'Shinsegae Chairman's eldest daughter' Annie returns to Columbia University this year ... Chaebol idol

SOURCE: '신세계 회장 장녀' 애니, 새해 美 컬럼비아대 복학…재벌 아이돌

Annie (Real name: Moon Seoyoon), a member of the co-ed group AllDay Project, is returning to school.

According to her agency, The Black Label, on January 14, Annie will return to Columbia University in New York this month. She is expected to focus on the spring semester through May, but there's a possibility she may still participate in scheduled events like fan-signings during the semester.

Annie is the granddaughter of Lee Myunghee, the chairwoman of Shinsegae Group, and also the eldest daughter of Jung Yookyung, the chairwoman of Shinsegae. She is majoring in Art History and Visual Arts at Columbia University, a member of the prestigious Ivy League. After training at The Black Label under executive producer Teddy, she officially debuted in the music industry on June 24 last year as a member of AllDay Project. She had previously taken a leave of absence from college to focus on group activities.

In a video released on AllDay Project's official channel last June, Annie shared the story behind her college admission and debut as a singer. She recalled, "I asked my mom (Shinsegae chairwoman, Jung Yookyung), 'Mom, what would you think if I became a singer?' She just laughed and said, 'That doesn't make sense.' Two or three years later, I seriously brought it up again and said, 'Mom, honestly... I really want to be a singer,' and she told me it was nonsense and said, 'Absolutely NO.'"

Annie explained that opposition from her family grew even more intense during her junior and senior years of high school. She said, "I told them I couldn't give up. So, my mom made a proposal. She said that if I got into college, she would help me persuade the rest of the family. From that point on, I basically gave up on sleep and studied so hard for college entrance exams and I eventually got accepted. My mom said she didn't actually think I'd get in. She thought, 'This girl spends all day at the studio practicing dance. When would she find time to study?"

She continued, "A lot of people thought I wasn't serious about this path and doubted me. That made me feel that I had to prove how desperate and sincere I was about this dream. Just being able to get a little bit closer to the chance of debuting made me so happy, so I worked harder every single day. I think that's how I was able to push myself so fiercely."

On the November 15 broadcast of JTBC's 'Knowing Bros,' she also shared a story related to the Ivy League. When MC Kang Hodoong said, "I heard you went to the Ivy League school because of a promise to your parents?" Annie replied, "I wanted to be a singer so badly. They told me, 'If you want to be a singer, you have to get into an Ivy League school." She added that they didn't think she'd actually get in. On MBC's 'Point of Omniscient Interfere,' she drew a lot of attention after revealing that she scored 1,530 out of 1,600 on the SAT.

1. [+558][-16] She's the real gold spoon here. Being a celebrity is just a hobby to her.

2. [+449][-67] Still, it's nice to see her works so hard to do what she truly wants.

3. [+346][-15] I'm so jealous of gold spoons like her... They have so many choices... Same with Lee Seojin.

4. [+45][-2] From Teddy's perspective, she's a high-value member. She wasn't even a trainee to begin with, so he didn't have to invest money in training her... She boosts the group's recognition and brings in CF deals, making them a lot of money. If a controversy ever breaks out, Shinsegae would cover it up with their money. From a company's standpoint, where else can you find a better member?

5. [+44][-7] What about the other members she's working with?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ She's working two jobsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That is so selfish.

Continue reading 'Shinsegae Chairman's eldest daughter' Annie returns to Columbia University this year ... Chaebol idol

Former CEO Min Heejin's apartment in Yongsan is also seized ... Creditor is ADOR

SOURCE: [단독] 민희진 전 대표, 용산구 아파트도 가압류…채권자는 어도어

According to an investigation by Ilyo News, a provisional seizure of 500 million KRW has been placed on an apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, owned by former ADOR CEO Min Heejin. This property is separate from the multi-unit villa in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, which was previously seized in November 11, 2024.

On December of 23 last year, the 21st Civil Division of the Seul Western District Court approved ADOR's application for a provisional seizure of Min Heejin's property worth approximately 500 million KRW. A provisional seizure is a legal measure taken by a creditor to secure assets before a final court ruling. Assets placed under provisional seizure can't be sold or used until the main lawsuit is concluded.

This seizure is related to an incident that occurred while Min Heejin was still serving as CEO of ADOR, involving A, the head of ADOR's style directing team in charge of NewJeans. A allegedly received fees directly from external advertisers. The National Tax Service ruled that the 700 million KRW in fees should've been recognized as ADOR's revenue and imposed additional taxes on ADOR. ADOR claimed that Min Heejin is liable for damages caused to the company, and the court accepted this claim.

Regarding this matter, Ilyo News has attempted to reach Min Heejin on the 13th, but she couldn't be reached.

