Teenage star of 'Agent Kim Reactivated' working at takoyaki shopAfter a high-profile debut in “Agent Kim Reactivated,” making takoyaki was what one actor chose to do after the drama came to an end. Seo Su-min, 19, launched her acting career with “Agent Kim Reactivated.” In the drama, she played Kim Min-ji, the daughter of the protagonist, Manager Kim. During a recent appearance on the YouTube channel “1ma2c,” the young actor described what her life had been like since filming wrapped. Much of it involved working part-time at a takoyaki shop. “Sitting around doing nothing just doesn’t work for me, even after filming has ended and everything is going well. I thought I should be doing something, so I decided to get a part-time job,” Seo said. Few customers expected to find the actor working at the shop, and Seo gave them little reason to believe it was really her. “I tried not to stand out by covering my face, so people just assumed I resembled the person they had seen on TV. Some were even talking about the drama while I was standing right next to them.” Seo had not even told the shop owner who she was, leaving the owner completelyJul 30, 2026By Hankookilbo
YouTuber Tyler Rasch closes down channelTyler Rasch, a Korea-based American TV personality and YouTuber, abruptly announced he is shutting down his channel. On his latest YouTube video, Rasch on Monday thanked viewers who tuned in every week, adding that they had given him many fond memories. "Everything that begins must eventually end," he said. "Tylerbolkkayo? as you have known it has now come to an end." He added that he hopes to wrap up the channel properly and promised to return with something even better. Subscribers expressed disappointment over the sudden news. The tylerbolkkayo? channel covered various current events, including international politics and economics, amassing more than 810,000 subscribers and logging 3.74 million views on its most-watched video. The decision drew scrutiny, particularly because the channel recently advertised job openings for content production staff. Rasch majored in international studies at the University of Chicago and earned a master's degree in international relations from Seoul National University. He rose to prominence after appearing on JTBC's "Abnormal Summit" in 2014 and has apJul 21, 2026By Hankookilbo
Kim Soo-hyun's comeback puts Disney+ under spotlight over 'Knock-Off'Kim Soo-hyun has hit the gas on his return to the entertainment industry, making his first public engagement in 16 months. Attention is now turning to Disney+ and the fate of “Knock-Off,” a drama starring Kim, after its release was suspended due to controversy surrounding the actor. On Tuesday, Kim filmed an advertisement for fashion brand Bench in the Philippines. It marked his first public engagement in 16 months, following the controversy over his private life that broke out in March last year. “Reunited with your Bench family,” the fashion brand’s CEO wrote on his personal social media account, sharing a photo he had taken with Kim. In the image, Kim holds a bouquet and flashes a V sign with his fingers. The following day, Kim uploaded a new post to his own social media account, which had been dormant since February last year, resuming communication with fans. If the events of the past two days are any indication, the actor is poised to make a formal return to the industry. Attention is now focused not on whether he will return, but when and through which project. AccordingJul 17, 2026By Xportsnews
A rare glimpse into Lee Young-ae's life with her husbandA rare glimpse of actor Lee Young-ae with her husband has been shared online. Composer Kim Hyung-seok posted a photo on social media featuring himself alongside Lee, her husband Jeong Ho-young and Dr. Jang Il-young. In the image, the actress sits beside Jeong, looking effortlessly elegant as she smiles brightly at the camera. The 55-year-old actress married Jeong, a Korean American businessman 20 years her senior, in a private ceremony in Hawaii in 2009. The couple welcomed twins, son Seung-kwon and daughter Seung-bin, in 2011. Jeong has previously drawn attention in Korean media over reports estimating his fortune at around 2 trillion won ($1.3 billion). Lee previously offered a glimpse into the couple’s family life in the 2014 documentary “SBS Special: Lee Young-ae’s Supper,” which followed her quiet daily routine with their twins. The program drew attention for showing Lee not as a star, but as an ordinary wife and mother. The actor is set to appear in an upcoming drama tentatively titled “Jae Yi’s Young In,” which will reunite her with Yoo Ji-tae 25 years after they staJul 16, 2026By Hankookilbo
HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk spotted in Seongsu with CORTIS merchandiseHYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk has drawn attention after photographs purportedly showing him shopping in Seoul’s Seongsu neighborhood circulated online. The images offered an unusual glimpse into Bang’s private life, which last attracted widespread attention in 2024 when he was spotted in Beverly Hills with livestreamer Juice Seyeon. Two photographs accompanied by an eyewitness account spread across online communities and social media Sunday. The images, reportedly first uploaded by a Chinese internet user to a Chinese social media platform, showed Bang walking along a street in Seongsu and browsing products inside a boutique. One detail quickly caught the attention of online observers: A keychain attached to his shoulder bag appeared to feature merchandise from CORTIS, a rookie boy band under HYBE subsidiary BigHit Music. Bang was dressed in a white shirt with a colorful pattern and black pants. Some online users also commented that he appeared to have gained weight when compared with photographs taken after his widely discussed weight loss. A woman was seen walking in the same directionJul 13, 2026By Hankookilbo
