For this post, I would like to let you know a little about the top news of South Korea for the past few years (2014-2017). This events market the history of the nation on different aspects of society, political-social-entertainment, this are the topics that I found for you to learn about. I will summarize the news for you to have an idea and then try to look for more information. Hope you like the post and comment if you please.
Sewol Ferry Tragedy:
On April of 2014 the Sewol Ferry that ships from Incheon to Jeju, back and forth drowned, killing more than 300 people. Most of the victims were students on school trips. Since the tragedy marked the worst on maritime accident on centuries, the authorities even hove some assumptions of what might cause this entire tragic event.
1. Double the cargo on the ship. Since March of 2013 reports were made notifying, the Ferry from Incheon to Jeju excited its cargo 139 times of 241 trips. The Marine Company made this data public.
2. The cargo on the Ferry was not properly secured. Since the cargo was loosely tied, the balance of the ship might have being affected after a sharp turn of the ship, made before the accident.
3. Bad emergency response on the ship. As told by a witness, that the crew insisted that the passengers stayed put. That action is completely out of the ordinary, since the proper direction should have been to put on the life jackets and getting into the lifeboats.
4. The Captain abandoned the ship while leaving the passengers behind. The Captain stated that he told the passengers to stay put and wait for the rescue boats, statement that was under fire for the past three years. Now the Captain is facing seven years of sentence for murder.
5. A third mate was steering the ship. It has been questioned that an inexperienced crewmember was steering the ship at the time of the accident. This crewmember also was facing charges for negligence and not abiding by emergency safety law.
6. Delays on notifying the accident to authorities. The first call received was from a passenger to emergency services. Three minutes later the crew made contact with Jeju Island, which was the destination of the ship, instead of the nearest port.
7. Modifications of the ship. A new ship was bought by the company of the Ferry, and was modified to have more passenger capacity. It’s speculated that this modifications might have affected the gravity of the ship.
Until this day, this tragedy affects the entire nation. On March of this year, the ship surfaced from the ocean, which might help to clarify the ongoing investigation of the event.
President Park Geun-hye and the Peoples’ Party for impeachment:
After a scandal around President’s Park friend, Choi Soon-sil and former presidential aide An Chong-bum, which were charged with abuse of power and corruption. The Peoples’ Party, which has 38 seats of 300 on the Korean Parliament, wanted President Park to be out of her position and to acknowledge her wrongdoing. For this matter the Democratic Party, which has 121 seats on Parliament, was reviewing the impeachment cautiously on every angle to make a decision. A great amount of citizens took the streets, even artists and entertainers accompany them, to have a leader who works for the country and the people. On December of 2016, the Parliament made the decision of impeach her, and in March of 2017, she was outed. Park was the first female president, and the first democrat forced from office. She was charged with bribery, abusing state power and leaking state secrets. Miss Choi was sentenced for three years for corruption after found guilty of using her position to solicit favors for her daughter. This favors included pressuring conglomerates, including the Samsung’s head, for millions of dollars in donations to two non-profit foundations she controlled, with the help of her presidential connections. Lee Jae-yong, Samsung’s head, was jailed for five years in August of 2017, for bribery and embezzlement.
Ladies’ Code Fatal Car Accident:
On September 3 of 2014, the girl group Ladies’ Code was involved in a car accident after a concert were they performed, the van’s back wheel fall off. Since it was raining, the road was slippery and the van ran into a guardrail. This took member EunB life moments after, she was 21 years old, and left two other members in critical stage. On September 7, was confirmed that the member Rise passed away after hours of surgery for sever damage to her head and leg, she was 23 years old. The group was staring their career and the ballad track “I’m Fine Thank You” topped the charts for the first time in Korea. This tragic event made headlines in the Korean music industry for month, and it took several months and therapy for the remaining members to go back to their dorms. On February of 2016, the group made their comeback with members Ashley, Sojung, and Zuny, paying tribute to the late members EunB and Rise. For the concept of their return, they left behind the fun atmosphere the once had, and now it was a more mellow sound. The track they released was title “Myst3ry”, with the three emphasizing the remaining members. They continued to work because they knew that was what the late members would like them to do.
