INTERVIEW: Entrepreneur calls for greater efforts to attract foreign talent

SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) – South Korea should reform its restrictive immigration policies and conservative business culture to attract more international workers, which is key to addressing looming labor shortages in the rapidly aging country, a study abroad entrepreneur said. Kim Jong-min, CEO of HeyKorea Ventures Inc., said that many Korean companies are employing foreign workers primarily to cut costs or for appearances of diversity, rather than integrating their cont

August 22, 2024

Comedian tries to break Korean's wall of Confucian 'uptightness' through standup gigs

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - Unlike slapstick-based TV shows, which have dominated Korea's comedy scene for half a century, standup comedy is just beginning to gain traction. The slow development of standup gigs is primarily due to the genre's often taboo topics -- sex, drugs, racism, and religion -- in the conservative country often associated with Confucian values. Danny Cho, a 42-year-old Korean-American comedian, is a key figure in Korea's emerging standup comedy

August 7, 2024

Writer challenges public's unforgiving attitude toward influencers

SEOUL, August 6 (AJU PRESS) - Seol Min-seok was arguably one of Korea's most beloved history storytellers. The former private institute lecturer frequently appeared on TV programs and authored numerous bestselling books. In December 2020, he became embroiled in a scandal involving alleged plagiarism in his master's thesis and inaccuracies in his lectures, which led to his disappearance from the public eye. On July 19, he made his comeback on an MBC lecture show. During his a

August 6, 2024

Budding filmmaker hopes to take off with her new comedy 'Pilot'

SEOUL, August 2 (AJU PRESS) - Filmmaker Kim Han-gyeol's latest comedy "Pilot" hit local theaters early this week. The light-hearted comedy is Kim's second feature after her directorial debut with romantic comedy "Crazy Romance" released in 2019. "Pilot" is a remake of the 2012 Swedish film, "Cockpit" and the Korean adaptation revolves around a pilot who disguises himself as a woman to hide his identity and return to the cockpit after

August 2, 2024

Real estate consultancy RSQUARE sets sights on global expansion

SEOUL, August 01 (AJU PRESS) - Commercial real estate firm RSQUARE is planning to expand into the global market, starting with Southeast Asia. CEO Johnwoo Lee shared this ambitious vision in an interview with Aju Press on Tuesday, highlighting the firm's unique database-driven services. Established in 2009, RSQUARE began as a commercial real estate brokerage service provider. It has since broadened its offerings to include real estate information, consulting, design, and const

August 1, 2024

Teen Korean footballer to join Tottenham Hotspur next year

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - Teen footballer Yang Min-hyeok has signed a transfer deal with Tottenham Hotspur, becoming the youngest Korean to join a Premier League club, his current team Gangwon FC said Sunday. "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for to join the club," the English premier club also said on their X account. Details of the six-year deal which runs until 2030 have not been revealed yet, but the transfer fee is reportedly t

July 29, 2024

Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan suffers alleged racial abuse

SEOUL, July 18 (AJU PRESS) - Korean footballer Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers was subjected to racist abuse in a pre-season friendly at their training camp in Spain last week. During the match against Italian football club Como last Saturday, Hwang Hee-chan allegedly heard a racist remark from a Como player, who called the Wolves striker "Jackie Chan." Such references to the famous Hong Kong star are often interpreted as racial jokes due to stereotypical Asian

July 18, 2024

Prolific Hong Kong filmmaker says his best is yet to come

SEOUL, July 11 (AJU PRESS) - Hong Kong noir auteur Johnnie To recently visited Korea as his film was invited to a special screening at this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) which kicked off last week. The high-resolution version of his 2004 film "Throw Down" was screened on July 5 at the Asia’s largest genre film festival. The martial arts film, known as his homage to legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, revolves around the sto

July 11, 2024

Young Korean filmmaker's meteoric rise at Cannes shows how luck favors the prepared

SEOUL, June 14 (AJU PRESS) - A young Korean director suddenly became the talk of the town when her short film was invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival in May. "Forest of Echoes" directed by Lim Yoo-ri was invited to the prestigious festival's La Cinef, a section showcasing short- and medium-length films submitted by film school students around the world, aimed at exploring new talents and aspiring directors. The 22-minute short was among 18 finalists sele

June 14, 2024

Plan to allow foreign doctors sparks heated debate in Korea

SEOUL, May 17 (AJU PRESS) - Pros and cons over a scheme to allow foreign doctors to work in Korea are heating up, after the government announced the move early this month. The government came up with the idea in a bid to address the long-term shortage of medical personnel and ease disruptions in public healthcare across the country, amid a collective strike by medical professionals. Since February, most of medical trainees at major hospitals have resigned in protest against the go

May 20, 2024