VANNER’s Yeonggwang has announced his plans to enlist in the military VANNER’s agency KLAP Entertainment announced that Yeonggwang would be enlisting in the military in the first half of this year Yeonggwang will be sitting out part of VANNER’s upcoming U.S He will be able to attend all events from April 5 (LA) to April 13 (Atlanta) and New York “will proceed with Taehwan and Gon as a two-member unit.” The agency’s full statement regarding Yeonggwang’s enlistment is as follows: We would like to express our deep gratitude to the fans who always give VANNER their love as we make an announcement regarding our artist VANNER’s Yeonggwang’s fulfillment of his military duty We apologize to the fans who must have been surprised by this sudden news and we ask for your generous understanding We will make an announcement regarding the specifics of Yeonggwang’s military enlistment at a later date Wishing Yeonggwang all the best during his upcoming military service Information on refunds for VANNER’s U.S. fansign tour due to Yeonggwang’s absence can be found here Industry voices raise alarm over surveillance risks in imported submarine cables A batch of Chinese submarine cables has arrived at Korea’s largest single offshore wind farm project under construction in the West Sea according to sources familiar with the matter raising concerns about a potential breach of Korea’s maritime security the Chinese submarine cables manufactured by Hengtong Optic-Electric Co. where construction is due to start Tuesday on an onshore substation for the 364.8-megawatt Yeonggwang Nakwol offshore wind power project They added that the project held a demonstration of the cable-laying process last week “We cannot rule out the possibility that the Chinese-made submarine cables have been equipped with tracking devices or telecommunication modules,” said one of the sources from Korea’s cable industry “If there are (radio-frequency identification) modules hidden between the inner insulation layers they would be difficult to detect and our submarine cable network could be exposed.” The made-in-China submarine cables were acquired to connect Songido's onshore substation to the switchgear station on the coast of Yeonggwang County in South Jeolla Province Another industry source pointed out that the US Federal Communications Commission recently proposed strengthening regulations and screenings for submarine cable infrastructures to “better protect submarine cables identify and mitigate harms affecting national security and law enforcement and facilitate the deployment of submarine cables and capacity to the market.” “If Korean companies that have worked with Chinese submarine cable firms want to enter the US market they are going to be at a disadvantage,” said the source The 2.3 trillion won ($1.62 billion) Yeonggwang Nakwol offshore wind power project is Korea’s biggest offshore wind farm development the offshore wind farm is expected to produce enough electricity to power 250,000 households per year for over 20 years has been halted due to allegations of legal violations by the project operator about 100 Korean firms are participating in the offshore wind farm project accounting for some 70 percent of the equipment and construction The entities responsible for the remaining 30 percent have not been disclosed “The government should recognize the importance and urgency of submarine cable security and take active measures to safeguard the security of our central infrastructure in the digital age,” said Kim Suk-yoon a professor of coast guard studies at Hanseo University in an article posted on the website of the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy submarine cables are like a lifeline under the sea that connects our de facto island nation to the outside.” The arrival of the Chinese-made submarine cables came as Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the same day that the government is reviewing a plan to potentially set up a facility in the West Sea in response to China’s installation of a renovated oil-drilling structure in an area where the exclusive economic zones of the two countries overlap Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung said the Korean government is taking the matter very seriously and handling it with a view to protecting the country’s maritime territory Since first spotting the Chinese structure in the Provisional Maritime Zone in March 2022 the Korean government says it has been raising the issue with Beijing The PMZ refers to an area where Korea and China share their economic zones so they are allowed to carry out fishing activities only vessels from the two countries engaged in a two-hour standoff as the Chinese ships hindered Korea’s attempt to investigate the structure Korea plans to demand an explanation from China about the incident when the two sides hold maritime cooperation talks this week Making Big Life Choices in