Journalist

LEE SOO JIN
  • Explosion, Fire Reported on Korean-Operated Ship in Strait of Hormuz; Government Checking if It Was Attacked
    Explosion, Fire Reported on Korean-Operated Ship in Strait of Hormuz; Government Checking if It Was Attacked The South Korean government said it was checking the facts after an explosion and fire broke out on a Korean shipping company’s vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States launched what it calls the “Project Freedom” operation using warships and military aircraft to help civilian ships transit the area. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the incident occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Korean time on May 4 on a vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company that was anchored near the United Arab Emirates in waters around the Strait of Hormuz. The ship was identified as the HMM NAMU, which sails under the Panamanian flag. The ship had 24 crew members on board — six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals — and no casualties had been reported as of the latest information, the ministry said. The ministry said it was investigating the cause of the explosion and fire and the extent of any damage. “We will take necessary measures to ensure the safety of our ship and crew while communicating closely with relevant countries,” it said. Yonhap News Agency reported that HMM said a fire broke out near the port side of the engine room after an explosion-like sound of unknown cause. Crew members carried out their own firefighting efforts, and no injuries were reported. The incident has raised questions about a possible link to military clashes during the U.S. “Project Freedom” operation. With tensions rising between the United States and Iran, there has been speculation the ship may have been attacked, but the government said it was still confirming whether it was hit. South Korea’s Oceans Ministry said 26 South Korean-flagged ships are currently inside the Strait of Hormuz, including nine oil tankers and car carriers. It said 160 South Korean crew members are staying in the strait area — 123 on South Korean-flagged ships and 37 on foreign-flagged ships. They have been unable to leave the area for the past two months as Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has continued. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-05 06:48:13
  • Netflix’s ‘Girigo’ Turns a Familiar Teen Horror Setup Into Korean Shamanic Occult
    Netflix’s ‘Girigo’ Turns a Familiar Teen Horror Setup Into Korean Shamanic Occult * This review contains spoilers. There is an app called “Girigo.” Users hold a paper with their fortune written on it, speak a wish, record the moment on video and send it in. The app grants the wish — then starts a 24-hour timer. When the countdown ends, the person who made the wish dies. It is a familiar setup, common in teen horror across cultures. Netflix’s series “Girigo” opens with students in school uniforms trying the app as a prank, only to meet brutal deaths. Through the middle of Episode 2, the show appears to follow well-worn genre tracks. Then it pivots, shifting focus to shaman Haetsal (Jeon So-nee) and her partner, Bangul (Noh Jae-won), and moves decisively into a different lane. That lane is closer to “K-occult.” “Girigo” leans more heavily than expected into traditional Korean shamanism, setting it against the menace of a smartphone app. The clash between two very different kinds of “power” drives the series. The app’s threat is established with graphic violence that does not pull back. Hyeonguk (Lee Hyo-je), the first of five close friends dating back to middle school to die, slashes his own throat with a large box cutter. The scene is not obscured by editing; it is shown in close-up and repeated. Viewers sensitive to gore may drop out early. Another graphic moment follows when Geonwoo (Baek Seon-ho), under the app’s curse, rakes his own eyeball with a fingernail. Just as the show seems poised to become a straightforward slasher, Haetsal appears — a shaman portrayed as protected by a deity. With Haetsal and Bangul in the story, the series follows ritual procedures aimed at stopping the curse the app spreads. Shamanic tools, presented as carrying divine force, are used to produce what the show frames as spiritual feats. The hook is watching how an evil spirit inside a modern app collides with a distinctly Korean shaman. The curse is tied to a “red phone,” described as a kind of hexed object, and the conflict ends only if Haetsal can plant her “arrow” into it. But the “Girigo” app is not easily contained by ordinary spiritual power, and crises keep coming as four friends — Sea (Jeon So-young), Geonwoo, Hajun (Hyun Woo-seok) and Nari (Kang Mi-na) — struggle to survive. Unlike shaman characters who appear briefly to offer limited help, Haetsal and Bangul are portrayed as willing to risk their lives to protect the teenagers. That commitment helps “Girigo” stand out from routine teen horror by functioning as a more full-bodied shamanic occult series. Still, after choosing an adults-only rating and showing explicit gore, the series could have delivered more variety in its slasher and gore set pieces. The early shock softens, but the overall intensity does not fully shift into sustained occult dread. The tension often fails to stay tight. A flashback explaining the origin of the “red phone” curse takes up nearly an entire episode, and the suspense noticeably sags there. “Girigo” is violent, but it is harder to call it frightening. It plays more like an action-driven shamanic battle, with four high school friends and a two-person shaman team trying to eliminate the cursed object. Even so, it separates itself from many teen horror titles that pile on plot holes as if they were part of the décor. It offers a sturdier narrative, clearer rules and strong performances from young actors. It may be worth a look for viewers inclined to dismiss it as predictable. All eight episodes were released on Netflix on April 24. 2026-04-29 10:21:13
