KOREA: Saemmul Church tops Internet news

The church organized the trip that sent 23 volunteers into Afghanistan before they were kidnapped

The Korea Times
Sunday, July 29, 2007

By Park Chung-a

Saemmul Community Church topped the nation's No. 1 search engine Naver's most searched word list last week.

The church was behind the volunteer project that sent 23 of its South Korean missionaries to Afghanistan, where they were later abducted on a road to Kabul on July 20. One of the members, Bae Hyung-kyu, a Christian pastor who was the leader of the group, was found dead on Wednesday. He would have turned 42 that day.

In second place, the Expressway Jayooro Murder continued to move readers. According to tvN, the spirit of a female victim who was strangled by her estranged husband in 2002, still haunts drivers as she walks around with long hair that shrouds her eyeless face.

Following closely in third is D-war, one of the most anticipated films among movie fans. It is to open on Aug. 1 here and around the end of August in the United States. The movie, made by comedian-turned-movie director Shim Hyung-rae, is based on a Korean folk tale about large snake-like dragons wanting to fly up to the sky, where they belong. Some people say it will be one of the best monster movies, while others shun it as another Godzilla.

Actor Gong Yoo's personal blog ranked fourth, banking on his great popularity from MBC's soap opera "Coffee Prince," in which he appears as an attractive owner of brand new coffee shop.

The show itself, "Coffee Prince," came in the fifth. The drama has the highest viewer rating among other dramas in the same time slot. The drama centers on a love triangle involving a 29-year-old coffee shop owner, its boyish and lovely employee and a music producer.

Marriage news of two stars took both sixth and ninth places on the list. The nation's top actress Kim Hee-seon, 30, recently said she would marry a 33-year-old owner of a skin care shop in October while 28-year-old actress Seo Min-jeong known for her comic roles in sitcom dramas said she would marry a doctor who is two years older than her.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the long-awaited seventh and final chapter in the wildly successful Harry Potter series took the seventh place.

Shin Jeong-ah, 35, assistant professor at Dongguk University, ranked eighth. The school fired her for fabricating academic degrees and asked prosecutors to investigate the case further.

Last on the list was nine-member girl band "Girl's Age," which is the female version of boy band "Super Junior." The female group stood on their first stage unofficially on July 19 and will make their official debut early next month.

Date Posted: 7/29/2007