The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang By She lives in an apartment block that’s slated for destruction; her sister blew town without a backward glance; and she’s never better than okay at school she submits a letter of application to the Rainfall Market The stories say that if your letter stands out you’ll receive a ticket to the Rainfall Market you can choose a new life—whatever you desire ordering her to come to a certain address on the first day of the rainy season She can stay in the market until the end of the rainy season by which time she must have chosen her new life Serin is the one lucky duck from among the ticket-holders who has a special Golden Ticket (shades of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meaning that she can try out however many lives she wants before choosing the one she wants to keep Yet as she moves through the Rainfall Market she always finds something lacking from them that she can’t live without she begins to realize there’s something badly wrong in the market; and if she doesn’t figure out what it is You Yeong-Gwang’s The Rainfall Market (translated by Slin Jung) reminds me of a video game—one of the dreamy indie ones from Annapurna that would win acclaim for its art design and people would admit on social media that it made them cry It has a video game’s quest-like structure: Serin conceives of a life she’d like to live asks her magical cat Issha to bring her to the relevant Dokkaebi Orb weird task for the orb’s keeper before she’s allowed to look into the future it contains whimsical puzzles in between cut scenes that are kind of a downer You Yeong-Gwang is clearly having a ball with Serin’s mini-quests the resident dokkaebi identifies the human experience they seek and consume: One takes away serenity and a third takes from humans desire to keep themselves clean Some of these traits matter to Serin’s brief encounter with that dokkaebi Coherent world-building isn’t really the point The unpredictability of the tasks she’s given requires her to think on her feet and find greater trust in herself (and Issha) that she’ll be able to handle the next weird While video games let the player bring their own tastes and experiences to the character we play as a novel requires more investment in the protagonist And this is where The Rainfall Market really lost me Serin doesn’t have any travel mates who could chat to her and help bring out aspects of her character through dialogue who is a very good kitty but who cannot talk.) As a window shopper for possible lives she isn’t trying to form lasting connections with the denizens of the market nor with the occupants of the lives she visits existing in the world of the Rainfall Market mainly to react to what’s happening around her even before we manage to articulate what that might be The lesson Serin learns in the end isn’t quite that of It’s a Wonderful Life although she does come to realize that the life she wants to leave behind was more valuable than she had initially supposed I thought of it more like the lesson of “The Fisherman’s Wife,” a fairy tale that I love despite how much it comes off like “women amirite?” Serin’s life is not necessarily the best of those she samples But she does begin to see the burdens that other people’s lives—glamorous and desirable as they may seem from the outside—have placed upon them The Rainfall Market rests comfortably in the genre of healing fiction which has begun to reach English readers after many years of success in Korea and Japan Serin’s journey is episodic and lightly fantastical with a magical cat for company (don’t worry; the cat will be okay) and she’s able to win out in the end with the help of the friends she makes along the way That she and her friends are thinly drawn is perhaps beside the point Serin’s escape from her life feels as universally relatable as does her ultimate desire to slip back into it albeit with a renewed belief in herself and a sense of hope for her future The Rainfall Market is published by Ace The Reactor newsletter is the best way to catch up on the world of science fiction For compliance with applicable privacy laws: Business GS Entec's 1st monopile shipped for major offshore wind project a South Korean offshore wind power and marine equipment manufacturer said Thursday it has successfully shipped its first turbine base from its Ulsan plant for the Yeonggwang Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project Located off the southwestern coast of Korea the Yeonggwang Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project is a major development expected to generate 365 megawatts of electricity GS Entec secured a 200 billion won ($144 million) contract last year to supply the supporting monopiles for this initiative Monopiles are essential components of offshore wind farms cylindrical steel structures are driven into the seabed and act as the bases for wind turbines They are