연합뉴스
| yna@yna.co.kr 2022-02-13 08:00:38
by Ra Hwakjin / Kim Sun Min
◇ BTS RM gives thumbs-up to S. Korean short tracker disqualified during Beijing Olympics
RM, leader of K-pop superband BTS, has expressed his support for a South Korean short track speed skater disqualified during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics amid mounting public outrage over the questionable referee decision.
RM posted a photo, along with clap and thumbs-up emojis, on his Instagram account on Monday night of Hwang Dae-heon passing Chinese competitors during a men's 1,000m semifinal. Hwang finished first but was disqualified for what the referee said was an illegal late passing.
RM made no comment along with the photo, but his posting was seen as a gesture of support for the athlete eliminated due to the questionable officiating that allowed Chinese skaters to advance to the final and the host country to end up collecting gold and silver medals.
Besides Hwang, fellow short track speed skater, Lee June-seo, was also disqualified in what many see as another unfair decision in a separate men's 1,000m semifinal as he got called for a lane change that caused contact with another skater.
After RM's posting, BTS' official Instagram account was filled with malicious comments from Chinese netizens.
However, BTS’ fans soon left a series of heart emojis in the comment as a gesture of support for RM.
◇ Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin announce marriage
Star actor Hyun Bin and his partner in the hit drama "Crash Landing On You," Son Ye-jin, will get married next month after two years of dating, according to their agencies on Thursday.
The two plan to hold a wedding at an undisclosed place in Seoul next month with only their parents, relatives and friends invited, according to VAST Entertainment and MSTeam Entertainment.
The stars also announced their decision to get married on Instagram.
"I have a person with whom I want to spend the rest of my life," Son said on her Instagram account.
"I thought it was something unimaginable for a man and a woman to meet, share their hearts, and promise the future, but I naturally came this far," she said.
Hyun said through the official Instagram account of his agency, "I've made an important decision to get married and I’m trying to step carefully into the second act of my life."
The actors, both 40 years old, became lovers in March, 2020, after working together in the 2018 film "The Negotiation" and "Crash Landing On You," tvN's 2019-20 hit rom-com TV series.
◇ 'All of Us Are Dead' most popular Netflix TV series for two weeks straight
South Korea's zombie apocalypse drama "All of Us Are Dead" has been the most popular TV series on Netflix for two consecutive weeks, a market tracker said Saturday.
According to data by streaming analytics firm Flixpatrol, the 12-part show has stayed atop its daily list of top TV series from Netflix all around the world for 14 days since it was released on Jan. 28.
The Netlix original topped the rankings in 37 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Britain, France, Hungary, Greece, New Zealand and Australia. It ranked second in the United States, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
The series received 807 points based on its rankings by country Friday, staying in the 800s for the 14th day.
Coming in a distant second was the Mexican thriller "Dark Desire," which gained 493 points. It was followed by the American romance "Sweet Magnolias" with 449 points.
Based on a popular webtoon, "All of Us Are Dead" depicts the story of students struggling to survive in a high school where the zombie virus has spread. A group of students stages all-out battles against the zombies, formerly their friends and teachers, while no police and other adults come to rescue them.
As the series gained popularity, the weekly views of the original author Joo Dong-geun's Naver webtoon of the same title increased by nearly 80 times from the average before the drama was released.
◇ COVID-19 to spread in entertainment industry
As omicron variant of COVID-19 has continued to spread, there were a number of confirmed cases in the entertainment industry this week. As a result, the concert was canceled and the production of TV programs was disrupted.
SBS TV entertainment show "Running Man" has been reported to have 4 confirmed cases among 7 members, including Kim Jong-kook, Yang Se-chan, Ji Suk-jin, and Haha. The production staffs, however, said that there will be no major problems regarding the program production as “Running Man” is scheduled to be canceled for a while due to broadcasting of Olympic games.
Earlier this week, star actor Lee Byung-hun and his wife Rhee Min-jung were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
Lee's infection immediately halted the filming of tvN’s new drama "Our Blues," which is his upcoming drama.
Comedian Kim Jun-ho and actor Heo Sung-tae also tested positive for the coronavirus. Both of them received their second vaccine shots and showed no serious symptoms.
K-pop boy group 2am's Jo Kwon tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 11, a day before the 2am concert, which was scheduled to be held in 9 years. As a result, the 2am concert, which was planned to be held both online and offline from Feb. 12 to Feb. 13, was cancelled.
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