BTS’ Gwanghwamun comeback show raises renewed concerns over ticket scalping Concerns are growing that ticket scalping could resurface ahead of BTS’ comeback performance at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square.  According to the concert industry on Thursday, general ticket reservations for “BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang (ARIRANG),” set for March 21 around Gwanghwamun Square, will open at 8:00 p.m. on Feb. 23 through NOL Ticket.  Reservations will be open to anyone, with no separate restrictions. The venue is expected to have about 15,000 to 17,000 spots combining standing and reserved areas. Sections will be divided between standing and reserved seating. Of the standing area, 2,000 spots will be allocated to ARMY membership holders who preordered the new “Arirang” album and entered a drawing. The show will be free. Still, critics warn that the same problems seen at past free events could return. When BTS held a free concert in 2022 to support Busan’s bid to host the World Expo, scalping was widespread. VIP tickets that were hard to verify reportedly climbed as high as 4 million won, and tickets for the free show were sold for cash through social media and open chat rooms. Other workarounds also spread, including moving ticket IDs using illegal macro programs. Some expect the government to step up efforts to block scalping, as Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young has repeatedly called it “a chronic disease.” At a reporters’ briefing Wednesday, Choi said, “We’re watching it closely, since we’ve experienced the scalping problem before.” He added, “It’s hard to disclose countermeasures because if we do, (scalpers) could find ways around them.” He said the government would “do our best so nothing unpleasant happens.”  Choi also said the head of HYBE participates in the Popular Culture Exchange Committee’s pop music subcommittee. “For urgent matters, they contact me directly,” he said, adding that working-level discussions are focused on safety and traffic issues.  Amendments to the Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act, aimed at a scalping market estimated at more than 100 billion won, passed the National Assembly on Jan. 29. The revisions ban all fraudulent purchases and resales, including unfair sales using macro programs.  Choi said the law would likely take effect “around fall,” and that the government would first launch a campaign urging people not to engage in scalping. “My dream is to see articles this fall — when the postseason and concerts overlap — saying scalping has disappeared,” he said. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 08:03:00

Actor Jung Eun Woo Laid to Rest; Burial at Byeokje Crematorium Actor Jung Eun Woo, whose real name was Jung Dong Jin, will be laid to rest Friday. A funeral procession is scheduled for noon, with burial at Byeokje Crematorium. Jung died suddenly on Tuesday. He was 39. Mourners left tributes on his social media accounts. Some said they were shocked because he had posted as recently as the day before his death. Jung studied theater and film at Dongguk University and debuted in 2006 on KBS2's "Sharp 3." He later appeared in SBS dramas including "Bride of the Sun," "Five Fingers," "One Well-Raised Daughter," and "Return of Hwang Geum Bok," as well as KBS2's "My Only One." ※If you are struggling with depression or thoughts of self-harm, or if a family member or friend is in crisis, you can reach suicide-prevention counseling at 109 or get 24-hour expert help through the Madlen SNS counseling service.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 07:57:25

South Korea’s Choi Ga On Wins Olympic Snow Sports First Gold in Women’s Halfpipe South Korea’s Choi Ga On (Sehwa High School) said she wants to “work even harder” and become an athlete who can surpass herself after winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in a snow event.  Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Thursday (local time) with 90.25 points. She beat Chloe Kim of the United States, the gold medalist at the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Games. It was South Korea’s first Olympic gold in a snow sport and the first gold medal for the South Korean team at these Games. Choi fell on her first run when her board caught on the lip of the pipe while attempting a trick. She missed her landing again on the second run, putting her medal hopes in doubt. On her third run, she delivered her best performance, lowering the difficulty from the triple-rotation jump she tried earlier and instead landing a cab double cork 720 and a backside 900. The clean run earned 90.25 points and first place.  After the competition, Choi said, “I’m happy my first Olympic medal is a gold,” adding, “It’s also an honor to win the first gold for the South Korean team.”  Recalling her first-run crash, she said, “I fell pretty hard and thought I might have broken something and wouldn’t be able to get up,” but “I got my strength back in that moment and stood up.” She added, “I almost never fell in practice, but I think I made a mistake because I was nervous.”  Choi said she kept going because the Olympics had been her dream since she was 7. “Even if I fell, I thought I should finish to the end,” she said.  Asked about her tears on the podium, Choi said everything she had been through with her father and coach came to mind. “When I was injured, I wanted to give up, but I didn’t,” she said. “All of that suddenly came back to me.”  She said the Olympics were her biggest motivation. “I don’t think there’s been anything bigger than this,” she said. “I just believed in myself and thought I should try again.” She added, “I want to work hard at snowboarding and become an athlete who can surpass myself.”  To fans in South Korea, Choi said, “Thank you for believing in me and cheering for me,” adding, “I’ll keep working to show you an even better side of me.”  * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 07:45:00

Olympics Stars: Protégé to pioneer: Choi Gaon's night of courage in Italy SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) -By any measure, it was a night that reshaped Korean snow sports. On a cold, wind-swept slope in northern Italy, 17-year-old Choi Gaon rose from pain, doubt and near withdrawal to seize Olympic gold — not just any gold, but South Korea’s first ever in a snow event — at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. She did it the hard way. The only way that truly lasts. After a frightening crash in her opening run and another failed attempt that left her visibly shaken, Choi stood on top of the halfpipe for her final descent with little left to prove — and everything left to risk. What followed was a composed, mature, technically clean run worth 90.25 points. It was the run of her life. And it was enough. Enough to deny her idol and mentor, Chloe Kim, a historic third straight Olympic title. Enough to rewrite Korean winter sports history. Enough to announce that a new era has arrived. For much of the night, it looked like Choi’s Olympic debut might end in heartbreak. Her first run ended in a heavy fall that brought medics onto the course. Her score: 10.00. Before her second attempt, “DNS” flashed beside her name. Few would have blamed her for stepping away. She didn’t. She dropped in again. Fell again. And still refused to surrender. By the time she stood in for her final run, she was no longer chasing medals. She was chasing herself — the athlete she had fought to become through back surgery, long rehabilitation and years in the shadow of her famous mentor. Conservative by her standards, precise by Olympic standards, her final run was a masterclass in judgment under pressure. While others struggled with slick, snowy conditions, Choi delivered when it mattered most. Veteran coaches call that “competitive intelligence.” Old reporters call it heart. Kim’s silver, earned with grace and dignity, closed one of snowboarding’s great Olympic chapters. Injured and short of competition this season, the American legend still showed her class. But even legends must eventually pass the torch. On this night, it passed to someone who once watched Kim on television and dreamed. Now, Choi is the youngest women’s halfpipe gold medalist in Olympic history — younger than Kim was in PyeongChang — and the face of Korea’s next generation of winter stars. The symbolism was unavoidable: the student surpassing the teacher, not in defiance, but in fulfillment. Choi’s triumph is part of a larger awakening. Just days before Choi’s dramatic breakthrough, 18-year-old Yu Seung-eun had already signaled that Korea’s snowboarders were ready for something bigger. Yu captured bronze in women’s big air at Livigno. For years, Korea’s winter ambitions revolved around skating and short track. Snowboarding lived on the margins, sustained by a handful of pioneers. A generation raised on global competition, overseas training and fearless ambition is now delivering results on the biggest stage. 2026-02-13 07:42:35

Choi Ga On wins Olympic gold in women’s halfpipe, South Korea’s first snow-sport title Choi Ga On of Sehwa High School won South Korea’s first Olympic gold medal in a snow sport. Choi scored 90.25 on her third run in the women’s halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy to take gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. She beat top contender Chloe Kim, who scored 88.00. The medal was South Korea’s first gold of these Winter Games and the nation’s first Winter Olympic gold in skiing events, the report said. It also moved up the youngest gold-medalist mark set by Kim (17 years, 10 months) by seven months. In halfpipe, riders perform aerial tricks while moving up and down a U-shaped slope, with judges awarding points. South Korea has kept pushing in the event since Kim Ho Jun became the country’s first Olympic entrant at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Choi has been at the center of that effort. Influenced by a father who snowboarded as a hobby, she started the sport after learning figure skating while watching Kim Yuna. In January 2023, she became the youngest winner in the pipe event at the X Games at age 14 years, two months. That December, she won her first International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Snowboard World Cup, drawing attention as a prodigy. Her career was not always smooth. In early 2024, she suffered a spinal fracture at a World Cup event in Laax, Switzerland, and underwent surgery. She missed the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics that year and spent more than a year focused on rehabilitation. She returned to Laax last year and won bronze, signaling her comeback. She carried that form into the Olympic season, including back-to-back World Cup wins in December in Zhangjiakou, China, and at Copper Mountain in the United States. In her Olympic debut, Choi placed sixth in qualifying to become the first South Korean halfpipe rider to reach an Olympic final, then rode to gold. She struggled early in the final. On her first run, she fell hard after her second jump when her landing caught on the lip of the pipe. She fell again on the first jump of her second run. At that point, she had only 10 points and stood ninth among the 12 finalists. Choi stayed composed and delivered a comeback on her third run, starting without hesitation and landing five aerial moves cleanly. She was the only rider to score above 90 on the day. After finishing, she cried as she rode down the slope. “I’m so happy my first Olympic medal is a gold. I can’t believe it,” Choi said in an interview after winning. “It’s also an honor to win the first gold for the South Korean team.” 2026-02-13 07:12:00

Singer-Actor Lee Seung-gi to Become Father of Two as Wife Lee Da-in Is 5 Months Pregnant Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi is set to become a father of two. Big Planet Made Entertainment said on Feb. 12 that Lee’s wife, actor Lee Da-in, is five months pregnant. The agency said the couple are prioritizing her health and stability. Lee and Lee married in April 2023 and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in February 2024. Lee is currently appearing on the ENA variety show “Change Street.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 07:09:00