TOP Marijuana Scandal and Suicidal Attempt:
Every healthy Korean man in South Korea has to enlist for his mandatory military service, and celebrities are not the exception. On February 9 of 2017, Choi Seung-hyun, better known as Big Bangs’ TOP, started his military service for 24 months. However, in June 1 it was release that TOP had a positive result for marijuana use, which is a violation of illegal drug laws, his case then was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office. During the investigation, he admitted to use marijuana before enlistment, and it was revealed that in company of a female trainee. On June 6, TOP was found unconscious and rushed to the hospital, after having an overdose with prescription tranquilizer. After a few hours an official report from the police was out and they sated that TOP was not found unconscious but with a heavy sleep, unable to keep his eyes open, and only assisted to the hospital. At the time that he was discharged the only declarations that could be heard from him was that he was sorry. The day before his accident it was determined by the police that he would be prosecuted without going to jail, he was going to be remove from his station where he was serving and sent home. On June 19, the final trial was made and TOP was found guilty and admitted to his wrongdoings. The sentence for him was ten month of prison, suspended for two years (which means he would be in probation, if he violates the conditions he would go to prison) and a fee of 12,000 won ($10.7). For the ten months he would not be serving in the military, after his sentence is fulfilled, he would be completing his remaining days of mandatory service.
Jonghyun, SHINee’s member, dies at 27:
December 18 of 2017 on now known as a sad day for the KPOP industry, since is the day that SHINee’s lead vocalist was found unconscious and later declared dead at the hospital. As the investigation revealed, he was found at his home floor with a brow liquid next to him, which later was found out to be coal briquette, making him die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Later it was release a suicidal letter from the artist, which clearly testifies that he was going through severe depression. This letter was given to his dear friend Nine9, which the singer gave it to him a couple of weeks before the fatal end. Since he had the letter on his position, Nine9 and his family tried to help him with his depression, but they could only prolong his existence for a few more days. SHINee is one of the top KPOP groups of the industry, been around for ten years. As part of the mourning process is South Korea, the immediate family of the deceased, in this case, his mother and older sister receive the condolence, along with the oldest male, but for that part, the SHINee members would be taking the position as part of the family. Later on was revealed that Jonghyun send his sister a text message saying to release him and to tell him that he has worked hard, with that she called the police to notify of the possibility of him been suicidal. At the service, there was a great amount of idols, SM Entertainment colleagues, entertainment personalities, and it was open to the fans. The burial ground was set as private for the family and the SHINee members. With the tragedy of this great artist, the media all around the World are questioning the pressure of stardom at South Korea and the mental health of the idols there.
Song-Song Couple Gets Married:
On February of 2016, we all fall in love with Captain Yoo Shin Jin, the leader of a Special Forces Unit at the Korean Army, even though he was falling for trauma surgeon Kang Mo Yeon. It was Song Joong Ki’s first drama since his mandatory military service was completed, and it was Song Hye Kyo first drama since the 2013 hit “That Winter, The Wind Blows”. The expectations were high for this production, which has most of the filming outside South Korea, and believe me when I say that it did not disappoint. However, the media and fans wanted more of the “Song-Song Couple” and their great chemistry, that is why soon after the drama ended the rumors of them been a real couple started. Both actors’ agencies denied the news and stated that they were only “good friends”. But the joke was on us, on July of this year both actors “surprised” fans and the media with a wedding announcement on their respected fan cafes. The wedding was set for fall, the media excited and the rumors started again, this time stating that it was a shotgun wedding because of a pregnancy, which was not true. On October 31, the two actors had a great wedding at Shilla Hotel with a good group of friends and family. The media got their way, as a Chinese media outlet use drones to film the weeding illegally, even though the actors wanted to be a private party. This was one of the biggest events on the entertainment for 2017. After the wedding, the couple traveled to Spain for their honeymoon. Congrats to the lovely couple!
