Brothers of North Korea’s Kim Jong Eun notably absent
Washington Post

Kim Jong Eun is portrayed in North Korea’s official state media as a leader without comparison, blessed with a supreme bloodline, flanked by a supportive wife and endowed with the “brilliant” ability to revamp the economy, command an army and guide the space program.

But one thing is notably absent from these descriptions: any mention of his two brothers, both of whom were once rumored to be heirs to the family-run empire.

Fleeing North Korea Is Becoming Harder
New York Times

The Rev. Kim Seung-eun said he could measure the increasing difficulty of smuggling people out of North Korea by the higher cost of bribing North Korean soldiers on the Chinese border to look the other way.

“They demand not only more cash, but also all kinds of things for themselves and their superiors,” said Mr. Kim, a South Korean human rights activist who helps North Koreans flee their totalitarian homeland and resettle in the South. “They’ve developed a taste for South Korean goods, too.”

Under North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong-un, human rights activists and South Korean officials say, it has become increasingly difficult to smuggle refugees out of the country, contributing to a sharp drop in the number of North Koreans reaching South Korea in the past year.

Tacoma exchange students from South Korea file lawsuit over fatal Oregon bus crash
The News-Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)

A pair of Tacoma-based exchange students who survived a bus crash that killed nine people in Eastern Oregon last month filed a lawsuit Sunday against the tour company, the teens’ lawyer said.

The lawsuit alleges that the driver of the bus that crashed 100 feet down an embankment Dec. 30 east of Pendleton with about 40 passengers was fatigued and drove too fast for the road conditions based on traffic warnings. The Vancouver, B.C.-based company, Mi Joo Tour & Travel Ltd., could not be reached for comment Sunday night.

Cousins Chae Jong-hyun and An Seong-jun, from South Korea, have been living near Browns Point for several months with a family friend during their exchange, lawyer Charles Herrmann said.

Bus company in fatal Oregon crash had history of DOT violations
CNN.com

The Canadian tour bus company involved in last weekend’s fatal crash in Oregon was cited for serious violations of motor coach rules during U.S. reviews in 2010 and 2011, according to records obtained by CNN.

But nothing on the Department of Transportation’s website for the public indicated there were previous problems with the bus line. Instead, the site reflected only its “satisfactory” rating from the department’s most recent review, in 2011.

Newark man gets 8 years in investment scam
Delaware Online

A Newark man who scammed investors out of $2.2 million over 10 years with false promises of profits from foreign currency investment was sentenced to 8 years and one month in prison today by a U.S. District Court judge.

Kyong Ho Kim, 45, a native of South Korea who came to the United States as a child and obtained citizenship, pleaded guilty in September to wire fraud and money laundering.

Federal prosecutors charge that while Kim, a married father of three, may have started his fraud in response to financial difficulties due to losing a bank job and gambling issues, he long ago paid off his personal debts. In recent years Kim – who operated under the name Parthenon Investment — used investors’ money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included a mistress, a yacht and rented house on the Chesapeake Bay, two luxury cars and first-class trips around the world, according to prosecutors.

‘Frontline’ raises questions about test-score tampering under Rhee
Washington Post

Student standardized-test scores at an award-winning D.C. school dropped dramatically in 2011 after the principal tightened security out of concern about possible cheating, according to a new “Frontline” television documentary to be broadcast Tuesday.

The hour-long program raises questions about whether District officials have adequately investigated persistent suspicions that public school employees may have tampered with tests during the tenure of former schools chancellor Michelle A. Rhee.

The story behind a Korean-American mom’s passion for cooking
Korea Herald

Ro Hyo-sun is a Korean American mother of two who currently works as a government professional specializing in contracting and auditing in Washington, D.C. However, aside from being a full-time worker and a mom, Ro is also a dedicated food blogger.

It started when her two children, who are now grown up and living away from home, wanted to start learning how to cook the food they grew up eating. Her children would call around dinner time asking how to prepare certain dishes. They complained there aren’t enough authentic Korean food recipes available in English.

Actress Bae Doona proud of her roles in ‘Cloud Atlas’
Yonhap News

South Korean actress Bae Doona’s filmography is full of names of celebrated directors — Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Nobuhiro Yamashita, Hirokazu Koreeda, the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer.