preferred globally due to their quicker construction times and cost advantages over other substructure types The first monopile produced by GS Entec measures 71.2 meters in length equivalent to the height of a 23-story building 7.5 meters in diameter and weighs 895.6 tons A total of 64 monopiles will be delivered for the project by September next year GS Entec is a subsidiary of GS Global and has historically produced chemical equipment for refineries and petrochemical plants the company has pivoted towards eco-friendly initiatives The company’s new focus on offshore wind power substructures aligns with the growing demand for durable subsea structures that can withstand over 20 years of underwater use GS Entec entered into a partnership with Sif Netherlands B.V. This partnership included an exclusive technology license agreement enabling GS Entec to transform its chemical equipment manufacturing plant in Ulsan into an offshore wind monopile production facility The transformation involves a significant investment of 300 billion won including 214 billion won for Sif's latest automation equipment and 86 billion won for additional infrastructure “Our work on the Yeonggwang Nakwol project marks the start of our efforts to support additional offshore wind projects in Korea and Japan with our monopiles,” said a GS Entec official The plan to unify the candidacies of conservative People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo faces a rocky road Democratic Party alleges 'judiciary coup' threatens to impeach Supreme Court justices Korea’s Czech nuclear plant deal halted by court injunction Amazon Prime sign deal to increase K-content access Korea mark 60 years of ties with sculpture CU launches visa support services for foreign nationals SK Telecom scrambles to restore trust after massive data breach Costco’s steep membership hike tests loyalty of Korean shoppers Rise of Korea’s dollar store Daiso explained in 2 minutes Respect wanes: Teaching no longer highly coveted job in S Netflix's 'The Devil’s Plan' returns with star-packed season 2 Lee Jae-myung leads in hypothetical three-way race with Han Duck-soo Jeollanam-do's active population support measures are working and the fertility rate in the region is rebounding As various policies are promoted to induce the influx of young people and help settle down expectations for solving the problem of population decline are increasing it is analyzed that direct financial support such as childbirth incentives and marriage subsidies helped the young generation settle down stably and contributed to the rise in the fertility rate According to Jeollanam-do Province and 22 cities and counties all cities and counties pay childbirth incentives from at least 600,000 won to up to 10.8 million won based on the first child Yeonggwang-gun provided up to 107 million won by paying 5 million won for the first ranking first in the country with a total fertility rate of 1.71 Gangjin-gun pays 600,000 won each from the first to the fifth Policies for the influx of the youth population are also being operated in various ways 22 cities and counties in Jeollanam-do are investing 2.16 trillion won in a total of 288 projects and a policy to pay marriage incentives is also underway Yeonggwang-gun pays a total of 5 million won for marriage and Jindo-gun provides a lump sum of 1 million won including 1 million won after marriage and 1 million won after two years while Hwasun-gun pays a total of 10 million won in installments for five years after marriage registration Jangheung-gun is actively implementing policies such as paying 6 million won over three years for marriage and providing an additional 2 million won for the first time various childbirth-friendly policies are being implemented including support for infertility diagnosis screening expenses provision of folic acid for prospective parents interest support for newlyweds' housing lease and support for maternal and newborn health care Jeollanam-do Province plans to invest 61.5 billion won in 39 projects in four areas this year including creating a childbirth-friendly atmosphere and reducing child support costs for childbirth families "The increase in births in nine years is a meaningful change but the influx of young people is essential to overcome the local extinction crisis," an official from Jeollanam-do said "Each local government will come up with and implement more active support measures." ※ This service is provided by machine translation tool Thailand-based multinational conglomerate B Grimm Power (BGRIM) has decided to expand its renewable energy business through investments in Nakwol Wind and Hanbit Wind two offshore wind projects in South Korea that have a combined installed capacity of 740 MW has invested USD 35.7 million in Nakwol Blueheart (Nakwol Wind) to acquire 49 per cent of the company’s issued shares Nakwol Wind is responsible for the Yeonggwang Nakwol offshore