Unification Ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho briefs reporters at the Government Complex Seoul on Dec 22 Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Dec. 22 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Monday it has never reported to President Lee Jae-myung on reviewing constitutional amendments tied to a “peaceful two-state” approach as a way to bring North Korea to negotiations.
Unification Ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho said at a regular briefing that claims the ministry suggested reviewing constitutional changes during a closed-door work report on Friday were “completely false.”
“Reports saying that the ministry proposed reviewing constitutional amendments to draw North Korea into dialogue are untrue,” Yoon said. He added that the ministry neither raised nor examined such an issue during the briefing.
Earlier Monday, a media report said President Lee took a negative view of a purported ministry suggestion to review changes to Article 3 of the Constitution, which defines the territory of the Republic of Korea as the entire Korean Peninsula, in order to engage Pyongyang.
Yoon reiterated that no such proposal was made and said the ministry has not reviewed the matter.
He also said discussions with the U.S. Embassy on North Korea policy are expected to begin early next year. Preparations are also underway to set a schedule for regular vice-ministerial-level communication with the Foreign Ministry, he said.
On the issue of public access to North Korean media, Yoon said the ministry’s interpretation is that simply viewing North Korean outlets such as Rodong Sinmun does not violate the National Security Act.
KHLOÉ Kardashian has dropped some hot tea about changes to the family’s infamous Christmas Eve Party.
The Good American co-founder spoke on her podcast, Khloé in Wonder Land, that the venue for the lavish affair might move, but the budget won’t.
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The Kardashian-Jenner sistersCredit: HuluPic of Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian Barker, Khloé Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kris JennerCredit: 2023 Hulu
“We all equally split the cost of the party,” Khloé said in the podcast. “Because it’s a family [thing].”
She also admitted that the famed Kardashian-Jenner family’s iconic Christmas Eve party is getting ready for some significant changes this year.
Momager extraordinaire, Kris Jenner, who spoke as a guest on the podcast, verified the changes to the party she has been hosting since 1978.
“It gets really crazy,” Kris stated. “I think one of the most fun things, too, is to be able to share things with our friends. We’ve always been able to give out some amazing gifts at the end of the party.”
While the glam vibes might stay the same, the annual A-list Hollywood party is going to look very different.
As the family prepares to create another unforgettable evening, the exciting news is that Kendall Jenner will be stepping into the hosting role this year at her stunning Beverly Hills mansion.
This is the second year Kendall has taken on the role of host.
Last year, she had a “smaller” cozy affair at her, chock-full of her 818 Tequila. The new role as hostess comes with its own delightful challenges, especially since the family’s other homes are currently being renovated.
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The Kardashian clan celebrates Christmas in CalabasasCredit: Instagram/kimkardashianThe famous family goes all out every year for their holiday partiesCredit: Instagram
“It’s pretty much the usual,” she recently told People magazine. “Last year, we did a smaller Christmas Eve party, and it was super lovely. Usually, they’re kind of these blowouts for the last, like, since I was born. But we’re doing a smaller one again this year, and I’m really happy about it.”
Kris created this tradition in the 1970s as a joyful occasion for family and friends, and it naturally grew as the family expanded.
The early 2000s marked a significant transition for the party, as it really took off following Kris’s marriage to Caitlyn Jenner.
The event gained prominence, particularly with the success of the Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality show, which launched in 2007.
Khloe Kardashian fake slaps Kylie Jenner in matching pajamas on ChristmasCredit: Instagram/kyliejennerKendall Jenner all dressed up for Christmas EveCredit: Instagram
As time went on, Kris graciously passed the baton to her talented daughters.
The party has been hosted at various times by Kim, Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie, with each of them bringing their unique flair and creativity to the festivities.
The video had the caption “Merry Kristmas!!! Come celebrate the holidays with us in Wonder Land.”
Fans are surely reminiscing about the fabulous past celebrations, beautifully documented in social media posts that have showcased glamorous outfits and exquisite decorations.
One fan wrote, “Kris is the Christmas queen.”
Another follower wrote, “Kris should have her own wrapping paper line.”