Unlike other fashion model-turned actresses, she wasn’t bothered by playing an insensitive apartment management worker in a yellow-hooded T-shirt with almost no make-up in the Korean film, “Barking Dogs Never Bite” (2000).

Dakota, Elle Fanning Create Media Frenzy in South Korea
Hollywood Reporter

Dakota and Elle Fanning created media buzz in South Korea over the weekend when the sisters appeared in Seoul’s trendy downtown areas to shop.

The blonde teenagers were spotted Saturday by local fans in the Hongdae (Hongik University) area, known for its indie music, street fashion and club scene, and naturally for the world’s most wired country, paparrazi-esque shots taken on smartphones by curious onlookers soon went viral online.

Choi leads Canada to dramatic Copa victory
Golf Week

As Canada’s Albin Choi stood in the famed 18th fairway at Doral’s TPC Blue Monster, he told his captain to give it to him straight. Live scoring lagged a bit on the final holes of the Copa de las Americas, and Choi wanted to know exactly what it would take to put his Canadian team in front of Mexico and the U.S. for good.

The latter two teams began the final round five shots behind Canada. Whispers and frantic calculations indicated a three-way tie for much of the final minutes of the tournament. Then the 10-footers started finding the bottom of the cup at No. 18.

Songdo, South Korea: The city that could change the way we travel
Washington Post

The scene outside the cab window is ominous: six lanes of black sedans, apple-green buses and scooters sit crammed fender-to-fender, their shrill horns and screeching brakes piercing Seoul’s hazy, exhaust-choked air. Talk about traffic! I haven’t even arrived in Songdo yet, but watching this, I can already understand its appeal.

Over the past decade, the South Korean city of Songdo has sprung up on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land on the Yellow Sea, 40 miles south of Seoul. Linked by a 7.4-mile bridge to Incheon International Airport, the city is regularly hailed as an experimental prototype of the aerotropolis, an urban development concept with the potential to significantly affect the way we travel. I’m heading to Songdo from Seoul to have an up-close look at this cutting-edge new milestone in the future of travel.

South Korea’s new president: Plenty on her plate
The Economist

PARK GEUN-HYE’S campaign advertising described her as a “prepared female president”. Having narrowly defeated the Democratic United Party (DUP) candidate, Moon Jae-in, on December 19th, two-thirds of her slogan will be realised with her inauguration on February 25th. The “prepared” part, however, is less clear.

South Korean presidents-elect appoint transition teams to help smooth their way into office and many of their members then take up posts in the new government. With her appointments, Ms Park seems to be trying to bridge the political divide. Her transitional team, consisting of nine subcommittees, is headed by Kim Yong-joon, a former head of South Korea’s Constitutional Court.

South Korea budgets for sunnier ties with reclusive North
Reuters

South Korea has increased its budget to fund North Korea-related projects this year, government data showed on Thursday, with a new president seeking closer relations due to take office in Seoul and signs of an opening from Pyongyang.

The two Koreas remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended with a truce, not a treaty, and relations plunged under South Korean President Lee Myung-bak who cut aid dramatically after the shooting of a South Korean tourist in the North in 2008.

U.S. Congress Passes Welfare Act for N.Korean Children
Chosun Ilbo

The U.S. Congress on Tuesday passed a bill promoting the welfare and human rights of North Korean children in third countries. A full session of the House of Representatives unanimously passed the North Korean Child Welfare Act of 2012.

The bill urges the U.S. government to facilitate protection of North Korean children in China and other countries by reuniting them with their families or through adoption.

Is North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un A New Dad?
NPR.com

There’s media speculation that Kim Jong-un may have added another title to his roles as new North Korean leader and new husband – could he be a new father?

Notoriously secretive North Korea apparently released an image of Kim’s stylish wife, Ri Sol-ju this week, attending a New Year’s event. She’s trim and glamorous in her purple suit, standing next to her saluting husband.

South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo posted the image of Ri on its news site next to another one of Ri snapped on December 21; there, she’s certainly not trim. Ri is shown wearing a modest red and black long sleeved gown, possibly covering a swelling mid-section – it does appear that she’s pregnant.

South Korea Rejects Extradition in Attack on Japanese Shrine
New York Times

A South Korean court sided with China on Thursday in a fight between Beijing and Tokyo over the custody of a Chinese man accused of an arson attack at the Yasukuni Shrine for Japan’s war dead.