wind project which has an installed capacity of approximately 365 MW Nakwol Wind secured a grid connection agreement from Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) and a long-term renewable energy certificate (REC) sale and purchase agreement from Korea Southern Power which would last for 20 years from the project’s commercial operation date BGRIM invested USD 25.2 million in Hanbit Wind Power (Hanbit Wind) the entity behind the Yeonggwang Hanbit offshore wind project acquiring 49 per cent of the company’s issued shares 375 MW project has also obtained a grid connection agreement from Kepco and is undergoing the process of obtaining the required permits and licences from the relevant government agencies Both offshore wind projects are located in Nakwol-myeon and are ready to enter the construction phase The commercial operation date for Yeonggwang Nakwol and Yeonggwang Hanbit is scheduled for December 2025 and December 2026 South Korea has a target of reaching 14.3 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 and has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 Get in front of your target audience in one move OffshoreWIND.biz is read by thousands of offshore wind professionals daily Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox Leveraging 20 years of experience with offshore windDecember 2023 will forever mark a milestone in our company history as we became part of the world-wide CS WIND group The acquisition goes beyond a mere change in ownership; it marks a leap into a future where our combined strengths will pave the way for optimized production […] winner of Celeb Confirmed's September birthday vote [CELEB CONFIRMED] winner of Celeb Confirmed's September birthday vote [KLAP ENTERTAINMENT] A maintenance drone flies alongside wind turbines at the Yeonggwang wind farm in South Jeolla on Thursday Korea East-West Power held an opening ceremony for Korea’s largest wind farm that is able to power around 73,000 households commemorate the completion of the Yeonggwang wind farm on Thursday Covering the food & beverage industry, beauty, fashion, retail markets, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and related people and entities worldwide Recommended Contents For YouTaboola 후원링크 A large rat stingray caught in the West Sea of Korea was sampled It is the first time in more than 100 years that a rat stingray has been officially identified in the West Sea the National Institute of Biological Resources under the Ministry of Environment announced "We have donated a large mouse (Mobula mobular) from fishermen and produced it as an academic sample." the rat stingray was caught in a net of fishermen operating off the coast of Yeonggwang-gun The sampled mouse stingray is a large individual with a body width of 2.2 meters and a weight of 120 kilograms It is a rare species whose official observation records are rare off the coast of Korea Rat rays have a habit of moving along with food and this is the first case confirmed in the West Sea since records were recorded in 1928 The rat stingray that appears in tropical and subtropical waters around the world is a species of whig It is also popular for ornamental purposes due to its low reproduction rate and unique appearance giving birth to only one cub every 1 to 3 years Mouse rays are also called "devil rays" because a pair of fins on both sides of their heads remind them of devil horns is classified as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Dangerous Species (EN) are rarely preserved as academic specimens in Korea because they are not easy to produce and manage samples The samples produced this time are of great value as academic evidence supporting scientific records of domestic appearances Rat rays are known to be found off the coast of Korea between July and September when the sea temperature rises said an official at the National Institute of Biological Resources in the Honam area who is visiting Honam for two days and one night to support the October 16 by-elections "We will introduce the basic income of Gokseong and Yeonggwang residents on a trial basis Let's show that we can do it as much as we want During a visit to the Gokseong-gun Branch of the Korean Senior Citizens' Association held at the Gokseong-gun Community Center on the same day "The military budget per person alone is 15 to 20 million won We will save the budget well and pay basic income to local residents quarterly and local currency Local stores can also be revived and elderly support projects can be autonomously carried out," he said I think it will become a military government that is really afraid of the county residents and is afraid of them and if the candidates for Yeonggwang and Gokseong counties are elected with your support they will really have a different military government than they have ever been." Representative Lee has made basic income his representative policy pledge in