Journalist

·JEONG SE HEE
  • Track Obstruction at Oido Station Delays 9 Seoul Subway Line 4 Trains
    Track Obstruction at Oido Station Delays 9 Seoul Subway Line 4 Trains A track obstruction disrupted service at Oido Station on Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 4.  Yonhap News Agency reported that the problem occurred at about 4:18 a.m. Thursday at Oido Station on the Ansan Line in Siheung, south of Seoul, delaying nine trains by 10 to 30 minutes. KORAIL said an initial response team was dispatched and service returned to normal at about 6:08 a.m. It said trains were running normally but some residual impact could continue into the morning commute.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 07:51:14
  • USFK commander says wartime OPCON transfer conditions targeted by early 2029
    USFK commander says wartime OPCON transfer conditions targeted by early 2029 Xavier Brunson, commander of the Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, said on April 22 (local time) that the allies have submitted a roadmap to the Defense Department aimed at meeting the conditions for transferring wartime operational control before the second quarter of fiscal 2029, which corresponds to the first quarter of 2029 in South Korea. According to Yonhap News Agency, Brunson made the remarks while testifying before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, responding to a question from committee Chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican, about preparations for the OPCON transfer. The U.S. government’s fiscal 2029 runs from Oct. 1, 2028, to Sept. 30, 2029. The second quarter of fiscal 2029 covers January through March 2029. Brunson’s comments suggest a timetable to satisfy the conditions for the transfer no later than the first quarter of 2029. President Lee Jae-myung has said he aims to achieve the transfer during his term. The first quarter of 2029 overlaps with the end of President Donald Trump’s term, which runs through Jan. 20 that year, and the start of the next U.S. president’s term. The U.S. side may have drafted the roadmap with the possibility in mind that meeting the conditions could carry over into the next administration. Brunson said the allies would continue pursuing a conditions-based transfer and ensure all requirements are met. 2026-04-23 06:39:19
  • White House: No 3- to 5-Day Deadline Set for Iran Proposal
    White House: No 3- to 5-Day Deadline Set for Iran Proposal The White House said Tuesday local time that President Donald Trump has not set a specific deadline for receiving a “unified proposal” from Iran. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “Contrary to some reports I saw today, the president has not set a firm deadline to receive Iran’s proposal.” Trump also told Fox News that a “three-to-five-day deadline” was not true, adding that he was not rushing talks with Iran. The comments followed a report Monday by Axios, citing anonymous officials, that Trump was willing to give Iran about three to five more days of a ceasefire period. Leavitt said there were “clearly many divisions” inside Iran, calling it a fight between pragmatists and hard-liners, and said the president wants a single, unified response. She said that while a ceasefire remains in place on military and physical strikes as the U.S. waits, the “Grand Wrath” operation continues, as does a maritime blockade of ships traveling to and from Iranian ports. She added that the president is satisfied with the situation while awaiting Iran’s response. 2026-04-23 06:06:16
  • Solbi Says She Was Hit by a Drunk Driver as a Middle School Student
    Solbi Says She Was Hit by a Drunk Driver as a Middle School Student Singer and painter Solbi said she was struck by a car driven by someone who had been drinking when she was a middle school student. A video titled, "I got hit by a car and survived? Solbi reveals a shocking true story for the first time," was posted on April 20 to her YouTube channel, "Solbi Is Back." Solbi said she once talked with friends about close calls with death. She recalled that she ran into a crosswalk in front of her home when the light turned green, and was suddenly hit by a car. She said the impact threw her into the air. She added that a woman at a nearby high school saw the crash, was so startled that she collapsed, and Solbi fell on top of her. Solbi said the crash happened on April 1, April Fools' Day, and people around her did not believe it. She said even her mother did not believe it when her friends called. She also said that when she arrived at the emergency room, she told a doctor she had narrowly survived, and that afterward she saw stars, adding she suffered a head injury. She said the driver who caused the crash was intoxicated, and urged people never to drive after drinking.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:18:43
  • Singer Yook Joong-wan Says He Gave Up Scooters After Wife’s Warning
    Singer Yook Joong-wan Says He Gave Up Scooters After Wife’s Warning Singer Yook Joong-wan said he quit riding scooters, a hobby he once called his “happiness,” after his wife urged him to stop following the birth of their child. Yook appeared on the SBS variety show “Same Bed, Different Dreams Season 2: You Are My Destiny,” which aired on April 21. “Scooters were happiness for me, but it felt like my arms and legs were cut off,” Yook said. He said his wife told him to give it up because their baby had been born, and the couple argued. “Then she said, ‘If something happens to you, are you going to take care of the baby?’ After hearing that, I wrapped it up,” he said. Asked by Kim Sook whether he could ride in secret, Yook said he had in fact bought a scooter without telling his wife, but suspected she kept getting tips. He said he covered up with a helmet and face covering, leaving only his eyes visible, but was recognized outside his home by his 3-year-old daughter, who called out “Dad,” drawing laughter.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 08:18:17
  • Seo In-young Recalls Peak Fame: ‘I Did Eight Schedules a Day, Even by Helicopter’