The man, Liu Qiang, 38, completed a 10-month prison term in South Korea in November after hurling four petrol bombs at the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul. His attack in January last year left burn marks on the embassy wall but hurt no one.

Mr. Liu had told South Korean police that his late maternal grandmother, a Korean, was one of Asia’s so-called “comfort women,” who were forced into sexual slavery for Japan’s Imperial Army during World War II. He said that he attacked the Japanese Embassy to show his anger at Tokyo’s refusal to apologize and compensate properly for the wrongs done against the women.

One more victim of Japan’s wartime sex slavery dies
Yonhap News

One more Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II died Friday, a civic group said, raising concerns that the aging victims may die before receiving compensation or apologies from Tokyo.

At the age of 92, Hwang Kum-ju died earlier in the day, according to the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

Her death put the number of South Korea’s government-registered surviving victims of Japan’s enforced sexual enslavement at 58, the council said. Initially, a total of 234 victims were on the list.

South Korea’s Smartphone Film Fest Accepting Submissions
Hollywood Reporter

South Korea’s Olleh Smartphone Film Festival is now accepting submissions from overseas for its newly added international competition section.

Shorts shot with a smartphone running less than 10 minutes are eligible, regardless of genre. Candidates should submit videos between Feb. 1 and 28 through the official Web site (www.ollehfilmfestival.com). Prizewinners are entitled to cash gifts amounting to 50 million won (about $46,910) and brand new smartphones.

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’s management 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.”

Yang himself is a pop icon in Korea. He got his start with the group Seo Tai-ji & Boys, which transformed the landscape of Korean pop music in the 1990s and later opened his own talent agency, whose artists are now making inroads into the W23 trillion (US$1=W1,069) global music industry.

No hoppy ending in sight for local breweries
JoongAng Ilbo

The local scene has been dominated over the past few decades by two breweries – Hite-Jinro and Oriental Brewery. Oriental Brewery, established by the Doosan Group in 1952, is responsible for the OB, Cass and Cafri lagers. Hite-Jinro produces Hite and Max.

The domestic beer market is estimated to be worth around 4 trillion won ($3.76 billion). OB accounts for around 55 percent of local production while Hite-Jinro dominates almost all of the remaining 45 percent. The duopoly has done little to satisfy consumers, and imports are surging as a result.

There is little question as to why Cass, Hite and Max aren’t impressing. They are the reasons behind Korea’s unflattering titles like “The land of the bland,” “Home to the piss of the devil” and “Where beer tastes like cASS.” But what is less certain is why fuller, more assertive brews haven’t taken bites out of the market.

Cal’s Suh wins Silver Belle after final-round 67
Golf Week

Hannah Suh of San Jose, Calif., won the Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle on Dec. 30, finishing the 54-hole event at 6-under 210 at the ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz.

Suh shot a final-round 67 (-5) to move from 15th to first in the final day of the tournament. The event is open to female amateurs between the ages of 13 and 23.

Suh is a freshman at California, who opened her first season by finishing T-2 with teammate Jacqueline Williams at the Washington State Cougar Cup. The Golden Bears won the team title.

Post-Steelers, Hines Ward stirs lots of pots
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For Hines Ward, the route to a post-football career has taken some pretty diverse turns.

Already a “Dancing With the Stars” champion, Mr. Ward has filled the months since his retirement from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March with a hefty slate of work. His first choice was a common one for former pro athletes: doing commentary for NBC Sports in various capacities. Pittsburgh affiliate WPXI-TV gave him “The Hines Ward Show,” a weekly potpourri of football analysis and interviews.

Daughter Of A Dictator Favored In S. Korean Election
NPR

Her presidential campaign rallies present blaring pop music and dancing supporters, but Park Geun-hye’s campaign involves managing some tricky legacies.

Her father, Park Chung-hee, was a military dictator who ran the country from the time he carried out a 1961 military coup until his assassination in 1979. His memory still stirs mixed emotions among South Koreans.

In September, the daughter publicly apologized for her father’s suppression of democracy. Then again, some older Koreans remember Park fondly for his role in transforming their war-torn, impoverished country into the world’s 11th largest economy.

