yoochun confessed to the drug allegations after he began meeting with his former fiancée, Hwang Hana, again. The confession came after his April 27 questioning.

During his admittance, Yoochun said, “I was afraid to let go of myself. I feel like I need to accept what needs to be accepted and ask for forgiveness on the things that need an apology.”

Initially, Yoochun, who will be 33 in June, was charged with buying 1.5g of Philopon, a Japanese methamphetamine, and using it five times, but he also admitted to a sixth time where he used meth.

Meanwhile, Hwang Hana was arrested, but apparently has been released despite admitting her own drug use. She’s currently active on Instagram. As previously reported, articles and information pertaining to her confession and any mention to her connection to the Yoochun case have been removed from Korean media outlets. Hwang is the granddaughter of Namyang Dairy’s founder and allegedly has several chaebol connections.

Following Yoochun’s confession, his lawyer, Mr. Kwon, resigned from the case on April 30.

“I would like to notify that all of my activities regarding Park Yoochun will halt starting this day. Yesterday on April 29, Park Yoochun admitted to all of his charges, and is receiving his investigation in honesty this time, as reported by the media,” Mr. Kwon said. “Please understand that I was unable to respond to each reporter’s questions until now due to preparations for the police investigation and the arrest warrant decision.”The concession comes to the shock of his fans who stood by him and vehemently tried to refute the drug charges by stating the story was to cover the Burning Sun scandal. Those same fans tried to dispute questionable photos of Yoochun, while others tried to explain how meth could appear in one’s system even if a person never took it.

 

 

In Incheon, Yoochun’s name has been removed from Park Yoochun Cherry Blossom Road, a 5,500,000 won donation project from Blessings Yoochun, a fan club for the now-disgraced star. His name has been removed or painted over in each place where it appeared including nameplates attached to various contents from his interviews, dramas, and social media.

Yoochun was last active as a celebrity in February 2019 when he released “Slow Dance.”

 

 

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

Seungri’s scandal continues to get uglier, since another female is now claiming that she was raped by one of the men in question.

A reported on “SBS 8 O’Clock News”, on April 19, the woman who only goes by her surname Lee, visited Korea from abroad to give her testimony.

Lee made a statement that she was invited to a get-together overseas in 2016, to join Seungri, Roy Kim and former Yuri Holdings CEO (and Seungri’s business partner) and other unnamed members of their clique. She didn’t know any of the males but accepted the invitation, because her female friends were invited and they were promised separate sleeping space from the men. The SBS news broadcast also shared a chatroom conversation where Seungri said, “Eight have been recruited”, around the time of the event.

Lee revealed that she blacked out after having dinner and drinks with the men in the living room. By the time she woke up the next day, she was unclothed in bed in a room adjacent to the living room. She said, “My friends found me in another room connected to the bathroom but on the other side from where they originally left me. They were yelling at me to wake up and open my eyes. Apparently, they had been trying to wake me up for over 30 minutes. I’m known for being able to hold my liquor when I’m with friends, so I knew there had to be a different reason.”

When Jung Joon-young’s chat logs were released to the public, only then Lee realized what had happened to her, 3 years ago.

At the time, Kim had posted a video of her in their Kakao chatroom, where actor and former boyband member Choi Jong-hoon replied that it was too short. Jung got into the conversation that “(You) raped her”, and added laughing characters.

 

Kim: shares video file

Choi Jonghun: “What is this. It’s so short”

Kim: shares another video file

Choi Jonghun: “What is this. She is passed out”

Kim: “What if she is”

Jung Joon Young: (Lol) you r*ped her

 

When questioned by the police, Kim just claimed that the sex was consensual. As usual, Seungri’s representative also stated that the former Big Bang member was not aware of the incident. And like nothing ever happened, these men remained in contact with Lee until now. Lee commented, “I was always thought that I’d never have something like this happen to me. But anyone can become a victim. I don’t want there to be any more victims, I want them to be punished, so I thought I made the decision to come out.”

The police confirmed that Lee is the female in the video, Kim was then charged for engaging in sexual intercourse with someone unconscious or unable to resist, which would be categorized as rape.

——————————————————-

Many of you would totally agree that these reprehensible scandals have gone on long enough. It has just been reported that the authorities will decide whether to issue an arrest warrant on Seungri, by the end of this week. He’ll be facing a list of charges including, soliciting sex, usage of drugs, distribution illegal videos, issues surrounding Burning Sun nightclub and more.

The police have announced that they own enough evidence to prove all these charges, and that they are currently at the last stages of the investigation.

 

— J.Chung.

 

NATURE is a Korean girl group, consisting of nine members from Korea, Japan and China – the group has three sub-units – Charming, Twinkle, and Cutie. The name of their fandom is LEAF, which is a natural complement to the group’s name.

NATURE was formed by n.CH Entertainment in August of 2018, and the company’s founder is the former SM Entertainment executive Jung Chang-hwan. On August 3, 2018, NATURE made their debut with the single album Girls and Flowers, Allegro Cantabile, which is a remake of the opening to Nodame Cantabile, a Japanese anime. 

In August, NATURE won their first ever award, “New Artist of the Year” at Soribada Best K-Music Awards.

We would very much like to thank the members of NATURE and their staff for making this interview happen, as we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. As always, we wish that KCrush readers would enjoy reading and learning more about NATURE and their music.

 

Thank you for taking a time out for a KCrush Interview. Please introduce yourselves to our readers…

Aurora: Hello, this is Aurora of Girl group, NATURE. I’m 22 years of age, from Xi An, China.

Saebom: Hello, I am Saebom. Hope you all have a Happy Spring!

Lu: Hello, this is Lu ~ I am the leader of NATURE!

Chaebin: How are you? This is Chaebin from NATURE’s sub-unit Twinkle!