    Seo In-young Recalls Peak Fame: ‘I Did Eight Schedules a Day, Even by Helicopter’ Singer Seo In-young looked back on her busiest years at the height of her career. A preview clip for tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block” was uploaded Monday to the show’s official channel. Seo said she was “really busy” during her peak and added, “If you told me to go back, I could never do it.” Host Yoo Jae-suk said Seo’s breakout with “Cinderella” made headlines, down to her “choco songi” hairstyle. Seo said she was grateful for the memories but slept about two hours a day. She said she also studied while filming the variety show “KAIST,” adding that she was told she would be cut if she did not study. She said the work felt “almost real,” as she filmed “We Got Married” and, with her boss eager for more, did as many as eight event appearances in a day. “I even took a helicopter to get to schedules,” she said, adding that she was so busy she had no time to enjoy the feeling of success. Seo debuted in 2002 as a member of the girl group Jewelry and later released hits with the group and as a solo artist, including “One More Time” and “Cinderella.” She also gained popularity for her candid appeal on programs including MBC’s 2008 variety show “We Got Married.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 07:27:18
  • Trump Extends Ceasefire Until Iran Presents Unified Proposal
    Trump Extends Ceasefire Until Iran Presents Unified Proposal U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 21 local time that he would extend a ceasefire until Iran’s leadership and negotiating team present a unified proposal. In a statement posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said he had received a request to hold off on attacks “based on the fact that the Iranian government is seriously divided and at Pakistan’s request,” until Iran’s leadership and delegation put forward a single proposal. He added that he would extend the ceasefire until Iran submits its proposal and talks conclude “one way or the other.” Trump said the maritime blockade on Iran would remain in place and that other readiness measures would continue.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 06:00:18
  • Taiwan TV Host Dee Hsu Says She Urged Late Sister Barbie Hsu to Take Japan Trip, Feels Guilty
    Taiwan TV Host Dee Hsu Says She Urged Late Sister Barbie Hsu to Take Japan Trip, Feels Guilty Taiwanese TV personality Dee Hsu (Hsu Hsi-ti) has spoken publicly about her grief after the death of her older sister, the late Hsu Hsi-yuan, known as Barbie Hsu. According to Taiwan media outlets including ETtoday, Hsu said at the taping of a local variety show on Sunday that her sister’s death left “a long period” of emptiness in her life and that she felt so lost she did not even know what she was doing. She said she drank with their mother and talked about her sister, calling those conversations the only way to ease the sadness. Hsu also said she had suggested the trip her sister took before she died. Fighting back tears, she said she was tormented by the thought that the tragedy might not have happened if she had listened to her mother, who opposed the trip at the time. She said her mother tried to comfort her, telling her never to think that way, but that the pain remains. Barbie Hsu was a Taiwanese star who worked as an actor, singer and TV host. She rose to fame in 2001 after starring as the female lead, Shan Cai, in “Meteor Garden,” a drama based on the Japanese manga “Boys Over Flowers.” She married Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei in 2011, divorced in 2021 and remarried in 2022 to Koo Jun-yup.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 16:33:12
  • Actor Lee Hoon Says Projects Have Collapsed for Three Years, Will Cut Fee to Audition
    Actor Lee Hoon Says Projects Have Collapsed for Three Years, Will Cut Fee to Audition Actor Lee Hoon said several of his recent projects have repeatedly fallen through. Lee appeared on the KBS Joy variety show "Ask Anything" on the 20th. He said projects he prepared from 2024 to 2025, as well as one he was preparing this year, were postponed indefinitely because of budget problems. "If acting really doesn’t work out, I could boldly give it up," Lee said. "The problem is that offers do come in. But when production gets canceled or delayed, it feels like false hope." Lee also said he recently traveled to Germany as part of an effort to break into Hollywood. He said he auditioned in 2022 and appeared in a project about representative killers from different countries gathering to assassinate the main character, with Lee playing the killer representing South Korea. He said some people misunderstand his situation as "complaining because of my looks," but added, "I’m about to starve," and said he is ready to audition even if it means taking a pay cut. Seo Jang-hoon advised Lee, saying Lee has strong pride and stubbornness, and that he should now set that aside, rebuild his image as an "actor who tells life stories" and promote himself more actively. Lee debuted in the 1994 SBS series "Cheongnyeon Naegak" and rose to popularity through "Seoului Dal."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:25:29
  • Mimiirose’s Yoon Ji-a Leaves Group, Ends Agency Contract
    Mimiirose’s Yoon Ji-a Leaves Group, Ends Agency Contract Yoon Ji-a has left the girl group Mimiirose. In a post on social media on the 15th, Yoon said she recently departed Mimiirose and that her contract with the agency has also ended. She said the decision came after she and the other members spent ample time thinking it over and talking. She apologized for the sudden news, saying she believed it likely surprised the group’s fans, known as “Blueme.” Yoon said the time she spent with Blueme was a major source of strength and something she will cherish for a long time. She added that she will never forget seeing Blueme from the stage. She said she is working to be able to stand in front of Blueme again in some form, and encouraged fans to find small, everyday happiness in their own ways. Yoon debuted in 2022 as a member of Mimiirose, a girl group under Yes I Am, an agency founded by Lim Chang-jung. In 2024, she and the other members moved to Pocket7 Entertainment, but she is leaving the group two years later.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-16 16:51:15