Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” universe, the sprawling neo-western TV franchise that chronicles the embattled Dutton family across time and locations, continues its aggressive expansion on screen with next week’s arrival of “Dutton Ranch.”
Premiering May 15 on Paramount+, the series continues the story of Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) — she’s the daughter of the late John Dutton (Kevin Costner), while he’s John’s longtime ranch foreman and fixer — as they migrate their passionate and unwavering love from Montana to South Texas to build a new life. The new series picks up about a year after the events that closed out the mothership series — namely, the selling of Yellowstone Ranch. And as you might expect, it doesn’t take long for them to make new enemies in their efforts to keep their new ranch operating.
Christina Alexandra Voros, who is an executive producer and director on the series, stopped by Guest Spot to talk about what sets “Dutton Ranch” apart from its parent show.
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Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our recommendations include the return of a classic Cartoon Network series and a new addition to the growing microdrama landscape. And wait. Did you hear “The Bear” released a special episode? Let us tell you about it.
Scroll down and stream on. See you next week.
— Yvonne Villarreal
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Mordecai, a blue jay who works at the park, in “Regular Show: Lost Tapes.”
(Cartoon Network)
“Regular Show: The Lost Tapes” (Cartoon Network )
Nearly a decade after “Regular Show” flashed into history with a metafictional battle for the fate of the universe, J.G. Quintel is restoring his cult-beloved cartoon series to life, with its cast and creatives back in place. (Following the “Gumball” revival, these are great days for old-school CN fans.) A surreal hardly workplace comedy, it’s set in a city park (even when, in the last season, the park was hijacked into a tree-shaped space station), where the characters — a blue jay, a raccoon, a lollipop man, a Yeti, a muscular little green monster, a video-game ghost with a hand growing out of its body-head and a walking gumball machine, who runs things — get into scrapes as strange as that cast list might suggest. As the original series ended 25 years into the future, “The Lost Tapes” no doubt indicates a rewind — VHS is the preferred format of this crew — into an earlier world we can regard as the present. Though what, after all, is time to a cartoon? (The show premieres Monday on Cartoon Network, and will come to Hulu and HBO Max later in the year.) — Robert Lloyd
Eric C. Lynch, Brittney Jefferson and Jenna Nolen in a scene from “Screen Time.”
(Liliane Lathan)
“Screen Time” (TikTok, PineDrama)
When word hit that Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media was set to premiere its first microdrama series, which are essentially super-short TV shows shot for smartphones, it felt like it was finally time for me to see what this format on the rise is all about. “Screen Time” begins with a double-date movie night that goes off the rails after a mysterious figure hijacks the TV and sends two couples — Danielle (Brittney Jefferson of “Rap Sh!t”) and Marcus (Eric C. Lynch of “Queen Sugar”); and James (Xavier Avila of “Á La Carte”) and Olivia (Jasmine Luv of “Tell It Like a Woman”) — on a tailspin as they’re forced to confess their secrets or risk their online footprint being made public. It’s a fun and ridiculous ride, made all the more entertaining when you scroll the comments for a full communal experience. It’ll have you doing an inventory on your phone’s contents, if you’re not busy unplugging any nearby virtual assistants while questioning what’s up with Marcus. There are 27 episodes now available to watch, with each clocking in at roughly a minute and flowing into the next. (For a bit of comparison, the viral “Who TF Did I Marry?” TikTok series by Reesa Teesa, which held me hostage in 2024, had about 50 videos, with many lasting around 10 minutes. But that was real-life drama.) Of course, Rae knows something about making online content stand out. Long before “Insecure” made her an in-demand storyteller in TV and film, Rae broke through with her YouTube series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.” The next episode drop arrives on May 22. — Y.V.
Jon Bernthal as Michael “Mikey” Berzatto and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich in a stand-alone episode of “The Bear” titled “Gary.”
(FX)
Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about
“Dutton Ranch” isn’t the only show spinning off family dynamics in new places. “The Bear” made a surprise episode drop earlier this week. Titled “Gary,” the stand-alone episode — listed on Hulu separate from the main show and not considered part of a season — is a one-hour flashback that mostly functions as a prequel. It follows Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as he sets out on a work trip to Gary, Ind., with Mikey (Jon Bernthal).
Though not biologically related, the pair are best friends who consider each other family of the “cousin” variety. And they’re tasked with running an errand for cousin Jimmy (Oliver Platt) to deliver a box whose contents neither knows. Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal, who have been friends since 2003, co-wrote the episode. And TV critic Robert Lloyd had this to say about the pair’s collaboration here: “One senses that as writers, they’ve built themselves a playground to act in; both are phenomenal.”
It’s also worth noting that, a day after the episode’s release, FX confirmed the Emmy-winning series is coming to an end next month. Fans questioned the show’s fate when the fourth season concluded with its tortured but deeply ambitious head chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) announcing he planned to leave the restaurant. So, yes, chef: When “The Bear” returns on June 25 for it’s fifth season, it will be the series’ last.
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
(Emerson Miller / Paramount+)
A pair of “Yellowstone” siblings are keeping television screens supplied with Dutton drama. After “Marshals,” the CBS procedural that follows Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) as he leaves ranch life to join an elite U.S. Marshals unit in Montana, became runaway hit for the network when it premiered earlier this year, quickly earning a Season 2 renewal, the fictional character’s sister, Beth (Reilly), is poised for her spin-off debut. Joined by her husband Rip (Hauser) and their surrogate son Carter (Fin Little), the trio relocate to South Texas to escape the ghosts of the Yellowstone ranch and build a new life in “Dutton Ranch.” Managing a new 7,000-acre property, they encounter new friends (a compassionate veterinarian played by Ed Harris) and foes (a rival rancher played by Annette Bening). The nine-episode series premieres with two episodes on May 15. Ahead of the show’s launch, reports surfaced that Chad Feehan, the show’s creator and showrunner, would not return for Season 2. I spoke with Voros, a longtime collaborator of Sheridan, about how the new series is different from the mothership, whether its central couple parallels the epic love story featured in “The Madison” and the show’s she’s been watching. — Y.V.
How is “Dutton Ranch” different from “Yellowstone”?
“Yellowstone” was entirely about a family holding on to the legacy of a place, and “Dutton Ranch” is entirely about building a new legacy. From a spiritual sense, what is driving these characters is similar — it is the bond to family, it is protection of each other. But the landscape has changed. In many ways, what was about land in the mothership has alchemized into being about family in “Dutton Ranch” because that’s what is left. The land that has brought them to their knees in war for generations is no longer something that burdens them, but they are tasked with building a new life and protecting that new life that they have built.
What is it about Beth and Rip that struck a chord with “Yellowstone” viewers? And why do you think they are well–suited to stretch this TV universe?
Everyone loves a good love story and everyone loves an imperfect hero. When two people find each other and complete each other in a way that is both untraditional and heroic and romantic, it’s hard not to fall in love with them — and it’s hard to not want to fight for them and want to see them succeed. I’ve been with “Yellowstone” since the first season, and I remember very clearly being out there in Montana, making this crazy, big, ambitious TV show. And I remember, the next year, no one could go out to a restaurant in town without being accosted. Then the next year, there were Rip and Beth costumes at the store for Halloween. It takes a very special kind of actor to be able to carry that story and that character forward and to keep evolving, and to not become a caricature of themselves, but to grow not just the fictional person, but to also grow as an artist, to continue breathing life into that character. And I think Kelly and Cole have done so with with such grace and such a profound commitment to each other and to the show and to storytelling. They’re both EPs this season, and it’s so well-earned. It’s not just on face value. They have been in the trenches from the very beginning, really fighting for and protecting themselves and the DNA of the series.
I know, in theory, Taylor’s other series that you worked on, “The Madison,” is not in the same fictional universe. But at the heart of that series is this epic, once-in-a-lifetime romance. Do you see parallels? Do you think Preston (Kurt Russell), whose character loved visiting Montana, and Rip would have ever crossed paths? Would they have liked each other?
They would have enjoyed a beer together if they stumbled into each other at the same bar. I think the pursuits that feed their souls are different. Beth and Stacy would have ultimately gotten along after probably some kind of caustic series of remarks at the same bar.
I think there’s something about enduring love that is in both of those relationships. There are parallels in terms of the secrets that people carry, not necessarily nefarious ones, but sides of yourself that you don’t always see. I will say, Rip and Beth understand all the facets of each other in a way that is different from Stacy and Preston. The love story of “The Madison” is about two people who share everything but this one thing. Rip and Beth’s characters have also known each other since they were teenagers, and they have experienced most of each other’s lives together. If you look at Taylor’s writing, and maybe this comes from his own love story, he loves writing these strong romances, whether it’s Rip and Beth or Stacy and Preston. There are these grounding relationships that are formed by these volatile people, and it is fascinating to watch, and I think people find something familiar in them.
Ed Harris as Everett McKinney and Annette Bening as Beulah Jackson in “Dutton Ranch.”
(Emerson Miller / Paramount+)
The cast in the Sheridan TV universe are all pros. You’re also working with some major screen heavyweights — Kevin Costner, Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc. In “Dutton Ranch,” you have Annette Bening and Ed Harris. What was the pinch-me moment?
I don’t even know where to start. Ed came into my office to chat at the very beginning, before we started prep. I just froze for a second; I lost my ability to speak like a normal human being. You have to forget that they are who they are in the beginning until you settle into a routine, otherwise you would be too awe-inspired to really do anything productive with your day. I feel so spoiled by the caliber of artists that I’ve had the opportunity to work with. I’m working with Sam Jackson right now on “Frisco King.” I look at the work that I’ve done with Michelle and Kurt, then Annette and Ed on this — it’s such an honor that artists of that caliber are excited to come play in these worlds. Everyday on set with Annette and Ed makes me a wiser director, makes me a smarter human being.