major elections such as the presidential election it has repeatedly vowed to introduce them to the Honam region on a trial basis This is interpreted as an intention to shape the basic income policy ahead of the next presidential election and to win local votes Taking other regional policies in Jeollanam-do as an example he also emphasized the distribution of residents "Even though a place like Sinan is an island it is the only place in the country that grows in population," adding "It is a hope that comes back because we take a little bit of solar power generation and distribute it to the residents." "Jeonnam is actually a large renewable energy production area but if we lay down the transmission and distribution network and make policies by granting wind and solar power whether it is renewable energy wind or sunlight and distributing some of it to local residents it will be a good neighborhood to live in." CEO Lee then visited the Seokgok Agricultural Cooperative Baeksemi Mill located in Gokseong-gun to demonstrate the harvest of white rice and taste products made of white rice CEO Lee will visit Busan in another by-elections area on the same day Lee plans to stay in Busan for two days to support the election campaign for the head of Busan's Geumjeong-gu district office NEWSPAPER SECTION: Business B.Grimm Power (BGRIM) is expanding its renewable energy business through investments in Nakwol Wind and Hanbit Wind two offshore wind power plants in South Korea which have a combined installed capacity of 740 megawatts "This move reflects B.Grimm Power's ongoing commitment to collaborative growth in South Korea's renewable energy sector It also aligns with the group's broader strategy to foster stable and sustainable energy businesses throughout Asia underscoring the firm's dedication to contributing to a future marked by net zero carbon emissions," said president Harald Link has invested US$35.7 million in Nakwol Blueheart Co (Nakwol Wind) to acquire 49% of the company's issued shares Nakwol Wind is responsible for the Yeonggwang Nakwol offshore wind power generation project which has an installed capacity of roughly 365MW Nakwol Wind secured a grid connection agreement from Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) and a long-term renewable energy certificate (REC) sale and purchase agreement from Korea Southern Power Co which would last for a 20-year period from the project's commercial operation date (COD) The project has a tentatively scheduled COD of December 2025 BGRIM has also invested $25.2 million in Hanbit Wind Power Co (Hanbit Wind) acquiring 49% of the company's issued shares Hanbit Wind is responsible for the ownership and development of the Yeonggwang Hanbit offshore wind power generation project with an installed capacity of roughly 375MW Hanbit Wind has also obtained a grid connection agreement from Kepco and is undergoing the process of obtaining the required permits and licences from relevant government agencies The project's construction is poised to commence Mr Link said BGRIM is gradually expanding its investment in South Korea "Several solar power projects totalling 122MW in capacity have successfully come online an additional 20MW of capacity is projected to be added with the launch of a wind power plant project," he said there are ongoing advancements in solar power plant projects BGRIM is involved in developing at least another 1 gigawatt of wind power capacity." Electricity demand has consistently risen in South Korea over recent years as power supply is vital to sustain the nation's economic progress The country adopted a comprehensive energy reform strategy with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 As outlined in the Framework Act on low-carbon green growth South Korea is poised to deploy up to 20GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 has made significant strides in South Korea's impressive renewable energy ventures encompassing both solar and offshore wind projects," said Mr Link "The company is dedicated to harnessing all our initiatives and capabilities to contribute to South Korea's ambition to emerge as one of the world's foremost offshore wind power producers." By subscribing, you accept the terms and conditions in our privacy policy the number of pregnant women in this city had declined so much that the sparsely equipped two-room maternity ward at Yeonggwang General Hospital was close to shutting down More surprising than the fact of this miniature baby-boom is its composition: children of mixed ethnic backgrounds the offspring of Korean fathers and mothers from China These families have suddenly become so numerous that the nurses say they have had to learn how to say “push” in four languages where hundreds of thousands of foreign women have been immigrating in recent years They have been making up for a shortage of eligible Korean women particularly in underdeveloped rural areas