South Korea’s Lim Jong-eon wins bronze in men’s 1,000 at Milan Olympics South Korea’s Lim Jong-eon, a 19-year-old considered a rising star on the men’s short track team, won his first Olympic medal with a late surge to take bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters. Lim finished in 1 minute, 24.611 seconds in the final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. He was the only South Korean skater to reach the final, racing against Jens van ’t Wout of the Netherlands, Sun Long of China and William Dandjinou of Canada. Lim stayed in the top three early but was pushed to last in the five-man field as the pace increased. He waited for an opening, and the decisive move came on the final lap. Using his trademark outside line, Lim swung wide and accelerated. He passed Roberts Kruzebergs of Latvia in the first corner, then edged past Dandjinou in the final turn to finish third. Van ’t Wout won gold and Sun took silver. Lim delivered South Korea’s first short track medal of these Games and became the team’s fourth medalist overall, following snowboarders Choi Ga-on, Kim Sang-gyeom and Yoo Seung-eun. In the same event, Shin Dong-min placed fifth in his semifinal heat and finished third in the B final. Hwang Dae-heon, a medal contender, was disqualified after receiving a penalty in his quarterfinal heat.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 06:33:00

South Korea women’s curling team beats host Italy 7-2 for first win at Milan-Cortina 2026 South Korea’s women’s curling team, known as Team 5G (Gyeonggi Provincial Government), earned its first win of the tournament by routing host Italy. Skip Kim Eun Ji, third Kim Min Ji, second Kim Su Ji, lead Seol Ye Eun and alternate Seol Ye Ji beat Italy 7-2 in the second round-robin game of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Thursday (Korea time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. South Korea rebounded after a shaky start, having lost 8-4 to the United States in its opener a day earlier. The win left the team 1-1. The early ends were cautious. South Korea, with last stone in the first end, came away scoreless, then broke through with one point in the second. In the third, South Korea stole a point while throwing first to go up 2-0. The turning point came in the sixth. Leading 3-1, South Korea posted a four-point end to stretch the margin to 7-1. Italy got one back in the seventh, but conceded with the gap at five points.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 06:00:00

Choi Min Jung Misses Women’s 500m Final After Crash at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korea’s women’s short track team came up empty in the 500 meters at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, with star Choi Min Jung failing to reach the final after a collision in the semifinals. Choi (Seongnam City Hall) finished fifth out of five in semifinal heat 2 at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, clocking 43.060 on Friday (Korea time). After advancing comfortably by winning her quarterfinal, Choi got off to a strong start in the semifinal and led until three laps remained, appearing on track for a final berth. But after Canada’s Kim Boutin closed in, Choi became tangled with Canadians Courtney Sarault and Florence Brunelle on the final lap, lost her balance and dropped to last. Officials reviewed the contact on video but assessed no penalty to the Canadian skaters, leaving Choi to move to the B final (classification race). She later placed second in the classification race. Kim Gil Li (Seongnam City Hall) and Lee So Yeon (Sports Toto) were eliminated earlier in the quarterfinals. In the final, Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands won in 41.609.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 05:51:00

South Korea’s Choi Ga On Wins Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe Gold at Milan Olympics Choi Ga On of South Korea won the country’s first Winter Olympic gold medal in a snow sport.  Choi, a student at Sehwa High School, scored 90.25 to take first in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy. She beat American Chloe Kim, who scored 88.00.  The gold was also South Korea’s first for the national team at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the first Olympic gold for South Korean skiing.  Choi also became the youngest Olympic champion in the event. Born in November 2008, she won at 17 years, 3 months, breaking the mark of 17 years, 10 months set by Kim at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.  Choi struggled in her first two runs. In the first, she crashed hard on landing and fell upside down. She stayed down for a time and medical staff came onto the course. After a delay, she got up and rode down on her own. Her first-run score was 10.  Before her second run, Choi was initially listed as DNS (Did Not Start) but reversed the decision and dropped in. She appeared affected by the earlier impact, with an unsteady landing on her first aerial move, then stopped the attempt and rode out. Her second run was ruled DNI (Does Not Improve).  Kim, the favorite, posted 88.00 on her first run, raising the possibility of an unprecedented third straight Olympic title in a snowboard event.  Choi responded with a clean third run, starting without hesitation and landing five aerial moves to become the first rider in the final to score 90 or higher.  After finishing the run, Choi was seen in tears as she rode down.  Kim, who did not complete her second run, tried to regain the lead on her third but fell mid-run and settled for silver. Mitsuki Ono of Japan took bronze with 85.00.  South Korea’s previous Olympic medals in skiing included Lee Sang Ho’s silver in men’s snowboard alpine at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Kim Sang Gyeom’s silver in men’s snowboard alpine at these Games, and Yoo Seung Eun’s bronze in women’s snowboard big air. Choi, 18, is the first South Korean to win gold in a snow sport.      2026-02-13 05:39:00