Park Eun Seok Suspected of “Abandoning” His Pets
Controversy over habitual “abandoning” has erupted after Park Sun Eok appeared on I Live Alone and revealed his daily life with a dog and two cats. Following disclosure written by A, claiming himself to be the actor’s classmate, netizens dug out Park’s past pictures and accused him of being an “animal hoarder.” Park’s agency dismissed all accusations and explained that the actors’ pets were re-adopted to his acquaintances’ home because of “various circumstances.” But when the controversy continued to grow, Park admitted that what he did was “abandoning” and apologized. However, this isn’t the only controversy he was embroiled in. Just a few days later, B filed a 5 million KRW (about 4,476 USD) compensation suit against Park for spreading false information. In response, the agency stated, “We have confirmed the complaint and will respond through a law firm.”
NAVER and Big Hit Partners to Create New Global Fan Community Platform
On Jan 27, NAVER and Big Hit announced that they will create a new global fan community platform that integrates users, contents, and services of “V LIVE” and “Weverse.” For this collaboration, NAVER will invest 411.8 billion KRW (about 370 million USD) into beNX, a subsidiary of Big Hit, to acquire a 49 percent share, while beNX will receive NAVER’s V LIVE division. Later the same day, Big Hit also announced their cooperation with YG Entertainment, home to Big Bang and Blackpink. In addition to existing Big Hit artists who are currently using Weverse, including BTS, K-pop groups using V LIVE’s membership community “Fanship” can also enter the new integrated platform. Their plan also includes foreign artists joining the platform. Platform integration will be carried out for about a year, and the two services will be operated separately during this period.
Ma Dong Seok Heralds Global Action Project
Ma Dong Seok, who has entered Hollywood with The Eternals, has been planning his own global action project for years. On Jan 27, the actor released two concept art on his Instagram and wrote, “Crazy new action movie in the works. Really excited to share it with everyone in the future.” These two pictures give a glimpse into the global action project that Ma has participated in planning and has been discussing for many years. However, this global action project is currently in a planning stage, but there is still a long way to go before the actual filming begins. In the meantime, Ma has confirmed his appearance in the occult action film Inside.
Actress Song Yoo Jung and Iron Died at Young Age
On Jan 25, two stars passed away – actress Song Yoo Jung and rapper Iron. Earlier in the day, Song’s agency Sublime Artist Agency shared, “Song Yoo Jung has passed away on Jan 23. Please pray for the deceased so that she can rest comfortably in a warm place.” And later the same day, the news of Iron’s passing broke out. According to police, a security guard found Iron bleeding and unconscious by a flower bed of an apartment complex earlier that day. The artist was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead. The cause of death was reported to be multiple injuries caused by the fall, and no suicide note was found. Iron has been under fire since 2016 when he was indicted on charges of smoking marijuana, threatening his ex-girlfriend, and assaulting a minor student. The sudden death of an artist who has lived a dramatic life has left the netizens dumbfounded.