The issue of the penalty taxes was previously mentioned during a hearing held on November 27 last year at the Seoul Central District Court in the lawsuit between HYBE and Min Heejin regarding the termination of shareholders' agreement.

This is not the first time that Min Heejin's property has been seized. On November 11, 2024, a 100 million KRW provisional seizure was placed on her property in Mapo-gu by a former ADOR employee identified as B.

The property in Yongsan-gu that was recently seized was purchased by Min Heejin on September 16, 2019 for 1.645 billion KRW. At the time, the maximum debt amount on the mortgage was 540 million KRW. It has been confirmed that Min Heejin fully repaid the loan a year later on November 26, 2020.

Meanwhile, NewJeans' members previously demanded the reinstatement of Min Heejin, who had been dismissed following conflicts with HYBE. When their demands were not met, they claimed their exclusive contracts were terminated in November 2024 due to ADOR's breach of contract. ADOR insisted that the contracts were still valid and filed a lawsuit in December 2024 to confirm the contract's validity, along with an injunction requesting from the members to be banned from engaging in independent activities until a ruling on the main case.

The court accepted ADOR's request for injunction and also ruled in ADOR's favor on the confirmation of the validity of the contracts. Following this, Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein expressed their intention to return and rejoined ADOR. However, Danielle was removed from the group.

On December 29 last year, ADOR filed a lawsuit seeking approximately 43.1 billion KRW in damages against Danielle and Min Heejin. ADOR stated that they intend to hold both parties legally responsible for causing the conflict, NewJeans' departure, and delaying the return of the members.

1. [+648][-49] Exactly... They could've made tens of billions and lived comfortably producing music. Their greed for money ruined everything.

2. [+566][-57] If only she wasn't that greedy... In the end, she's the one who cut off NewJeans' wings right when the girls were about to fly. Everything is a mess now. There's such a thing as timing and luck, and she's missing all of it.

3. [+520][-45] I guess the shaman didn't tell her that things would turn out like this, huh?

4. [+47][-0] She treated NewJeans as if the girls were her own property... Her own greed is the one that caused all this disaster...

Continue reading Former CEO Min Heejin's apartment in Yongsan is also seized ... Creditor is ADOR

'Smoothen it up with Photoshop~~' ... Dental students at Yonsei University disciplined for manipulating practice photos

SOURCE: '포토샵으로 깨끗하게~' 연세대 치대생들 실습 사진 무더기 조작, 징계 받아

It has been revealed that a large number of students at Yonsei University College of Dentistry were recently disciplined for engaging in academic dishonesty.

It was reported that this case was uncovered through an internal reporting, where more than half of the students in the department were caught submitting manipulated pictures using Photoshop.

According to an SBS report on the 12th, about 60% of the students in the root canal treatment practicum during the 2nd semester of last year manipulated their pictures.

The students submitted X-ray images showing 'clean' root canals after treatment. However, the original images were different. The roots had multiple visible gaps because the filling material had not been applied properly during the procedure. The pictures submitted to the faculty had been edited using Photoshop to remove the gaps, making it appear as if the treatment had been done properly.

A total of 59 fourth-year dental students, who were preparing for the national medical license exam, took part in the practicum. Out of these, 34 were found to have manipulated their results or copied other student's work. These students were treating patients directly under faculty supervision at the university's dental hospital.

After discovering the situation, the faculty reportedly ordered the students to submit their original pictures and write formal statements.

Yonsei University College of Dentistry held a disciplinary committee meeting and issued a two-week probation for the 5 students who copied other student's work, and 20 hours of community service for the 29 students who used Photoshop.

They stated, "We discovered this situation after a student turned themselves in and took action through a disciplinary committee. We will strengthen professional ethics education to prevent this from happening again in the future."

Netizens reacted negatively, saying, "So scary. Who would dare to get treatment from them?" "This is how malpractice begins," "Probation? Community service? This is a crime," "Avoid Yonsei dental school," and "Isn't this obstruction of business?"

Previously, in November last year, Yonsei University faced controversy over mass cheating involving the use of artificial intelligence.

At the time, among 600 students who took the online course 'Natural Language Processing and ChatGPT,' many were reportedly used generative AI during exams. In an anonymous poll posted on the campus' community, 53.7% (194 students out of 361) of respondents who took the course admitted to 'cheating' using ChatGPT or similar tools.

1. [+155][-0] These people are going to end up killing someone.

2. [+129][-0] Do they seriously think community service will solve it all?? This is malpractice. They should at least be expelled.

3. [+124][-0] These people are insane.

4. [+12][-0] It gives me goosebumps to think they might manipulate the monitor in their practices later and say, "The treatment went well."

5. [+12][-0] What’s the point of being smart if your character is trash?