In ‘Madame Park,’ S. Korea sees its first potential female leader
Washington Post

South Korea has the chance Wednesday to elect a woman to its top office, an unprecedented step in a nation long dominated by boardrooms of men and ranked only slightly ahead of most Islamic countries when it comes to gender equality.

The outcome of the presidential election is hardly clinched: Conservative Park Geun-hye — known to her supporters as Madame Park — must hold off liberal Moon Jae-in, who in recent weeks has slashed Park’s lead in polls from several percentage points to nearly zero.

Remembering Madeleine F. Hsu, 6, Sandy Hook Elementary/Newtown Shooting Victim
8Asians

This is a sad post that I haven’t wanted to write. My spirits have been heavy ever since I heard about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings on December 14 and while my heart goes out to all the victims, their loved ones and a community shattered, one victim’s name stood out to me as the editor of a blog covering Asian Americans: Madeleine F. Hsu, aged 6.

North Korea Duped by Hackers’ Attack on Time Poll
Wall Street Journal

In what looks a lot like the recent outbreak of Onion-itis at China’s People’s Daily, the Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday that Mr. Kim was selected by Time subscribers, “including politicians, businessmen, artistes, sportspersons and announcers” as the magazine’s “man of this year.”

Mr. Kim did indeed come top of the online poll, but thanks to some skullduggery on a large scale by members of the 4Chan website, who hacked into the poll to help Mr. Kim to 5.6 million votes, over 3 million more than the second-placed Jon Stewart. In fact, the hackers appear to have successfully manipulated the entire top 14 places of the poll.

Kim Jong-un’s Wife Heavily Pregnant
Chosun Ilbo

A screen grab from North Korea’s official KCNS news agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife Ri Sol-ju heavily pregnant.

Shooting prompts call for more security in Towson when bars close
Baltimore Sun

The alleged shooter, Francis Minsgung Kang, 26, barely drove a block away in his pickup truck before police stopped him.

Cpl. Cathy Batton, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County Police, said Kang, of the unit block of Brook Farm Court in Cockeysville, was leaving the pub at closing time when two women asked if they could get him a cab. Police said Kang yelled at the women and then left and got behind the wheel of his white Dodge Dakota pickup truck.

As he drove down Pennsylvania Avenue past the two women Kang threw an open Gatorade bottle at them, and a group of bystanders chased him around the corner. Police said Kang exited his vehicle in the unit block of West Chesapeake Avenue to confront them.

Jamie Chung stars in the upcoming horror thriller ’7500′
Examiner.com

Jamie Chung stars in Japanese director Takashi Shimizu’s upcoming horror thriller “7500,” which follows a group of passengers aboard a flight across the Pacific Ocean who encounter a supernatural force.

The cast includes Chung, Amy Smart, Leslie Bibb, Aja Evans, and Jerry Ferrara from HBO’s “Entourage” series.

Lin shows Knicks why he’s a keeper
ESPN.com

The artist formerly known as Jeremy Lin was back on his preferred stage, throwing himself fearlessly at the Madison Square Garden basket while recreating something he swore he did not want to recreate.

Yes, this was a worthy sequel to Linsanity. Some sentimental New York Knicks fans showed up in their Lin jerseys, maybe for the last time, and their former point guard showed up with some of his old flash and dash, definitely not for the last time.

Anthony Kim won’t return from Achilles surgery until March
Golf.com

Following an Achilles injury in June that led to surgery, the once-promising American star Anthony Kim won’t be playing competitive golf again until March at the earliest, according to The Desert Sun.

At just age 27, Kim’s career has had incredible highs, like his debut Tour win at the Wachovia and a starring role on the last winning U.S. Ryder Cup squad in 2008; and lows, like his chronic injuries and murmurs that his Entourage-like lifestyle was holding back his golf game.

Former USC Walk-On Kim Staying Optimistic
Scout.com

Walnut (Calif.) Mt. San Antonio College offensive lineman Patrick Kim will be the first to tell you he’s taken an unconventional football journey, from walking on at USC to joining the Mounties team. He also isn’t making an apologies.

“I had about ten to twelve offers in high school, like UTEP, Villanova, Texas State, San Jose State. I’m really big in my faith; the reason I play football is for the glory of God. I prayed about it with my family, and I just didn’t feel like any of those places were where I was meant to be. A lot of people said it was a terrible mistake, but I feel like the last two years that I spent at USC out of high school were the two years I grew up most as a man. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything,” he said.