like this one in the nation’s southwest these unions are bearing large numbers of mixed children confronting this proudly homogeneous nation with the difficult challenge of smoothly absorbing them South Korea is generally more open to ethnic diversity than other Asian nations with relatively small minority populations it is far from welcoming to these children who are widely known here pejoratively as Kosians head maternity nurse at Yeonggwang General where a third of the 132 births so far this year have been of children of mixed background “Prejudice against these families is something society must resolve.” The surge in births of mixed children is the product of the similarly explosive growth here in marriages to foreigners as a surplus of bachelors and the movement of eligible women to big cities like Seoul have increasingly driven Korean men in rural areas to seek brides in poorer parts of Asia a preference for male babies has helped skew the population so there are fewer native-born women to marry The Ministry of Public Security says the total number of children from what are called multicultural families in South Korea rose to 107,689 in May of this year from 58,007 last December though the ministry said it might have slightly undercounted last year That is only about 1 percent of the approximately 12 million children in South Korea under the age of 19 But if marriages to foreigners continue to increase at their current rate — they accounted for 11 percent of all marriages here last year — more than one in nine children could be of mixed background by 2020 The trend is even more pronounced in rural areas 49 percent of all children will be multicultural by 2020 This increase is coming as South Korea’s overall birthrate has fallen to about 1.22 children per woman of child-bearing age While many Koreans say they hope that the rising number of mixed children will help rejuvenate their rapidly graying society they also say they fear that a failure to assimilate them could create the sort of poor alienated underclass of ethnic minorities they see in the United States and Europe The increase has also begun to prompt a national soul-searching here about what it means to be Korean While most of these children have Korean fathers and Korean citizenship their dual ethnicity still gives them an uncertain status in a society where membership was long seen as being based on blood “The hard reality of our low birthrate is forcing us to realize that we can’t be homogeneous anymore,” said Park Hwa-seo a professor of migration studies at Myongji University in Seoul but there is no turning back but to embrace these more diverse families.” The increase of mixed-background children is so recent that relatively few have even reached elementary-school age the dropout rate of mixed-background children from elementary school is 15.4 percent is the mothers’ lack of Korean-language skills which prevents them from filling the expected social role of guiding children through the nation’s high-pressure education system Compounding the risk is the fact that most of the foreign women marry older farmers or manual laborers Some 53 percent of mixed families live on earnings at or below the national minimum hourly wage of 4,000 won social experts say the biggest threat to the mixed children is that they will be ostracized in a society that began grappling with ethnic diversity only when labor shortages forced South Korea to accept foreign workers in the 1990s The risk has been underscored by recent studies showing that the children of mixed marriages are more likely to be the victims of domestic abuse or bullying in school “I’m afraid we are already too late in responding,” said Suh Hae-jung a researcher on gender equality at the government-financed Gyeonggido Family and Women’s Research Institute in Suwon “On top of getting slighted for their color Such concerns are quietly felt by Vicky Merano who came here from the Philippines six years ago to marry a Korean rice farmer 18 years her elder and on a recent evening she proudly showed off her ability to read the Korean language’s script and several Chinese characters beamed with pride and said that his relatives accepted the girl who share their 80-year-old tile-roofed farmhouse Merano agreed but said she worried about what might happen as Da-som advanced beyond elementary school they’ll just think my daughter is Korean,” Ms The South Korean government says it has tried to respond quickly opening 119 multicultural family support centers across the country in the past three years to offer help in education and vocational training a small provincial city of 57,000 residents its four small rooms were filled with Chinese Thai and Filipino women learning to use computers and sewing machines while staff members watched their young children Teachers also offered Korean-language classes to the mothers and children said she preferred raising a