Top Celebrities Halt Activities as Public Scrutiny Intensifies South Korea’s entertainment industry is facing one of its most turbulent moments in recent years, as a series of allegations and exposés involving major TV personalities and actors has triggered widespread public debate. Careers have been halted, major productions have been thrown into uncertainty, and broader questions about morality, accountability, and media culture are emerging. A Rapid-Fire Chain of Scandals Several well-known figures—including actor Cho Jin-woong , comedians Park Na-rae and Jo Se-ho , and actor Lee Yi-kyung —have paused their activities amid escalating claims ranging from past juvenile crimes to workplace misconduct and alleged ties to organized crime. Actor Cho Jin-woong: A Sudden Retirement The biggest shock came when Cho Jin-woong, a respected film and TV actor, announced his retirement just one day after claims surfaced that he had committed a criminal offense as a teenager and received juve...
The Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," known in Korean as "Poksak Sokassuda," continues to achieve success not only in South Korea but also by ranking first among non-English TV shows overseas. In particular, the title "Poksak Sokassuda," which means "Thank you for your hard work" in Jeju dialect, uses a separate English title to convey a deeper meaning to international viewers. One interesting point is that people who are not from Jeju Island may not fully understand the meaning of "Poksak Sokassuda" Netflix has named this drama "When Life Gives You Tangerines," which is a variation of the saying "When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade," coined by American philosopher Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) and reinterpreted by later writers. This expression encourages a positive mindset to overcome difficult situations by substituting "lemons" with "tangerines," a specialty product of Jeju t...