Latest news with #Shinji
Korea Herald
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Shinji's agency denies rumors about singer's fiance
Company threatens legal action over false rumors about couple In light of the rumors surrounding the fiance of Shinji, a member of 90s K-pop group Koyote, the singer's agency said Tuesday that it has found the rumors not to be true. JG Star released a statement Tuesday saying that it has checked the rumors, which claimed that Shinji's fiance — who is also a singer — Moon Won had worked in real estate without a valid license, that he was a bully in school and during his mandatary military service, and that he had an affair during his first marriage. The agency said it has seen the documents for Moon's divorce with his first wife, which showed that the two had reached an amicable agreement to part ways. "We found that there were no scandalous reasons (for divorce) and that he did not date another woman," the company said. The agency also said it contacted multiple students who went to same school as Moon, along with those who served with him in the military, and that all of them said the bullying allegations were not true. While Moon had denied bullying and having an affair, the allegation of him working as a real estate agent without the state-certified license was actually confirmed by Moon himself. In a public statement on July 3, he denied other rumors but said he did work in the past without the official broker license. But JG Star said that Moon was officially registered as an assistant broker and had completed the necessary training under the Korea Association of Realtors. "Moon Won was taken aback by the comments that he worked without a license, and said (in the previous statement) that he would take responsibility if there are wrongdoings. He told us that he did not admit to illegal actions," agency said. Following her company's statement, Shinji wrote on her Instagram page that she too had found the rumors to be not true. She issued an apology for taking a long time to verify the allegations. The agency stressed that it is considering legal actions against those spreading false rumors or defaming the couple. Controversy about Moon's 'attitude' preceded rumors Moon, 36, had been not well known to most members of the public before his 43-year-old fiance publicly announced their engagement recently. But his conversation with the other Koyote members revealed in a July 2 YouTube video had touched off disputes about him being supposedly rude, toward the two male members of the co-ed group and also to his wife-to-be. Moon also said that he only told Shinji about his previous marriage and his wife after their "relationship was deep enough," and that he did not know Koyote at all before they were in a relationship. Some members of the public took issue with this comment, as the group was one of the most popular bands in Korea in the late 1900s and early 2000s, right when Moon was growing up.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
K-pop star Shinji's wedding announcement sparks controversy among fans - Here's what we know
The K-pop Wedding That's Got Everyone Losing Their Minds If you thought only Bollywood weddings could get this dramatic, think again! K-pop legend Shinji from the iconic group Koyote just dropped the bomb: she's tying the knot with Moon One, a singer seven years her junior. But instead of the usual "congrats, unnie!" flood, the internet basically exploded with a tsunami of "NOOOO!" from fans. We're talking full-on wedding opposition, wild rumors, and netizens going full Sherlock Holmes on Moon One's past. The drama is so spicy, even your favorite reality shows can't compete. From Fairy Tale to Full-On Fandom Meltdown Here's how it all went down: Shinji, who's been open about wanting to get married, finally announced her big day with Moon One, and they even did a cute wedding photoshoot. It should've been a double celebration - her bandmate Kim Jong Min just got married too! But then, Shinji posted a video on her YouTube channel, introducing Moon One to her Koyote fam (Kim Jong Min and Baekga), and that's when the internet lost its collective chill. The video, meant to be a sweet meet-the-family moment, turned into a viral sensation. In just one day, Shinji's channel doubled its subscribers, and the video racked up over 1.6 million views. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top Public Speaking Course for Children Planet Spark Book Now Undo But instead of heart emojis, the comments section turned into a battleground. Fans started digging up Moon One's past, and what they found had everyone gasping. Moon One's Past: Divorce, Daughter, and a Whole Lotta Drama So, what's the tea? Moon One confessed on camera that he's divorced and has a daughter living with his ex-wife. He even showed official divorce papers to Shinji's agency, confirming that the split was due to "personality differences." He says he pays child support and stays in touch with his daughter. But the internet wasn't satisfied. Rumors started flying: some claimed Moon One was involved in shady real estate deals without a license, others accused him of dating multiple people at once, and a few even brought up alleged bullying during his school and army days. Moon One admitted to working in real estate without the proper license (he says he didn't realize it was wrong and just needed to make a living), but he denied all the other accusations. Still, the fans weren't buying it. Comments like "Baekga, please stop this wedding!" flooded social media. Even Baekga, Koyote's rapper, couldn't escape the heat-fans begged him to talk Shinji out of marrying Moon One. Baekga responded with a cryptic Instagram post showing the Koyote members together and a blue heart emoji, hinting at his loyalty to Shinji no matter what.