  • Review: Lee Myung-se’s ‘Ran 12.3’ Recasts Dec. 3, 2024, as a Cinematic Documentary
    Review: Lee Myung-se’s ‘Ran 12.3’ Recasts Dec. 3, 2024, as a Cinematic Documentary Director Lee Myung-se, long known as a visual stylist whose images often outshine story, has turned to documentary filmmaking. Billed as a “cinematic documentary,” ‘Ran 12.3’ is a tightly assembled visual record of the night of Dec. 3, 2024 — and a large-scale collage shaped by Lee’s editing and staging choices. Lee avoids the usual documentary tools of narration and interview clips. Instead, he builds a 96-minute work from music, archival footage and a small amount of newly staged material, structured like an orchestral piece. The approach is unusual for the genre, and the “cinematic” label becomes clear early. The film opens by showing the screen of a single-screen theater in Gwangju that can seat more than 800, pulling it open twice as if to declare this is documentary and cinema at once — a film about watching a film. “Cinematic,” here, does not mean fiction. The film’s aim is to make audiences collectively relive that night. After more than a year of coverage and online content — across broadcasts, newspapers, YouTube and social media — many viewers already know the broad outline of the unprecedented martial-law crisis. The question is what it means, now, to face that night again. Lee does not hold back. He pushes a wide range of emotions tied to the martial-law moment — blunt mockery, wit that refuses to be crushed by grim reality, tightly packed record-keeping, and an almost reverent awe toward what the film frames as revolutionary light. In the opening, a familiar live broadcast of the martial-law declaration is reframed: the on-screen label “President of the Republic of Korea” slips into view, and the camera lingers in close-up on the odd expression of an aide walking behind the president, signaling the film’s direction. What begins with ridicule quickly shifts. Over a solemn orchestral bed, the soundtrack adds piercing effects. A black screen, reminiscent of silent film, follows with subtitled dialogue attributed to forces that supported the martial-law move. Then come fragments from that night: a live feed from the opposition party leader; a YouTuber’s shocked real-time reaction; citizens shouting as they converge on the National Assembly; the coordinated response of aides and staff who held the building; and tense, unfiltered exchanges and reactions from the Assembly speaker and lawmakers gathered in the main chamber. Material many viewers believe they already know is reassembled through Lee’s selections and music by Cho Sung-woo into an intentionally heightened cinematic language, forming what the film presents as a massive collage within documentary form. At 96 minutes, ‘Ran 12.3’ can feel like a sensory pop-art piece. At times it goes further, edging into the painterly — particularly in sequences that depict citizens heading to Yeouido in a style likened to American comic books known for superhero imagery. Audiences will come with different motives. But viewers looking for a calm, straightforward record that neatly organizes the events of the night of Dec. 3, 2024, through Dec. 4 may find this the wrong choice. Those seeking something closer to a spy story, thriller, black comedy or chaotic farce may find it a better fit — and the film delivers that genre-driven momentum. In the end, ‘Ran 12.3’ stands out more for form than for content. Even for a director celebrated as a stylist, any expectation that his documentary would not differ much from existing works is undercut by how unfamiliar this one feels — a new kind of documentary from a filmmaker nearing 70.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 18:01:32
  • CN Motors to Relocate and Expand Headquarters Showroom, Displaying Up to 20 Vehicles
    CN Motors to Relocate and Expand Headquarters Showroom, Displaying Up to 20 Vehicles CN Motors said it plans to relocate and expand its headquarters showroom to broaden displays across its full lineup. The new headquarters showroom will move to Wonchang-dong in Seo-gu, Incheon, and will be able to display up to 20 vehicles at all times, the company said, calling it a large-scale facility for the specialty-vehicle industry. Visitors will be able to compare models and options in one place. By expanding the showroom, CN Motors said customers will be able to see the Carnival High Limousine and other high-limousine models in person and confirm needed details on site. The company said hands-on experience is especially important for specialty vehicles such as the Carnival High Limousine, where interior space, seating layout and ride comfort can be decisive