family here because South Korea had better schools and a higher standard of living than the Philippines But she also worries about her 6-year-old son who wants her to speak to him only in Korean so his classmates will not treat him as a pariah “Koreans tell me my child will be insulted because of me,” said Ms They don't know what they're doing." (The words Christ shouted to God after receiving the crucifixion Since Protestantism spread on the Korean Peninsula more than 140 years ago Christians have been trying to realize the teachings of Christ marked by colonial rule and ideological confrontation Christians have shown actions to forgive and embrace enemies the General Association of Korean Churches (co-chairperson Lee Chul) conducted an expedition to look back at Christian cultural heritages in Honam was the place where hundreds of Christians were slaughtered by the South Korean People's Army and left-wing soldiers during the Korean War 77 members were killed at the Yeomsan Church in Yeomsan-myeon and 65 were killed at the Yawol Church established by Eugene Bell (1868-1925) the father of a missionary in Jeolla Province The Yeomsan Church has created a memorial hall to display bamboo spears and swords used by the People's Army at the time The Yawol Church also runs a martyrdom memorial hall to honor the sacrifices of its members an elder of the Yawol Church who was nine years old at the time of the disaster my family survived because they did not believe in Jesus but even a young child was taken and killed," adding the descendants of the perpetrators and victims are living a blessed life by going to church together." Although 1,157 Christians (based on the data from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission) were killed by the leftists and the People's Army during the Korean War many Christians showed generosity not to retaliate against the perpetrators after the People's Army stepped down It was to follow Christ's teaching of 'love your enemies' A representative figure was Pastor Son Yang-won (1902-1950) who took care of leprosy patients at the Yeosu Aeyangwon Church the perpetrator who lost two sons to communist students in the 1948 Yeosun Incident but was later captured by the South Korean military who treated Ahn Jae-seok like his own child was killed by the People's Army who occupied Yeosu in 1950 and Ahn Jae-sun became a resident and saw off Pastor Son's hometown with his stepbrothers Pastor Son Yang-won's Historic Park has a memorial hall for Pastor Son Yang-won's martyrdom which introduces Pastor Son's life history and relics "I hope Pastor Son Yang-won's story will serve as a model for today's society where conflict and division are severe." a Christian who devoted himself to orphans in Mokpo is an example of filling the gap between Korea and Japan which deepened during the 36-year colonial rule a Japanese music teacher during the Japanese colonial period and cared for more than 3,000 orphans until his death in 1968 Yoon Hak-hak was a symbol of friendship between Korea and Japan When his dedication was aired on NHK in Japan and the story of the Yoon Hak-hak family was produced as the first Korean-Japanese joint film "The Apocalypse of Love." He was the first foreign woman to receive the Korean Cultural Medal from President Park Chung-hee and received the first Mokpo Citizen's Award and the Japanese Emperor's Medal a funeral was held at the Mokpo Citizens Hall President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a ceremony to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Symbiosis Welfare Foundation at the Symbiosis Center and evaluated "The 'Kim Dae-jung and Obuchi Declaration' (which led to the agreement on the history of Korea and Japan) started from this symbiosis center." there are the memorial hall for Yoon Chi-ho and Yoon Hak-ja which was built in 1970 by Kyunghyang Shinmun to honor Yoon Hak-ja and a family monument of love made in 2003 with donations from Mokpo citizens There are also plum trees donated by former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi Osaka Love House built with fundraising from Osaka citizens and JAL House donated by Japan Airlines (JAL) More surprising than the fact of this miniature baby boom is its composition: children of mixed ethnic backgrounds These families have suddenly become so numerous that the nurses say they have had to learn how to say "push" in four languages particularly in underdeveloped rural areas like this one in the nation's southwest "Prejudice against these families is something society must resolve." But if marriages to foreigners continue to increase at their current rate -- they accounted for 11 percent of all marriages here last year -- more than one in nine children could be of mixed background by 2020 This increase is coming as South Korea's overall birthrate has fallen to about 1.22 children per woman of child-bearing age "The hard reality of our