Gaga: Hello, everyone. I’m Gaga from NATURE.

Haru: Hello… This is the cutie powerful dancer, Haru!

Loha: Hello! I am NATURE’s Aloha ~ Loha, the happy virus!

Uchae: Hello! I am Uchae, the youngest blooming flower of NATURE!

Sunshine: Hello, I am Sunshine, the real “maknae” of NATURE ~

(*Uchae and Sunshine were born a month apart.)

 

What were your childhood dreams, while growing up?

Aurora: I wanted to be a comedian when I was in elementary school, and a teacher. I currently want to start my own business, selling board games.

Sae-bom: Musical actor, singer and kindergarten teacher, since I loved to dance, dance and also, children.

Lu: I wanted to be a singer or a celebrity.

Chaebin: I had vocal lessons since I was in elementary, so I wanted to become a professional opera singer. But I gradually got immersed in mainstream pop music that later enabled me to pursue a career in pop music.

Gaga: My childhood dream was to become an actor.

Haru: A dancer or a celebrity for me.

Loha: I always wanted to be an idol singer since the age of 5, and that dream never changed. I’ve always loved to dance and sing in front of an audience since I was really young.

Uchae: I had so many dreams while growing up. I wanted to be a singer, but also wanted to become a flight attendant, a vet, a police officer and many others…

Sunshine: I used to dream of becoming a firefighter, a chef and a flight attendant!

 

 

How did you form as a band?

Aurora: I was having a meal in Beijing, when I got a call from my dance teacher who told me to come for an audition.

Saebom: When I was at college, I wanted to learn how to sing, so I visited a music academy. The teacher there recommended that I should try out to be a singer; that is how I came to be a part of this company and debut as Sae-bom, a member of NATURE.

Lu: My voice coach recommended that I should take an audition at our company and that’s how I got to join this group.

Chaebin: After I sat for a college entrance exam, I was on my way home with a friend, and was casted by the team manager at our company.

Gaga: I was recommended to take an audition at my current company, and then started my training.

Haru: I was in Korea to study dance and then got casted.

Loha: I was a trainee at a different company for a while, then I made a decision to leave and returned to my hometown in Gwangju. I attended an academy there and started training. Our CEO had watched one of my K-pop cover videos, and asked me to come and take an audition. I got to join the group after passing the audition.

Uchae: I took part in a dance competition when I was a member of the dance club while I was in my third year of middle school. A staff at our company cast me, and I got in after taking an audition. I was trained for a while and became a member of NATURE.

Sunshine: In April of 2018, I went to watch an open audition held by various different talent agencies, and I was contacted by my current company. After about a month of talking to the people involved, I was made a member of NATURE straight away.

 

What has changed the most for you personally, since your debut as a group?

Aurora: My personality seems to have changed.

Saebom: There isn’t anything substantially different for me, but I can search myself on Naver, YouTube, Melon and anywhere else online now.

Lu: I’ve become more responsible of my performances.

Chaebin: Before, I wasn’t that interested in taking care of myself, but after we debuted, I see myself putting in the effort, so I think that has changed a lot for me.

Gaga: My way of thinking and dealing with problems has changed a lot. I think I’ve become more mature.

Haru: I’ve become more confident.

Loha: Firstly, I think my overall life has changed. Before debut, I had a more or less consistent lifestyle and routine. But now, we follow the given schedule which differs each day.

Secondly, I can look up “Kang Ye-jin” or “Loha” on the internet to find my photos, which is quite thrilling for me and my parents too.

Uchae: I would’ve normally been at school on weekdays, but I get to perform at broadcast stations now. Previously, I’d have been watching other people perform on TV, so this has changed the most.

Sunshine: I think my hairstyle has changed. I used to have long hair but since debut, I got it cut short into a bob.

 

 

Which song by Nature, are you the most attached to?

Aurora: 기분 좋아 (Girls and Flowers).

Saebom: I’m equally attached to all of our songs, but it would have to be 썸 (You’ll Be Mine) for me. I think we attracted the most attention when we had that single out, and the song was very unique from the usual style and concept. And since the choreography was very diverse, it felt more special. 

Lu: 기분 좋아 (Girls and Flowers). The lyrics sound confident and the song gives you a really great feeling.

Chaebin: 꿈꿨어 (Dream About U) for me! I love all the songs by NATURE, but I think that this one is very addictive. The people I know have also told me that they’ve listened to this song the most.

Gaga: “You’ll Be Mine” is the song that I’m the most attached to, the rhythm and style of this song are really to my liking and matches my style well.

Haru: ‘꿈꿨어 (Dream About U)’ which is about telling your boyfriend that you’ve dreamt of him.

Loha: NATURE – 썸 (You’ll Be Mine), since I made my debut through this song when I joined the group, and because I normally like to have parties and do exciting things, this goes well with a party girl theme. The beat and the rhythm sound so fun too.

Uchae: I like all the other songs, but I think Allegro Cantabile (너의 곁으로) is the one I like best, because it’s a debut single and the first ever music by NATURE.

Sunshine: NATURE – Hey Jude (OST from K-drama Spring Turns to Spring)

 

 

What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

Aurora: I have breakfast.

Saebom: Uhm… first I look at my phone. And drink water and then shower…

Lu: I go for a run.

Chaebin: I turn all the alarms off.

Gaga: Open my eyes?

Haru: I wash my face.

Loha: I yawn loudly and check the time from my phone. Then I watch two to three music videos that I like and lie around for a bit more, before I go and wash.

Uchae: I get up and wash up, then eat have an apple.

Sunshine: I yawn and turn the alarm off.

 

Tell us about your current hobbies or interests.

Aurora: I like spending time on the phone, watch animations, play games, and read novels.