Continue reading 'Smoothen it up with Photoshop~~' ... Dental students at Yonsei University disciplined for manipulating practice photos

Petition regarding the case of 'gang sexual assault by 12 staff members' against a supporting actress surpasses 50,000 signatures

SOURCE: "스태프 12명이 집단 성폭행" 단역배우 사건 청원 5만명 넘었다

A National Assembly public petition demanding a full investigation into an alleged gang sexual assault against a supporting actress that occurred more than 20 years ago has surpassed 50,000 signatures. As a result, the petition has been forwarded to the relevant committee of the National Assembly for review.

The National Assembly Electronic Petition system announced on the 12th, saying, "Petition regarding the request for a hearing and special prosecution for the alleged gang sexual assault against a supporting actress has met the requirements for referral and has been submitted to the Public Administration and Security Committee."

Under the National Assembly's public petition system, petitions that receive at least 50,000 signatures are handed to the relevant committee. The committee then determines whether the matter should be brought to the plenary session or be dismissed.

The petition, filed on December 26 last year, reached the required number of signatures as of 3:27 PM on the 7th. It met the requirements in just less than two weeks.

The petitioner, identified as 'A,' claimed, "The victim, who worked as a supporting actress, was allegedly sexually assaulted by 12 men, including the manager of supporting actors, back in 2004. Despite this, the case was not properly investigated at the time due to the failure of public authority."

The petitioner added, "A further detailed investigation regarding the circumstances that forced the victim to drop her charges is needed. We request a National Assembly hearing and a special prosecutor."

Between August and November 2004, 'B,' a female graduate student worked as a part-time supporting actress. She was allegedly subjected to a gang sexual assault by 12 male staff.

In December of that year, B filed a police report against those men, but they all denied the allegations. During the investigation, police actions were later criticized for causing secondary harm to the victim, such as making her to 'draw the shapes of the perpetrators' genitals.'

The police even forced B to face the men directly during investigation. Under further threats from those men, B eventually dropped her charges in 2006.

B took her own life in 2009. Her younger sister, who had introduced B to the part-time job, also took her own life due to the overwhelming guilt.

Their father, who had been suffering from a chronic illness, died of a cerebral hemorrhage shortly after the shock of losing both daughters. In 2014, the mother filed a civil lawsuit against the 12 men, but the case was dismissed because the 3-year statute of limitations under civil law had expired.

The mother has continued to raise awareness through protests. Although she was sued for defamation, the court found her innocent. Since then, she has been revealing the identities of the perpetrators and their whereabouts through her Youtube channel.

1. [+157][-0] Release the identities of the 12 men now.

2. [+112][-1] The police are perpetrators too.

3. [+103][-0] Let’s start by revealing the identities of those 12 men first.

4. [+13][-0] This case has dragged on for far too long. I hope they reveal the identities soon so the family can find some peace and justice.

5. [+13][-0] Dropping charges due to intimidation is invalid. Order a reinvestigation immediately and release their identities.

Continue reading Petition regarding the case of 'gang sexual assault by 12 staff members' against a supporting actress surpasses 50,000 signatures

Less than 300,000 kids enter elementary school this year ... Total number of elementary, middle, and high school students fall below 5 million

SOURCE: 올해 초등 1학년 30만명도 안된다…초중고 전체는 500만명 붕괴

The number of children entering elementary school this year is expected to drop below 300,000 due to the impact of low birth rates.

According to the '2025 Estimates of Student Numbers for Elementary, Middle, and High Schools (2026-2031)' that was recently released by the Ministry of Education on the 13th, the total number of first-grade elementary students across the country is estimated to be 298,178.

These statistics are predicted based on data from the Korean Educational Development Institute's basic education statistics, the National Data Office's population predictions, and the Ministry of Interior and Safety's resident registration data.

In an estimation from January last year, the Ministry of Education predicted that the number of first-grade elementary students would not fall below 300,000 until 2027. However, after reviewing variables such as resident registration and school enrollment rates, they moved that timeline up by one year.

The number of first-grade elementary students clearly shows the steep decline in the school-age population.

According to the Korean Educational Development Institute's Statistical Yearbook of Education, the number of first-grade elementary students (as of April 1) fell from 703,112 in 2000 to 694,256 in 2001 due to low birth rates and other factors, breaking below 700,000.

After dropping from 534,816 in 2008 and 468,233 in 2009, the numbers hovered in the 400,000 range for a while, then declined sharply in recent years to 401,752 in 2023, 353,713 in 2024, and 324,040 last year.

Comparing the estimates for 2023 and this year, this shows that the population has shrunk by 25.8% (103,574 students) in just three years.

In this projection, the Ministry of Education expects the number of first-grade elementary students to continue declining to 277,674 in 2027; 262,309 in 2028; 247,591 in 2029; 232,268 in 2030; and 220,481 in 2031.

The estimate for 2031 is approximately 32% lower compared to last year.