Inquisition sweeps through Korean entertainment industry, tying stars to far-right online communityA sudden online inquisition is sweeping through Korea’s entertainment industry as celebrities are being called to account for alleged ties to Ilbe, a controversial far-right online community whose name alone can turn any association into a reputational liability. But the scrutiny is increasingly beginning to look less like legitimate suspicion than a one-sided effort to brand and attack artists, as even a regional dialect slipping naturally from a celebrity’s tongue or the use of a single word or expression are now being flagged and held up as evidence of ideological affiliation. The latest to be put on trial is “Agent Kim Reactivated,” an SBS drama whose source webtoon has been accused of containing references to Ilbe. Critics claimed that the names of certain characters and places were deliberately chosen to evoke the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun, whose death is routinely mocked in the far-right online community. Webtoon creator Park Tae-jun categorically denied the allegations, saying they were untrue and that he would not have had the nerve to plant such furtive poJul 13, 2026By Hankookilbo
Despite severing ties, Jang Yoon-jeong dragged back into spotlight by mother's new fraud allegationsTrot singer Jang Yoon-jeong has been thrust back into the public spotlight after fraud allegations surfaced against her estranged mother, reviving questions about whether celebrities should face scrutiny for the actions of their family members. JTBC’s investigative program “Crime Chief” aired a segment on June 30 about a family member of a nationally known celebrity who was allegedly involved in a fraud scheme, soliciting investments by using the celebrity’s name. The program identified the person as Jang’s mother. The mother allegedly sought investments in a trot competition program in which her daughter was set to appear, fabricating text messages that appeared to show conversations with Jang. The program suggested there were multiple victims. Jang, who had largely remained silent on controversies surrounding her mother, issued a rare statement saying she has had no contact with her, apparently out of concern that more people could fall victim to similar fraud schemes. The estrangement dates back to 2013, when Jang, then preparing for marriage, publicly spoke about a yearslonJul 8, 2026By Hankookilbo
After Park Na-rae, Simon Dominic reveals home burglary: ‘I don’t film at home anymore’Even celebrities are not immune to home burglaries, as rapper Simon Dominic and TV personality Park Na-rae have recently made clear. “I’m not saying where my expensive watches are anymore. They’re all in a safe. I was robbed,” Korean rapper Simon Dominic said during a recent appearance on fellow celebrity Kian84’s YouTube channel. Simon Dominic, known for collecting sneakers, perfume, watches and other accessories, made the remark after Kian84 asked about the whereabouts of his luxury watches. He then recalled a burglary at his home in which a diamond-covered luxury watch worth hundreds of millions of won was stolen. “The thief consigned it to a watch shop I often go to,” he said. “A friend of mine who owns the same watch happened to go there and saw it. He told me, and when I went there to try it on, it fit my wrist perfectly.” Simon Dominic said he later went to the shop with police as soon as it opened at 10 a.m. on Christmas Eve. After checking CCTV footage, the suspect was arrested that same day. Since the incident, Simon Dominic said he no longer films content at hJul 3, 2026By Xportsnews
Even actor So Ji-sub not exempt from Korean entertainment’s stringent beauty standardsEven actor So Ji-sub, one of the industry's most notable talents, found his early years in the film and television industry far from easy. On Sunday, the prominent actor appeared on a YouTube channel hosted by singer and music producer Jung Jae-hyung, where he shared behind-the-scenes stories about the struggles he faced early in his career because of his appearance. So began by explaining how he entered the entertainment industry after spending his school years as a swimmer and water polo player. “I had been accepted into a college of physical education and was waiting to enroll when I heard that they were looking for a supporting model to stand behind the late Kim Sung-jae of Deux, whom I was a fan of,” So said. He said he had simply followed a friend in applying for the job, only to discover later that he had been selected while his friend had not. “I later became the main model. There was another person working alongside me, and that was actor Song Seung-heon.” So said he was initially given few opportunities because of his appearance. At the time, producers were reluctant to sJun 23, 2026By Hankookilbo
Now a star in the sky: Asteroid named after Barbie Hsu, wife of DJ KooThe late Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu, wife of DJ Koo of the Korean dance duo CLON, now has an asteroid named after her. Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported that the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature had approved the name Xuxiyuan (Hsu's Chinese name) for asteroid 208663. The name was proposed by Hong Kong astronomer and former Hong Kong Astronomical Society President Yang Guangyu, who first observed the asteroid in 2002 from the Desert Eagle Observatory in Arizona. Yang has previously named asteroids he discovered after prominent stars, including Leslie Cheung, Teresa Teng, Andy Lau, Brigitte Lin and Faye Wong. Hsu rose to fame in 2001 for her role as Dong Shancai in the Taiwanese drama “Meteor Garden.” In Korea, however, she was more widely known as the wife of DJ Koo. The two reportedly began dating after meeting in Taiwan in 1998, but their relationship ended about a year later because of the distance between them and opposition from their agencies. More than two decades later, they reconnected following Hsu’s 2021 divorce fromJun 20, 2026By Hankookilbo