Saebom: These days, I watch one or two movies (regardless of the genre), before going to bed. I also read books and write lyrics down on a note pad. I just write random things that come to my mind at night/dawn, and since I didn’t really learn it professionally, I’m just doing it as a hobby for now.

Lu: Crush is my favorite singer and I love to play the guitar. Crush makes music that I want to take after, while my guitar is my ambition and a lifetime companion.

Chaebin: My hobbies are going to the movies, the Coin Karaoke, and coffee shops to have iced Americano when my work for the day is over. I guess, it’s all about singing, watching movies and taking rest for me.

Gaga: I like watching dramas and movies in my free time, especially English and American dramas. Also, I love to travel and taste food with my friends all over the world.

Haru: Cooking.

Loha: I love watching American TV series and movies so much that I watch at least one episode before heading off to bed. I also enjoy doing decorating and interior designs. These days, I like to make my own choreography to some of my fav songs, or enjoy freestyle dancing with the music on. I also like interpreting lyrics to pop songs, which is a form of studying English as well.

Uchae: Since there are so many good songs out right now, I like to work out or read mystery novels with the music on. In the past, I used to like going out to movies and shopping a lot, but these days, I enjoy just sitting around and listen to songs.  

Sunshine: My hobby is listening to music, by looking closely into the meanings and emotions behind the lyrics! At times, I put a song on repeat to concentrate on the drums, base and piano.

 

Tell us which songs or albums you normally enjoy listening to.

Aurora: 徐佳瑩 (Lala Hsu) – 失落沙洲

Saebom: I love hip hop, old pop, country, and just about any type of pop music. The song I am into these days is Joji’s Slow Dancing in the Dark, which I listen to frequently.

Lu: Michael Jackson – Rock with You. Because it’s so up-to-date and trendy, that I can’t believe it was produced 40 years ago. I love the melody and the back chorus of the song.

Chaebin: I tend to listen to a variety of songs, instead of just sticking to one song, but I listen to Ariana Grande’s breathin, a lot.

Gaga: I listen to different kinds of music and it’s hard to tell which I like the most. However, if I had to pick just one, I would say Highschool musical. Cuz it’s the theme song of the movie I liked most when I was a student.

Haru: NATURE’s ‘썸(You’ll Be Mine)’! I hope you all check it out!

Loha: The song that I listen to the most often is, Anne-Marie’s 2002. Because I’m a romantic, I find the lyrics extremely romantic and it makes me feel like a main character from a romantic movie. The album which I listen to the most is Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next.

Uchae: I usually listen to a lot of R&B and ballads. I especially like listening to Baek Ye-rin and Crush sunbaenim the most.

Sunshine: Kim Kwang-seok – 잊어야 한다는 마음으로 (With A Determined Heart To Forget You), Kim Hyun-sik – 내 사랑 내 곁에 (My Love, Next To Me), Vinxen – 전혀 (Not at all), SF9 – Fall in Love, BTS – Rain, DALJOHNBAM 달 좋은 밤 – Liar, Taeyeon – Fine, and Apink – Wishlist.

 

 

What kind of food or beverages do you like the most or dislike?

Aurora: I like meat and dislike creamy foods.

Saebom: There aren’t any kinds of food that I dislike. I especially like anything made of flour, anything sweet, spicy and rich. I love tteokbokki and cheese balls, and I’ve been eating a lot of that lately. I also love pizza, sujebi, pasta, macrons, chicken and all kinds of meat! I love noodles too. Love it all.

Lu: I like sushi and ice cream. I don’t really have any foods that I dislike. 

Chaebin: I love chicken and pasta. I hate veggies. For beverages, I like them all, except for anything bitter. 

Gaga: For drinks, I like avocado milkshake the best. For food, it is definitely hot pot! I don’t think there is food that I don’t like.

Haru: I love macarons and cheese. There is no food that I can’t eat.

Loha: I really love pizza and pasta the most. I also like soda, sikhye and fresh strawberry juice. I dislike green bell pepper, paprika and broccoli. 

Uchae: I really don’t have any foods that I don’t like. I can eat just about anything so well. I love sushi the most. I’ve actually had a hundred of them when I went to a sushi buffet, the other day. 

Sunshine: I love coke the best. I dislike to eat peas, bananas, shellfish and cucumbers.

 

 

In your opinion, which color suits your personality the most?

Aurora: I don’t know which color suits my personality the best, but I like yellow and white because it’s clean and fresh that represents hope.

Saebom: Black or red! I chose these colors, since red seems fierce, strong and glam, while black has both calm and peaceful aspects to it.

Lu: White and red. 

Chaebin: White suits me the best! And it goes well with my personality as well. I am a pro-peace person and that may be the reason why.

Gaga: Light blue because it symbolizes freedom for me.

Haru: Pink.

Loha: The rainbow colors! I have extremely cheerful and eccentric personality and charm; which makes me very unpredictable and I suit all colors so well. 

Uchae: I like it’s indigo, for me. When I asked the other members, they said indigo suits me the most because of my quiet and calm personality. 

Sunshine: I think, purple goes well with me and my personality. The other members all said purple suits me too!!

 

 

Who do you admire/respect the most in the world?

Aurora: My mother!

Saebom: I don’t think I have one, as of yet.

Lu: No one.

Chaebin: Actress Jun Ji-hyun. I find it ever so fascinating that anyone can emit such natural and aura while acting.

Gaga: My parents. I am the only child in my family. My parents raised me for 18 years. Now, I’ve grown up but I had to leave and cannot accompany or look after them. They still support and inspire me a lot.

Haru: I don’t have anyone.

Loha: My parents and BTS sunbaenims for me! My parents are whom I admire and respect so much, purely by their existence. I love them more than anyone.

I admire BTS for working so hard and for still being able to focus and stay true to when they first got started. I admire and want to take after them, since they shine so much on stage and in everything they do.

Uchae: The emotional laborers. I recently saw a video about the subject, and I was very moved and cried when I saw how they handled and completed their required tasks, despite having to deal with people who were mad and rude to them.

Sunshine: The Korean poet Yun Dong-joo. I admire how he had his own way of doing independence movement.

 

 

 

What do you do to release stress and tension?

Aurora: I’m still searching for a way. 

Saebom: I take walks while listening to music. Or I find something that I can concentrate on, so I can forget about the issues that I am dealing with at the time. I also watch movies or find a book to read. 

Lu: I work out, play the guitar or watch movies.

Chaebin: I go out to watch movies with my friends to release stress, which helps a lot. 

Gaga: Eat. The best and fastest way to release stress is to keep eating delicious food with my friends.

Haru: I go for a run. 

Loha: I talk to my parents on the phone, or do a lot of energetic dances. I also go to sleep while listening to my fav songs, watch American drama series or movies.

I play with my dog, Wendy too!

Uchae: To release stress, I listen to music, while taking walks down Han River, meet up with family members or friends and have a nice meal or something. 

Sunshine: I listen to music or watch a movie. 

 

Do you have any habits that you’d like to fix?

Aurora: I tend to forget or lose things easily.

Saebom: I make a peculiar noise when I sneeze, and it’s pretty funny. I want to fix it to a more lady-like sound.

Lu: Want to stop being clumsy.

Chaebin: I don’t really have any.

Gaga: I like playing games so much that I sometimes forget to sleep, so I wanna change this habit.

Haru: I draw my eyebrows when I have free time.

Loha: I bite my nails, eat food any time I get hungry, and I have to watch a movie before falling asleep, even if I’m really fatigued.

Uchae: I want to stop having useless thoughts and stop worrying about things that will never happen.

Sunshine: I have a habit of continuously scratching my forehead when I’m in the waiting room.

 

 

Which country or venue would you most like to perform at?

Aurora: China.

Saebom: South Eastern countries, because I love the hot climate. I want to experience the passion from the crowds, and show our passion in return.

Lu: Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Chaebin: I can’t select just one place, and I’d love to go anywhere to perform.

Gaga: Definitely a world tour. But I want to perform in China the most. Since it’s my home country, and the best stage is a place where my family can see me doing what I do best.

Haru: Tokyo Dome.

Loha: My biggest goal is to perform at the Billboards Awards or the Grammy’s.

Uchae: If we can get our name out there, I’d love to go to perform anywhere!!! If we can get more people to become LEAF, then I would love to do a concert in Tokyo Dome! 

Sunshine: I want to perform at Seattle, in the States. My brother is there for his studies, and he has never seen me perform before. 

 

 

Tell us about your plans and wishes for the future – please say something for the fans too.

Aurora: For the fans that we haven’t gotten to meet yet – we are waiting and working ever so hard for the day when we can all meet. See you all, soon.

Saebom: Our goal is to show much more enhanced performances for our fans, LEAF, and be an inspiration to them. We’ll be working on our album so, see you all soon! Miss you lots!

Lu: We’ll be back with more to showcase. Don’t forget about us and we all look forward to our return ~

Chaebin: We’ll be back very soon! If given the chance, we want to show LEAF that we can act too. We’ll be back in no time, so please wait, love you LEAF. ♥.

Gaga: I will practice more to make further progress. For those who love me and support me, I will work harder become better, and not disappoint them.

Haru: Our goal is to let the world know about us. And we’re always so grateful for your support! We exist because of you, LEAF. Stay with us forever. ☺️

Loha: Our biggest goal is for NATURE to become successful, and my future plans would be to work hard to achieve and expand into acting and feature in commercials.

NATURE’s biggest ambition is to work hard to further develop ourselves, and go on to win a billboard or a Grammy award in the future.

We love you, LEAF, we’ll do our best to develop and grow so your time spent on giving us your love and support would not be wasted. Please stay with us in the future, as you’re doing now. Love you.

Uchae: We spent quite a long time promoting SOME and Dream About U – we managed to pull it off, thanks to all the people who came to see and support us. We aren’t certain when we’ll be back as of yet, but we’ll make sure to showcase a better version of NATURE that we can be proud of! I love you, LEAF! ♥ We hope that we can become a global group, and get to do what we want as individuals as well!

Sunshine: We’ll do our best to improve and enhance in various ways, so we’ll be back with great music for our fans in the future. We’ll also communicate with our international fans, a lot more too!!

 

 

 

— J. Chung.

 

Earlier, it was reported that HELLOVENUS would disband when their contracts end in May. Originally, Fantagio Entertainment denied the group would disband, but on April 26, 2019, Fantagio finally confirmed the female group will no longer be a group in a statement.

Hello. This is Fantagio Music.

First of all, we express sincere gratitude to the fans who have cherished and loved the group Hello Venus for a long time. The exclusive contracts of some members of Hello Venus (Alice, Nara, Lime, Yooyoung, Seoyoung, Yeoreum) with Fantagio Music will expire on May 8, 2019. After much discussion with the members about Hello Venus’s future activities, we came to the agreement to show support for each other in each individual’s desired activities in various areas for the futures of the members. Although the Hello Venus members still have a special relationship, we would like to cheer them on for each other individual paths.

Seoyoung and Yeoreum, who joined as Hello Venus members in 2014, will continue activities under our agency, and we are positively discussing with Yooyoung and Lime about contract renewals. Lastly, Alice and Nara made final decisions to [leave] on a positive note to chase their new dreams, and we have decided to respect those decisions. We express our gratitude to the six members of artist Hello Venus, who have always shown their best from their debut until now. In addition, we will cheer on and support the desired individual paths of each of the members, and we will do our best to help so that they can grow in the future. We express our sincere gratitude to the many fans who have sent constant love and support to Hello Venus over the past seven years, and we ask for your warm interest and support for the members who are awaiting new beginnings.

