Toxic Smog Blankets Korea
Chosun Ilbo

Toxic smog has blanketed Seoul, Daegu, Jeonju and other parts of the country since Saturday. The smog carries more heavy metal particles than the Mongolian sandstorms that plague the country in spring.

Analysis at a weather station in Bulgwang-dong, Seoul showed that the smog carried 5 to 11 times higher levels of arsenic and 8 to 26 times higher concentration of selenium than last year’s sandstorms, the National Institute of Environmental Research said Tuesday.

Girls’ Generation Hope to Ape Psy’s Success with New Song
Chosun Ilbo

Girls’ Generation’s latest song “I Got a Boy,” which was released at the beginning of the year, is already proving a hit. As the music video is being viewed on YouTube at a faster pace than “Gangnam Style,” some expect the song to ape the success of Psy’s viral hit.

“Gangnam Style” ranks as the most viewed video in the history of YouTube, attracting 10 million hits 19 days after the video was released and 20 million hits within 26 days. “I Got a Boy” garnered 10 million views in just three days of its release and over double this number within six days. As of Monday afternoon, the video has received 29 million views.

(Source: koreamjournal)

Romanian-Born Basketball Player Dreams Big in Korea
Chosun Ilbo

Basketball player Sonia Kim, a.k.a. Sonia Ursu, has drawn interest among basketball fans due to her exotic appearance on the court. She joined Woori Bank’s women’s basketball team as its new shooting guard in October.

Her mother Gabriela fell in love with her father, a Korean engineer, while she was vacationing and he was working at a shipyard in Romania.

(Source: koreamjournal)

Japanese Actress Gives Birth in Korea
Chosun Ilbo

A top Japanese actress has given birth in Korea recently because she was impressed by postnatal care here. Koyuki Kato (36) gave birth to her second daughter in Seoul last Thursday.

A former model, Koyuki starred in the 2003 movie “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruise as well as a string of Japanese movies. In 2011 she married fellow actor Kenichi Matsuyama (27), who starred in the movie “Death Note.”

Samsung, LG Unveil Curved OLED TVs
Chosun Ilbo

Samsung and LG both unveiled innovative curved-display OLED TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday. They kept the new products under tight wraps until the launch.

The wide displays are concavely curved five or six degrees, which endures less screen distortion and has a similar effect to an IMAX screen, the two firms claim.

Samsung’s Dominance Is Worrying for Korea
Chosun Ilbo

Samsung Electronics achieved staggeringearnings in 2012 with sales totaling W201 trillion and operating profit of W29 trillion (US$1=W1,063). Sales were up a 21.9 percent and operating profit a massive 85.8 percent compared to 2011.

Samsung managed to rise to the top of the global mobile phone market by rolling out hit products despite a global slump and a nasty patent dispute with Apple.

Hundreds of Copycats Follow Celebrity Suicides
Chosun Ilbo

Korea has the highest suicide rate among the OECD countries. According to estimates by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 15,000 people kill themselves every year, and about 100,000 are admitted to emergency rooms following a suicide attempt.

But the number of suicides increases 30 percent over the two months after a celebrity commits suicide, according to a study.

Girls Generation’s New Album Already a Hit with U.S. Media
Chosun Ilbo

Girls’ Generation’s new album “I Got a Boy” is receiving rave reviews from the U.S. media.

Billboard on Friday ran a review on all the tracks on the album and described them as “polished K-pop confections that combine elements of forward-thinking EDM (electronic dance music), classic and modern R&B, 80s new wave, and more.” It added that “it should more than satisfy not only K-pop fans but also listeners of all types of popular music.”

Korean-American Actress Won’t Be Pinned Down
Chosun Ilbo

Korean-American actress Esther Chae has built up her filmography with roles in popular soap operas such as “The West Wing” and “The Shield,” while continuing to write scripts, act and direct plays.

In her latest work, a one-person play called “So the Arrow Flies,” Chae plays four roles to portray a cat-and-mouse game between a North Korean spy and an FBI agent who is in hot pursuit. The play has received much critical acclaim and was invited to a number of international events, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Midas Behind ‘Gangnam Style’
Chosun Ilbo

Rapper Psy captured the worldwide fame with over 1 billion people listening to his dance hit “Gangnam Style” on YouTube. Everyone was surprised by the global success of a chubby man in his 30s, who does not fit the sleekly doctored image of most K-pop stars.

But Yang Hyun-suk (43), the CEO of Psy’smanagement company YG Entertainment, had faith. Yang says he has targeted the global market since he opened YG Entertainment back in 1997. “Psy’s success?” asks Yang. “The door we’ve been knocking on has finally opened.”