Stories by Jeff Chung

Soo Hee is devastated; Jung Wan gets furious

One of the most popular South Korean comfort foods is jajangmyun, or noodles with black bean sauce. Its origin goes back to the Chinese zhajiangmian dish, literally meaning “fried sauce noodles,” from the Shangdong region of China. This dish is the main item on the current drama “Wok of Love,” a Chinese-Korean restaurant run by gangsters. Jajangmyun is made with black bean sauce, pork and vegetables.

Woo-jin can’t shake off his feelings for Sun-hee

South Korean K-pop boy idol group Bangtan Sonyeondan aka BTS reached No. 1 on Billboard 200 last week. BTS marked another milestone with their latest album, “Love Yourself: Tear,” as it reached No. 1 on Billboard main albums chart. BTS became the first K-pop group to do so in history as their third album was released on May 18.

Sun-hee and Woo-jin confirm their feelings

Marvel blockbuster “Avengers: Infinity War” is seeing huge success in South Korea with nearly 8.5 million tickets sold at box office by Sunday, May 6, after releasing there April 25.

Hwang is not the real Grizzly

Veteran actor Jang Dong Gun is back on the TV after six years in a Korean remake of a USA Network successful series, “Suits,” as the main character.

Seong Man faces arrest; Woo-jin is confused

KFEST, a Korean pop-up event, will be happening April 22 at the Pomaika‘i Ballroom from 11 a.m. Korean food, dancing, ramen-eating contest and special performances are scheduled to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii. Nicki Lee and Stephanie Fujita are putting the event together through Kidz For A Cause, a local nonprofit founded by Lee.

A blame game starts among princes

K-pop made history when Seo-hyun for Girl’s Generation, Red Velvet, Baek Ji-young and veteran singers Lee Sun-hee and Cho Yong-pil held a concert in Pyonyang, North Korea, on April 1. Up to 1,500 North Korean fans, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his wife Ri Sol-ju and sister Kim Yo-jong, who previously attended the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, were all in attendance.

Do-hee is attacked; Tae-suk schemes

Gaon is a 3 Michelin star restaurant in Seoul serving upscale Korean cuisine. Bicena is a 1 Michelin star restaurant in Seoul, also serving high-end Korean cuisine.

Dok-go feels danger closing in

Supermarkets in South Korea are reinventing themselves into “Grocerants.” In a convenient world where we can buy nearly anything with a few clicks online, brick and motor stores need to adapt to the changing consumer trends.

Eun Cheon is furious; Pil Joo is ousted

Daesung, member of iconic K-pop group “Big Bang,” will be enlisting in the mandatory military service in Korea. Military service of two years is mandatory for South Korean males.

Pil Joo schemes; Mo Hyun calls

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics closed last weekend with a festive ceremony which included performances by K-pop group EXO and CL, a former member of the disbanded girl group 2NE1.

Kyung-tae falls in love; Mo Hyun is impressed

All the South Korean broadcasters and production companies were busy with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics TV coverage and have pre-empted all their prime time shows from entertainment programming to dramas.

Rumors spread, suspicions mount

While Big Bang member Daesung had his “D na Show” in Hawaii Jan. 6 and 7 at the Hawaii Theatre, another Big Bang member, Taeyang, was in Hawaii with his fiancée Min Hyo-rin for a wedding photo shoot and video filming.

Dong-woo is in pain; Gildong is enraged

South Korean tennis superstar Chung Hyeon arrived to a large crowd of fans at the Incheon International Airport last week after a record showing at the Australian Open in Melbourne, reaching the semifinals and being catapulted to celebrity status.