Thank you.

On April 27, Nara posted a letter to fans on her Instagram.

Hello. This is Hello Venus’s Nara.

It’s been a long time since I say hello with a handwritten letter. I am going to write this in a calm and orderly way with a heavy heart. You probably heard the news yesterday through the media. Alice and I will be starting fresh after leaving Fantagio, who we have been with for nine years. With the contract ending on May 8, even while working on my project, I made this decision after thinking it over a lot with the members and the agency. Although I am sad and also upset, this is the decision we made to show you each of our own dreams and to do our very best. Hello Venus’s debut on May of 2012 seems like yesterday and is still vivid in my mind. All Hello Venus members made many promises to fans, but I am sorry that we couldn’t keep them all.

 

All this time, I’ve wanted to do my best as Nara, and I’ve wanted to keep the promises I made to fans, but my heart aches because I don’t think I kept them all. Instead of thinking of it as the end of Hello Venus, I will think of it as another beginning to show my best to fans and will continue trying to show my best at all times. Please continue to watch over not only me, but also Alice, Lime, Yooyoung, Seoyoung, and Yeoreum, as we will do our best to show our best. So, I hope Hello Cupids are not too hurt. Also, I sincerely thank the people in Fantagio, who have been with me for nine years. All this time, I felt a lot of support when thinking about the love Hello Cupids gave to Hello Venus, and I was able to work while developing wonderful dreams.

Although I won’t be able to repay you as Hello Venus, I will work even harder to repay the love that you have given me so far as former member of Hello Venus, Kwon Nara. I hope you are always healthy and happy.

Hello Venus’s Nara. April 27, 2019.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

안녕하세요. 헬로비너스 나라입니다. 오랜만에 손편지로 인사드리네요. 무거운 마음으로 차근차근 써 내려가 보려고 합니다. 어제 기사를 통해 이 소식을 접하셨을 텐데요. 저와 앨리스 언니는 9년 동안 함께했던 판타지오의 품을 떠나서 새로운 시작을 하려고 합니다. 계약이 5월 8일 종료되어 작품을 하는 중에도 멤버들과 회사 분들과 함께 많은 고민을 하고 내린 결정입니다. 속상하기도 하고 슬픈 마음이 크지만 개개인의 꿈과 더 좋은 모습들을 보여 드리기 위해 내린 저희의 결정입니다. 2012년 5월 헬로비너스가 데뷔한 게 엊그제 같고 아직도 생생하네요. 헬로비너스 멤버 모두가 팬분들께 약속한 게 많았지만 다 지키지 못해서 죄송합니다. 그동안 나라로 정말 최선을 다하고 싶었고, 팬분들께 약속드린 걸 지키고 싶었는데 다 못 지킨 것 같아서 그게 제일 마음이 아픕니다. 헬로비너스로 끝이라는 생각보다는 더 좋은 모습을 팬분들께 보여드릴 수 있는 또 다른 시작이라 생각하고 어디 있든 언제나 좋은 모습 보여드릴 수 있도록 노력하겠습니다. 저뿐만 아니라 앨리스 언니, 라임, 유영, 서영, 여름 또한 더 좋은 모습 보여드릴 수 있도록 최선을 다할 테니 지켜봐 주셨으면 좋겠습니다. 그러니 헬로큐피트 너무 마음 아파하지 않으셨으면 좋겠어요. 그리고 9년 동안 함께해주신 판타지오 식구들 정말 감사합니다. 그동안 저는 헬로비너스를 사랑해주신 헬로큐피트 생각에 항상 든든하고 힘이 되었고 멋진 꿈들을 키워가면서 활동했습니다. 헬로비너스로 보답해드릴 순 없겠지만 헬로비너스였던 권나라로서 그동안 주셨던 사랑 보답해드릴 수 있도록 더욱 열심히 활동하겠습니다. 항상 건강하시고 행복하시길 바랍니다. – 헬로비너스 나라 올림- 2019. 4 . 27

A post shared by kwonnara (@hv_nara) on Apr 26, 2019 at 10:53pm PDT

 

As Fantagio’s statement suggests, the members will pursue their own individual activities. We wish the soon-to-be former HELLOVENUS members luck in their future activities.

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

Dallas BLINKs will now only have one chance to see BLACKPINK in concert as the May 9, 2019 concert has been canceled without an explanation.

While there was speculation the show may be canceled following Ticketmaster’s removal of the May 9 ticketing page, confirmation came April 27 from both Ticketmaster and AXS that the show has been canceled.

 

 

YG Entertainment has yet to provide a reason for the cancelation, but an explanation may be provided soon. AXS and Ticketmaster will be providing refunds to fans in the coming days.

The May 8, 2019 concert in Dallas/Ft. Worth will still go on according to AXS. The concert will be performed at the Forth Worth Convention Center Area at 8pm local time. On Ticketmaster, tickets are available for resale for various locations across the area. Tickets are not available on the AXS site.

Meanwhile, BLACKPINK successfully performed at Coachella and wrapped up their shows in Los Angeles and Chicago.

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

May’s already looking like an exciting month for comebacks!

On April 26, 2019, Oh My Girl (OMG) and Weki Meki both announced that they will be making comebacks in May.

OMG released a teaser image April 26 showing the girls dressed as dancers in an oil painting. WM Entertainment states the new album—OMG’s first full album—will be released May 8. The album, titled The Fifth Season, will be OMG’s seventh overall release and the first since Remember Me in September 2018.