BTS Takes the US:
On May 21, the US finally started to realize that the Korean Pop scene is more powerful than what they knew about. A Korean boy band named BTS won Billboards Top Social Artist, surpassing Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Of course, the fans decided the winners, and the BTS’s Army did not let the group down. The seven-member group debuted on 2013, rising slowly to stardom around the world. Their concept of the group is more of a hip-hop vibe with energetic choreographies and great rapping/vocals skills. However, what made the group a bigger trend is that they are not part of one of the top three entertainment agencies of South Korea (SM, YG, JYP) but part of a small agency called BigHit Entertainment. Their second full-length album, “Wings” was release on 2016, and it went to number 26 on the Billboard 200. Since their Billboard appearance a lot of international artists had come to notice their work, and even became fans, others talks about collaborations with the group. Some of these artists are Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Camila Cabello, Ansel Elgort, Khalid, Marshmello, Zedd, Demi Lovato, and a bunch of other artists. After the release of the group’s album “Love Yourself: Her”, and the immediate success of the single “DNA”, the group announced their first stage performance at the 2017 American Music Awards on November 19. Along with the incredible performance, the group made appearances in several TV shows like Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and great interviews with different media. On November 24, the MV of the collaboration track “MIC Drop” with Steve Aoki and Desiigner was release, and the success was at a whole new level for them and the KPOP industry. The song has great sound; the MV has incredible visuals and choreography, and the international media just love it. The track topped a great number of music charts in just hours of the release and the MV reached an impressive amount of views in only twenty-four hours. Thanks to their success, the group will be part of the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Even With Ryan Seacrest”. The group it’s just beginning their career, so we don’t know what might happen nest with them.
You might be questioning why I didn’t talk about the missiles that are constantly send out of South Korea territory to North Korea, or the other way around. Well, since the Peninsula is sensitive on the topic of war and they are prepare if they made the call, I will not be mentioning this topic on my blog.
Thank you for your time, hope you come back for more next time.
Sources:
Sewol Ferry Tragedy:
On April of 2014 the Sewol Ferry that ships from Incheon to Jeju, back and forth drowned, killing more than 300 people. Most of the victims were students on school trips. Since the tragedy marked the worst on maritime accident on centuries, the authorities even hove some assumptions of what might cause this entire tragic event.
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
1. Double the cargo on the ship. Since March of 2013 reports were made notifying, the Ferry from Incheon to Jeju excited its cargo 139 times of 241 trips. The Marine Company made this data public.
2. The cargo on the Ferry was not properly secured. Since the cargo was loosely tied, the balance of the ship might have being affected after a sharp turn of the ship, made before the accident.
3. Bad emergency response on the ship. As told by a witness, that the crew insisted that the passengers stayed put. That action is completely out of the ordinary, since the proper direction should have been to put on the life jackets and getting into the lifeboats.
4. The Captain abandoned the ship while leaving the passengers behind. The Captain stated that he told the passengers to stay put and wait for the rescue boats, statement that was under fire for the past three years. Now the Captain is facing seven years of sentence for murder.
5. A third mate was steering the ship. It has been questioned that an inexperienced crewmember was steering the ship at the time of the accident. This crewmember also was facing charges for negligence and not abiding by emergency safety law.
6. Delays on notifying the accident to authorities. The first call received was from a passenger to emergency services. Three minutes later the crew made contact with Jeju Island, which was the destination of the ship, instead of the nearest port.
7. Modifications of the ship. A new ship was bought by the company of the Ferry, and was modified to have more passenger capacity. It’s speculated that this modifications might have affected the gravity of the ship.
Until this day, this tragedy affects the entire nation. On March of this year, the ship surfaced from the ocean, which might help to clarify the ongoing investigation of the event.
