Ra Hwak-jin / Woo Ji-won
◇BTS' Jin enlists in military amid intense media coverage
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| ▲Minivans carrying BTS member Jin and officials from his agency Big Hit Music pass through the main gate of an army training camp in Yeoncheon, 60 kilometers north of Seoul, on Dec. 13, 2022. (Yonhap) |
K-pop superstar Jin on Tuesday entered a boot camp in a front-line area to begin his mandatory military service, with hundreds of reporters from domestic and foreign news media waiting outside to cover the news.
The 30-year-old became the first member of the boy band BTS to join the military. The group's six other members -- RM, Suga, Jimin, J-hope, V and Jungkook -- will also be enlisting in the military in order, according to the band's agency, Big Hit Music.
The vocalist quietly entered an Army training center in Yeoncheon, 60 kilometers north of Seoul, in a car without a farewell event for fans.
Hundreds of personnel from the military, police, firefighting and local government authorities, and media packed an intersection in front of the boot camp's main gate for safety management and news coverage, respectively, from a few hours before the expected time of his enlistment.
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| ▲Journalists and BTS fans gather outside of an army training camp in Yeoncheon, 60 kilometers north of Seoul, to see Jin, a vocalist of the band, on Dec. 13, 2022. (Yonhap) |
Placards reading "We welcome the enlistment of BTS' Kim Seok-jin and all other military personnel" and balloons were hung there. Kim Seok-jin is Jin's original Korean name.
Jin's vehicle passed the main gate at about 1:40 p.m. Six other bandmates and staff members from Big Hit Music reportedly traveled together in six black minivans to see him off.
He headed directly to the precincts of the camp without getting out of the car or sticking his head out of a window.
The authorities operated a situation room near the training center, as many fans and journalists were expected to gather with about 300 personnel on standby to prevent possible accidents from congestion. Ambulances were also ready in case of emergency.
Scores of BTS fans were also there to get a glimpse of their favorite star, but there was no congestion from massive gathering of fans, probably because the artist and his agency have repeatedly requested them not to come.
◇ BTS' J-Hope to perform on ABC's New Year's Eve special show
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| ▲The cover of BTS member J-Hope's first solo album, "Jack in the Box," is seen in this photo provided by his entertainment agency Big Hit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
J-Hope of K-pop sensation BTS will perform on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," an annual New Year's Eve special show by ABC TV, its entertainment agency Big Hit Music said Friday.
He will sing three songs, his solo "= (Equal Sign)" (2022), "Chicken Noodle Soup" (2019) and a holiday remix of BTS' mega-hit "Butter" (2021), on a stage in New York City's Times Square on Dec. 31, the agency said on BTS' official Twitter page.
In July, J-Hope dropped his first solo album, "Jack in the Box," and took the main stage of the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.
BTS previously appeared in the famous annual show in 2017 and 2019, and sent New Year's video greetings in 2020.
◇ JTBC's 'Reborn Rich' becomes this year's most-watched drama
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| ▲Scenes from "Reborn Rich" are seen in this composite image provided by Korean cable channel JTBC. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Local cable channel JTBC's corporate drama "Reborn Rich" has broken past the 20 percent mark to achieve the highest viewership ratings this year with its intriguing revenge plot by a man who is reincarnated into a rich family and achieves success with his future insight.
The drama starring top actor Song Joong-ki began with a 6.1 percent viewership rating on Nov. 18 and continued its upward march to score 21.2 percent with its 11th episode that aired Sunday, according to Nielsen Ratings Korea.
It was the highest rating by a Korean drama series this year, surpassing the previous record by the global hit series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," which aired on local cable channel ENA and streamed on Netflix in the summer.
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| ▲Cast members of the JTBC drama series "Reborn Rich" (from L to R), Lee Seong-min, Shin Hyun-been and Song Joong-ki, pose for a photo during a press conference in Seoul on Nov. 17, 2022, in this file photo provided by JTBC. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The Friday-to-Sunday show, available on Netflix, Disney+ and Rakuten Viki, also topped charts in several Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, over the past week.
Based on the web-based novel by San Kyung and a webtoon of the same Korean title translated as "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family," the fantasy corporate drama follows Yoon Hyun-woo (played by Song), who was loyal to a wealthy family before being murdered and then sought a different life when he's reborn as Jin Do-joon, the youngest son of the family.
◇ BTS' RM debuts at 15th on Billboard's albums chart with 'Indigo'
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| ▲ BTS leader RM is seen in a concept photo for his solo debut album titled "Indigo," provided by Big Hit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
RM, leader of the K-pop supergroup BTS, has made it onto U.S. Billboard's two main charts for his first solo album, "Indigo."
The album, released Dec. 2, debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for this week, while its lead track "Wild Flower" began at No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, Billboard said on social media Monday (U.S. time).
The rapper is credited with writing all the tracks on the album that he said contains his honest feelings and thoughts.
"Wild Flower" is about the singer's desire to "live like humble tranquil wild flowers rather than a flamboyant flame that quickly vanishes." The song features Cho Yoo-jeen, the lead vocalist of the K-pop band Cherry Filter.
The album landed at No. 45 on Britain's Official Albums Chart Top 100 on Friday (local time).
South Korean girl group ITZY's sixth EP, "Cheshire," debuted at 25th on the Billboard 200.
◇ 'Decision to Leave' nominated for Golden Globe best non-English language film and for Critics Choice Awards
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| ▲A scene from the Korean film "Decision to Leave" is seen in this photo provided by its distributor CJ ENM. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The South Korean film "Decision to Leave" has been nominated as the best non-English language film at the 80th Golden Globe Awards slated for January.
According to the nominations announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Monday (U.S. time), Park Chan-wook's romantic thriller was named in the category, along with four other films: "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Germany), "Argentina, 1985" (Argentina), "Close" (Belgium) and "RRR" (India).
In 2020, Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film "Parasite" won the trophy for the best non-English language film at the Golden Globe Awards.
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| ▲ South Korean director Park Chan-wook, who won best director for his latest film, "Decision to Leave," at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, speaks during a publicity event in Seoul, in this June 2, 2022, file photo. (Yonhap) |
Meanwhile, the movie has also been nominated for best foreign film for this year's Critics Choice Awards.
According to the nominations announced by the Critics Choice Association on Wednesday (U.S. time), the Korean film starring Park Hae-il and Tang Wei was listed in the best foreign language film category, along with five other movies.
Winners will be announced during an awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 15.
It brought home the Best Director prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival and has been chosen as South Korea's entry for the best international feature film category of the 94th Academy Awards slated for March.
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