The total number of elementary, middle, and high school students is estimated to fall from 5,015,310 last year to 4,836,890 this year.

It is expected to continue declining to 4,661,385 in 2027; 4,488,023 in 2028; 4,280,164 in 2029; and 4,056,402 in 2030, before falling below 4 million to 3,811,087 in 2031.

The fast decline in the school-age population is a major challenge for the education sector.

Due to a lack of students, schools are closing one after another, and some universities, especially those outside the Seoul metropolitan area, are struggling to fill their freshman enrollment quotas.

Conflicts are also arising as teacher unions protesting the Ministry of Education's plan to reduce teaching positions, calling it as 'nothing more than a declaration that they are giving up on public education.'

An education official stated, "The decline in the school-age population due to low birth rates is an unavoidable phenomenon. The education sector must work together to minimize the shock and reduce conflicts among stakeholders."

1. [+93][-3] The population decline is an extremely serious problem, but the elderly leaders of this country are too busy protecting their own interests🤙👍

2. [+73][-6] Lower prices a bit. Prices should sometimes go down depending on global conditions, but because of corporate profits and advertising costs, the backs of people are getting broken.

3. [+62][-3] Even animals don't reproduce if the environment isn't suitable.

4. [+12][-1] Cut the number of education universities.

5. [+12][-3] Honestly, people are not having kids because everything is too expensive. It's hard enough just to survive on your own.

Continue reading Less than 300,000 kids enter elementary school this year ... Total number of elementary, middle, and high school students fall below 5 million

Former Teen Top member Byunghun rebrands as 'Shin Seongha' ... Cast as lead in movie 'Yeonjak'

SOURCE: [단독] 틴탑 출신 병헌, 신성하로 새 출발… 영화 '연작' 주연

Byunghun, a former member of the group Teen Top, has changed his stage name to 'Shin Seongha' and is starting a new chapter with a new project.

According to our exclusive report on the afternoon of the 12th, Byunghun recently changed his stage name to Shin Seongha and has been cast as the lead role, Kyungseok, in the movie 'Yeonjak.' The name change is seen as a sign of his intention to mark a new turning point in his acting career.

'Yeonjak' tells the story of Serin, who loses her husband, Kyungseok, in an accident during their newlywed life. She then faces the reality of loss as she reads the novel he left behind.

Shin Seongha plays the role of Kyungseok, a 32 year old columnist, husband to Serin, and also an aspiring novelist. Even though he longs to write, he struggles with self-doubt and lacking of self-confidence. He lives with self-pity but possesses a soul purer than anyone else.

This movie marks Shin Seongha's first lead role under his new stage name. It is expected to serve as an opportunity to expand the acting range he has developed over the years.

Previously, it is reported that Byunghun chose not to renew his contract with IHQ after it expired. Byunghun had joined IHQ in November 2022. After his contract ended, he carefully considered his next move and ultimately decided to return with a new name and a new project.

Born in 1993, Shin Seongha debuted as a rapper in the boy group Teen Top in 2010. He began his acting career in 2014 through the tvN drama 'Flower Grandpa Investigation Unit,' and has since built his filmography through various works such as 'Let's Eat 3,' 'Nokdu Flower,' 'Class of Lies,' 'When My Love Blooms,' and 'Joseon Attorney.' He also appeared in the tvN Monday-Tuesday drama 'Shin's Project' in last September and the web drama 'My Bias is Showing!' in last August. He has also broadened his activities to hosting, serving as the main MC on DongA TV’s 'Style Me 11.'

Continue reading Former Teen Top member Byunghun rebrands as 'Shin Seongha' ... Cast as lead in movie 'Yeonjak'

Idol missing from Hanlim Arts High School's graduation album: "I'm a little bit upset"

SOURCE: 한림예고 졸업앨범에서 누락된 아이돌 “좀 속상하다”

Won Jimin, a member of girl group CLASS:y, recently revealed that her name and photo were missing from her high school graduation album.

According to online communities and Won Jimin's social media on the 12th, she personally shared her graduation photos on a fan communication platform, saying, "This is my graduation picture."

She wrote, "My picture was missing from the graduation album, so I'll just send it to you all myself. I'm a little bit upset. There's not a single photo or mention of my name in the album."

Won Jimin graduated from Hanlim Arts High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 8th. However, her name and photo were not included in the yearbook of the 14th graduating class.

As the controversy grew, the school belatedly posted Won Jimin's graduation photo on their official social media account on the 10th. The school said, "We have reposted the graduation album photos of Won Jimin from the 14th class of the Hanlim Arts High School's Practical Music Department," adding, "We send our congratulations to Jimin as she moves towards a bigger stage, using her 3 years at Hanlim Arts High School as a stepping stone."

Continue reading Idol missing from Hanlim Arts High School's graduation album: "I'm a little bit upset"