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☆ If It Isn’t Perfect, Is It Still K-Pop?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

What comes to mind when you hear the word “K-pop”? Is it the global boy band phenomenon BTS, wearing studded jackets and dancing in perfect sync? Or the girl group Blackpink, performing at Coachella in trendy fashions and perfectly curled hair? “Give me some more bass,” said Omega Sapien, a vocalist with electric-green hair and grills, swaying his hips and grunting to the beat. The studio was cluttered with art, vinyl records, dumbbells and other odds and ends.

Persons: ”, Omega Sapien Organizations: Coachella Locations: Seoul

A satellite city 22 miles northwest of Seoul, South Korea, Paju is small, with a population of around half a million. The streets are quieter than those of the bustling capital, the air cleaner and the pace of life half a beat slower. While many people know the city for its military base, Paju is also home to the nation’s elaborate book publishing hub — officially known as Paju Publishing Culture, Information and National Industrial Park but commonly referred to as Paju Book City. Around 900 book-related businesses, including printing presses, distribution companies and design studios line the streets, and signs reading “Paju Book City” are everywhere.

Organizations: Paju Publishing Locations: Seoul, South Korea

☆ Nokia to Cut 14,000 Jobs in Major Overhaul at Telecom Giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Jin Yu Young | More About Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nokia announced a major overhaul of its business on Thursday that includes slashing up to 14,000 jobs, or about 16 percent of its work force, over the next three years. The company employs 86,000 people and said the “reset” would reduce its costs by as much as 1.2 billion euros, or roughly $1.3 billion. Nokia once led the global mobile phone market, but it quickly fell behind the iPhone, which was released by Apple in 2007. Nokia sold its mobile phone division to Microsoft in 2013. Since then, it has focused on selling the back-end infrastructure of telecom systems to wireless companies, cable operators and other business buyers.

Persons: Pekka Lundmark Organizations: Nokia, “, Apple, Microsoft

That’s not an issue for QI.X, which doesn’t aspire to the immaculately styled look of the typical K-pop act (and, in any case, couldn’t afford the ensemble of stylists those groups have). They handle their own bookings and manage their social media presence, recording videos themselves to post on TikTok and Instagram. Many of the videos are shot at LesVos, an L.G.B.T.Q. Myoung-woo YoonKim, 68, who has run LesVos since the late 1990s, grew up at a time when lesbians were practically invisible in South Korea. “I would often think, ‘Am I the only woman who loves women?’” they said.

Persons: That’s, QI.X, YoonKim, “, ‘, ’ ” Organizations: Seoul Disabled People’s, Festival Locations: Seoul, South Korea

☆ What We Know About Canada’s Claims Against India About a Sikh’s Killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jin Yu Young | More About Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Nijjar was a self-proclaimed “Sikh nationalist who believes in and supports Sikhs’ right to self-determination and independence of Indian-occupied Punjab through a future referendum,” according to an open letter he wrote to the Canadian government in 2016. The Indian government declared Mr. Nijjar a terrorist in 2020, decades after he left India. It accused him of plotting a violent attack in India and leading a terrorist group called the Khalistan Tiger Force. Mr. Nijjar was shot in June near the Sikh temple that he led. On Monday, the Canadian prime minister told lawmakers that “agents of the government of India” had been linked to Mr. Nijjar’s killing on Canadian soil.

Persons: Nijjar, India ”, Nijjar’s Organizations: British Columbia, Khalistan Tiger Force, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Locations: Punjab, British, Canada, Punjab State, India

☆ Kilauea, Hawaii’s Most Active Volcano, Erupts Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jin Yu Young | More About Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kilauea, Hawaii’s most active volcano, erupted for the second time in three months on Sunday afternoon, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which said there was no immediate danger to residents. The observatory raised alert levels for Kilauea to a warning from a watch just under an hour before the eruption began. Livestreamed footage showed fissures at the base of the volcano’s main crater, Halemaʻumaʻu, generating lava flows on its surface floor. Kilauea, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii’s Big Island, last erupted in June, and the observatory had been closely monitoring it for another possible eruption since August. Increasingly frequent earthquakes, swelling of ground during the past few weeks and pools of magma flowing upward over the past 24 hours were all signs of an imminent eruption, according to the observatory.