factors in a purchase. CN Motors also said it operates a one-on-one individual order system to support customized builds, allowing customers to choose specifications such as color and options in detail after viewing vehicles at the showroom. A test-drive service will also be offered at the headquarters showroom, enabling customers to experience performance and ride comfort in real driving conditions before buying, the company said. CN Motors said that since its founding in 2019 it has directly manufactured and assembled specialty vehicles, operating a quality management system with a specialty-manufacturer license recognized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It also cited ongoing support services including roving maintenance, on-site after-sales service and financing. Separately, CN Motors said it will hold a CN Festa through the 30th to mark 10 consecutive years as the top-selling high-limousine brand. The company said visitors during the period will receive a reward with a 100% first-come, first-served win rate, and that a drawing will offer prizes including pure gold and hotel stays. 2026-04-27 09:05:54
  • OneSavers Expands Into Energy Solutions With SAVUS Power-Saving Device, Four Patents
    OneSavers Expands Into Energy Solutions With SAVUS Power-Saving Device, Four Patents OneSavers is stepping up its push into industrial energy-solution markets at home and abroad with its power-saving device, SAVUS. The company, which focuses on improving energy efficiency, said SAVUS is designed to reduce power losses and boost efficiency in industrial settings. It applies power-optimization technology tailored to load characteristics and can be installed in series without replacing existing equipment. The company said the setup improves power quality, including power factor and harmonics. OneSavers said SAVUS does not simply lower voltage. Instead, it uses load-based operational control. Using measurement-based methods that reflect differences in real-load conditions, the company said the system supports data analysis aligned with the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol, or IPMVP. It reported verified power savings of 8% to 13% under real-load conditions and said it has secured four patents related to the technology. Founded in 2024, OneSavers manufactures and supplies power-saving technology used in industrial equipment, manufacturing plants and logistics facilities. The company said it posted about 2.8 billion won in annual revenue last year. It said its business centers on implementing quantitative, science-based power-saving technology to cut costs and carbon emissions through energy savings. Looking ahead, the company said it plans to strengthen its offerings by developing an Internet of Things-based real-time power monitoring system and artificial intelligence-based automatic optimization technology. It also plans to package customized, industry-specific solutions to expand exports to Thailand, Guam and Brazil, among other markets in Southeast Asia and the Americas. The company said it will seek international certifications such as UL and ETL and build out a data-based verification framework. 2026-04-27 09:05:10
  • TJ Media Meets With Dealers to Revive Sluggish Karaoke Market
    TJ Media Meets With Dealers to Revive Sluggish Karaoke Market TJ Media convened talks with dealership representatives as it seeks to reinvigorate a sluggish karaoke market. TJ Media, the top seller by revenue in South Korea’s karaoke industry, said April 24 that it held a two-day regional council meeting with dealers on April 22 and 23 to discuss ways to boost the market. The company said the meeting was designed to explore cooperation for shared growth, gather broad feedback from the field on customer needs and market changes, and look for a path to a rebound for the industry. Regional dealer heads and TJ Media executives and staff attended, sharing recent market trends and reviewing operational difficulties karaoke venue owners face in day-to-day business, the company said. Participants also discussed how to attract new customers, what kinds of entertainment features could encourage repeat visits, and how to improve operating efficiency, it said. The meeting also checked market reaction to TJ Media’s recently introduced karaoke accompaniment systems, the A3 and P3. Attendees shared field feedback that customer satisfaction with sound improved after A3 installations, and said the “Room-to-Room Singing Battle” feature helped extend time spent on site and increase repeat visits. A TJ Media official said the company will reflect the views raised at the meeting and respond closely, working to revitalize the karaoke market by improving user satisfaction and strengthening venue competitiveness.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-24 17:54:20
  • Review: Fighting Worthlessness Through Relentless Attention to Life’s Senses