“Oh My Girl has officially set their comeback date for May 8. As this will be the group’s first full-length album since their debut, the members are working harder than ever to prepare for it. Please anticipate Oh My Girl’s comeback,” WM Entertainment said.

News of OMG’s comeback was released April 10 when WM Entertainment said, “Oh My Girl are currently preparing a new album with aims to release in early May. Please look forward to it.”

 

 

This past January, OMG successfully completed a U.S tour. Their first U.S Tour visited Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Indio, and San Jose.

Meanwhile, Fantagio Entertainment announced that Weki Meki will also return in May, but an official comeback date has not been released.

Weki Meki’s comeback will be their first in seven months. In October 2018, they released their first album, Kiss, Kicks, and the single “Crush.” The group debuted in 2017.

Are you excited for the returns of OMG and Weki Meki?

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

K-Drama fans had a chance to rejoice this week as actor/singer Lee Minho and actor Ji Chang-Wook have been discharged after completing their mandatory military service.

Lee, who served as a social worker at the Suseo General Social Welfare Center in Gangnam, was discharged April 25, 2019. He began his service May 2017. Lee was unable to enlist as an active duty soldier as past injuries kept him from doing so.

During his last day of service, fans from around the world greeted him with signs and well wishes. On Twitter, #WelcomeBackLeeMinho trended.

After his final day, Lee took to Instagram and posted a picture of his dog alongside gifts from fans and expressed his gratitude with a simple “thank you.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

고마워요

A post shared by L (@actorleeminho) on Apr 25, 2019 at 4:19am PDT

 

On April 27, 2019, Ji Chang-Wook was discharged from the Cheorwon Artillery Brigade in Gangwon Province after serving his mandatory duties. The Empress Ki actor warmly greeted fans as he left the base on his last day of service.

“It still hasn’t hit me, so I don’t quite feel like I’ve been discharged yet. I think it may finally sink in tomorrow or so,” Ji said when asked about his discharge. “I feel nervous greeting [fans] for the first time in in a long while. I’ve finally been discharged, and I will greet you again with good things and even better projects in the future. Please look forward to it a lot. Thank you.”

Upon his discharge, Ji has already received casting offers. He’s currently in talks to star Jang Jin’s City of Stars and tvN’s upcoming romantic comedy Please Melt Me.

Are you excited to see the return of Lee Minho and Ji Chang-Wook? What were your favorite dramas from these two actors? Let us know!

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

Korean R&B artist and rapper, DΞΔN, will be releasing an English single in the United States this coming May!

DΞΔN (Kwon Hyuk) posted the news in his Instagram story April 24, 2019. The post, which is written in Korean and English, states “new U.S. single in May. Keep yo eyes on me.”

Details about the upcoming single have yet to be released, but fans will be anticipating the 26-year-old’s latest track.

This isn’t DΞΔN’s first U.S track as he’s had a few since 2015. He debuted in the U.S. with “I’m Not Sorry,” a track he performed with Grammy winner Eric Bellinger.

DΞΔN recently made his Korean comeback March 26 with the track “dayfly” featuring Sulli. He’s also been touring with You Will Knovv (Rad Museum, Juseon, 2xxx! and Reone) for their Dean x You Will Knovv World Tour. Over the weekend, the tour landed at The Bataclan in Paris, France.

Are you excited for DΞΔN to make his U.S. comeback?

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

TXT (Tomorrow X Together) announced their official fan club name on April 25, 2019.

Big Hit Entertainment’s rookie group chose “Young One” as their fan club name after looking over fan name submissions provided by their fans.

The name “Young One” means “we were nothing and then we became one.” “Young” means “zero” in Korean according to the official release on their international fan cafe, and when paired with “one” (Young-won), the name also means “forever.”

 

 

However, while the name and meaning may be cute, controversy arose soon after the name’s announcement.

Fans took issue with the fan club name as it is also Tiffany Young’s official fan club name. Tiffany announced “Young One” as her official solo fan club name in September 2018 during her Bangkok, Thailand  Over My Skin concert.

 

Not to be possessive but ‘Young One’ belongs to us heres a receipt pic.twitter.com/VfO3eCujxQ

— ᴀɴᴊ ? (@titaeny) April 25, 2019

 

In addition to the “forever” meaning (Young-won), the fan club name also symbolizes her stage name (Tiffany Young) and her birth name (Miyoung).

“Young Ones because it means forever, and you guys are my forevers,” Tiffany said during the announcement. “I used to always write MY SONEs, [meaning] Miyoung SONE. Young One has this connection to SONE, and together, we’re forever. I mean because we’re always going to be forevers. So, I decided to go with Young Ones!”

On TXT’s fan café, fans have asked for the fan club name to be changed. One fan wrote “Big Hit robbed a 12-yr senior.”

The K-Pop side of Twitter shares the same sentiment as many feel TXT’s use of “Young One” is disrespectful to Tiffany and her longevity in the K-Pop industry. Some fans even feel the use of the name is disrespectful to SONE as a whole.

 

 

However, while some do take issue with the name, overall, discussions have been amicable regarding trying to solve the issue and wanting TXT’s fandom name changed. Fans have called on other fans to contact Big Hit Entertainment to try to solve the fandom name issue.

 

Please YoungOne & Sone send your emails to community@bighitcorp.com to clear up the misunderstanding of them using it for another artist. Both artists deserve better & @tiffanyyoung deserves so much more & it means a lot to her! ?? @holleratmeboo @BigHitEnt @TXT_bighit @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/PyTYFgBmLy

— YoungOne is for Tiffany Young ? (@ohmygoshsoshi9) April 25, 2019

 

What are your thoughts about the name issue? Should TXT and Big Hit change the name since Tiffany had it first? Share your thoughts!