U.S. Navy positions ships to monitor North Korea launch
CNN.com

The Navy is moving some warships into position to monitor a possible upcoming North Korean launch of a long-range ballistic missile, U.S. Department of Defense officials said Thursday.

The USS Benfold and the USS Fitzgerald – both guided missile destroyers – are moving into positions, although the Navy declined to give their exact location. They are being sent to monitor for a possible launch and “provide reassurance to allies,” according two Defense Department officials.

It’s possible two additional ships will be sent in the next few days, the officials added.

Kim Jong Un tightens his grip
CNN.com

Earlier this week, North Korea placed its missile on the launch pad at Dongchang-ri in the northwestern tip of the country. For the past few weeks, the world’s media has been focused on the inevitable launch, which Pyongyang says will take place sometime between December 10 and 22. But in all of the hoopla surrounding this event, the media (at least in the West) is missing another, potentially more important story percolating in the upper reaches of power in the Hermit Kingdom.

Last week, reports began to surface that Kim Jong Gak had been released from his post as the Minister of People’s Armed Forces. Rumors are that he has been replaced by General Kim Kyok Sik, a former chief of the General Staff and commander of the Fourth Corps, and said to be a hard-line officer whose fingerprints are on both the Cheonan sinking and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling back in 2010.

Old habits die hard: A South Korean election that promised transformation in fact looks all too familiar
The Economist

BIDDING a formal farewell this week to his two-month campaign for South Korea’s presidency, Ahn Cheol-soo was elegiac but hopeful. “Today’s parting”, he said, “is not the end, but a new beginning.” Yet looking at the presidential contest now that Mr Ahn, an academic and former doctor and software entrepreneur, has forsaken it, it is hard not to see his departure as the end, for now, of his “hopes for new politics and regime change”.

Of the seven remaining candidates in the poll on December 19th to elect a successor to Lee Myung-bak, a conservative former businessman, only two have a chance. Each has deep roots in one of the two camps that have swapped power since South Korea embraced democracy 25 years ago. Hence they represent the very forces that disillusioned South Korean voters and helped make Mr Ahn, a charming outsider and political novice with no clear policy platform, a serious contender for the highest office.

Man allegedly posed as SMU student, offered free massages
Dallas Morning News

SMU police arrested a man who posed as a student while roaming dormitory hallways offering female students free massages, according to a report by CBS, Channel 11.

The 24-year-old, identified as Edwin Kim by CBS but as Eswin Kim by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, faces criminal trespassing charges after peddling his services in the Morrison-McGinnis residence hall, police told Channel 11.

Guilty plea for ex-restaurant king Kwon
Salt Lake Tribune

Once-thriving restaurateur Gene Kwon on Wednesday pleaded guilty to theft, securities fraud and a pattern of unlawful activity for misleading his friends to obtain loans in an effort to prop up his failing business empire.

“The reason I’m here today is because I’ve wanted to take ownership of what I’ve done — I am very sorry,” Kwon told 3rd District Judge Judith Atherton.

Facing trial, Kwon, 45, instead pleaded guilty to one count of theft, three counts of securities fraud and one count that involved a pattern of unlawful activity, all second-degree felonies. Each charge carries a prison term of one to 15 years, which can be ordered to run consecutively or concurrently.

Fort Lee’s Tea Bar Reopens More Than a Month After Sandy
Patch.com (Fort Lee, N.J.)

The Tea Bar in Fort Lee opened under new ownership in September with innovative ideas for how to retain the best parts of the existing business while adding their own unique touches.

Less than a month later, Sandy hit, and the Lee family—Seung and Hyun Lee and their son and daughter Ryan and Kris—were forced to close because of severe damage to the building and the common space of the plaza at 1636 Palisade Ave.

Lit Motors And Its Convention-Defying Motorcycle
Forbes.com

It’s an Indian summer day in October in San Francisco’s SOMA district and Daniel Kim is walking in a trance. As we wander and chat about his company, Lit Motors, he steps out into traffic despite the clear “No Crossing Allowed” sign and traverses the busy city intersection amid turning cars and an on-looking policeman.

“Talk about risk!” Kim chuckles, skipping across the last section of the six-lane street to avoid an onrushing Prius.