“We’re cool with being ‘random people’ at the party, just saying,” a third fan pleaded.
This year’s changes promise to infuse fresh energy into their beloved holiday traditions, and we can’t wait to see what the Kardashian-Jenners have in store.
Inside one of Kris Jenner’s over-the top Christmas Eve parties with A-list attendeesCredit: Instagram/Kim KardashianThe Kween of Kris MasCredit: Instagram/Kim Kardashian
SALT LAKE CITY — When Brice Sensabaugh drilled a wide-open three pointer in the third quarter, Lakers coach JJ Redick quickly called a timeout and began to gesture with both hands toward his players, clearly showing his displeasure with their defense.
They especially picked up their defensive intensity for an important spurt in the fourth quarter, slowing down the Utah Jazz and in the process the Lakers’ offense took off, the two converging at the right time to push them to a 143-135 win Thursday night at the Delta Center.
The Lakers gave up 41 points in the first quarter and a season-high 78 at the half. They allowed 57 points in the second half and put the Jazz away by scoring 41 points in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously we know this Utah team can score points at a very high rate, but it was very imperative that we got stops,” said LeBron James, who had another productive night with 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. “We had to get stops to start that fourth and then it allowed our offense to click.”
But even with the Lakers building a 12-point lead in the fourth, the Jazz continued to put stress on L.A.’s defense, getting within four points late in the game.
The Lakers’ Lebron James dunks over the Jazz’s Kyle Filipowski at Delta Center Thursday night in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)
The Lakers had answers every time, keeping the game in their hands behind Luka Doncic’s triple-double — 45 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
His 45-point triple-double and five steals made Doncic just the second player in NBA history to accomplish that feat since steals became official in 1973-74. Detroit Cade Cunningham (46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals) is the other player to do so, producing that against the Wizards on Nov. 2025 in overtime.
Doncic was 14-for-28 from the field, four-for-12 from three-point range and had just one turnover in 39 minutes and 33 seconds of play.
Doncic also was the first Laker to have a 40-point triple-double since Magic Johnson in 1981.
“I think, honestly, I could do so much more,” Doncic said. “But I think that one turnover is the best stat-wise on this stat sheet. So, we had seven turnovers, which is impressive for us and we won the game. And again, that’s what matters. But I think we locked in a lot in the second half. We did a great job.”
The Lakers got a scare when James went down holding his left knee after a collision with Utah’s Walter Clayton Jr.
James was dribbling the basketball near the three-point arc when Clayton went for a steal, but instead his knee hit the inside of James’ knee, knocking the Laker to the floor with 7:52 left in the second quarter.
James eventually got up and continued to play, taking a rest with 4:53 left in the half.
James described what happened on the play.
“Just a little bolt to the knee, like a sharp pain to the knee,” James said. “Got kneed on the the inside, like the medial side of the knee. And just kind of wanted to take my time a little bit as it calmed down or whatever the case may be. Or hoping it calmed down. Told Mike (Mancias) my trainer, I said, ‘We dodged a bullet there.’ ”
The Lakers were already without starters Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness), but then they added key role player Gabe Vincent (lower back tightness) to the injury list, leaving them without three main players entering the game at Utah. Vincent will be reevaluated in a week.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic celebrates after making a play during the second half of a win over the Jazz Thursday night at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
(Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)
Jaxson Hayes started at center in place of Ayton and Smart started at guard for Reaves.
Injuries also hit the Jazz, as star forward Lauri Markkanen, the ninth-highest scorer (27.8) in the NBA this season, was out because of a right groin injury.
Smart had 17 points, which included him going three-for-four from three-point range in the fourth quarter.
Hayes had 16 points, making all seven of his field goals.
Redick talked to his team at halftime about their poor defensive effort and he did again in the third quarter during that timeout.
His message was simple.
“The players gotta go out and do it,”: Redick said. “So it’s not, I don’t know if it sparked ‘em or not, and I just know that after that they were better.”
He spoke of the importance of athletics to the institution, of the way they bring people together and showcase excellence.