    Review: Fighting Worthlessness Through Relentless Attention to Life’s Senses “The candidates who received the autobiographies he wrote for them said they were pleased with the past he had added and imagined, and some even copied lines directly into campaign materials.” In Lee Ki-ho’s novel “Suin,” Park Su-yeong lives with relentless drive. A skilled ghostwriter, he produces autobiographies for numerous politicians. After debuting four years earlier by winning a novel contest, Park cannot write a second book. Instead, he survives by becoming what the novel portrays as an exceptionally capable ghostwriter — and, it suggests, a copywriter adept at political messaging. When he finally retreats to a remote mountain village in Gangwon Province to write again, South Korea is hit by two nuclear power plant explosions that leak radiation. U.N.-dispatched investigators then assess individuals and plan relocations around the world based on jobs and qualifications. Asked what he does, Park answers in a shrinking voice: “A ... a novelist.” Even after turning out more than 1,000 pages a month as a professional ghostwriter and crafting polished language to elevate politicians, he defines himself, in the end, as a novelist. “Why does my life have to please you?” In the drama “Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness,” Hwang Dong-man is a film director — or, more precisely, an aspiring one. He has not officially debuted. For 20 years, he has carried around a script titled “We’ll Make the Weather for You,” trying to break in, without success. As his attempts fail, Hwang also works relentlessly. He teaches screenwriting at an academy, takes part-time catering jobs and joins a clinical trial as a subject for an “Emotion Watch” test. At the academy, some students sincerely “admire” him. He lectures with forceful talk, and his daily routine includes watching films and delivering harsh critiques — suggesting real talent as a critic. Still, because he cannot give up on directing, he lives under the label of “unemployed in his 40s.” Proving you are not worthless through digging and bingeing To prove he is a novelist, Park stands before the Gwanghwamun Kyobo Book Centre, sealed off with 25 meters of concrete to block radiation. Inside are unsold copies of his novel. To retrieve them, he begins hacking at the barrier with a pickax. After days of repeated “digging,” he learns the grain of the concrete, how to use less force and how to move with sharper efficiency. Only after reaching a point where he can no longer tell whether he is wielding the pickax or the pickax is wielding him — and realizing the work is not so different from writing — does he receive approval to relocate overseas. About 30 centimeters of wall remain. The tunnel he has carved becomes proof that he is a novelist. In other words, the tunnel is his novel. How, then, does Hwang prove he is a director — that he exists at all? He fights his sense of worthlessness by lashing out at members of an “Eight-Person Club,” friends from childhood when he was “nobody” and they were close. By insisting, again and again, that he is not worthless, he struggles to prove his own presence. At times, Hwang seems less focused on becoming a director than on “not disappearing by even 1 gram from this world.” When Byeon Eun-a — the first person to read his script seriously — delivers a blunt critique, saying the protagonist “has no power,” Hwang cannot respond and instead binges on food. Keeping the senses open against worthlessness The works suggest that unmet value does not come from worldly success, but from keeping the five senses open in each moment. Park’s “digging” does that, and so do Hwang’s bingeing, his barbed remarks and his persistence. Hwang talks constantly, reliably provokes the Eight-Person Club, keeps pushing his script, eats regular meals, listens to music and watches films at home every day. Even as she tears into his writing, Byeon says, “Director, you’re someone with a thousand doors open,” recognizing his heightened awareness. “Suin” and “Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness” point to value in staying open to experience — feeling and responding to each moment, and meeting life with steady effort. The message is that even someone poor, dismissed or seemingly ordinary can still shine. Those who can see that shine may “admire” it — or envy it. The drama suggests that Byeon, who closed off her senses to avoid being hurt, decides to experience Hwang. It also suggests that Park Gyeong-se, a film director in the Eight-Person Club who has released five films, especially hates Hwang because he recognizes something real in him. 2026-04-24 11:27:32
  • Lumenrai Targets South Korea’s On-Premises Local LLM Market
    Lumenrai Targets South Korea’s On-Premises Local LLM Market South Korean on-premises AI company Lumenrai, led by CEO Ahn Tae-min, is moving to target the country’s local large language model market. Lumenrai supplies on-premises AI platforms tailored to Korean corporate environments. The company said it has proprietary technology to fine-tune and deploy retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems using vetted open-source LLMs, including Meta Llama, OpenAI GPT-OSS, Microsoft Phi, Qwen, Mistral, DeepSeek and EXAONE. The company’s core capability, it said, is selecting and tuning the best model for a customer’s industry, data and security requirements, then deploying it in a fully offline environment. Lumenrai said it has co-developed a local LLM deployment platform with Japan’s Number One Solution since 2024 and, through that partnership, confirmed the product’s prospects in Japan. Lumenrai plans to formally launch a Korea-optimized on-premises AI platform in the first half of 2026. Its flagship product will be a Korean version of “Microcosm,” an on-premises AI platform