Journalist

Kang So-young
  • BTS’ RM Accused of Smoking and Littering in No-Smoking Areas in Tokyo
    BTS’ RM Accused of Smoking and Littering in No-Smoking Areas in Tokyo BTS leader RM (Kim Nam-joon, 31) has been accused of smoking in designated no-smoking areas in Japan and improperly discarding cigarette butts. Japan’s weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported on April 22 that RM was seen several times smoking in no-smoking areas while drinking with acquaintances around Tokyo’s Shibuya district. According to the report, RM visited Japan for the “BTS Arirang World Tour” and spent time in Shibuya’s nightlife area, moving between izakayas and bars. The outlet said it captured him leaving a bar and smoking on the street, and published more than 20 related photos. Japan has many areas where smoking is prohibited even outdoors, with designated smoking rooms or smoking spots provided separately. The magazine alleged RM repeatedly smoked not only on the street but also in places marked with no-smoking signs, including building corridors, and threw cigarette butts on the ground. A security guard at the scene was quoted as saying, “He threw the cigarette butt he smoked on the street,” adding that the guard personally warned him. After the report, some fans criticized RM for not following basic rules in public places, saying the issue was not smoking itself but where it occurred. As of now, neither HYBE nor RM has issued an official statement. BTS held two sold-out “Arirang” world tour shows at Tokyo Dome on April 17-18, drawing a total of 110,000 attendees over the two days. 2026-04-23 09:49:33
  • Ruling Party Reviews Seoul Candidate After Lawyer’s Past Defense of Valley Murder Suspect
    Ruling Party Reviews Seoul Candidate After Lawyer’s Past Defense of Valley Murder Suspect The People Power Party’s Seoul chapter said it will reexamine the candidacy of Hong Deok-hee, a lawyer who was given a sole nomination for Guro District mayor, after it emerged he previously represented Lee Eun-hae, the main perpetrator in the so-called “valley murder” case. Hong has issued a public explanation, but the controversy has continued. According to political circles on the 23rd, the party’s Seoul chapter said the previous day that “because this is a case that sparked public outrage, we have decided to review from scratch whether the candidate’s qualifications are appropriate.” It said Hong’s nomination followed a recommendation by the Guro district party committee chairs and that the Seoul chapter’s nomination committee decided on the nomination after an interview on April 19. The party added that “during the interview process, no facts related to the reported content were presented.” The Seoul chapter’s nomination committee on April 19 selected Hong, head attorney at the Yesung Joint Law Office, as its sole candidate for Guro District mayor. The dispute grew after reports said he had served as Lee’s legal representative. The “valley murder” case refers to the killing of Lee’s husband, identified as Yoon, who was pushed into the water and killed in a valley in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in June 2019, prosecutors said. Lee acted with her lover, Jo Hyeon-su, the report said. Investigators also found that before the killing, Lee tried and failed to kill Yoon by feeding him food mixed with pufferfish reproductive organs and blood at a pension in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, in 2019. In May that year, she also allegedly tried to drown him at a fishing site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, but a bystander found and rescued him, the report said. Lee and Jo were found to have committed the crimes to obtain Yoon’s life insurance payout. Lee is serving a life sentence after being convicted of murder, attempted murder and attempted violation of the Act on the Regulation of Insurance Fraud, among other charges. Jo was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Hong addressed the issue on his social media account. “I chose responsible work over work that looks good,” he wrote. He said Lee’s father “was a person with a disability who had to rely on a wheelchair,” and that he spent two weeks in Seoul’s Seocho-dong legal district trying to find a lawyer, only to be turned away because “public opinion is a burden.” Hong said the father eventually came to his office, and that what he heard suggested there were “legal points that could be disputed.” Hong added that what he found “surprising and devastating” was that “regardless of what the truth is, no one is willing to defend that claim.” He wrote that even if “everyone in the world throws stones and condemns” a defendant, there must be “one last person” willing to listen, calling that the constitutional purpose and public duty of defense counsel. He said that if he had avoided that responsibility out of fear, he would not be qualified to ask voters to entrust him with the lives of “410,000 Guro residents.” He said he intends to stay in the race, pledging to stand by residents “to the end” as a “reliable shield.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-23 08:40:03
  • Singer Kim Ho-joong’s stake in agency valued at about 5 billion won while he serves prison term