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

All parties are considered innocent until proven guilty.

Current JYJ and former TVXQ member Yoochun announced his retirement from the entertainment industry after testing positive drugs. C-Jes Entertainment released a statement regarding Yoochun’s departure from the industry.

Hello, this is C-Jes Entertainment.

We have been following the investigation with trust in Park Yoochun’s claims that he was innocent, but yesterday, we learned through news reports that the National Forensic Service results showed positivity.

Despite waiting for good results in the investigation with trust in our artist, we were faced with such news reports, and feel miserable. After concluding that we cannot reestablish a trustful relationship with Park Yoochun, we have decided to cancel our exclusive contract with the artist.

As previously stated, Yoochun will retire from the entertainment industry, canceling all future schedules from today forward in order to submit to the court’s official decision.

We are aware of the severity of this situation and feel great responsibility; we will make sure that such disconcerting events do not happen again through strict regulations and changes in policy.

Once again, we bow our heads in apology for causing concerns.

On Monday April 22, 2019, South Korean National Forensic Service stated that Yoochun’s drug test came back positive for methamphetamines (reportedly Philopon, a Japanese methamphetamine). Testing occurred April 16, 2019. Initially, urine samples turned up negative, but according to The Korea Herald, a hair sample led to the positive result.

The news comes after video surfaced allegedly showing Yoochun picking up a package after he purportedly wired money to a drug dealer’s bank account.

Yoochun denied these allegations during a press conference.

“There was evidence that supports his purchase of drugs, but there wasn’t enough verification to prove his drug-taking. This result will corroborate Park’s drug use,” a police officer said when the CCTV footage was released. “We asked for an arrest warrant because of concerns that Park, who has denied any wrongdoing so far, might attempt to get rid of evidence.”

The police have also asked for Yoochun’s pre-trial detainment as they fear Yoochun may try to destroy evidence. He is also banned from leaving the country.

Yoochun has been under investigation for drug use following claims by his ex-fiancée, Hwang Hana—the granddaughter of Namyang Dairy’s founder—that he used drugs with her.

 

 

Hwang Hana, in a related case, has been accused of drug trafficking in addition to using them.

In Hwang’s case, Sports DongA reported on March 31, 2019, that her name came up several times as a drug distributor in a drug case involving a college student. The student, identified as Cho, has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison along with a three-year probation sentence. Cho’s court case occurred in 2016 for his 2015 charges, and Hwang did not receive punishment despite being named as the person who allegedly bought and sold meth and used it along with Cho.

In 2011, she also had another drug case against her for marijuana usage, but the prosecution dropped the case.

Recent accusations started to come forward against Hwang and Yoochun after Hwang took to Instagram and threatened to “expose” Yoochun for sexual abuse and animal abuse among other claims.

Around the time of the post, the Burning Sun controversy started to explode, so nothing came of the allegations until April when both Hwang’s and Yoochun’s alleged drug use, buying, and selling came to light. However, Hwang’s drug allegations have been under investigation since October 2018.

According to police, Hwang provided a statement saying she and Yoochun did drugs together at the beginning of 2019. In her statement, Hwang said they did drugs together “two to three times,” an allegation Yoochun denied at the time.

In relation to the usage claims, SBS 8 O’Clock News reported that Hwang and Yoochun may have used drugs together more than five times. Yoochun has stated the two parties did meet at  hotels and at Hwang’s home, but they did not use drugs together during those meetings.

At his press conference April 10, 2019, Yoochun said, “I was afraid that the media will think I did drugs when I’ve never done such a thing. After the break up, I was threatened by Hwang Hana but because she’s someone who stood by me during a difficult time, I felt responsibility and was sorry to her. But I have nothing to do with drugs.”

On April 22, 2019, Yoochun’s legal representatives filed a lawsuit against MBC for “reporting false facts” regarding Yoochun’s involvement with drugs, specifically in relation to the CCTV footage of him allegedly picking up drugs.

“Today, at the Seoul Western District Court, we filed a lawsuit for compensation of damages against MBC and requested for them to make corrections to their MBC Newsdesk report on April 18, News Today report on April 19, and the 12 MBC News report. We have also filed a lawsuit for compensation of damages against the reporter that reported the contents,” lawyer Kwon Chang Bum said.

As of April 24, 2019, it’s not clear if Yoochun and his representatives will continue with the lawsuit.

Hwang has been linked to the controversies surrounding Burning Sun and the celebrities involved in the scandal. MBC reported that Hwang was a frequent visitor to the club and is allegedly friends with Burning Sun MD Cho.

Cho, who was arrested for using meth, marijuana, and ecstasy while working at Burning Sun, has stated he used drugs with Hwang.

 

 

In relation to her purported drug allegations, Hwang reportedly has not been cooperating with police. In some instances, prosecutors have dropped allegations leading to the belief that she has been receiving favorable treatment due to her chaebol connections, which has caused police to open a probe into these allegations. Fueling suspicions that Hwang’s chaebol connections have been working in her favor, after news broke that she failed her recent drug test, news about Hwang disappeared across different Korean media, leading Knetz to believe her connections paid off the media to have content removed.

Investigations into Yoochun and Hwang are still ongoing. A hearing is expected to take place April 26, 2019 to determine the validity of a pretrial detention order request for Yoochun.

This is not the first time Yoochun has been involved in legal trouble. In 2016, allegations surfaced suggesting Yoochun abused and sexually assaulted women on multiple occasions. Those charges were later dropped. However, one of the alleged victims filed a recent lawsuit against him stemming from an alleged incident between the two.

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

On Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, a wave of bombings killed over 300 people and injured dozens in what authorities consider an organized act of terror even though a group has yet to come forward claiming responsibility. Eight suicide bombings occurred across Sri Lanka in Kochchikade, Negombo, Colombo, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and Batticaloa. The attacks are considered the country’s worst since the civil war ten years ago.