Business Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Travelling for health
Just as Julia Roberts popularised the whole idea of soul-searching journeys in Eat, Pray, Love, travellers continue to follow in her footsteps, except that their objective isn't so much romance but personal health and well-being. While Covid-19 had plenty to do with increasing the awareness for self-care and healing, the fact that wellness tourism is still on a strong upward trajectory shows that a lot more people are heading to the likes of Bali for sunrise meditation, or doing yoga in the serene hills of Sri Lanka and Bhutan. In this week's BT Lifestyle, we find out why more travellers in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific are moving beyond shopping and eating trips in Japan, and prioritising wellness breaks instead. If you've ever returned from a holiday more exhausted than before you left, you can see the appeal of vacations spent on rest, relaxation and reconnection. Meanwhile in Design, we visit a house designed around a courtyard, with plenty of lush landscaping to soften its hard architectural edges. In Arts, the National Gallery presents a solo exhibition of the late artist Fernando Zobel. And for your reading pleasure, we spotlight some new non-fiction books that might strike your fancy. In Dining, the Japanese restaurant fad doesn't seem to be abating. We check out the new Keijo, a mid-priced sushi eatery that replaces the former Shinji outlet at Carlton Hotel, to see how the rebranded eatery measures up. For all this and more, don't miss this week's BT Lifestyle.
South China Morning Post
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Nose job? Eyelid surgery? Korean celebrities are now speaking up about their treatments
A growing number of South Korean celebrities are openly discussing their cosmetic procedures, signalling a cultural shift in how stars engage with the public about beauty standards. This week, Shinji of K-pop trio Koyote posted on her personal social media, 'Whatever. It's obvious anyway, so I'll just say it,' admitting she had undergone double eyelid surgery . Her visibly more prominent eyelid crease immediately caught fans' attention. 'It's only been a week, but I'm grateful for the last-minute schedule I was able to attend,' Shinji wrote, pre-emptively addressing potential criticism. 'Once the swelling goes down, it'll look similar to before. So, no saying 'You looked better before.' Wait until it heals.' Broadcaster Jang Young-ran also drew attention recently for revealing she has had four eyelid operations. She even shared a candid moment consulting for eyeliner tattoo removal. Kim Sook talks about Ultherapy on a live stream. Photo: YouTube Similarly, actress Han Ye-seul revealed she receives Ultherapy yearly, a non-invasive procedure that stimulates collagen production. 'It depends on your skin type, but I start the year fresh with Ultherapy,' she said. 'It's painful, so I get it under sedation. Since I'm already under, I also get Dermatoxin and Rejuran treatments at the same time. If my skin feels off midyear, I sometimes get Thermage as well.'
Time Magazine
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
The Story Behind Japanese Action Thriller Bullet Train Explosion
Trains have been popular in cinema arguably since the beginning of film, when the Lumière brothers' 'The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station' became one of the first movies ever made and commercially screened in 1896. From the silent Civil War movie The General to Alfred Hitchcock's suspenseful Strangers on a Train to the quiet romance of Before Sunrise, trains propel narratives across genre and time. For the Japanese filmmaker Shinji Higuchi, an interest in trains on screen dates back to at least 1975, when he saw The Bullet Train as a fourth grader. Fifty years later, it remains one of his favorite films and he has directed its sequel: the action thriller Bullet Train Explosion, out April 23 on Netflix. Shinji recalls being particularly affected by The Bullet Train 's depiction of Japanese National Railway staff members. In the film's press notes, he writes, 'I liked watching ordinary workers, who had a strong sense of duty to do something about the unbelievable situation, give everything they had to perform their jobs.' Speaking with TIME through an interpreter, Shinji says he wanted to make sure to give the original story its due when making the sequel. 'I really had to grapple with how I wanted to approach the themes that would be depicted in this film,' Shinji says. 'It was quite an arduous task for me, and I had to put my all in it.' Let's break down the deep cinematic roots of Bullet Train Explosion, and how Shinji brought one of film's first subjects into the modern action movie world. Bullet Train Explosion 's direct inspiration Netflix's Bullet Train Explosion is a sequel to 1975's The Bullet Train, which was directed by Junya Sato and stars Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba, and Ken Utsui. The original film tells the story of a perilous trip undertaken by Hikari 109, a high-speed, first-generation bullet train traveling from Tokyo to Hakata. Shortly after Hikari 109's departure, the railway security head is informed that a bomb has been planted. If the train slows below 80 kilometers per hour (roughly 50mph), it will explode. Railway staff and the police work to keep the 1,500 passengers safe, while a $5 million ransom is demanded. In Bullet Train Explosion, Shinji keeps the same general premise as The Bullet Train, but ups the ante and expands the focus. In the 2025 sequel, the train's speed can't dip below 100 kilometers per hour or roughly 62 mph (the train can reach a top speed of 320 kilometers per hour, or roughly 199 mph), and the ransom is a whopping 100 billion yen (roughly $710,360,000). The mysterious ransomer asks the sum to be raised by the general public, depicting a social media culture that moves faster than the fastest of trains. Unlike the 1975 film, which focuses more on? we spend more time with those passengers, which include a scandal-embroiled politician (Machiko Ono), a YouTube celebrity (Jun Kaname), and a gaggle of teenage schoolchildren. On the staff side, train