    Singer Kim Ho-joong’s stake in agency valued at about 5 billion won while he serves prison term Singer Kim Ho-joong, who is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in a drunk hit-and-run case, still holds a sizable equity stake in his affiliated company, according to entertainment industry reports. On 22, industry sources said Kim owns 7.43% of ArtMNC. The stake is estimated to be worth about 5 billion won. Kim’s agency, formerly known as Saenggak Entertainment, changed its name to ArtMNC after the 2024 Kim case and has pursued a diversification strategy beyond its artist-management focus, the reports said. The company has expanded into areas such as health care and media content based on intellectual property. It acquired the diet health supplement brand “Deepte 3 Days” and brought in the K-culture platform company “StudioMNC,” moving toward a broader entertainment group spanning manufacturing, distribution and media. The industry has noted that the company’s value has risen compared with before Kim’s crash, suggesting it has moved beyond “artist risk,” the reports said. Kim was arrested and indicted after a May 2024 crash on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul’s Gangnam district, in which he hit a taxi coming from the opposite direction and fled, according to the reports. He was convicted of charges including dangerous driving causing injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and is serving a 2 1/2-year prison term.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 17:00:17
  • Missing Woman Found Dead in Car at Public Parking Lot in Incheon’s Songdo
    Missing Woman Found Dead in Car at Public Parking Lot in Incheon’s Songdo A woman in her 60s was found dead in skeletal condition inside a vehicle at a public parking lot in Incheon’s Songdo International City, police said. According to the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station on the 21st, the body of the woman, identified only as A, was discovered at about 3:47 p.m. in a car parked at a public lot under the Convensia Bridge in Songdo-dong, Incheon. Police said the discovery followed a report from her younger sibling to the 112 emergency line, saying, in effect, “I think my older sister is in the car.” The vehicle had been left in the lot for an extended period, and authorities had contacted the sibling, a co-registered owner of the car, asking that it be moved, police said. A had previously been reported missing. A police official said no signs of criminal activity had been found and that officers were investigating the circumstances.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-22 09:28:00
  • Singer-Actor Nana Confronts Robbery Suspect in Court, Says She Acted in Self-Defense
    Singer-Actor Nana Confronts Robbery Suspect in Court, Says She Acted in Self-Defense Singer and actor Nana confronted the defendant in a robbery-and-injury case for the first time in court and showed anger. On 21, the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court’s 1st Criminal Division, presided over by Chief Judge Kim Guk-sik, held the third trial of a man identified as A, who has been indicted in custody on charges of robbery and injury. Nana appeared as a witness. As she entered the courtroom, she addressed A, saying, “Is this fun?” She continued, “Is it fun to do something like a robbery and walk around like you want? Look me in the eye. Is it fun?” A did not avert his gaze. The court told her it could not proceed smoothly if emotions ran high, and asked her to calm down. Nana replied, “I can’t not be upset.” Testifying about the incident, Nana said she heard her mother groaning and a man breathing, and sensed danger as she went out carefully. “When I saw it, I was extremely worked up, and I thought I had to go quickly and separate my mom and that man,” she said. She said she did not imagine there would be a knife and thought she had to take it away. “From the way he was acting, I thought that because he was holding a knife, he could do anything to my mom,” she said, indicating she acted in self-defense. Nana said she resisted by grabbing the knife with both hands during the struggle. “When I swung it, he grabbed the blade with both hands. I was holding it with one hand, so I was very weak. I had no choice but to swing wherever I could see,” she said. “So I punched him in the face. He still wouldn’t let go of the knife. In the middle of that, my mom woke up and grabbed the knife too. The three of us struggled over it.” She said she managed to make him release the hand holding the knife while wearing gloves, told her mother to put the knife away, and that the defendant was shaking. She said his neck was injured and bleeding from the knife she swung, and that he told her, “I was wrong, please spare me.” She said she thought she needed to calm him down. She also testified that while trying to calm A, she mouthed to her mother to call 112. Prosecutors say A broke into Nana’s home in Acheon-dong, Guri, Gyeonggi Province, with a weapon at about 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 last year. Nana and her mother subdued him after a struggle, but Nana and her mother were injured in the process. A also claimed he was hurt while they restrained him and filed a complaint accusing Nana of attempted murder and aggravated assault. Police concluded Nana’s actions were self-defense and decided not to forward the case, citing no suspicion. Nana then filed a complaint accusing A of making a false accusation. A has acknowledged breaking into the home but claims he did not intend to commit robbery and did not have a weapon. Nana and her mother had not wanted to face A, but the court sent additional witness summonses, leading them to take the stand.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 15:42:19