At around 8:45am local time, the attacks occurred at churches and hotels on the Western part of the country apart from Batticaloa to the East. In three of the cities, the attacks occurred during Easter services at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church Negombo, and the evangelical Zion Church in Batticaloa. The Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La Hotel, and The Kingsbury in Colombo were also attacked during the simultaneous explosions, while a seventh blast occurred at a hotel in front of the Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. During a police raid, another blast occurred at a private house in Mahawila Gardens, Dematagoda. During the raid, three police officers were killed.

“When crime division officials started questioning the people in the house, two explosions occurred,” police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said. “One sub inspector and two constables of police have been killed.”

On Sunday evening, a large pipe bomb was found on a road leading to Colombo’s airport’s main terminal and defused by the Sri Lankan air force.

“It was a homemade bomb, with explosives put into a pipe,” a Sri Lankan police source said.

“It was a crude six-foot pipe bomb that was found by the roadside,” an air force spokesman said. “We have removed it and safely defused it at an air force location.”

As of this writing, police still do not know who carried out the attacks, but 24 people have been arrested in connection to the bombings based on intel received during the investigations. Among those arrested include a driver that allegedly took suspects to the Colombo area to carry out the attacks; the driver’s van was also seized.

“There is also information that these have been suicide bombings carried out,” Manisha Gunasekera, high commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom, said.

According to The New York Times, Sri Lankan officials received intel that church attacks may occur. In an advisory sent by the Sri Lankan police, police warned government officials.

“You should instruct all personnel to pay strict heed to this report and be extra vigilant and cautious of the V.I.P.s and locations coming under your purview,” wrote Priyalal Dassanayake, the deputy inspector general.

The report, received ten days prior to the attacks, named a radical Islamist group, National Thowheeth Jama’ath, as the possible suspects to carry out the attacks. However, it is unclear if safeguards were in place. Sri Lanka’s prime minister pointedly said he had not been informed of any intel regarding the potential for attacks.

 

 

Christians and tourists appear to have been the targets of the attacks according to police. Christians make up 7.4 percent of Sri Lanka’s population, making it the minority religious group. According to census data obtained by CNN, 70.2 percent of Sri Lankans identify as Buddhist, 12 percent Hindu, while 9.7 percent identify as Muslim.

“This is an attack against the whole of Sri Lanka because Sri Lanka is (a) multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country, and the whole country comes together in celebration of Easter Sunday,” said Gunasekera.“These are certainly acts of terror.”

“We mourn the loss of innocent lives due to extremist and violent elements who wish to create divides between religious and ethnic groups to realize their agenda,” the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka said in a statement.

In a statement, the Minister of Finance, Mangala Samaraweera, said the attacks are “a diabolical attempt to create racial and religious tensions in this country yet again, thereby pulling the country backwards.”

As the death toll continues to rise, police already confirmed that at least 30 foreigners were victims of the attacks as well. Among the dead, two were Chinese citizens, while others include five British nationals, two victims that had dual citizenship for the United States and the United Kingdom, two Turkish nationals, three individuals from Denmark, and three people from India.

As investigations continue, the Sri Lankan government opted to block social media access in order to prevent the spread of false information. Among the social media blocked included WhatApp, Instagram, Facebook, Viber and SnapChat.

“I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation,” prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

In addition to the social block, officials have instilled a country-wide 6pm curfew that is expected to last until Monday.

 

Clarification on curfew: to kick in from 6 p.m. this evening till 6 a.m. Monday, according to president’s office reports @Meerasrini ��https://t.co/fwEEywAuAY

— Devjyot Ghoshal (@DevjyotGhoshal) April 21, 2019

 

Amidst the chaos, Sri Lankans are coming together to help those in need as volunteers rushed to donate blood.

“Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim & others are donating because we are humans with the same blood & same spirit of compassion. Nobody can deny our common humanity,” the Minister of Finance, Samaraweera, said.

The investigation is rapidly developing with information coming out hourly. We send our thoughts to the victims and to Sri Lanka, and we wish for peace for all people so senseless tragedy and hate will stop.

Photo Credits: Getty Images

 

 

 

—-Olivia Murray

 

MustM Entertainment’s seven-member rookie group, MustB, was involved in a car accident April 21, 2019 at around 3:40am KST.

The accident, which claimed the life of the group’s manager, occurred on Seoul’s Olympic-daero  between the Seoulgyo and Yeouigyo bridges heading toward Jamsil. The group was returning to their dorm following a performance in Daegu. The van MustB rode in struck a guard rail.

The group’s manager—identified as a 36-year-old male with the surname Son—was the driver of the vehicle. He sustained serious injuries in the crash and was transferred to Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Four of the MustB members suffered minor injuries, though police have not identified which of the members sustained injuries.

Police are currently investigating the accident by questioning MustB members and examining the vehicle’s black box to help determine the cause of the crash. One theory police have come up with is drowsy driving.

This isn’t the first time a K-Pop group has been involved in a car accident as several groups over the years have been in crashes. However, one of the most tragic instances occurred September 2014 when Ladies’ Code was involved in an accident that claimed the lives of members EunBi and RiSe.

MustB debuted January 30, 2019 with the song “I Want U.” The group consists of members Taegeon (formerly of M.Crown and Challenger), Hawoon (formerly of N.T.B and Challenger as Jeeho), Sangwoo (formerly of Pure Boy, Blast, Underdog, and Hi5), Wooyeon, DoHa (formerly of Underdog and Hi5), Soohyun, and Sihoo.

We wish MustB members a speedy recovery. We send our condolences to the family of manager Son.

 

 

—-Olivia Murray