The remarks weren’t nearly as remarkable as the person doing the speaking.
UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk.
In recent years, the school’s chancellors had distanced themselves from athletics as if they were a distasteful part of the job. Gene Block would show up at the occasional football or basketball game but never granted interview requests or spoke at coaches’ introductions. He did once attach his name to a statement that misspelled the last name of newly hired football coach Rick Neuheisel.
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It’s believed that the last UCLA chancellor to speak at a coach’s introduction was Albert Carnesale in 2003 upon the hiring of Karl Dorrell.
All of which makes Frenk’s appearance, not to mention his speaking for nearly five minutes Tuesday inside a Luskin Center ballroom, all the more extraordinary. Frenk was there to welcome Bob Chesney, the new football coach who has quickly galvanized a long-suffering fan base with his passion and willingness to immediately poke rival USC by proclaiming that UCLA would soon become “the school in town.”
Frenk had UCLA fans at hello.
What he said next was even more encouraging.
“Athletics are the front porch of the university, one of the most visible signals of what we stand for,” Frenk said. “Athletics connect us across generations and geographies with students and alumni, friends as well as strangers. These things are extremely important and help build community and all of that is coming true at UCLA.”
There was also a reference to one word — alignment — that athletic director Martin Jarmond and Chesney would later echo in their remarks.
“Winning in college football requires a unified approach across all of the university — university leadership and athletics are aligned and committed to doing the right things to build a winning program,” Frenk said.
Jarmond suggested that Frenk was willing to help in a way that his predecessor was not — a slightly curious idea given Block’s willingness to support the move to the Big Ten Conference and approve Jarmond’s contract extension, but it seemed that Jarmond’s larger point was about increased institutional support for the football program under the new chancellor.
“What I’m excited and really enthused about,” Jarmond said, “is we have alignment in a way that we have not had in the past. We have a great chancellor in Chancellor Frenk that understands the importance of athletics, bringing communities together, engaging alumni, wanting our student-athletes to be successful and understanding the commitment it takes at the university level for a football program to be competitive. We have investment now, and we have leadership and vision. I don’t always feel we’ve had all of those together.”
Without question, Frenk’s early visibility has already set a new, welcome tone from inside Murphy Hall.
His comments were heartening for anyone who cares about UCLA athletics because they show he’s not only paying attention but also willing to do his part — one that’s essential — to support the operation.
Suggestion box
Mick Cronin
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
It probably shouldn’t take a public-records request to find out that a high-profile UCLA coach — who at the time was the state of California’s second-highest paid public employee behind since-fired Cal football coach Justin Wilcox — received a new contract seven months earlier.
But that’s the reality of the situation after a Times records request led to the disclosure of Mick Cronin’s new deal that will pay the Bruins men’s basketball coach $4.5 million a year as part of a contract running through the end of the 2029-30 season.
The reasoning given for the lack of disclosure was the fiscal situation facing the school at the time, including the prospect of federal funding cuts.
Appearances are important, yes. But so are integrity and transparency.
This is the second time in the last two years that UCLA has signed one of its biggest figures inside the athletic department to a new deal while staying mum. Jarmond’s contract extension was signed in the spring of 2024 and not announced until the following November — after the football team had won three consecutive games, alleviating a significant amount of pressure that Jarmond was facing for the hiring of football coach DeShaun Foster.
The bottom line is this: UCLA is a public institution that should pride itself on accountability, and if you aren’t willing to openly divulge any significant move that you make, then maybe you shouldn’t be making it.
Chesney moves
While the transfer portal doesn’t open until Jan. 2, Chesney provided some early insight into his possible approach in rebuilding his first UCLA roster.
Upon his arrival at James Madison, Chesney said he had a center, guard and a punter come back from the previous team and added roughly 60 players in the transfer portal to help the Dukes win their first bowl game in the history of the school. The next year, the Dukes added about 50 players through the transfer portal and made the College Football Playoff.
What might that mean for his work with the Bruins?