  • Masked Stepfather Who Tied 10-Year-Old Girl’s Hands Gets Suspended Prison Term
    Masked Stepfather Who Tied 10-Year-Old Girl’s Hands Gets Suspended Prison Term A foreign man in his 30s who covered his face and tied up his stepdaughter’s hands has been given a suspended prison sentence. According to legal officials on the 21st, the Ulsan District Court’s Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Bae On-sil) sentenced a Vietnamese national identified as A to one year in prison, suspended for three years, for violating the Child Welfare Act. Prosecutors said A entered the bedroom of his 10-year-old stepdaughter, identified as B, at their home in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, in July last year. He concealed his face with a windbreaker and a neck warmer and wore work gloves. While the girl was looking at her phone, A repeatedly wrapped her hands and head with clear tape. The child fled the house, believing she was being kidnapped. The girl later suffered severe psychological shock and has been reported to fear being alone. A told investigators he did it “as a prank to play with the child.” The court said wrapping a 10-year-old girl’s body with clear tape “cannot be viewed as a prank.” It cited as mitigating factors that the tape was applied loosely enough for the victim to remove it herself, that A admitted wrongdoing, and that he is not meeting the victim.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 14:39:03
  • BIO KOREA 2026 to Bring Together 270 Companies for Global Deals and Investment
    BIO KOREA 2026 to Bring Together 270 Companies for Global Deals and Investment South Korea’s largest biohealth industry convention, BIO KOREA 2026, is set to open in eight days, with organizers and participants expecting expanded cooperation and investment opportunities among global companies. Co-hosted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and North Chungcheong Province, the event will run April 28-30 at COEX in Seoul. Now in its 21st year, BIO KOREA has moved beyond a trade show to position itself as a business platform for the global biotech industry. Organizers said about 270 companies from more than 20 countries will take part, showcasing technologies across biotech, digital health care, regenerative medicine and medical devices. South Korean participants include ST Pharm, Yuhan Corp. and GC Cell. Overseas participants include Johnson & Johnson, Amgen and Lonza, drawing attention for potential technology partnerships and investment links. AI-driven drug development companies are also expected in large numbers. Insilico Medicine and Arontier plan to present AI drug design, data analysis and synthetic biology platforms, organizers said. The centerpiece of the event is its “business partnering” program. Organizers said they have roughly doubled the size of the partnering center to expand one-on-one meeting opportunities. Major pharmaceutical and biotech companies including Chong Kun Dang, SK Bioscience, Bayer, Novartis and MSD are set to participate, with expectations for outcomes such as joint research, technology transfer and investment cooperation. Country pavilions will also be operated with participation from institutions from the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden and Italy. Organizers said South Korean companies will be able to meet directly with about 60 overseas biotech companies and research institutes to explore global expansion and technology cooperation. Japan, Germany and Taiwan are also participating, with attention on collaboration as Asia-centered supply chains are reshaped. Pre-registration runs through April 17, and registrants receive a 10% discount. “Participation has expanded around future growth sectors such as AI and regenerative medicine, so we expect higher business demand than in previous years,” a BIO KOREA 2026 official said. Organizers said business partnering has increased each year, with 730 cases in 2023, 1,320 in 2024 and 1,900 in 2025. At last year’s event, global companies including Novo Nordisk, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Insilico Medicine, Eli Lilly, Takeda and Boehringer Ingelheim took part, along with South Korean companies such as Celltrion, SK Bioscience, ST Pharm, GC Green Cross, Yuhan Corp., LG Chem, Boryung Pharmaceutical and Dongwha Pharm. Organizers said more major domestic and overseas pharmaceutical and biotech companies participated than in 2024. The event also operated a “Rising” pavilion featuring promising small and venture companies, giving visitors a look at innovative technologies and items. Organizers said interest is also building for this year’s edition.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-10 09:03:00