built on a 100% air-gapped architecture. The platform runs fully offline so corporate data is not sent to external servers, the company said. Lumenrai said the system meets requirements tied to the AI Basic Act set to take effect in January 2026, the National Network Security Framework (N2SF) differentiated security at Level 3, a medical law ban on sending patient data outside, financial network separation and defense-industry security standards. “The open-source LLM ecosystem is already mature,” Ahn said. “What the market needs now is the technology to precisely tune top-tier global open-source models for each customer and operate them reliably. We have focused on building that capability over the past two years, and we are launching it through Lumenrai, newly established in Korea.” Ahn said Lumenrai aims to take responsibility for the full process, from choosing open-source models to automating operations, and to supply local LLMs that can be used immediately in the workplace at competitive prices with stable systems. As more companies weigh adopting generative AI, on-premises deployments are emerging as a key strategy, particularly in industries where data security and regulatory compliance are critical. In those sectors, the trend of running open LLMs on in-house servers is accelerating. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:33:18
  • BIGBANG Brings Trot to Coachella, Kicking Off 20th Anniversary Activities
    BIGBANG Brings Trot to Coachella, Kicking Off 20th Anniversary Activities Korean trot music made an unexpected appearance at Coachella, one of the United States’ best-known music festivals. BIGBANG appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12 (local time) in California. G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung performed an official set under the name BIGBANG, signaling the start of activities marking the group’s 20th anniversary. It was BIGBANG’s first official performance since its 2017 “Last Dance” tour, nine years ago. The group took the Outdoor Theater stage, a venue comparable in scale to the main stage, and performed 17 songs. The set included hits such as “Bang Bang Bang,” “Fantastic Baby” and “Haru Haru,” along with solo tracks including “Home Sweet Home” and “Ringa Linga.” Daesung drew particular attention by performing his solo song “Look at Me, Gwisun,” creating a moment in which Korean trot rang out at a major U.S. festival and quickly spread across online communities and social media. Daesung displayed large Korean subtitles reading, “Hello. I’m Daesung,” then performed his new song “Hando Chogwa” and his signature track “Look at Me, Gwisun,” drawing loud cheers from fans in attendance. G-Dragon told the crowd, “BIGBANG’s 20th anniversary has just begun,” adding, “Huge things are coming. We’ll make the 20th anniversary coming-of-age celebration fun.” To close the main set, BIGBANG performed “Bad Boy” and “We Like 2 Party,” telling fans, “This year marks BIGBANG’s 20th anniversary. We’re still together like this.” The group ended the show after an encore of “Spring Summer Fall Winter.” BIGBANG is scheduled to return to Coachella for a second performance on April 20, and is also expected to embark on a global tour. 2026-04-13 18:27:19
  • Review Preview: Hind’s Voice Recreates Gaza Girl’s Final Call for Help
    Review Preview: 'Hind’s Voice' Recreates Gaza Girl’s Final Call for Help War often reaches people first through social media — a sudden surge of posts on X, many showing children injured or killed. At first, it is hard to look away. Over time, the images become unbearable, and the instinct is to scroll past — even as the scenes linger. When news reports later describe airstrikes hitting military sites, schools or hospitals somewhere far away, the faces of those children return. For many viewers, that is where the mourning stops. The docudrama “Hind’s Voice” forces audiences to stay with that discomfort, centering on the voice of a child who is dying somewhere in the world. The film is based on a real incident. On Jan. 29, 2024, as the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip, gunfire struck a car carrying a fleeing family. Only Hind, 6, survived long enough to call for help and speak with emergency responders. The movie uses the actual recorded audio of the calls between Hind and a call center worker. Actors playing the call center staff performed while listening to the real voice from the recording. Rescuers were about eight minutes away, but they needed permission from the Israeli military to move safely. It took five hours before they could depart. Because the case is widely documented, the film’s ending can be found with a simple search — and it is as devastating as many would fear. The director adopts an experimental approach that blurs documentary and drama, aiming to deliver “Hind’s case” with maximum impact. For viewers, the film becomes a confrontation with guilt and grief — mourning people killed in war despite having no role in starting it, and imagining that such violence could one day reach their own skies. Those who choose “Hind’s Voice” knowing what it contains may be prepared to carry that grief, even if it feels imposed. The film suggests that doing so may ease, if only slightly, the weight of looking away. “Hind’s Voice” opens April 15.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-13 16:45:47