It was recently reported that Chad Feehan, the series co-creator, departed the series as showrunner. What was your collaboration with him like? And how do you think he handled setting the foundation for this series?
Writing a spin-off to “Yellowstone” comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility and a tremendous amount of opportunity. It’s a gift to be able to work with characters like Rip and Beth, and I think Chad did a wonderful job creating a world of characters for them to go toe to toe with in the Jacksons. The original DNA of the No. 1s on our call sheet was always there, but they are entering a new path and a new part of their own journey and worthy adversaries were needed.
OK, before I let you go, what have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
“The Beast in Me” [Netflix], I thought was unbelievable. It’s not the kind of thing that I normally watch. I just finished watching “Imperfect Women” [Hulu]. I was so taken by the performances in both of those shows. I love “Hacks” [HBO Max], I love “Shrinking” [Apple TV]. I balance my dark thriller with comedy.
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Sailors aboard the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, a 3,000-ton South Korean naval submarine, bid farewell to family members at a naval port in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, 25 March 2026. The submarine is departing across the Pacific for the first time to take part in joint drills with Canada in June aimed at bolstering maritime security and defense industry cooperation. Photo by YONHAP /EPA
May 8 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s first domestically designed 3,000-ton submarine has completed a long-distance Pacific deployment as Seoul seeks to strengthen its bid for Canada’s next-generation submarine procurement program.
The South Korean Navy said the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho departed Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii on Friday with two Canadian Navy submarine personnel aboard and is scheduled to arrive at Esquimalt Harbor in Victoria, British Columbia, in late May.
The submarine left Jinhae Naval Base on March 25 and traveled through Guam and Hawaii before heading toward Canada.
The deployment is seen as a major test of the submarine’s endurance, reliability and operational performance, as South Korean shipbuilders compete for Canada’s submarine project, estimated at about $42 billion.
The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho is expected to travel up to about 18,600 miles round trip, much of it independently. Defense officials say the mission is intended to demonstrate the submarine’s long-range capabilities, quiet operation, onboard living conditions and air-independent propulsion system.
Two Canadian Navy personnel, Maj. Britany Bourgeois and Petty Officer Jake Dixon, joined the submarine for the final leg from Hawaii to Canada.
The submarine is expected to take part in joint training with the Canadian Navy after arriving in late May. The exercises are expected to focus on anti-submarine warfare and interoperability.
Canadian officials are expected to assess whether the South Korean submarine meets key requirements for long-range patrols and operations near Arctic waters.
The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho will later participate in the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC 2026, alongside South Korea’s next-generation Aegis destroyer Jeongjo the Great.
South Korea’s participation is expected to highlight its growing ability to operate with U.S. and allied naval forces in complex maritime environments.
Canada’s submarine procurement program calls for the acquisition of 12 submarines. South Korean shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are competing against Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems for the contract.
Defense analysts say the Pacific deployment gives South Korea an opportunity to demonstrate proven operational capabilities directly to Canadian officials rather than relying only on written proposals or technical specifications.
The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho is the lead vessel of South Korea’s KSS-III Batch-I class. The submarine has an underwater displacement of about 3,700 tons, is 83.5 meters long and was designed and built in South Korea.
South Korean defense officials say the deployment marks a milestone for the country’s submarine program and reflects the expansion of the Navy’s operating range from coastal waters to the open ocean.
If South Korea wins the Canadian contract, it would mark the largest single defense export deal in the country’s history.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260508010001855
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung engaged in a phone discussion in his
presidential office. Photo by Yonhap / EPA
May 8 (Asia Today) — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung spoke by phone Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, the presidential office said.
The two leaders agreed that South Korea and Canada should work more closely with the international community to support a peaceful resolution to tensions in the Middle East, secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and maintain stable energy supplies.
Kang Yu-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, announced the details in a written briefing.
Lee and Carney also reviewed follow-up measures from their bilateral summit held on the sidelines of last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, and assessed that the efforts were proceeding smoothly.
The leaders agreed that bilateral relations are expanding beyond security cooperation into the economy, energy, advanced industries and culture. They pledged to deepen strategic cooperation based on that momentum.
“For South Korea, Canada is a key partner,” Lee said. “At a time when the international order is increasingly complex and global energy supply chains remain unstable, I hope South Korea and Canada will further strengthen cooperation in security, the economy, energy, critical minerals and advanced industries.”
Carney expressed agreement and said it was important for middle powers such as Canada and South Korea to strengthen solidarity through a more practical approach.
The two leaders agreed to maintain frequent communication and direct officials at various levels to pursue concrete results across multiple areas of cooperation.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260508010001895
1 of 2 | Lee Ae-rirana, a birth mother whose daughter was adopted to the United States, cries in front of a photo of her late daughter, Park Mi-ae, outside the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Seoul on Friday. Photo by Asia Today
May 8 (Asia Today) — Five South Korean birth mothers who lost children to overseas adoption filed petitions Friday seeking a truth investigation into alleged abuses involving foreign adoptions.
The women submitted the petitions to South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, saying their children were taken through kidnapping, false documents, deception by adoption agencies or without parental consent.
TRACE, a coalition advocating for truth-finding on overseas adoptions and child rights, held a news conference outside the commission’s office in central Seoul and disclosed several cases.
“The methods differed, but the result was the same,” the group said. “The mothers lost their children, and the children had to live their lives believing they had been abandoned.”
One case involved Lee Ae-rirana, 53, who said she was told after giving birth in 1993 that her baby daughter was seriously ill. A week later, she was told the child had died.
More than a decade later, Lee learned that her daughter, Park Mi-ae, had been adopted to Minnesota. Park later left her adoptive family after conflict, experienced homelessness and died in 2023, according to the group.
Another mother, Lee Gui-im, said she temporarily placed her two sons in a childcare facility in 1983 because of financial hardship after being told she could take them back when they reached middle school.
When she returned three months later with winter clothes for the boys, she learned they had already been sent to France for adoption.
Lee said an adoption consent form kept by the facility contained a signature in the birth mother’s name that she had never written. She said she could not read or write at the time.
Other cases included children who were reported missing but later sent overseas by orphanages and children allegedly taken through kidnapping or abduction before being placed for adoption.
Han Tae-soon, who was reunited with her daughter through DNA testing 44 years after the child disappeared at age 5 and was adopted to the United States nine months later, attended the event to support other mothers.
Han is pursuing legal action against the government and adoption agencies, accusing them of turning missing children into orphans for overseas adoption.
Park Min-seo, an attorney at Wongok Law Office, said no one involved in the adoption process made a proper attempt to verify the children’s identities.
TRACE called for investigations into false records and illegal adoptions by agencies and childcare facilities, a full review of overseas adoptions conducted without parental consent, a dedicated investigative body, a formal government apology and a support system to reunite birth parents and adoptees.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260508010001911
Wisteria and clematis hang from weathered cottage walls. Tulips and pink apple blossom spill out of several gardens. Thatched animals decorate the rooftops. There’s a Norman church, a medieval castle and an 80-hectare (200-acre) nature reserve. Amberley is the kind of place people assume you can only reach by car, but the village has its own railway station with regular direct trains, along the scenic Arun Valley line, from Bognor, Horsham and London Victoria.
This spring, the Black Horse pub reopened in Amberley. The new owners are the gourmet Gladwin brothers, Oliver and Richard, returning to their Sussex roots near Nutbourne Vineyards. Having founded five Local & Wild restaurants in London, the Black Horse is their first country pub and first place with rooms.
I’ve walked through Amberley numerous times, but never stopped to explore. It’s the midpoint of the South Downs Way, a 100-mile route from Winchester to Eastbourne, with views for much of its length in both directions: north across the Weald and south towards the sea.
Trains leave London every half an hour and take about 1hr 20mins to get to Amberley. The scenery outside gets steadily lovelier, passing blackthorn-bordered fields and bluebell woods. Beyond Pulborough, the railway enters the South Downs national park. There are herds of deer, chalk-hill views and the winding River Arun.
My first stop is Amberley Museum (two for the price of one with a voucher if you travel by train). Sprawling across more than 14 hectares (36 acres) of former chalk pits, it has impressive disused lime kilns and demonstrations of everything from broom-making to printing.
It’s right opposite the railway station and I’m planning a 45-minute whiz round before strolling into the village. Three hours later, I’m still there, riding the narrow-gauge railway and chatting to volunteers with encyclopedic enthusiasms for various traditional crafts. Visitors can hear the rattle of old machines and smell the printers’ ink, pine shavings, brick dust and engine oil. There’s a whole building about communications through time, from horse-drawn post carts to fibre-optic cables. The Tools & Trades History Society has intricate displays involving bee-smokers, hoop drivers, moulding planes, straw splitters and spindle grinders.
Above the museum’s main site, a nature trail leads up, through banks of bluebells and primroses, to a hilltop bench. Across the chalk cliffs of the old quarry and tall sycamores with their nesting rooks are views of the fortified walls of Amberley Castle, a bishops’ residence dating mainly from the 14th century.
I pass the castle on my 20-minute amble into the village and stop off at neighbouring St Michael’s church to admire the zigzagged Norman arch, oak leaf-carved doorway and graveyard cowslips. I check into the Black Horse, then head out again to explore Amberley Wildbrooks nature reserve, an area of boggy woods and tussock-sedged wetland, which starts two minutes’ walk away from the pub.
A pair of birders with a proper scope show me their photo of the resident white-tailed eagle, then I stroll through golden evening shadows serenaded by linnets and skylarks. No sign of the eagle, but I’m happy to hear warblers in the reedbeds and a woodpecker drumming for bugs. (Next day, I learn one of the area’s best eagle-spotting sites is The Sportsman, Amberley’s community pub, with binoculars on its terrace). I walk for miles along the single boggy track, following the Wey-South Path, a 34-mile (55km) route to Guildford mostly along canal towpaths, before finally heading back.
With bedrooms offering real milk and coffee, Amberley pottery and homemade biscuits, the Black Horse is hospitable. There are wooden beams, hilly views and fresh flowers. Plenty of pubs claim to be haunted by a “grey lady”; the Black Horse reports sightings of a spectral “woman in lavender … fleeting as the mist that settles over the Downs”.
The renovated pub’s wood-panelled restaurant has an emphasis on local, foraged and sustainable food. Wild garlic season is ending and local asparagus has arrived. Grilled green spears in lemon with purple onion flowers look beautiful and taste better. Salad is dressed with gingery magnolia. There’s squid from Worthing, free-range lamb from the third Gladwin brother and farmer, Gregory, and wines from the family vineyards five miles north.
Many of the diners live locally (some on their second or third visit), while the early breakfasters next morning are mostly hiking the South Downs Way. The chalky hills look tempting in the spring sunshine, but I have other plans. In Arundel, four minutes’ journey south by rail, the nearly 1,000-year-old fortress (£17, gardens only) is hosting its huge annual tulip festival when I visit, having planted more than 1.4m bulbs over the past decade and won Historic Houses’ garden of the year in 2025, among other awards.
From pretty Arundel station, a bee-friendly path leads cyclists and walkers under the railway and beside a field to a safer stretch of pavement. Local community group Greening Arundel has won awards for this path, which is lined with celandines, murals and bug hotels.
There’s a queue to get into the castle gardens, but it’s easy to see why people come here. With fountains, thatched gazebos and historic walls as a backdrop, there are sweeping beds of multicoloured blooms, banks of scarlet by the moat, lush tubs of peony-style doubles, elegant lily-flowered cultivars and striped Rembrandts among a soft haze of forget-me-nots and the last of the narcissi.
Included in garden entry is the monument-filled 14th-century Fitzalan chapel, where pairs of marble knights and ladies lie side by side. On one of my teenage South Downs’ hikes, I spent hours with a friend searching every church in town for the stone effigies featured in Philip Larkin’s 1956 poem An Arundel Tomb, only to find them later in Chichester Cathedral.
After walking around the gardens, I climb the narrow-stepped Norman keep for views that stretch to the sea. There’s plenty to look at inside the castle, too: paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, rooms full of crossbows and rapiers, lion pelts in the Great Hall, antlers in the corridors.
From Arundel station, I can see the hilltop church and castle, framed by woods and marshes. The scene is up there with England’s other great views from railway stations, such as Durham Cathedral or St Michael’s Mount. Rich in history and wildlife, the trip feels longer and more rewarding than a simple overnight break. Outside the train windows, herons guard the waterways and swans are nesting in the reeds.
Accommodation was provided by the Black Horse pub, doubles from £110 room-only. Train travel was provided by Southern
Seoul appeals court cuts ex-prime minister’s prison sentence from 23 years to 15.
Published On 7 May 20267 May 2026
A South Korean appeals court has reduced the sentence of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo by eight years for crimes relating to ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law.
The verdict was issued in the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Thursday.
list of 4 itemsend of list
Yoon’s decree in December 2024 briefly suspended civilian government and plunged South Korea into chaos, but it only lasted about six hours as opposition lawmakers moved quickly to overturn it in a vote.
A lower court had sentenced Han in January to a heavier-than-expected jail term of 23 years for engaging in the insurrection, as well as on related charges of perjury and falsifying an official document.
But the appeals court in Seoul cut that by eight years on Thursday, with the presiding judge announcing: “We sentence the defendant to 15 years in prison.”
The court still maintained most of Han’s convictions but lessened the penalties after taking into account his “more than 50 years as a public official prior to the martial law declaration”.
“The records also make it difficult to find evidence showing that the defendant participated more actively in the insurrection, such as by conspiring in advance or systematically leading the operation,” the judge said.
However, he said Han had “abandoned the grave responsibilities arising from the authority and position entrusted to him and instead sided with those participating in the acts of insurrection”.
Han, wearing a white shirt and a dark suit with no tie, listened to the verdict without showing much emotion.
The 76-year-old has been imprisoned since his original sentence in January.
Han had denied wrongdoing on all charges except perjury, saying in November that while he regretted not being able to stop Yoon from declaring martial law, he “never agreed to it or tried to help”.
Han is an experienced technocrat, who served in senior posts under five presidents.
He became the acting president after Yoon was impeached, before his own impeachment on accusations of having aided Yoon in the martial law declaration.
The Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, restoring his powers to serve as leader before he resigned from the post to run in a snap election in June.
He ended his bid for the presidency following rifts among conservatives.
Yoon, who faces eight separate trials, was handed a life sentence in February on charges of “masterminding an insurrection”.
Yoon, a former career prosecutor, denied the charges, arguing he had presidential authority to declare martial law and that his action was aimed at sounding the alarm over opposition parties’ obstruction of government.
He has apologised for the “frustration and hardship” brought upon the people by his martial law decree, but said in a statement after the sentencing that he stood behind the “sincerity and purpose” behind his actions.
Ted Turner, the brash media mogul who created CNN and revolutionized how Americans watched television, and who wielded his media empire and wealth to pursue liberal global causes and land conservation, has died. He was 87.
Turner died Wednesday, according to his family.
In 2018, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a neurodegenerative disease, which had been progressing in recent years.
Turner’s outsized public persona — some called him the “Mouth from the South” for his free-wheeling trash talk — matched the Georgian’s influence on news, politics, sports and entertainment in the late 20th century. Turner repeatedly shook up established industries by invading quickly and expanding options for consumers, while railing against monolithic competitors who were less daring or nimble than his maverick Turner Broadcasting System.
Turner created the cable stations TBS and Turner Classic Movies; he owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team, the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and revitalized professional wrestling with World Championship Wrestling.
Turner was one of the first adopters of cable and satellite broadcasting technology, and for many rural Americans living beyond the tower signals of major cities, he was the first person to bring them interesting TV.
The media baron constantly generated headlines. He had a Clark Gable pencil mustache, raced sailboats, cavorted with the late communist leader Fidel Castro in Cuba, and at one point married Academy Award-winning actress and activist Jane Fonda. His wealth enabled him to become one of the largest private landowners and wealthiest philanthropists in the U.S.
July 1990 image of Ted Turner with Jane Fonda.
(Tony Duffy/Getty Images)
His crowning cultural achievement was the creation of the Cable News Network in 1980, which created the model for today’s cable news titans. The 24-hour news channel was not widely expected to be a success. All-night broadcasting had not been proven as a business model in an industry dominated nationally by corporate monoliths like ABC, NBC and CBS, where news programming was something that happened on a set schedule. And CNN’s headquarters weren’t in media centers like New York or Los Angeles, but Atlanta.
But Turner believed that “over-the-air networks would decline as audiences turned to videos and other outlets for entertainment on demand,” wrote the late journalist Daniel Schorr in a 2001 memoir.
“The network future belonged to whoever would deliver what was happening now — live news and live sports. That was why he wanted to be the first to deliver all news, all sports, all the time,” wrote Schorr, whom Turner courted to join CNN.
Within two years, CNN had more than 9 million subscribers. By the 2000s, Turner’s once far-flung idea for an around-the-clock news service had become so successful that it had attracted imitators like MSNBC (now called MS NOW) and Fox News.
“We not only became profitable, but also changed the nature of news — from watching something that happened to watching it as it happened,” Turner said of CNN in 2004. “If we needed more money for [broadcasting from] Kosovo or Baghdad, we’d find it. If we had to bust the budget, we busted the budget. We put journalism first, and that’s how we built CNN into something the world wanted to watch.”
Fox Corp. Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch, who was both a rival and friend of Turner, said his “vision for 24-hour cable news transformed the media industry and gave viewers everywhere a front seat to witness history unfold. His impact as a trailblazer has left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.”
Turner recognized the value of global distribution long before his rivals, launching CNN’s international business in the mid-1980s. He bought his first western property, The Bar-None Ranch in Montana, and would eventually become one of the nation’s largest individual landowners with nearly 2 million acres, which provide habitat for threatened species and his beloved American bison.
“Ted’s entrepreneurial spirit, creative ambition and willingness to take risks changed the media industry forever,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN, said Wednesday in a note to employees. “He believed deeply in the power of ideas, in doing things differently and in building platforms that could inform, inspire and connect people around the world.”
Robert Edward Turner III was born in Cincinnati on Nov. 19, 1938, and raised in Georgia. A mischievous child — who later became a mischievous adult despite attending the Georgia Military Academy — he had a tough childhood at the hands of his alcoholic father, Ed.
“Ninety percent of the arguments I had with Ed were over his beating Ted too hard,” Ted’s mother, Florence Turner, recalled later.
“My dad ran an old-fashioned household and he insisted that pretty much everything had to be his way,” Ted Turner said in a 2008 memoir. “My father and I had a complex relationship but I loved him.”
The younger Turner attended Brown University but dropped out before graduating. His savings had run out, his father had stopped financially supporting his tuition, and in his final days on campus, he was suspended for bringing a woman to his dorm room, according to his memoir.
He soon joined his father’s expanding billboard advertising company, Turner Advertising, where he had been working off and on for years since childhood.
He inherited the business at the age of 24 after his father died by suicide. By then, Turner had already had years of experience , and he worked furiously to reverse his father’s recent sale of part of the company to a competitor and paid down its daunting debt, an act that presaged the empire-building to come.
While growing the business, Turner also pursued his passion for competitive sailing, which is how he met his first wife, Judy Nye, in college. It’s also how their marriage ended. Turner intentionally hit his wife’s boat during a 1963 race to keep her from passing him, and the pair, who had two children, split immediately afterward.
It was to be the first of three divorces. . “My problem is I love every woman I meet,” Turner has said. He would go on to win the America’s Cup in 1977 while expanding his father’s company into a modern multimedia conglomerate.
Leveraging the billboard business, Turner started buying local radio stations across the South in the late 1960s. In 1970, he bought the Channel 17 television station in Atlanta, competing with local network affiliates by airing old movies whose rights were affordable and picking up programming dropped by the less nimble competition. He didn’t like putting news on prime time back then — too negative — and soon picked up broadcast rights for the Braves, Hawks and other local sports.
Oct. 1998 photo of former President Jimmy Carter, right, and Atlanta Braves team owner Ted Turner, during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series in Atlanta.
(PAT SULLIVAN/AP)
The Braves were a ratings hit, and when the team flailed and went up for sale, Turner’s company became its owner in 1976. The team continued to flail but Turner boosted its profile with gimmicks such as sewing “Channel 17” on the back of a pitcher’s jersey and dressing up as the team’s batboy and manager, to the league’s disdain. Turner bought the Hawks shortly after.
Facing entrenched local network affiliates, Turner expanded his independent station’s reach across the South and then the U.S. by embracing the new technologies of cable and satellite broadcasting. Channel 17 became nationally known as the “SuperStation,” with call letters WTBS, later shortened to TBS.
The quirky Atlanta station’s local broadcasts of old movies and sports games had become national broadcasts.
Still hungry for more, Turner finally turned his attention to news programming. He launched CNN in 1980 in a desperate bid to create a national 24-hour news channel before the broadcast titans ABC, NBC and CBS — and their gargantuan budgets — could beat him to it.
“The 24/7 genre started with Ted Turner,” veteran CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour said Wednesday on CNN. “He was the original, and he made us all proud, and he made us all hopeful, and he made us all strive for his vision of a better world.”
There were some lean early years. But the nascent channel fended off an attempt by ABC to create a competitor, and critics could see the value of an ever-present news channel, even if quality was a little thin at times.
“Non-viewers of CNN are missing a lot. There are so many reasons to watch,” Los Angeles Times critic Howard Rosenberg wrote in 1986, hailing the 6-year-old channel as an “institution.” “It’s not always good, but it’s always there.”
In 1986, CNN was the only broadcaster running live coverage when the Challenger shuttle liftoff ended in disaster. In 1991, the network gave Americans a live and uninterrupted look at the invasion of Iraq. American officials held news conferences knowing that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was watching them on CNN.
Americans had seen images of war before, but not broadcast nonstop into their homes.
“CNN seeks to be a stethoscope attached to the hypothetical heart of the war, and to present us with its hypothetical pulse,” the French theorist Jean Baudrillard wrote, critiquing the conflict as a media spectacle. Media scholars began to wonder whether a “CNN effect” was influencing government policy. Officials found that they now had to respond much more quickly to crises unfolding on live television.
Turner was not adversarial to communist countries of the era and even tried his own version of the Olympics, called the Goodwill Games, a bit of private-sector peace-craft that brought the Soviet Union and the U.S. out of their respective Olympic boycotts and back into direct competition in the 1989s. All on television, of course.
Turner also saw professional wrestling as part of his sports portfolio, at one point trying to pit his World Championship Wrestling program against competitor Vince McMahon’s wrestling empire, then called the World Wrestling Federation. Turner similarly tried to take a bite out of MTV with the Cable Music Channel, with a promise “to stay away from the excessive, violent or degrading clips to women that MTV is so fond of putting on.”
Moralism was a Turner hallmark. Turner had started his life as a conservative — Turner had met his second wife, Jane Smith, at a 1964 fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater — and turned toward more liberal-leaning causes, such as world peace, nuclear nonproliferation and fighting climate change, later in life.
At the 1990 American Humanist Assn.’s annual convention, Turner presented his “Ten Voluntary Initiatives” — his atheistic version of the Ten Commandments — which included pledges to world peace, environmentalism, nonviolence and “to have no more than two children, or no more than my nation suggests.” He would become a major private donor to the United Nations, pledging $1 billion and launching the United Nations Foundation nonprofit.
In 1991, a year marked by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the first U.S. war against Iraq and the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Time magazine named Turner its “Man of the Year” for his “visionary” creation of CNN, which covered those events live. He also married Fonda that year (the ceremony was reported by CNN) and his Braves narrowly lost the World Series.
Time’s honorific was also a nice bit of corporate synergy. The magazine’s parent company, Time Warner, owned about 20% of Turner Broadcasting System stock.
Turner launched the Cartoon Network in 1992, which helped introduce his then-newly acquired Hanna-Barbera characters — including Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo — to a new generation of viewers.
Adversaries thought that Turner’s ventures could be reckless and impulsive. Far-seeing accomplishments in national broadcasting and the creation of CNN were also paired with several expensive misadventures, including a failed attempt to buy CBS.
Turner had to unwind a purchase of the MGM film studio less than a year after buying it, though he held onto one valuable asset: The studio’s film library, which became the foundation of the Turner Classic Movies channel and, later, jewels in the Burbank-based Warner Bros. studio vault.
In 1996, Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner to form the world’s largest media company, marking the beginning of the end of Turner’s apex in corporate media. Time Warner’s 2000 merger with budding internet giant AOL, then the largest-ever corporate merger, ended in disaster. Turner, who had not been a key player in the negotiations and had made no secret of his disdain for that deal, was fired as an executive.
“Ted Turner was one of the rare leaders who truly changed the trajectory of an industry,” Versant Media Chief Executive Mark Lazarus, a former Turner underling, said in a statement. “I saw firsthand his willingness to take risks and his belief that media could be something bigger and more impactful.”
CNN Worldwide Chairman Mark Thompson added: “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand.”
Turner resigned from the AOL Time Warner board in 2003, and in 2007, announced he had sold his company shares. In his later days, one of his best-known ventures was his Ted’s Montana Grill restaurant chain. His philanthropy and land conservation efforts and protection of the American bison became guide posts during his retirement years.
While CNN maintains influence in the U.S. and abroad, its TV ratings have declined in recent years — a casualty of changing consumer behavior, the rise of social media, derision from President Trump — and several ownership changes.
During the past decade, CNN has had three different corporate owners. The company is poised to be sold again, this time to billionaire David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance. That proposed merger would bring CNN under the same roof as CBS News.
“I’ve often considered and joked about what I might want written on my tombstone,” Turner said in a 2008 memoir. “At one point, when I felt like I could get out of the way of the press, ‘You Can’t Interview Me Here’ was a leading candidate. … These days, I’m leaning toward, ‘I Have Nothing More to Say.’”
Turner is survived by his five children — Laura Turner Seydel (Rutherford), Robert Edward “Teddy” Turner IV (Blair), Rhett Turner, Beau Turner, Jennie Turner Garlington (Peek) — 14 grandchildren and a great granddaughter. The family plans a private and public service at a later date.
Pearce is a former Times reporter. Times Staff Writer Stephen Battaglio contributed to this report.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — An election-year redistricting movement has spread to South Carolina as Republicans attempt to redraw majority-Black congressional districts that have suddenly become susceptible because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upending protections for minority voters.
Urged on by President Trump, South Carolina Republicans are attempting to redraw a district long held by a Black Democratic lawmaker in their quest for a clean sweep of the state’s seven congressional seats.
Lawmakers already are meeting in special sessions in Alabama and Tennessee in a bid to change their U.S. House districts. And Louisiana lawmakers are making plans for new congressional districts after the Supreme Court last week struck down the state’s current map.
The stakes are high for minority voters who stand to lose their preferred representatives and for any Republican lawmakers reluctant to follow Trump’s wishes. In Republican primary elections Tuesday, Trump-endorsed challengers defeated at least five of the seven Indiana state lawmakers targeted by Trump’s allies for refusing to support a congressional redistricting effort last year.
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling said Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating a second Black-majority House district as it attempted to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The ruling significantly altered a decades-old understanding of the law, giving Republicans grounds to try to eliminate majority-Black districts that have elected Democrats.
The ruling revved up an already intense national redistricting battle ahead of a November midterm election that will determine control of the closely divided House.
Since Trump prodded Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last year, a total of eight states have adopted new congressional districts. From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10 seats. But some of the new districts could be competitive in November, meaning the parties may not get all they sought.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn has represented South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District since it was redrawn to favor minority voters in 1992. He’s running for an 18th term. But it could get harder for him to win reelection if Republicans redraw his district.
Leaders in the state House and Senate said a redistricting effort needs to start with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. The issue could come up as soon as Wednesday. But if only a few Republicans aren’t on board, it can’t succeed.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey has warned that redistricting could backfire because of thin political margins, resulting in a second Democrat in the U.S. House. Massey told reporters Tuesday that he had a cordial conversation with Trump about redistricting, each laying out their concerns.
The state’s primaries are June 9 and early voting starts in three weeks.
The state House on Wednesday could debate legislation that would allow Alabama to hold a special congressional primary, if the Supreme Court clears the way for the state to change its U.S. House districts.
In light of the court’s ruling on Louisiana’s districts, Alabama officials have asked courts to set aside a judicial order to use a U.S. House map that includes two districts with a substantial number of Black voters. Republicans instead want to use a map passed in 2023 by the Legislature that could help the GOP win at least one of those two seats currently held by Democrats.
Alabama’s primaries are scheduled for May 19. If the Supreme Court grants the state’s request after or too close to the primary, the legislation under consideration would ignore the results of that primary and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under the revised districts.
Democrats denounced the legislation as a Republican power grab that harkens back to the state’s shameful history of denying Black residents equal rights and representation.
Republicans are “working to secure an electoral victory by taking Alabama back to the Jim Crow era, and we won’t go back,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell told a crowd gathered outside the Alabama Statehouse.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee called Tennessee lawmakers into a special session to consider a plan urged by Trump that could break up the state’s lone Democratic-held U.S. House district, centered on the majority-Black city of Memphis. Republicans didn’t say much about the plan Tuesday.
But as the state Senate began work Tuesday, shouts of “shame, shame, shame” could be heard inside the chamber from protesters gathered in the hallways. On the chamber floor, state Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Black Democrat from Memphis, called the redistricting “an act of hate.”
Martin Luther King III sent a letter to Tennessee legislative leaders expressing “grave concern” about the plan to divide Memphis, saying the move could undermine the work for voting rights carried out by his father, Martin Luther King Jr.
The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, and the primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6.
After last week’s Supreme Court decision, Republican Gov. Mike Landry postponed the state’s May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts. State Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, a Republican, said a redistricting committee he leads plans to hold a public hearing Friday.
Louisiana voters had already sent in more than 41,000 absentee ballots by last Thursday, when Landry suspended the House primaries, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. That’s about a third of all the absentee ballots sent out to voters. Around 19,000 were from registered Democrats, 17,000 from registered Republicans and the remainder belonged to neither party.
Democrats and civil rights groups have filed several lawsuits challenging the suspension of Louisiana’s congressional primary.
Collins, Loller, Chandler and Lieb write for the Associated Press. Chandler reported from Montgomery, Ala., Loller from Nashville and Lieb from Jefferson City, Mo. AP writer Jack Brook contributed to this report from New Orleans.
Yanleth Rivera/iStock via Getty Images
South Korea’s benchmark stock index crossed the 7,000-point mark for the first time on Wednesday, led by Samsung Electronics (SSNLF), as sentiment was driven by the global AI-driven chip rally and strong economic data.
The KOSPI index closed 6.5% higher at
Seoul apartment buildings are seen in central Seoul, South Korea, 08 March 2026. According to data compiled by KB Kookmin Bank, the average price of apartment units in the top 20 percent sold in Seoul reached 3.47 billion won (USD 2.34 million) in February, up 5.27 million won from the previous month. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 4 (Asia Today) — Seoul accounted for more than 80% of first-priority apartment subscription applications in South Korea in March, according to an analysis by real estate platform Zigbang.
Zigbang said Monday that 109,928 first-priority applications were filed nationwide for apartment complexes announced for sale in March. Of those, 90,322, or 82%, were submitted for apartments in Seoul.
The figures were calculated based on the month of the sales announcement. Zigbang said applications were counted according to the date of the initial resident recruitment notice, even when the actual application period extended into the following month.
The increase was sharp compared with earlier months. Complexes announced in January received 10,549 applications and those in February drew 27,313. The number surged past 100,000 in March.
The number of apartment complexes offered also rose from eight in January and 11 in February to 27 in March. The average competition rate climbed from 4.2-to-1 in January to 7.1-to-1 in February and 12.9-to-1 in March.
Analysts said pent-up demand concentrated in March as major Seoul complexes entered the market after limited supply early in the year.
In Seoul, the average competition rate for complexes announced in March reached 156.3-to-1, sharply higher than in January and February. Every complex posted double-digit competition, driven in part by limited general sale units in redevelopment and reconstruction projects.
Major complexes included Acro de Seocho in Seocho District, which recorded a 1,099-to-1 competition rate, Hauterre Banpo in Seocho District at 710-to-1 and Ichon LE-EL in Yongsan District at 135-to-1.
“The recent subscription market continues to show high competition centered on Seoul, but it is difficult to interpret this simply as a divide between the capital region and provincial areas,” a Zigbang official said. “Consumers are clearly moving selectively based on price competitiveness and location rather than region alone.”
The official added that complexes with a strong balance of location, product quality and sale price can continue to attract real demand regardless of region.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260504010000342
The security landscape along the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan is deteriorating amid a series of alarming attacks attributed to armed men believed to be South Sudanese soldiers. The Kakwa chiefdom, particularly the Roumou tribal group and the village of Agoroba in Aru territory, Ituri province, has been severely affected by these incursions.
Local sources said the suspected South Sudanese soldiers looted cattle and money, and abducted Congolese civilians.
“These armed men coming from South Sudan have looted from the population, taking away cows, goats, money, and even abducting young men, whom they continue to hold in the bushes. This situation does not date today. It has been several months since these armed men have been crossing the border to attack our villages,” a local chief told HumAngle.
Dieudonne Tabani, a national parliamentarian, has raised concerns about the worsening security situation along the border between the DRC and South Sudan in the Aru territory of Ituri province. He condemned how the repeated incursions in several localities of Kakwa chiefdom are characterised by the looting of belongings as well as the abduction of civilians.
“The number of our soldiers along the border with South Sudan is very minimal. When these armed men enter, they are not faced by a rigorous response. We call on the provincial authorities, under the state of siege, to urgently reinforce the military presence in the zone,” a local in the Ituri province told HumAngle. “The central government must also get involved in diplomatic overtures with a view to clearly demarcating the boundary, most times given as a reason for the incursions into our territory.”
Amid this troubling situation, Ituri provincial authorities have called on the population to remain calm, assuring that the authorities in Kinshasa have already been briefed and that measures will eventually be taken to secure the zone.
In January, DRC and South Sudan completed a major prisoner exchange following a diplomatic meeting. The border town of the Aru territory in the DRC serves as a haven for numerous South Sudanese refugees escaping the civil conflict in their homeland.
The security situation is worsening along the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, with escalating attacks by suspected South Sudanese soldiers.
The Kakwa chiefdom, specifically the Roumou tribe and Agoroba village in Ituri province, has been affected by looting and abductions.
Local leaders and a national parliamentarian have expressed concerns, highlighting inadequate military defense and urging provincial authorities to strengthen border security. They also call for diplomatic engagement to resolve boundary disputes that contribute to these incursions.
Despite the tensions, provincial authorities have assured residents that measures are being taken to address the situation.
Meanwhile, in January, DRC and South Sudan conducted a prisoner exchange to promote security cooperation, as the Aru territory continues to host South Sudanese refugees fleeing civil conflict.
Naegohyang FC will play the South’s Suwon FC on May 20 in the semifinal of the Women’s Asian Champions League.
Published On 4 May 20264 May 2026
A North Korean women’s football club will become the first sports team from the country to play in South Korea since 2018 when they visit this month, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification has confirmed.
The neighbours remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and sporting and cultural exchanges between them are very rare.
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Naegohyang Women’s FC will play the South’s Suwon FC Women on May 20 in the semifinals of the Asian Champions League.
The visiting delegation will include 27 players and 12 club staff, the ministry said on Monday. South Korea’s football association told the AFP news agency that the team would arrive on May 17.
They will fly into Incheon airport on an Air China flight from Beijing, a Unification Ministry official said.
The winner of the match at Suwon Sports Complex, south of the capital Seoul, will play the final of Asia’s top women’s club competition against either Australia’s Melbourne City or Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza on May 23.
“The losing team in the semifinal will return home on Thursday, May 21, with no third-place playoff scheduled,” the ministry statement added.
The match will be the first time a North Korean sports team has played in the South since shooting, youth football and table tennis delegations travelled there in 2018.
The last time Pyongyang sent a women’s football team to the South was in 2014, when the North Korean national team took part in the Asian Games in Incheon.
Founded in 2012 and based in the North Korean capital, much of Naegohyang’s squad is “made up of national team-level players”, the ministry said.
North Korea’s national team is one of the dominant forces in Asian women’s football, winning multiple international titles in recent years, especially at the youth level.
The most recent one came in November last year, when they defeated the Netherlands 3-0 in the final of the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Park Wang-yeol (C), a South Korean national detained in the Philippines, arrives at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, 25 March 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 1 (Asia Today) — South Korean police have taken custody of a man suspected of supplying drugs to a major narcotics figure, following his arrest in Thailand, authorities said Friday.
The suspect, identified only by his surname Choi, 51, is accused of smuggling and distributing about 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued at roughly 10 billion won ($7.4 million), into South Korea since 2019.
Police said Choi, who allegedly operated under the aliases “Cheongdam” or “Cheongdam Boss” on the messaging app Telegram, was identified as a key supplier to drug trafficker Park Wang-yeol, often referred to as a “drug kingpin.”
The National Police Agency’s drug and organized crime unit said it received custody of Choi from Thai authorities and has launched a full investigation into his activities and connections.
Investigators began tracking Choi while probing Park, who was previously arrested in the Philippines. Authorities combined five outstanding cases involving Choi and designated the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency as the lead investigative body.
Although no official departure record for Choi had been found since 2018, police developed intelligence suggesting he was living in Thailand. Working through liaison officers stationed in both countries, South Korean and Thai police coordinated the operation.
Authorities located Choi in Samut Prakan province, about an hour from Bangkok, and conducted a three-day joint surveillance operation before arresting him on April 10 on charges of illegal stay.
Police said the suspect was apprehended within seven days of the formal request for cooperation, and repatriated to South Korea about three weeks later with assistance from the South Korean Embassy in Thailand and related agencies.
Items seized at the time of arrest, including a passport under another person’s name and electronic devices, will undergo digital forensic analysis to determine links to Park and to identify additional accomplices and distribution networks.
Police said the investigation will expand to include possible conspiracy with Park, violations of passport laws and broader drug trafficking activities. Authorities are also pursuing asset recovery tied to alleged criminal proceeds.
Acting National Police Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung said interagency cooperation – including coordination with customs, financial regulators, tax authorities, the food and drug safety agency and the National Intelligence Service – has been mobilized to track and dismantle transnational drug networks.
“This case sends a clear message that drug criminals will be pursued and apprehended to the ends of the earth,” Yoo said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260501010000003
A Korean Air plane takes off from Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, South Korea, 01 April 2026. Fuel surcharges for flights operated by South Korean airlines have surged by as much as threefold from the previous month in April due to the spike in global oil prices, industry watchers said. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 1 (Asia Today) — Fuel surcharges on airline tickets issued in South Korea nearly doubled Friday as carriers respond to a sharp rise in oil prices driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The airline industry said tickets issued this month will be subject to the highest surcharge level, Stage 33, for the first time since the current system was introduced in 2016.
Korean Air set one-way international fuel surcharges from 75,000 won ($51) to 564,000 won ($383), up from 42,000 won ($29) to 303,000 won ($206) in April. The lowest charge applies to short-haul routes such as Fukuoka and Qingdao, while the highest applies to long-haul destinations including New York, Atlanta, Washington and Toronto.
Asiana Airlines set its international one-way surcharge at 85,400 won ($58) to 476,200 won ($323), nearly double April’s range of 43,900 won ($30) to 251,900 won ($171).
Jeju Air, a low-cost carrier, will charge $52 to $126 one way on international flights departing South Korea, compared with $29 to $68 last month.
The higher surcharges are still not enough to fully offset rising costs. Some low-cost carriers saw fuel expenses rise more than 120% from the previous month and 130% from a year earlier, while surcharge revenue covered only about half of the increase.
Airlines are responding by cutting less profitable routes. Asiana expanded planned reductions on some international routes from eight flights to 13, while Jin Air plans to cut 131 flights across 14 routes this month after canceling 45 flights on eight routes in April.
Air Premia plans to cut 22 flights in July, including eight on the Incheon-Da Nang route, six to Los Angeles and four each to San Francisco and Honolulu.
Korean Air has not announced route reductions but is closely monitoring market conditions.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260501010000007
Containers for export are stacked at a port in Pyeongtaek, around sixty kilometers south of Seoul, South Korea, 22 February 2026. Photo by YONHAP /EPA
May 1 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s exports rose 48% from a year earlier in April, staying above $80 billion for the second consecutive month, government data showed Friday.
Exports totaled $85.89 billion, the second-highest monthly figure on record after $86.6 billion in March, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The increase was driven by strong semiconductor shipments, which surged 173.5% to $31.9 billion on rising demand tied to artificial intelligence. Chip exports exceeded $30 billion for the second straight month and set an April record.
Daily average exports, adjusted for working days, rose 48% to $3.58 billion, staying above $3 billion for a third consecutive month.
Auto exports fell 5.5% to $6.17 billion due to logistics disruptions from the Middle East, U.S. tariff effects and expanded overseas production. Exports of electric and hybrid vehicles continued to grow.
Petroleum product exports rose 39.9% to $5.11 billion by value due to higher oil prices, though shipment volume dropped 36% because of export controls on gasoline, diesel and kerosene.
Petrochemical exports increased 7.8% to $4.09 billion, while shipment volume fell 20.9% as companies expanded domestic supply.
Computer exports jumped 515.8% to $4.08 billion, and wireless communication device exports rose 11.6% to $1.62 billion.
By destination, exports to China rose 62.5% to $17.7 billion, marking six straight months of gains. Shipments to the United States increased 54% to $16.33 billion, while exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rose 64% to $15.41 billion.
Exports to the European Union increased 8.5% to $7.19 billion. Shipments to the Middle East fell 25.1% to $1.27 billion due to logistics disruptions.
Imports rose 16.7% to $62.11 billion. Energy imports increased 7.5% to $10.61 billion, while non-energy imports rose 18.8% to $51.51 billion.
South Korea posted a trade surplus of $23.77 billion in April, extending its surplus streak to 15 months.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260501010000017
Seoul – Shekinah Yawra had no other option but to spend the night at a South Korean jjimjilbang, a 24-hour bathhouse, after every hotel near central Seoul sold out in late March.
But sleep was secondary for the 32-year-old Filipino who had made her way to Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square at 7am to secure a spot in a crowd that city officials estimated would grow to hundreds of thousands.
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All this was for a glimpse at the seven-member K-pop supergroup BTS, who returned to the stage on March 21 after almost four years away from the limelight for their staggered, mandatory military service.
Though she failed to secure one of 22,000 free tickets for BTS’s first return concert in the square, Yawra was still ecstatic to stand on the sidelines and watch the concert live on a big screen set up for the occasion.
“We all came just for this,” she told Al Jazeera, recounting how friends had flown in from the Philippines for a single night to catch the concert.
Worldwide, more than 18.4 million viewers tuned in for the Netflix livestream of the concert.
With an estimated 30 million fans worldwide – who refer to themselves as the BTS ARMY – the K-pop group is the most visible symbol of “Hallyu”, or the “Korean Wave”, and the global surge of interest in South Korean popular culture and the financial revenues being generated as a result.
In late March, BTS’s 10th studio album, Arirang, topped the charts in the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom, the world’s three largest music markets. The group’s upcoming world tour is expected to generate more than $1.4bn in revenue across more than 80 shows in 23 countries.
Domestically, inbound tourist numbers for the first 18 days of March rose 32.7 percent from the previous month, according to Ministry of Justice data, as the return concert approached and hotel prices surged across central Seoul amid the demand for rooms.
In the week leading up to the concert, sales of BTS merchandise – from BTS glow sticks to blankets – surged 430 percent at the Shinsegae Duty Free retail outlet in central Seoul, the company said.
Over the concert weekend, revenues also rose 30 percent at the city’s Lotte Department Store and 48 percent at Shinsegae overall, compared with the same March weekend a year earlier, in 2025.
As far back as 2022, the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) – a government-sponsored think tank and research organisation – estimated that a single BTS concert in Seoul could generate up to 1.2 trillion won ($798m) in overall economic impact.
KCTI researcher Yang Ji-hoon told Al Jazeera that a sample study of the crowd at the BTS comeback event at Gwanghwamun Square highlighted the uniqueness of fandom-driven tourism. More than half of those at the concert were foreign visitors and many required long-haul travel to attend.
“In Europe and the United States, travel tends to be concentrated within its own regions,” Yang said.
“So, for people to overcome such travel barriers and come to South Korea, it usually requires more than just ordinary motivation or typical spending – it’s not something that happens easily,” he said.
The scale of BTS’s return to the entertainment world reflects a broader state-backed strategy.
When music promoter Hybe requested Seoul city support for the Gwanghwamun square comeback concert, authorities approved it on public-interest grounds, treating the event as a showcase of national cultural influence.
Almost befitting an official event, more than 10,000 state personnel were deployed for security, logistics and crowd control.
According to data retrieved by South Korean publication Sisain, through a public information disclosure request to the Seoul government, close to 130 million won ($87,400) of city funds were spent as part of logistics for the comeback concert.
South Korean government support for BTS has a precedent.
As members of the boyband approached South Korea’s mandatory military service age, policymakers debated special exemptions for members of BTS, which was estimated to have generated $4.65bn annually to the country’s economy.
After BTS’s forthcoming concerts in Mexico City sold out in just 37 minutes, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung to “bring the acclaimed K-pop artists more often”, noting nearly one million fans in Mexico had attempted to secure 150,000 tickets.
South Korea’s cultural influence is also extending beyond music.
South Korea’s cosmetics exports surpassed $11bn last year, according to global accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), overtaking France in cosmetics shipments to the US, while South Korean food and agricultural exports reached a record $13.6bn, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
KCTI researcher Yang described the growing interest as a phase of “transition to the global mainstream”, where South Korean products are internationally recognised and content output is measured against worldwide benchmarks such as the Billboard charts and the Academy Awards.
He also warned that structural reform is now essential to keep pace with the wave of interest in South Korea.
“As the industries expand in scale, they must also evolve in its underlying systems, infrastructure, and workforce,” he said.
“Rather than focusing solely on direct financial support, future governmental policies should move toward strengthening foundational conditions – such as improving labour environments, addressing unfair practices, building relevant infrastructure, and establishing more robust statistical and data systems,” he said.
Politicians appear to be paying attention.
During his election campaign last year, President Lee framed the next phase of cultural expansion as “Hallyu (Korean Wave) 4.0”, with promises to grow the sector into a 300 trillion won ($203bn) industry with 50 trillion won ($34bn) in exports.
In line with this vision, the government set the budget to bolster “K-content”, support the “pure” arts sector and strengthen the overall culture-related fields at a record 9.6 trillion won ($6.5bn) — reflecting the president’s view of the cultural sector as a strategic national industry rather than merely a consumer market.
South Korea’s strategy appears to be paying off.
South Korea now ranks 11th globally in “soft power”, according to Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Index, placing the country as both “influential in arts and entertainment” and “products and brands the world loves”, just behind the US, France, the United Kingdom and Japan.
Amid its global success, the darker side of the K-culture industry has received more scrutiny.
Mega-promoter Hybe has been embroiled in a prolonged dispute with K-pop’s New Jeans, a band considered to be a potential heir to BTS and their all-female colleagues Blackpink. The highly public legal dispute that started in 2024 highlights industry tensions over creative control and artist autonomy.
Since the early 2000s, K-pop has also grappled with the legacy of “slave contracts”, or highly restrictive agreements limiting artists’ freedom. Although reforms by the Fair Trade Commission have improved protections for performers, contractual obligations in the K-pop industry are exacting on new performers and their strict work routines have long been documented.
From their trainee years, aspiring idols endure gruelling schedules that involve long workdays and little sleep.
Many top stars often face contractual restrictions on socialising, using their phones or dating. They are also typically limited in what they can say publicly, relying on agency-managed messaging to communicate with fans and the media.
While the rise of social media and other online platforms has opened new avenues for more direct expression and interaction in recent years, concerns over burnout and depression have continued to shadow the industry, with several high-profile stars taking their own lives.
Beauty standards associated with the K-culture genre have also become another flashpoint for controversy.
A 2024 report by South Korean economy news site Uppity found 98 percent of 1,283 respondents born between 1980 and 2000 viewed physical appearance as among the most desirable “social capital” an individual can possess.
Nearly 40 percent of respondents in the survey had undergone cosmetic procedures, while more than 90 percent held neutral or positive attitudes regarding undergoing medical procedures to enhance beauty.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, South Korea has the world’s highest rate of procedures, with 8.9 per 1,000 people compared with 5.91 per 1,000 people in the US and just 2.13 per 1,000 in neighbouring Japan.
Yoo Seung-chul, a professor of media studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said that K-culture has reinforced the normalising of beauty as a significant metric of personal and social value.
“K-culture has reinforced systems and structures around self-expression,” Yoo told Al Jazeera.
“With the rise of webtoons that incorporate themes like plastic surgery, there has been a noticeable reduction in the stigma towards going under the knife among younger audiences in their teens and early twenties,” Yoo said, explaining that popular plastic surgery platforms such as Unni have further normalised the trend by connecting people to clinics and reviews of these clinics and their surgeons.
At the same time, globalisation has reshaped the K-culture industry itself. Many new K-pop acts now include international members to broaden appeal.
Hybe has expanded this strategy through its US subsidiary, Hybe America, producing globally oriented groups like Katseye, which only has one South Korean member in its six-member girl group.
The shift has prompted debate.
Even BTS’s latest album Arirang – a nod to South Korea’s most iconic folk song – has divided fans over its use of English lyrics and foreign producers.
“K-content is being designed with global audiences in mind from the outset. In film, there has been a noticeable rise in genres like horror and science fiction, which are easier to export internationally,” Yoo said.
“This global orientation is also reflected in K-pop agencies recruiting foreign members for idol groups,” he said.
But international audiences do not always prefer highly globalised versions of Korean content, Yoo said, adding, in fact, that many are drawn to K-pop’s “sense of locality”.
As audiences increasingly seek authenticity, Yoo argues the industry faces a defining challenge.
“Industries and companies need to figure out how to preserve a sense of local identity while effectively marketing to global audiences,” Yoo added.
“Striking that balance will be crucial in shaping the next phase of Korea’s cultural exports.”
Residents apply for high oil price relief payments at a community center in Seoul on April 27. The program provides 100,000 won ($68) to 600,000 won ($407) per person to the bottom 70% of income earners, with payment options including credit or debit cards, prepaid cards and local gift certificates. Photo by Asia Today
May 1 (Asia Today) — More than 73% of people eligible for South Korea’s first round of high oil price relief payments have applied, government data showed Friday.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said 2,358,682 people had applied as of midnight Thursday, accounting for 73.1% of the 3,227,785 people eligible in the first round.
The government has paid a total of 1.3413 trillion won ($910 million) in relief funds, or about 570,000 won ($387) per person.
The first round covers vulnerable groups, including basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty households and single-parent families.
By payment method, credit and debit cards were the most common choice, used by 984,209 applicants, or 41.7%. Prepaid cards accounted for 814,056 applicants, followed by mobile or card-type local gift certificates at 493,254 and paper gift certificates at 67,163.
By region, South Jeolla Province had the highest application rate at 79.3%, followed by Busan at 77.7%, Gwangju at 76.9%, North Jeolla Province at 76.2% and Ulsan at 76%.
Applications remain open through May 8.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260501010000031
Employees tend rice seedlings at a nursery operated by the state-run National Institute of Crop Science in Suwon, South Korea, 16 April 2026, ahead of the rice planting season. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
April 29 (Asia Today) — Instability in South Korea’s fertilizer supply is growing in the aftermath of the war involving Iran, as the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupts routes for importing raw materials used in fertilizer production.
The Korea Pork Producers Association said Wednesday the price of urea, the largest component among chemical fertilizers, has surpassed $700 per ton, the highest level since October 2022.
“South Korea has a structural limitation because it depends heavily on imports for fertilizer raw materials,” an association official said. “Rising chemical fertilizer prices and supply instability caused by uncertainty in international affairs are directly increasing the burden on crop farmers.”
Amid the pressure, compost and liquid fertilizer made from livestock manure are emerging as alternatives.
The association said resource recycling of livestock manure into compost and liquid fertilizer could gradually reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers while helping stabilize food security.
According to an association survey, the potential fertilizer value of livestock manure is high enough to meet 46% of the nitrogen needs and 100% of the phosphate needs of farmland.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has pursued measures to improve the quality of compost and liquid fertilizer and change perceptions among crop farmers since the Cabinet decided in 2006 to ban ocean dumping of livestock manure. A key measure was the July 2006 plan to promote natural circulation agriculture using livestock manure compost and liquid fertilizer.
A decade after the plan was implemented, production facilities and technology for livestock manure recycling have improved significantly. Liquid fertilizer made from livestock manure is now being used as a substitute for chemical fertilizer at greenhouse farms.
Compost quality has also steadily improved, leading to a sharp increase in exports to Southeast Asian countries.
Livestock manure compost and liquid fertilizer have shown strong effects in reducing fertilizer costs and greenhouse gas emissions. In an experiment by Sangji University, the use of filtered liquid fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer at a greenhouse farm reduced fertilizer costs by 600,000 won ($406) per hectare and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 382.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Most greenhouse farms using the fertilizer also showed major improvements in soil electrical conductivity, indicating the role of livestock manure compost and liquid fertilizer in soil improvement.
The alternatives also contributed to higher crop output and income. A spinach greenhouse farm using liquid fertilizer produced by the Pocheon Livestock Cooperative’s natural circulation agriculture team saw early harvest output rise 53%, while income per 10 ares reached 7.56 million won ($5,118), up 247% from an average year.
Despite those benefits, livestock manure compost and liquid fertilizer remain less convenient than chemical fertilizer in terms of labor and usability. Experts say policies are needed to develop products that crop farmers can use more easily.
“To promote the recycling and use of livestock manure, we will prepare and pursue policies to remove institutional and structural barriers, including restrictions on spreading and the burden of transport costs,” said Park Jung-hoon, head of the ministry’s food policy office.
Livestock farmers also plan to work with crop farmers to help establish a circular farming system linking livestock and crop production.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260429010009418
April 28 (Asia Today) — South Korea has completed deployment of a five-satellite reconnaissance system designed to strengthen its preemptive strike capabilities against North Korea, marking a major milestone in its defense space program.
The project, known as the “425 program,” gives Seoul an independent ability to monitor North Korea with high-resolution imagery at roughly two-hour intervals, officials said.
The system combines one electro-optical and infrared satellite with four synthetic aperture radar satellites, allowing surveillance regardless of weather or time of day. Military officials say the network can track mobile missile launchers and other high-value targets, enhancing the country’s “kill chain” capability – a core element of its three-axis defense system.
The satellites were launched between late 2023 and late 2025, with the final unit successfully placed into orbit in November. U.S. space company SpaceX supported the launches, providing real-time global broadcasts that demonstrated the reliability of South Korea’s space assets.
The deployment marks a shift away from reliance on U.S. intelligence toward what officials describe as “independent surveillance,” enabling South Korea to observe targets at times of its choosing.
Despite the progress, military officials and analysts warn of a critical challenge: delays in real-time intelligence sharing with the United States.
Sources said that during the satellite deployment process, some U.S. intelligence inputs were delayed or limited, raising concerns about coordination between South Korea’s independent assets and allied systems.
The issue has implications for the effectiveness of the kill chain, which relies on rapid detection, identification and strike decisions within a narrow time window.
To address coordination gaps, U.S. Forces Korea has established a new unit known as J10, or Integrated Strategy Division, to support nuclear-conventional integration between the allies.
The unit is intended to act as a control hub linking U.S. nuclear deterrence capabilities with South Korea’s precision strike assets, enabling real-time operational coordination under the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group framework.
Defense experts say the effort reflects growing complexity in integrating allied systems, particularly as both sides seek to align security protocols and data standards.
“The challenge is not just hardware, but digital synchronization,” one analyst said. “If delays persist, the kill chain could miss its critical response window.”
Another limitation is the system’s revisit rate. With North Korea believed to be able to prepare missile launches within 30 to 40 minutes, a two-hour surveillance cycle leaves potential gaps.
To address this, South Korea is accelerating plans to deploy constellations of small satellites in low Earth orbit, aiming to reduce revisit times to under 30 minutes.
Officials also emphasized the need for artificial intelligence-based analysis platforms capable of processing large volumes of satellite data in seconds to detect early warning signs.
Experts say the long-term success of the program will depend on software capabilities as much as hardware.
“When South Korea can produce intelligence as quickly and accurately as its allies, real-time data sharing will naturally deepen,” a defense expert said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260428010008986
KAAV amphibious assault vehicles and an LSF landing craft carrying Marines moving toward a beach in Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, South Korea, 26 April 2026 (issued 27 April 2026). The Navy and Marine Corps launched a weeklong regular amphibious landing exercise to maintain combat readiness against evolving threats in future warfare. Photo by ROK MARINE COMMAND YONHAP / EPA
April 27 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Navy and Marine Corps conducted a major joint amphibious landing drill in Pohang, testing combined operations involving manned and unmanned assets, the military said Monday.