“That will have to be determined by our team when we get that fully assembled and moving forward next year,” Chesney said. “But then whatever our expectations are is where we build our standards and then the day-to-day process. But I see zero reason why, you know, we cannot be competing, cannot be competing for a championship.”
Chesney has begun to assemble his staff, reportedly agreeing to bring James Madison offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy with him and hiring Florida State general manager Darrick Yray in an identical post with the Bruins as part of his efforts to bring in staffers with West Coast ties.
Yray had spent seven seasons in a variety of roles at Oregon State, rising to the role of director of player personnel. Before that, Yray had worked for four seasons as an offensive assistant and three as assistant director of football operations at Fresno State, his alma mater.
Basketball blues?
Cronin’s teams usually get better over the course of the season, even in down years. So it would be folly to foretell of a lost season for the Bruins in mid-December.
But the big question facing UCLA (7-3) at this pivotal point is whether this season has any upside beyond being a bubble team that loses in the first or second round of the NCAA tournament.
As currently constructed, UCLA has so many issues that it’s hard to imagine a different outcome.
A tentative Donovan Dent has not been much of an upgrade over a tentative Dylan Andrews at point guard. Eric Dailey Jr. takes too many jumpers while drifting in and out of games. Tyler Bilodeau can really score but continues to be somewhat limited defensively despite his best efforts. The thought of what the departed Aday Mara and William Kyle III aren’t doing for this team in the post haunts Bruins fans on a daily basis.
What’s far more worrisome is that the talent level isn’t elite — can you really foresee anyone on this roster forging a long NBA career? — and a coach known for defense doesn’t have enough athletic, relentless players to construct a good defense.
Local high school recruiting has all but dried up and Cronin made another reference to needing more money to bring in players after donors shelled out a massive amount last spring to land Dent.
None of it portends an encouraging trajectory for a coach in his seventh season. Cronin is a developmental coach whose finest seasons came with players who were in his program for multiple years. With free agency now the only constant in the college game, it might be time for Cronin to develop a new plan for success.
Opinion time
How does the rest of the men’s basketball season play out for the Bruins?
Everything comes together and the team makes a deep NCAA tournament run The team plays better before another early tournament exit The bubble is burst and the team misses the tournament
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at ben.bolch@latimes.com, and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Change may be the only constant, but blazing infernos tearing through Pacific Palisades, Kaskade’s home for the last 15 years, was a new kind of change for him.
After 24 days of burning, his entire life looked different. Between tours, the famed DJ and dance music producer, born Ryan Raddon, spent the majority of his time at Palisades hot spots like the Village. Now he frequents Santa Monica and Brentwood by force. Of the 30 families in his church, only four of their houses remain standing, including his. Unfortunately, his brother’s house was lost to the fires.
“The community is destroyed. It doesn’t exist anymore. It’s hard not to be angry,” Raddon says, remarking that he’s been wondering if he should stay in the Palisades. His three daughters grew up there. Does he take away their childhood home?
When asked how this sudden and unprecedented shift affected the music he made for “undux,” his first album since 2015’s “Automatic,” Raddon takes several moments to collect his thoughts.
“I’ve done quite a bit of press for this record, and you’re the first person to bring that up,” he admits. He made two attempts to write a new album in the last three years, but he was already going through personal struggles before the fires. Divorcing his wife of nearly three decades and watching two of his daughters leave home led to melancholy songs that didn’t feel right to release. Eventually, he decided to finish the body of work, no matter what.
“I need to just make this, see what it is and get through it,” Raddon says. He was able to complete it with the help of songwriters he’s known for years, such as Cayson Renshaw, Finn Bjarnson and Nate Pyfer. “It is therapeutic to sit down and work with another songwriter. [Telling them] I have a lot going on I want to write about.”
The title of the album is “undux,” pronounced “undo,” because everything going on left him feeling undone. The result is a collection of tracks that skews deeper and less euphoric than previous Kaskade albums.
Raddon ventures away from his standard four-on-the-floor house music and into broken beats on “Started Over.” Warm orchestral strings and Renshaw’s ghostly vocals serve as vehicles for big emotional builds over the scattered drums, painting a sonic picture of how messy the heavy moments can feel.