Persons: David Phillips Organizations: United States Geological Survey Locations: Hawaii

☆ How the Pennsylvania Fugitive Scaled a Prison Wall and Escaped
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jin Yu Young | More About Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Place one hand on the wall in front of you, and then put the opposite foot on the wall behind you. This is how a convicted killer escaped from a prison near Philadelphia nearly a week ago, according to surveillance video released by the authorities on Wednesday. After that, officials said, he pushed through razor wires — installed after the previous inmate scaled the same wall — before reaching the prison’s roof. He ran across the roof, scaled a fence, pushed his way through more razor wire, and has eluded the police ever since. He added that officials should have further “bolstered” the prison’s defenses following the previous escape attempt.

Persons: Danelo Cavalcante, Cavalcante, ” Howard Holland Locations: Philadelphia, Chester

A white gunman shot and killed three Black people in a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday afternoon. The police said the shooting was a racially motivated hate crime. Around 11:40 a.m. on Saturday, the gunman left his parents’ house in Clay County, Fla., and headed toward Jacksonville in the next county, according to law enforcement officials. The shooter had written several manifestoes, the Jacksonville sheriff, T.K. Parts of these manifestoes detailed the shooter’s “disgusting ideology of hate,” Sheriff Waters said.

Persons: Waters Locations: Jacksonville, Fla, Clay County

A utility pole on Friday that had been damaged in the high winds this week in Lahaina, Hawaii. But Hawaiian Electric, the state’s largest utility and the parent company of the power provider on Maui, made wildfire prevention its lowest priority in a state regulatory filing in April. In fact, the utility had no plan to cut power to prevent further ignitions even after flames began consuming the island. The recent devastation on Maui served as a reminder that climate-driven disaster can strike anywhere. “From what we’ve learned, we believe the Lahaina fires could have been prevented had proper safety precautions been taken,” said Gerald Singleton, one lawyer who issued a release about potential lawsuits.

Persons: ”, Jennifer Potter, Potter, Jim Kelly, we’ve, Gerald Singleton, Nicole Lowen, Ms, ” Ms, “ Organizations: Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas &, Hawaiian Electric, Energy, Hawaii State Legislature Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, Maui, California, Lahaina, “, Hawaii

The death toll in Maui stood at 89 on Saturday night and was expected to climb even further, according to Gov. Many survivors in the region were relying on each other in the wake of the disaster. More federal emergency workers and active-duty military personnel were headed to the island to help with the search and rescue effort. It remains unsafe for residents to return because of toxic fumes and other dangers, Mr. Green said. “We are going to do some reviews so we can make things safer going forward,” Mr. Green said.

Persons: Josh Green of, ”, Ashlee Yap, Richard T, Bissen Jr, Green, Irving Sotelo, Sotelo, Mr Organizations: Gov, Radio Locations: United States, Maui, Josh Green of Hawaii ., West Maui, Honokowai, “, Lahaina, Maui County, Government

Devastating wildfires linked to climate change have lately become somewhat normal in the American West and beyond. In that sense, the Maui fires are nothing new. The ones on Maui this week are destructive in part because of the island’s isolation, fragile supply chains and dependence on tourism. The winds driving the fires, driven themselves in part by a hurricane passing hundreds of miles away in the Pacific Ocean, were expected to ease on Thursday. Phone service was down in some parts of the island’s west coast, including Hawaii’s former royal capital, Lahaina, where fire has been ripping through weathered wooden storefronts.

Persons: ”, Burgess Harrison, “ Organizations: Fire, U.S . Coast Guard, Hawaii Department of Health Locations: Maui, American, Maui and Minnesota, Minnesota, Hawaii, Lahaina

☆ South Korea Tells Scouts to Quit World Jamboree Site as Typhoon Nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jin Yu Young | More About Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After several setbacks at the World Scout Jamboree, the South Korea-hosted event faces yet another hurdle: As Typhoon Khanun makes its way to the nation’s coast this week, the participants will be leaving the campsite early. On Monday, the South Korean government informed the world Scout body that “an early departure will be planned for all participants at the 25th World Scout Jamboree from the campsite in Samangeum.” The scouts plan to move out of the site, which lies on a reclaimed wetland on the southwest coast of the peninsula, on Tuesday. The Scout authority cited an incoming typhoon as the primary reason for the premature departure. The host of the event, the Korea Scout Association, also listed “ongoing weather conditions” in a statement as the reason behind the early departure from the event’s main campsite. Typhoon Khanun is expected to make landfall on the nation’s southeastern coast on Thursday morning, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Persons: Khanun, ” Organizations: South Korean, Korea Scout Association, Korea Meteorological Administration Locations: South Korea, Samangeum

Video The attack on the Moscow buildings closed traffic on at least two large avenues, according to state media. Credit Credit... Reuters Smoke was rising from the top floors of a high-rise building in a complex for Leroy Merlin, a French home improvement store. Russia has fired missiles and drones at cities across Ukraine nearly every day while Russian cities, including Moscow, have been spared the violence of the war. Then on May 31, the Russian defense ministry said at least eight drones had targeted the capital and surrounding region. Ukraine has started to publicly take credit for attacks in Crimea, the peninsula that Russia illegally annexed in 2014, arguing that the attacks are happening inside Ukrainian territory.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Sergei Sobyanin, Leroy Merlin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Shawn Paik, Jin Yu Young, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: ., Reuters, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian National Defense Management Center, The New York Times, Credit, Military University, Central Military, Russian Armed Forces Locations: Moscow, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Komsomolsky, Russian, Moskva, Russia, Crimea

Eight years later, before Rory McIlroy’s victory, a forecast for thunderstorms led to a two-tee start for the first time in Open history. And when Shin played there in 2012, poor weather led to the third and fourth rounds being condensed into a single day. “But it’s going to be wet or it’s going to be very wet. Its men’s Open champions later included Bobby Jones and Peter Thomson. The 151st Open, Shin predicted, “will be the beginning of another history.”No.

Persons: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy’s, Shin, Hoylake, ”, ” Martin Slumbers, Harold Hilton, Bobby Jones, Peter Thomson, “ Organizations: Tiger, Royal Liverpool, 151st, Royal Locations: Royal North Devon, Royal

Ms. Kim said she found that in general, American audiences thought the extensive back stories about the contestants slowed the show. Korean audiences liked the back stories because they wanted to know more about the contestants. She was puzzled, because this was fast for Korean audiences — but not fast enough for American sensibilities. In South Korea, the action often does not start until the fourth episode because shows often follow the cadence of a story arc suited to a 16-episode broadcast TV schedule. But it also shows the new challenge that awaits Netflix — once something is a global hit, there are global expectations.

Persons: Kim, Netflix — Organizations: Netflix Locations: United States, Britain, South Korea, Japan, “, Korean, Netflix’s U.S

☆ What’s in Our Queue? ‘Hunger’ and More
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

What’s in Our Queue? ‘Hunger’ and MoreI’m a reporter-researcher in The Times’s Seoul bureau covering news from the South Korean peninsula. Lately I’ve been finding content that is not only entertaining but also transports its audience into another universe. Here are five things I’ve been watching, reading and listening to →

Persons: I’ve Locations: Seoul

SEOUL — The emergency siren began wailing at 6:32 a.m. Several minutes later, personal cellphones around Seoul were screeching with a government alert urging residents to “prepare to evacuate,” children and the old and weak first. For a half an hour on Wednesday morning, confusion and panic swept across this city of 10 million as news spread that North Korea had fired a rocket. Then, the next wave of messages hit: The South’s home ministry issued a notice saying the earlier alert was a “false alarm.”Anxiety soon turned into anger and exasperation. “They messed up big time,” said Lee Jae, an office worker in Seoul who woke up to the sirens. South Koreans, who have grown inured to North Korea’s frequent provocations, were met with a disturbing taste of how their country might respond to a major military attack on Wednesday when their government caused confusion with its public alert system at a time of heightened tension in the region.

Persons: ”, Lee Jae Locations: SEOUL, Seoul, North Korea, North

☆ South Korea Wants More Babies, Just Not in These Places
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last year, South Korea had a birthrate of 0.78, according to government figures. There are hundreds of no-kids zones throughout South Korea. The National Library of Korea, for example, prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from entering without special permission. This is the second time Ms. Yong has appeared at the National Assembly with her child. The National Assembly prohibits anyone other than assembly members and authorized personnel from entering, and is itself considered a no-kids zone.

☆ South Korean Actress Is Found Dead at 26
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jin Yu Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A young South Korean actress still early in a promising career was found dead in her home on Tuesday, according to the production company she had been working with. Although no cause of death was disclosed, the episode has renewed concerns about the mental health of young people working in South Korea’s highly competitive entertainment industry. The actress, Jung Chae-yull, 26, is the most recent instance of the phenomenon of celebrities in their 20s dying suddenly. “Actress Chae-yull has left our side on April 11, 2023,” Management S, Ms. Jung’s agency in Seoul, said in a statement on Tuesday. Both Ms. Song and Ms. Jung’s careers had begun only a few years before they died.

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