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
President Park Geun-hye and the Peoples’ Party for impeachment:
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
After a scandal around President’s Park friend, Choi Soon-sil and former presidential aide An Chong-bum, which were charged with abuse of power and corruption. The Peoples’ Party, which has 38 seats of 300 on the Korean Parliament, wanted President Park to be out of her position and to acknowledge her wrongdoing. For this matter the Democratic Party, which has 121 seats on Parliament, was reviewing the impeachment cautiously on every angle to make a decision. A great amount of citizens took the streets, even artists and entertainers accompany them, to have a leader who works for the country and the people. On December of 2016, the Parliament made the decision of impeach her, and in March of 2017, she was outed. Park was the first female president, and the first democrat forced from office. She was charged with bribery, abusing state power and leaking state secrets. Miss Choi was sentenced for three years for corruption after found guilty of using her position to solicit favors for her daughter. This favors included pressuring conglomerates, including the Samsung’s head, for millions of dollars in donations to two non-profit foundations she controlled, with the help of her presidential connections. Lee Jae-yong, Samsung’s head, was jailed for five years in August of 2017, for bribery and embezzlement.
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
Ladies’ Code Fatal Car Accident:
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
On September 3 of 2014, the girl group Ladies’ Code was involved in a car accident after a concert were they performed, the van’s back wheel fall off. Since it was raining, the road was slippery and the van ran into a guardrail. This took member EunB life moments after, she was 21 years old, and left two other members in critical stage. On September 7, was confirmed that the member Rise passed away after hours of surgery for sever damage to her head and leg, she was 23 years old. The group was staring their career and the ballad track “I’m Fine Thank You” topped the charts for the first time in Korea. This tragic event made headlines in the Korean music industry for month, and it took several months and therapy for the remaining members to go back to their dorms. On February of 2016, the group made their comeback with members Ashley, Sojung, and Zuny, paying tribute to the late members EunB and Rise. For the concept of their return, they left behind the fun atmosphere the once had, and now it was a more mellow sound. The track they released was title “Myst3ry”, with the three emphasizing the remaining members. They continued to work because they knew that was what the late members would like them to do.
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
TOP Marijuana Scandal and Suicidal Attempt:
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
Every healthy Korean man in South Korea has to enlist for his mandatory military service, and celebrities are not the exception. On February 9 of 2017, Choi Seung-hyun, better known as Big Bangs’ TOP, started his military service for 24 months. However, in June 1 it was release that TOP had a positive result for marijuana use, which is a violation of illegal drug laws, his case then was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office. During the investigation, he admitted to use marijuana before enlistment, and it was revealed that in company of a female trainee. On June 6, TOP was found unconscious and rushed to the hospital, after having an overdose with prescription tranquilizer. After a few hours an official report from the police was out and they sated that TOP was not found unconscious but with a heavy sleep, unable to keep his eyes open, and only assisted to the hospital. At the time that he was discharged the only declarations that could be heard from him was that he was sorry. The day before his accident it was determined by the police that he would be prosecuted without going to jail, he was going to be remove from his station where he was serving and sent home. On June 19, the final trial was made and TOP was found guilty and admitted to his wrongdoings. The sentence for him was ten month of prison, suspended for two years (which means he would be in probation, if he violates the conditions he would go to prison) and a fee of 12,000 won ($10.7). For the ten months he would not be serving in the military, after his sentence is fulfilled, he would be completing his remaining days of mandatory service.
