SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- Producers of the popular Korean TV series "Vincenzo" said Wednesday that they will remove the controversial scene featuring a Chinese product from overseas streaming services amid rising domestic anger over Chinese sponsorship. In the eighth episode of the dark comedy that aired on March 14 on tvN, an instant Chinese bibimbap brand was exposed while the lead characters Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) and Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-bin) have a meal. Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish consisting of a bowl of warm white rice topped with seasoned vegetables and chili pepper paste. Korean viewers frowned upon the fact that Chinese bibimbap appeared on a Korean drama amid the recent Chinese claims that some elements of Korean culture, including kimchi, originated from China. Producers of "Vincenzo" said they have already canceled exposure of the Chinese product in videos on Korean streaming platforms. It will likely take two or three more days for them to remove t

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By Lee Minji SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- The K-pop juggernauts that have taken the world by storm got personal in the latest episode of a popular Korean TV show, talking about the blood, sweat and tears they put into their career and how they feel about being a contemporary music icon. BTS appeared on the 99th episode of the talk show "You Quiz on the Block," hosted by comedians Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho -- aptly titled "Blood Sweat & Tears" -- late Wednesday. The 100-minute show, filmed at the traditional setting of the Korea Furniture Museum, was packed with candid and poignant moments capturing the group's dramatic trajectory. Coming from a small agency that was on the verge of considering not debuting its trainees due to financial issues, the seven-piece act looked back on the pressures of their trainee days, which was like a survival stage each month. They recalled the ups and downs of living in a small apartment where they wrangled over sharing bunk beds and "there

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By Lee Minji SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- Big Hit Entertainment, the K-pop powerhouse behind global sensation BTS, on Friday unveiled a plan to change its name to Hybe and ambitions to become what it called an "entertainment lifestyle platform." "What we think of as variation of music is that of the indefinite realm and I think the name Big Hit Entertainment cannot fully capture this concept," Big Hit founder and chief executive Bang Si-hyuk said in an online session explaining the transition. "I thought we needed a new company name that could encompass all the business realms that we carry out, and be a symbol for our connecting and expanding structure," Bang said, adding that the name Hybe symbolizes connection, expansion and relationships. Visually, the new company's new brand identity symbolizes different notes compactly packed into one horizontal line on a blank music paper, according to chief brand officer Min Hee-jin. In line with the name change, which is se

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By Lee Minji SEOUL, March 18 (Yonhap) -- Topps, a U.S. trading card manufacturer, removed an illustration showing beaten-up members of BTS after it came under fire for releasing the product at a time when hate crimes against Asians are raising alarm bells. The New York-based company introduced the sticker collection "The Shammy Awards" on Tuesday (U.S. time) following the 63rd Grammy Awards earlier in the week. The Grammy-themed merchandise featured performers BTS, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion and Harry Styles. While caricatures of other performers depicted them holding microphones or a Grammy trophy with labels like "Stunning Stallion" and "Wild Styles," an illustration of BTS showed the seven-piece act as whack-a-mole characters with bruised faces. A label on the card read "BTS Bruisers." Social media erupted with anger and disappointment against the violent and potentially racism-laden portrayal of the group, which was the first Korean act to perfo

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By Kim Boram SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean drama production industry has snapped to attention as intensifying controversy over distorting Korean history led to the recent termination of the period series "Joseon Exorcist." Set in the early 15th century during the reign of King Taejong, the third on the throne of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, the 16-episode supernatural exorcist period fantasy follows the royal family's fight against evil spirits. It had been highly anticipated for its writer Park Gye-ok, who also wrote the hit historical comedy "Mr. Queen," a Korean remake of a Chinese web novel. But last week terrestrial network SBS unprecedentedly decided to cancelupcoming broadcasts of "Joseon Exorcist" following just two episodes, after the show came under fire for improperly portraying King Taejong and the crown prince, who later becomes King Sejong. People criticized scenes in which a hallucinating King Taejong massacres innocent Joseon people and

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WASHINGTON, March 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has resumed short-range missile testing in a direct challenge to the new U.S. administration, a U.S. newspaper reported Tuesday. The missile launches took place over the weekend after Pyongyang denounced Washington for going forward with joint military exercises with South Korea, the Washington Post reported, citing "people familiar with the situation." The reported missile launches could not immediately be verified. If confirmed, the missile launches could mark a resumption of military provocations by the North, which has stayed away from belligerence since early 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pyongyang has maintained a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing since late 2017. Short-range missile launches by North Korea are still in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. bdk@yna.co.kr

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SEOUL, April 4 (Yonhap) -- A new Japanese single by global K-pop sensation BTS has topped iTunes charts in 97 countries and regions, the group's agency said Sunday. According to Big Hit Music, "Film Out" also debuted at No. 1 on Oricon's daily digital singles chart in Japan, with 23,344 downloads. The single also reached the top of major Japanese streaming sites, such as Line Music, AWA and mora. "Film Out" was released last Friday, with its music video also uploaded on YouTube the same day. It garnered 29.38 million views in the first 24 hours, a record for a BTS song in Japanese. "Film Out," co-written by a BTS member Jungkook, will be included on the group's Japanese compilation album, "BTS, The Best," due out on June 16.

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SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- Pablo Picasso's painting depicting the 1950-53 Korean War will be displayed for the first time in South Korea, an exhibition agency said Monday. The "Massacre in Korea", one of a series of anti-war paintings by the legendary Spanish artist, will be exhibited at the Hangaram Arts Center Museum inside the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, from May 1 to August 29, according to the organizer, Vichae Art Museum. The painting depicts a group of naked women and children threatened at a gunpoint by a firing squad in a message against wars and violence. The painting will be among some 110 artworks that will be on display during the exhibition, titled "Into the Myth". The artworks are from the Paris-based Musée Picasso, the organizer said. elly@yna.co.kr

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SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities believe North Korea is ready to roll out a new 3,000-ton submarine, only waiting for the right timing, sources said Sunday. The assessment comes after a U.S. think tank said the North has moved a submersible missile test barge at its missile test site to a different position, possibly indicating an upcoming test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). "Both South Korea and U.S. intelligence authorities made the assessment that North Korea has already finished building the 3,000-ton submarine unveiled in July 2019," according to sources. "The authorities assess that North Korea is reviewing the right timing to roll out the submarine for a strategic effect, including maximizing pressure against the United States," a source said. The source added that the North could reveal the submarine at a launching ceremony and actually roll out an SLBM, such as the Pukguksong-3. Last month, 38 North

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SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- The prosecution has seized the house of former President Park Geun-hye after she failed to pay financial penalties ordered by the Supreme Court in its final ruling on her corruption and power abuse cases, prosecution officials said Tuesday. In its high-profile ruling on Jan. 14, the top court upheld a 20-year prison sentence, a fine of 18 billion won (US$15 million) and a forfeit of 3.5 billion won for Park, who was convicted in a massive power abuse and bribery scandal that removed her from office in 2017. Imprisoned in March 2017, Park has to serve 22 years in prison, which includes a two-year prison term for her 2018 conviction for illegal meddling in a nomination process of the then-ruling Saenuri Party. One day after the Supreme Court ruling, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent a written order to Park to pay her financial penalties totaling 21.5 billion won by Feb. 22. As the former president failed to comply with the order

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