conductor Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is as close to a hero-protagonist as we get in a story about the efficiency of working together. Shinji's adoration of both the original film and its depiction of Japanese railway culture shines through in Bullet Train Explosion, which eschews the classic arc of a Hollywood action movie for a Japanese tale of collective problem-solving and the benefits of being good at one's job. It's what Spider-Man 2 might have looked like if, instead of Peter Parker stopping a careening 'L' train with only his sticky webs and superhuman strength, he was aided by an idealistic train conductor, a sleepy mechanic, and a dedicated team back at the Chicago Transit Authority—and if that was the whole movie. With Bullet Train Explosion, Shinji also makes an effort to deepen the mechanical realism of the franchise, saying in the film's press notes that the original movie was criticized for the way it portrayed trains. 'As someone who likes both movies and railroads, I was really upset by this response,' he writes. 'So when we started this project, I wanted to make something that wouldn't face this same criticism. I talked to experts knowledgeable about bullet train designs and researched the actual mechanisms.' Unlike the original film, the Netflix production included support from a major Japanese railway company, the East Japan Railway Company. 'The [JR East] staff knew about the original film and wanted to show real bullet trains to people around the world,' Shinji explains in the press notes. 'This feeling matched well with our intent to show real bullet trains on the screen.' When filming on a real-size bullet train carriage was not possible for a scene, Shinji used miniature models. 'As much as the budgeting allowed, we would make models that were as big as possible, model trains that would probably fit on maybe two tables,' he tells TIME. 'And then we would wreck those models.' How is Bullet Train Explosion connected to Speed? If the shared premise of Bullet Train and Bullet Train Explosion sounds familiar, then you've probably seen Speed, the 1994 Hollywood action movie classic starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. In it, an LA bus is held hostage by a bomber threatening to blow up the vehicle if it drops below 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour), or if a ransom of $3.7 million isn't paid. The 20th Century Fox film was the fifth highest-grossing film of 1994, and had a 1997 sequel. It seems hard to believe, but there is no direct connection between 1975's The Bullet Train and 1994's Speed. Speed screenwriter Graham Yost has gone on record saying the idea for Speed came from a 1985 American film called The Runaway Train. The film was recommended to Yost by his father, Elwy Yost, a Canadian TV personality who hosted TVOntario's Saturday Night at the Movies from 1974 to 1999. The Runaway Train was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and stars Jon Voight and Eric Roberts as two incarcerated men who escape prison only to end up on a train without brakes, careening across the frozen Alaskan wilderness. The plot thickens because Runaway Train was based on an original screenplay from Japanese film legend Akira Kurosawa, known for medium-defining works such as Rashomon and Seven Samurai. In the 1960s, Kurosawa wrote a script, alongside frequent collaborators Hideo Oguni and Ryūzō Kikushima, about a runaway train. Kurosawa was set to direct the international co-production in New York in late 1966, but shooting was canceled at the last minute due to difficulties with American financial backers. The script would be used for Runaway Train two decades later. Shinji notes that a 1966 American TV movie called The Doomsday Flight was an inspiration for 1975's The Bullet Train. Written by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, the film follows an airliner threatened by a bomb that will detonate if the plane drops below 4,000 feet. The Doomsday Flight was very popular. When it aired on NBC in December 1966, it became the most-watched TV film ever, up to that point. A Japanese movie for global audiences 'I love bullet train carriages, so I regard the bullet train as a star in my film,' says Shinji. 'How to aesthetically approach shooting the bullet train was very important to me.' From the perspective of someone living in the U.S.—where we're still waiting for the launch of our next generation of high-speed trains, initially planned for 2021 —the trains and train culture depicted in Bullet Train Explosion can feel like a science fiction film. Shinji notes that the celebration of efficiency and teamwork is something that exists in the 1975 film. 'It is [a theme] that we also aspire after [in Bullet Train Explosion ]: people who are diligent, people who follow the rules, and people in uniform,' says Shinji. 'Maybe it's a very Japanese thing. Maybe the youngsters now are a bit different, but for boys of our generation, there was something wonderful about looking towards the same goal and growing up.' While Shinji recognizes that, in some ways, Bullet Train Explosion is a Japanese story, he is not worried about its relatability for global audiences. 'Of course, it is a domestic story, but I didn't want to make something that would only resonate with the Japanese audience,' he says. 'I wanted a universal touchstone in the emotions.' Compared to some of the previous films Shinji has worked on, such as the live-action Attack on Titan or Shin Godzilla, it was easier to ground the story in a reality diverse audiences could recognize. '[With previous films], it was all about, how do I connect that gap between reality and something that's far out there,' he says. 'But this is something that could happen in reality. There are perhaps some eccentric characters in this film, but these are very real people that you would see next to you.' It helps that, at its center, is a mode of transportation that is so thrilling, whether it is part of your culture or not. 'It is indeed an extraordinary and exciting journey on the bullet train ride,' says Shinji. 'So it's quite different from other means of transportation, and we hope that we are able to deliver that excitement to you.'