“If Only” is a clean, guitar-driven indie dance tune that directly recounts Raddon’s experience in the aftermath of the blaze: “It’s all ashes / What the hell just happened? / Somehow I’m still standing / But I’m asking what for?”
The title of Raddon’s album is “undux,” pronounced “undo,” because everything going on left him feeling undone.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
There is still music on the album befitting of Raddon’s dozens of main-stage sets he plays every year. The lead single, “DNCR,” coasts on banging piano chords and an energetic kick. But he wrote the upbeat songs after working through the taxing emotions he brought into the process.
“Any time you’re being honest, and you’re going into the studio, you can’t avoid that stuff,” Raddon says. “This was a hard record for me to make.”
When Raddon’s manager heard “undux,” he was glad Raddon was feeling better, but he also delivered a stern warning: Only die-hards would appreciate the softer approach. Labels echoed this impression before the Vancouver-based electronic powerhouse, Monstercat, signed the album.
“When I sent the record out, people generally weren’t having it,” Raddon says. “Labels that I had worked with in the past, and some other people that are making noise in the space right now, said, ‘Call us back when you’re doing dance music.’”
“Undux” includes dance music. But it’s not all peak-time bangers like his biggest hits, such as “I Remember” and “Atmosphere.” In the years following “Automatic,” most of Raddon’s output was that kind of music. Streaming shifted listening habits away from long players and toward playlists and algorithms, both of which favor singles. Singles in the dance realm historically do the best numbers-wise when they’re primed for live.
Raddon’s most extensive releases in this period were his five “Redux” EPs. The Redux project channels his earliest years of DJing, when he was focused on keeping the dance floor moving. Kaskade releases get people moving, too, but songwriting defines that music. Using lyrics and melodies to tell the type of stories he needed to share after the fires.
“Making a single’s neat, but when you sit down in the studio, there’s so much pressure. I need to be able to play this at 2 a.m. in my set. That’s a weird box to work in,” Raddon shares. “When I’m making an album, there’s no thought of that. Let me just write and create.”
“The coolest thing for me is seeing dance music get a little bit of respect. [There’s been] so much success in bringing the music to a wider audience. It’s been a long road,” Raddon says.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
It makes sense that Raddon spent so many years producing for the live space. Right around the release of “Automatic,” he started a historic run on stage. In 2015, he brought the largest audience to an EDM act in the history of Coachella. In 2021, he was the first artist to play for a public audience at SoFi Stadium. In 2022, he broke the record for the biggest electronic music headlining concert in North America at the L.A. Coliseum with Kx5, his collaborative project with deadmau5.
Raddon has also been called upon to bring his art form to professional sports. In 2024, he became the first Super Bowl in-game DJ, and that May, he was the first-ever starting grid DJ at a Formula 1 race during Miami’s grand prix.
Despite so many individual wins, Raddon is most thrilled about the positive change this “decade of triumph” represents for the entire scene. He became one of the first figures of dance music legitimacy when he broke through with his 2004 hit “Steppin’ Out.” Now dance music has three Grammy categories.
“The coolest thing for me is seeing dance music get a little bit of respect. [There’s been] so much success in bringing the music to a wider audience. It’s been a long road,” Raddon says.
Raddon has been on top of the genre throughout that long road, making him one of dance music’s only consistent superstars.
Raddon especially emphasizes the ability to adapt. He started DJing when vinyl was the only option, and he recalls when certain DJs refused to play CDs when that technology developed. Now everyone uses digital files. The same principle applies to making music. He is rather calm in the wake of AI tools (though he admits he feels at ease about it because he’s already found established success with his music).
“This train is moving. You’re getting on, or you’re not. There’s no fighting it,” Raddon says.
The loss of his community in the Palisades and the shifts in his family life may be the most difficult changes he has ever faced. But he’s still on the train moving forward with the help of the music.
Syria is seeing major political changes, but security on the ground is still unstable. Israeli attacks continue in the south, while armed groups and internal tensions remain uncertain elements to Syria’s security. Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid breaks it down.