low birthrate is forcing us to realize that we can't be homogeneous anymore," said Park Hwa-seo but there is no turning back but to embrace these more diverse families." is the mothers' lack of Korean-language skills which prevents them from guiding children through the nation's high-pressure education system A nuclear reactor in South Korea has been shut down on Friday following a technical glitch South Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced 1 million-kilowatt Hanbit No 5 in Yeonggwang region “stopped operating at around 1.25 p.m apparently due to a malfunction in its transformer” South Korea has six operational reactors at the Hanbit plant The same nuclear reactor was shut down last September for its regular examination KHNP said that the malfunction in the nuclear reactor “did not cause any radiation leak or pose safety risks” Yonhap reported that South Korean officials have opened an investigation into what caused the malfunction in the Hanbit plant 5 is expected to resume its operation as soon as inspections are completed social media was abuzz with discussions about two K-pop idols VANNER’s Yeonggwang and BAE173’s Bit (Minjae) The discussions arose after videos of the two allegedly featuring them at a club surfaced online originally posted on a Chinese social media platform quickly spread across different online communities One of the videos reportedly showed Bit being embraced by a woman while another clip captured the alleged idol chatting with a group of women outside the venue was allegedly seen standing outside the club with a woman The original uploader claimed that the nightclub, located in Gangnam’s Sinsa district The videos quickly gained traction and were met with backlash as celebrities are often criticized for such activities fans rallied in Yeonggwang and Bit's defense arguing that idols are human beings who deserve personal lives outside of their careers Many international fans were especially vocal, questioning why the idols were being scrutinized for simply spending time at a club They stated that being an idol is a profession and that idols should not be judged for engaging in social activities in their free time Some also pointed out that the issue of intense public scrutiny is particularly prevalent in South Korea where celebrities often face backlash for actions that would be considered normal in other parts of the world VANNER is a five-member group under VT Entertainment The group officially debuted on February 14 Yeonggwang's group expanded its activities and signed a three-year contract with KLAP Entertainment The group originally consisted of nine members but currently operates as an eight-member act after the departure of Dohyon in 2023 Their name, "BAE173," is derived from "Before Anyone Else," with the numbers symbolizing perfection and luck Bit nor any of the two labels have released a statement regarding the controversy Your perspective matters!Start the conversation Members of two different fourth-generation idol groups were allegedly caught at a club recently allegedly VANNER‘s Yeonggwang and Double 0ne and BAE173‘s Bit (also known as Minjae) BAE173’s Bit VANNER’s Yeonggwang Videos of the idol alleged to be Bit show the idol first embraced by a woman who appeared to be grabbing his butt and outside chatting with girls A third video allegedly shows Yeonggwang outside the club The likely original posting was made on a Chinese social media platform with the OP sharing that the nightclub is reportedly frequented by “nugu” or lesser-known idols I ran into two nugu idols at a nightclub in Sinsa GangnamI was still feeling super excited after watching a concert on the 28th so I didn’t want to go back to the hotel a local girl and I went to multiple nightclubs in Apgujeong and Sinsa we went to a nightclub in Sinsa that allegedly a lot of nugu idols go to there have been mixed reactions to the alleged news with some fans admonishing the idols for not “idol-like” behavior — 💎 (@wumikelly) March 3, 2025 민재야 진짜 지랄좀 https://t.co/bsbFeFKeE5 — 7s (@teamOhMymy) March 4, 2025 영광씨실망이다ㅜㅜ… https://t.co/nbAIDs3JQn — 셀쪼기₊˚⊹♡ (@yoonvvvv) March 3, 2025 saying that it was normal behavior for people in their 20s GUYS, PRETEND TO BE SHOCKED AN ADULT IS CLUBBING AND HAVING THE TIME OF THEIR LIFE‼️ This is so stupid. Do u really think we’re gon lose our minds over ADULT k idols doing normal human things? C’mon now. As long as they’re not harming anyone, an adult can do whatever they want🙄 https://t.co/UIlyd6osDX — Pawi ⭑.ᐟ (@pawiverse_) March 4, 2025 Idols also have personal lives, you should respect that and not film what they do or don’t do, you unloved bitch 🖕 https://t.co/PbAAi2FHvb — Vini. (@remineminse) March 4, 2025 What are you trying to prove here? Is he do something illegal? Or is it bad, going to night club? Then almost of everyone is a bad person 🫨 https://t.co/cKSvhiFPSJ — to long story short (@to_lstrsh) March 4, 2025