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
Jonghyun, SHINee’s member, dies at 27:
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
December 18 of 2017 on now known as a sad day for the KPOP industry, since is the day that SHINee’s lead vocalist was found unconscious and later declared dead at the hospital. As the investigation revealed, he was found at his home floor with a brow liquid next to him, which later was found out to be coal briquette, making him die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Later it was release a suicidal letter from the artist, which clearly testifies that he was going through severe depression. This letter was given to his dear friend Nine9, which the singer gave it to him a couple of weeks before the fatal end. Since he had the letter on his position, Nine9 and his family tried to help him with his depression, but they could only prolong his existence for a few more days. SHINee is one of the top KPOP groups of the industry, been around for ten years. As part of the mourning process is South Korea, the immediate family of the deceased, in this case, his mother and older sister receive the condolence, along with the oldest male, but for that part, the SHINee members would be taking the position as part of the family. Later on was revealed that Jonghyun send his sister a text message saying to release him and to tell him that he has worked hard, with that she called the police to notify of the possibility of him been suicidal. At the service, there was a great amount of idols, SM Entertainment colleagues, entertainment personalities, and it was open to the fans. The burial ground was set as private for the family and the SHINee members. With the tragedy of this great artist, the media all around the World are questioning the pressure of stardom at South Korea and the mental health of the idols there.
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
Song-Song Couple Gets Married:
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
On February of 2016, we all fall in love with Captain Yoo Shin Jin, the leader of a Special Forces Unit at the Korean Army, even though he was falling for trauma surgeon Kang Mo Yeon. It was Song Joong Ki’s first drama since his mandatory military service was completed, and it was Song Hye Kyo first drama since the 2013 hit “That Winter, The Wind Blows”. The expectations were high for this production, which has most of the filming outside South Korea, and believe me when I say that it did not disappoint. However, the media and fans wanted more of the “Song-Song Couple” and their great chemistry, that is why soon after the drama ended the rumors of them been a real couple started. Both actors’ agencies denied the news and stated that they were only “good friends”. But the joke was on us, on July of this year both actors “surprised” fans and the media with a wedding announcement on their respected fan cafes. The wedding was set for fall, the media excited and the rumors started again, this time stating that it was a shotgun wedding because of a pregnancy, which was not true. On October 31, the two actors had a great wedding at Shilla Hotel with a good group of friends and family. The media got their way, as a Chinese media outlet use drones to film the weeding illegally, even though the actors wanted to be a private party. This was one of the biggest events on the entertainment for 2017. After the wedding, the couple traveled to Spain for their honeymoon. Congrats to the lovely couple!
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
BTS Takes the US:
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
On May 21, the US finally started to realize that the Korean Pop scene is more powerful than what they knew about. A Korean boy band named BTS won Billboards Top Social Artist, surpassing Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Of course, the fans decided the winners, and the BTS’s Army did not let the group down. The seven-member group debuted on 2013, rising slowly to stardom around the world. Their concept of the group is more of a hip-hop vibe with energetic choreographies and great rapping/vocals skills. However, what made the group a bigger trend is that they are not part of one of the top three entertainment agencies of South Korea (SM, YG, JYP) but part of a small agency called BigHit Entertainment. Their second full-length album, “Wings” was release on 2016, and it went to number 26 on the Billboard 200. Since their Billboard appearance a lot of international artists had come to notice their work, and even became fans, others talks about collaborations with the group. Some of these artists are Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Camila Cabello, Ansel Elgort, Khalid, Marshmello, Zedd, Demi Lovato, and a bunch of other artists. After the release of the group’s album “Love Yourself: Her”, and the immediate success of the single “DNA”, the group announced their first stage performance at the 2017 American Music Awards on November 19. Along with the incredible performance, the group made appearances in several TV shows like Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and great interviews with different media. On November 24, the MV of the collaboration track “MIC Drop” with Steve Aoki and Desiigner was release, and the success was at a whole new level for them and the KPOP industry. The song has great sound; the MV has incredible visuals and choreography, and the international media just love it. The track topped a great number of music charts in just hours of the release and the MV reached an impressive amount of views in only twenty-four hours. Thanks to their success, the group will be part of the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Even With Ryan Seacrest”. The group it’s just beginning their career, so we don’t know what might happen nest with them.
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
The right of this image goes to its respected owners
You might be questioning why I didn’t talk about the missiles that are constantly send out of South Korea territory to North Korea, or the other way around. Well, since the Peninsula is sensitive on the topic of war and they are prepare if they made the call, I will not be mentioning this topic on my blog.
Thank you for your time, hope you come back for more next time.
Sources:
