Korea Joongang Daily
Korea JoongAng Daily

Korean eyewear giant Gentle Monster goes after Blue Elephant for allegedly copying products, shop interiors

Korean eyewear giant Gentle Monster, known for its sunglasses worn by Blackpink’s Jennie, has taken civil and criminal legal action against rising competitor Blue Elephant, accusing it of copying product designs and store interiors.

2025-12-23

'Seongsu weirdo' building mixes retail, art and accessibility

Recently, a new futuristic building — part spaceship, part sculpture — joined the Seongsu neighborhood. This is Haus Nowhere Seoul, which opened its doors on Sept. 9.

2025-09-30

From Labubu to Gentle Monster, cross-market headway for Korea and China relies on national nonidentity

Korean retailers are making gains in the Chinese market not on the back of K-something but by simply being stylish, and Chinese brands are finding success in Korea for much the same reason.

2025-06-30

Samsung, Gentle Monster join Google to give smart glasses another go

At the 2025 Google I/O, Google unveiled prototype smart glasses powered by Gemini AI, developed with Samsung and Gentle Monster. The glasses mark Google’s re-entry into the smart glasses market.

2025-05-21

Meta Comedy to hold first R-rated comedy performances at Sejong Center

Comedy management agency Meta Comedy will hold an R-rated comedy gig at central Seoul's Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, marking the first-ever adults-only comedy show to be held at a public theater.

2024-07-16

Seoul looking to kill off sculpture of 'The Host' monster in Hangang Park

The sculpture of the monster from the 2006 Korean film "The Host" is expected to be demolished after a decade at Hangang Park.

2024-04-18

'I needed to depict a queer relationship head-on': Hirokazu Kore-eda on directing 'Monster'

Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda discusses his hit LGBTQ film 'Monster,' which addresses bullying and LGBTQ issues and has become the most-watched non-animation Japanese film of all time in Korea.

2024-02-05

YG's future now depends on BabyMonster

Blackpink members' decisions to sever their solo activities from YG Entertainment have left the agency reliant on other groups like BabyMonster, which has yet to perform publicly. YG's stock prices have fallen.

2024-01-16

School violence, as told by three different films

Recent films like "Monster," "Brave Citizen" and "Toxic Parent" are shedding light on school violence, deepening understanding of the issue and challenging viewers to reflect on themselves as possibly being part of the problem.

2023-12-14

[INTERVIEW] ''Sweet Home' made me who I am today': Song Kang on season two of Netflix series

Daniel Radcliff had “Harry Potter,” and Elijah Wood had “Lord of the Rings.” For actor Song Kang, it was the Netflix zombie-slash-monster action franchise “Sweet Home” that brought him international acclaim and recognition for his acting.

2023-12-12