‘Top Chef: Seattle’ episode recap: why Kristen Kish’s lack of screentime is a good thing, this time
MLive.com (Mich.)

Kristen Kish didn’t get much face time in “Top Chef: Seattle” this week. And that’s a good thing for our competitor from Kentwood, who won last week’s elimation challenge.

The Dec. 5, 2012 episode, amusingly titled “Pike Place Pickle,” was – well, let’s not mince words: it was a massacre. The chefs’ efforts in the elimination challenge were so terrible, nobody won the $10,000 prize. And judge Tom Colicchio seemed so angry – maybe because he had to apologize to the artisans – you could practically see steam coming off his bald head as he told the chefs there would be no winner this week.

Q&A: Cheezburger’s top cat savors success of kitty-driven Web humor empire
Dallas Morning News (subscription req’d)

Ben Huh, chief executive of Cheezburger, acknowledges those who laughed off the concept of a website with cat pictures. “I don’t begrudge them for being naysayers and I don’t begrudge them for not investing,” he says.

Hyun Bin is Back, and Stronger
Wall Street Journal

A South Korean heartthrob who raises the pulse rate of so many women around Asia is back.

Actor Hyun Bin was discharged from the Marines on Thursday morning after fulfilling his 21-month of mandatory military service, an event considered so big that it was broadcast live on several national TV networks.

Wie aims for strong show despite food poisoning
Gulf News (U.A.E.)

Michelle Wie is hoping for a better end to her Omega Dubai Ladies Masters after seeing her first two days’ play hampered by food poisoning.

The 23-year-old American invite spent the day before the Ladies European Tour season-ender in hospital as she battled sickness. She endured a four birdie, one double bogey opening round of 70 on Wednesday and followed it up with a 73 on Thursday, rife with three bogeys, a double and four birdies.

For Los Angeles’ Seoul Sausage Truck It’s ‘Seoul Plus Sausage, Bam. Easy’
The Daily Meal

What one piece of advice would you give someone looking to get into the food truck business?
Make sure you love what you’re doing. The love alone will bring you many customers. Ted and I love chef Chris’ cooking. So, in all honesty, it is very easy to sell.

Entrepreneur battles to market “Forest in Your Pocket”
Yonhap News

What if you could carry a can containing germ killers, stress relievers, memory aides and — allegedly — sex performance enhancers in your pocket? What if that product were 100 percent natural? And what if it were delivered in a waft of pure oxygen?

The good news? The product exists, and its benefits are backed by scientific research. The bad news? You are unlikely to see it in your local supermarket any time soon because it is being marketed, not by a giant conglomerate, but by a lone entrepreneur.

Meet Fiona Bae, a vivacious 37-year-old who is working to program an entirely new product category into the consumer mind-space on a minimal budget. Her marketing challenge is shared by ventures nationwide, who struggle to gain business traction in Korea’s top-heavy economy.

Psy Receives Double-Edged ‘Celebrity of Year’ Accolade from TIME
Chosun Ilbo

TIME magazine named Psy the world’s top “fleeting celebrity” of the year on Tuesday, a tempered compliment for the singer who became a global pop star with his smash hit “Gangnam Style,” which many foreign media have dubbed “Korea’s Macarena.”

“The earworm beat and the distinctive horse-riding dance that Psy performs in the video combined to make the song a smash. Released in July, the viral sensation mocking Korean-pop cliches has racked up over 800 million views on YouTube, surpassing Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ video to become the most-viewed video of all time,” the magazine wrote.

“Thugs the Musical,” With David Alan Grier and Margaret Cho, Will Get NYC Screening
Playbill.com

“Thugs the Musical,” the new faux-documentary short film starring David Alan Grier, Margaret Cho and Kevin Avery, will be screened in New York City Dec. 15 as part of the New York No Limits 2012 Film Summit.

Korean American golfer John Huh was named 2012 PGA Rookie of the Year award on Monday, making him the first Korean American to win the honor.

Huh had been widely expected to receive the award after winning a Tour event after just five starts. The 22-year-old’s breakthrough performance at the Mayakoba Classic in Cancun, Mexico helped him edge out Robert Allenby in an eight-hole sudden death playoff — the second longest playoff in PGA Tour history.

“It’s a great honor to have this award especially as a Korean,” Huh said, according to PGATour.com. “It’s really hard to explain just how I feel right now.” Continue Reading »

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