The exercise, held on the coast of Dokseok-ri in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, involved about 3,200 troops from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
The drill included Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles, the large transport ship Marado, MUH-1 Marineon helicopters, P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, KF-16 fighter jets, AH-64E attack helicopters and drones operated by the Drone Operations Command.
The exercise focused on “decisive action,” a key phase of amphibious operations in which Marine landing forces secure a beachhead with support from naval gunfire and air power before transitioning to ground operations.
A New Zealand Army platoon joined the landing force for the first time, operating with South Korean Marines. The New Zealand troops trained for two weeks before the landing, including urban operations, combat shooting and boarding and dismounting drills using amphibious vehicles.
The South Korean military said the exercise also tested responses to enemy drones, mine-clearing operations, anti-submarine warfare and air defense procedures.
Logistics drones were used to deliver ammunition, combat rations and medical supplies to units operating deep in enemy territory. U.S. Navy 7th Fleet personnel also took part in mine countermeasure operations.
Special operations forces used first-person-view drones for the first time during advance force operations, collecting real-time intelligence while infiltrating target beaches and clearing obstacles.
“This exercise strengthened the Navy and Marine Corps’ joint operational capability as one team and verified the practicality of manned-unmanned combined forces using advanced science and technology,” said Navy Capt. Hwang Sang-geun, commander of the amphibious task force.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260428010008699
I’m A Celebrity South Africa raked in millions of viewers(Image: Jonathan Hordle/ITV/Shutterstock)
I’m A Celeb All Stars will reportedly not return to our screens until 2029, despite the final being a huge success with massive viewing figures.
The South Africa-based show was pre-filmed in 2025, with the explosive final taking place live in London last Friday night. The final episode saw Adam Thomas win the show while arguing with Jimmy Bullard and David Haye.
The mayhem initially broke out when David interrupted Adam’s interview before the winner was announced. It rumbled on further when Jimmy Bullard interrupted to have his say over what he called “intimidating” actions by Adam in camp.
The row was so severe between the campmates that Sinitta and Gemma Collins stormed off, and Ant clashed with David and Jimmy.
It has been reported that around 2.8million people tuned in for the explosive finale, but despite the huge interest, show makers won’t be bringing back the all-stars version for a few years.
“The aim was never for it to be made or be on air in 2027, even though there may be an appetite for that right now. The aim was to deliver something as a special show that was on from time to time, not an annual revisit like the main I’m A Celebrity show,” an insider told The Sun.
This was the second all-stars version of the series, with the first season airing in May 2023 after being recorded in the autumn of 2022.
The series 6 runner-up, Myleene Klass, was crowned winner of the series after beating series 16 campmate Jordan Banjo in the final survival trial. It was three years between the first and second seasons of the show, so fans might be waiting a little while for the next season if ITV continues to follow suit.
Voting figures for the show were revealed earlier today, showing that Adam won by a landslide. The Emmerdale actor came first in the vote for the final four, with 51 per cent. He was followed by Sir Mo Farah, who won 32 per cent, while Harry Redknapp and Craig Charles each got 9 per cent.
I’m A Celebrity is expected to return later this year with the usual format. Adam’s win came off the back of a series of dramatic moments for the actor on the show. Things first took a dramatic turn when David Haye was accused of bullying Adam after he ruled himself out of a trial. He called the actor weak and later doubled down, claiming that the Waterloo Road star was using his arthritis to get out of doing Bushtucker Trials and challenges.
Adam was also at the centre of a row with Jimmy Bullard. He was left angry when Jimmy quit the show mid-trial, which could have tanked Adam’s time on I’m A Celeb, as they were doing the trial in pairs.
Adam swore at Jimmy. Though he later apologised, Jimmy was insistent that Adam was “aggressive” and “intimidating”, and blasted ITV for not showing the full clip. ITV have said what they showed was a “fair and accurate” representation of what happened.
The Mirror has approached ITV for comment.
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Nearly five years on from its premiere, every morsel of information about Mike White’s addictive HBO series is still met with feverish excitement. And its upcoming fourth season is no exception: After previous visits to Hawaii, Italy and Thailand, the Emmy-winning series is checking into digs on the French Riviera, with its backdrop none other than the Cannes Film Festival.
Just as closely watched has been the string of starry casting announcements — and one very high-profile departure, Helena Bonham Carter, who departed the show shortly after production began. According to an HBO spokesperson, “With filming just underway on Season 4 of ‘The White Lotus,’ it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set. The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon.”
The road to a new “White Lotus” season is always a twisty one, as executive producer David Bernad recently told The Envelope. He also shared details on the season’s themes, other key cast members and how the production plans to maneuver around tourists. Here‘s what we gleaned from our chat.
A bad French hotel restaurant experience changed everything: Bernad and White spent a week scouting in France but weren’t sold until one fateful night. “Mike and I went to meet a friend for dinner at a hotel in the South, which will remain nameless. The maître d’ was so rude and they called security on us,” says Bernad. However, once inside, the staffer continued to be dismissive of them and the show. “The whole season crystallized in that moment, and as we were leaving, Mike’s like, ‘I know exactly what we’re going to do and we’re doing it in the South of France.’ It was the most productive dinner I’ve had,” he says.
Helena Bonham Carter, the first actor cast in Season 4, became the first to exit, HBO confirmed Friday. Her character will be reimagined and recast.
(Dave Benett / WireImage)
Other countries were in contention: Choosing each season’s swanky location is always a “conundrum,” says Bernad, who shared that he and White initially planned a multicountry European tour. “We were starting in France, then we were going to Spain, then Ireland. But once we had that moment in the South of France at that restaurant, Mike said, ‘I don’t want to see anymore.’ So the rest of the trip was canceled,” says Bernad.
Cannes and its history form the season’s backdrop: One of the show’s familiar sights during the first three seasons has been swelling waves dramatically crashing against rocks, but you’ll see something different in Season 4. “A lot of those shots will be replaced by Cannes, the city itself and the glamour of the festival,” says Bernad. Also, the focus won’t be confined to the present but also pay tribute to the past. “It’s also the storied history and glamour of the festival, and we’re going to be tipping our hat to French cinema throughout,” he adds.
Cast member Vincent Cassel at Cannes with “The Shrouds” in 2024.
(JB Lacroix / FilmMagic)
The season’s theme is “really intentional”: Bernad says he’s known the Season 4 theme since they realized the hit show would be ongoing. “We’ve always had an idea that this season would explore the arts and fame, celebrity and the spiritual journey of being an artist, so we focused on countries that had a long relationship with the arts,” he says. Fashion’s influence is also key as “Dior permeates through the entire season,” he says, adding that French designers and artists are doing pieces for the show that lean into “the painful, existential journey of what it means to be an artist.”
No Hollywood star cameos: With Cannes as the backdrop, you might think A-listers like George Clooney or Anne Hathaway will be wandering through a “White Lotus” scene. Nope. “The show lives in the universe of ‘White Lotus’ so we’re not doing cameos, we’re not doing celebrity,” says Bernad. “In that universe, there are references to real people, but everything is its own world.”
Kumail Nanjiani is among the Americans in the international cast.
(Michael Buckner / Variety via Getty Images)
The Season 4 cast is eclectic… and still evolving: Ironically, the exiting Bonham Carter was the first person cast for Year 4. “Mike always had her in mind as we started this process, and we built the cast around her,” says Bernad. While we wait for her revised character to be recast, an array of international artists are set to appear, including Brits (Steve Coogan and Dylan Ennis), Americans (Sandra Bernhard, Chris Messina, Kumail Nanjiani, Chloe Bennet, Ari Graynor, Heather Graham and Rosie Perez), French (Vincent Cassel, Corentin Fila, Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Laura Smet), Canadians (Alexander Ludwig), Norwegians (Tobias Santelmann), Swedes (Frida Gustavsson) and Australians (Caleb Jonte Edwards). It’s no surprise that multiple language interpreters will be on set, says Bernad.
One White Lotus hotel isn’t enough: “What’s cool and unique this season is there’s going to be two hotels so not everyone is staying at the same hotel,” says Bernad. In fact, while the White Lotus Cannes is a beautiful property — the Hotel Martinez in Cannes will be used for filming — the more coveted place to stay is the White Lotus du Cap, filmed at the Airelles Chateau de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez. “That starts to play into the theme and story about ego and narcissism and how we view ourselves as it relates to how the world views us,” explains Bernad, adding filming at Paris’ Mandarin Oriental Lutetia will also double for some of the Cannes action.
The Airelles Chateau de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez will stand in for the “White Lotus du Cap.”
(Jarry/Tripelon / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Filming in a high tourist area is a “Jenga tower”: Previous seasons were shot in more remote, secluded locations, but that’s not the case for the fourth season. “We’re shooting in the South of France during a very peak tourist time, and it has been the most challenging season so far,” says Bernad. “It’s like making a Jenga tower work with all the crazy dates in the South of France and things that are booked out.”
Production is the longest ever: Shooting at multiple hotels isn’t new for the show, but in previous seasons, “we would stay in a hotel and we would shoot it out and then we’d move on to the next hotel,” explains Bernad. This time, it’s more of a puzzle that will make Season 4 the longest production schedule ever for the show. “We’re going to be shooting, leaving and then returning [to properties]. We’ll shoot in the spring, and then we’re going to come back in the fall when high season’s over,” he says.
Besides a great hotel, another major factor exists in securing a location: Besides finding the perfect property that will look great on camera and lining up a variety of schedules, a “White Lotus” location “has to be a place we want to live for a year,” says Bernad. “Because it is a year and it is relentless work … I think Tanya [Jennifer Coolidge] says at one point, ‘At this age, you just want to feel comfortable,’ and that’s us.”