BTS member Suga has moved out of his luxury villa in the UN Village, Hannam-dong, Seoul, where he had been living on a jeonse lease. The villa is now set to be purchased by Choi Jin Man, the founder of Kiturami Group.

According to a report by Bizhankook on November 27th, Choi Jin Man and his wife, Kim Mi Hye, the former chairwoman of the Kiturami Welfare Foundation, have made plans to buy the villa.

The couple signed a purchase contract with the development company IBC&C on October 22 for 17 billion KRW. They have already applied for a provisional registration of ownership transfer at the court before completing the payment.

The villa, located in Yongsan-gu’s exclusive UN Village, was the place Suga called home until recently. Before this, Suga had purchased another luxury villa in the same neighborhood in 2018 for 3.4 billion KRW but moved out in 2021 due to conflicts with neighbors.

He then relocated to Park Hannam, where the jeonse deposit was reportedly 9.5 billion KRW, with BigHit Music covering the deposit. Suga lived there until May this year, when he moved to his current residence at Nine One Hannam.

In other news, Suga made headlines earlier this year for an incident on August 6, when he fell off an electric scooter in Hannam-dong.

Police found him alone, and a breathalyzer test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.227%. As a result, Suga was fined 15 million KRW for drunk driving.

Suga, who began his military service as a social service agent in March, is expected to be discharged in June next year.

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]