TWICE member Tzuyu is making headlines with her impressive performance on the Billboard charts.

Since her debut as a solo artist on September 6, Tzuyu has entered the charts with her mini album abouTZU and the title track "Run Away." As of September 21, she made a strong debut, ranking 19th on the U.S.

Billboard Billboard 200. She also achieved incredible success by reaching 1st place on the World Albums and Taiwan Songs charts, along with 2nd place on both the Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales charts.

Tzuyu continued to shine, maintaining her position in the top rankings for the week of September 28 and the latest charts on October 5. According to the album aggregation site Hanteo Chart, abouTZU sold an impressive 331,698 copies in its first week.

After finishing her first solo activities, Tzuyu is now getting ready for exciting events with the other TWICE members to celebrate their 9th anniversary.

To mark this special occasion, TWICE will host a pop-up store called TWICE 9TH ANNIVERSARY POP-UP STORE [HOME 9ROUND] at the Atrium on the first floor of Lotte World Mall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, from October 9 to 20.

On their actual debut anniversary, October 20, TWICE will hold a solo fan meeting titled 2024 TWICE FANMEETING [HOME 9ROUND] at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul.

There will be two sessions at 1 PM and 7 PM. Fans can also enjoy the 7 PM session live online through the Beyond LIVE platform, alongside the in-person event.

Source: [1]

Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin’s When the Phone Rings has issued an apology for the recent controversy surrounding the mockery of sign language.

On November 29th, the drama’s production team released a statement on the viewer’s board addressing the issue. The statement began by saying, “We take the criticism about the improper handling of sign language very seriously, especially as it led to the mockery of the Deaf community and Korean sign language.”

They went on to clarify, “The drama’s theme centers around ‘communication’ between people, and there was absolutely no intention to mock or belittle sign language, which is a vital communication tool for the Deaf community.”

However, the production team admitted, “We humbly acknowledge that we did not give enough attention to the struggles of the Deaf community and the importance of Korean sign language. We will ensure that such mistakes do not happen again in the future.”

The statement also highlighted the role of sign language in the drama, saying, “Sign language plays a crucial part in the relationship between the two main characters as they learn to communicate with each other. Through their journey, we want to show the true value of sign language as an important tool that connects people.”

The production team concluded by asking for viewers' continued support, saying, “We hope you will keep watching the drama and point out any shortcomings you notice.”

Earlier, in the first episode of When the Phone Rings, which aired on November 22nd, a mistake occurred when sign language interpreter Hong Hee Joo (played by Chae Soo Bin) mistakenly used the sign for "mountain" while trying to interpret "landslide" due to a broadcast error.

This led to the sign being misunderstood as a finger gesture commonly seen as offensive, sparking backlash.

After the episode aired, a viewer posted a complaint on the viewer’s board, asking for an apology for mocking sign language.

The viewer explained that the sign for "mountain" is different from the offensive gesture and that using it in this context was hurtful to the Deaf community, as it has been used as a joke by hearing people.

The post described this as an act of discrimination and mockery, calling for a more respectful approach.

Source: [1]