BTS Singer Jimin Hospitalized for Appendicitis, Tests Positive for COVID-19

Jimin tested positive for coronavirus and also underwent surgery for acute appendicitis. (AFP)
Jimin tested positive for coronavirus and also underwent surgery for acute appendicitis. (AFP)
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BTS Singer Jimin Hospitalized for Appendicitis, Tests Positive for COVID-19

Jimin tested positive for coronavirus and also underwent surgery for acute appendicitis. (AFP)
Jimin tested positive for coronavirus and also underwent surgery for acute appendicitis. (AFP)

Jimin, a singer and dancer with the K-pop group BTS, has tested positive for coronavirus and also underwent surgery for acute appendicitis, his management agency Big Hit Music said on Monday.

Jimin, whose full name is Park Ji-min, went to hospital on Sunday after suffering from sudden abdominal pain along with a mild sore throat, Big Hit Music said in a statement.

He tested positive for the coronavirus, and underwent surgery for the appendicitis on Monday, the statement added.

"The surgery was successful and Jimin is currently recuperating after his procedure," Big Hit Music said, adding that he was making a "speedy recovery" from his COVID-19 infection.

The singer was due to receive several days of in-patient treatment for COVID-19 along with postoperative care, the statement said.

Jimin, 26, is at least the fourth member of the seven member group to test positive for the coronavirus.

Rapper RM, vocalist Jin, and rapper Suga tested positive in December, shortly after the group had returned from a series of live shows in the United States.

The concerts in the United States were BTS' first in the country since 2019, when they toured across Asia, Europe and North America.

Since their 2013 debut, BTS have spearheaded a global K-Pop craze with catchy, upbeat music and dances, as well as lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people.

South Korea has kept overall COVID-19 cases and deaths low with aggressive contact tracing and testing, but the Omicron variant became dominant this month, sending cases to a record daily tally of 17,532 on Sunday.



Japan’s Toho Buys Ghibli Animation Distributor GKIDS to Further Overseas Growth

People take a picture of Godzilla's head at Shinjyuku Toho building at the Kabukicho district in Tokyo, July 30, 2016. (AP)
People take a picture of Godzilla's head at Shinjyuku Toho building at the Kabukicho district in Tokyo, July 30, 2016. (AP)
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Japan’s Toho Buys Ghibli Animation Distributor GKIDS to Further Overseas Growth

People take a picture of Godzilla's head at Shinjyuku Toho building at the Kabukicho district in Tokyo, July 30, 2016. (AP)
People take a picture of Godzilla's head at Shinjyuku Toho building at the Kabukicho district in Tokyo, July 30, 2016. (AP)

Toho Co, the Japanese creator of the "Godzilla" movie franchise, will acquire the US distributor of Studio Ghibli's famed animated films, it said on Wednesday, to help drive overseas expansion.

The acquisition comes amid a surge in global popularity for Japanese entertainment, and fits with Toho's multi-year growth strategy centered on animation and overseas markets.

New York-based GKIDS, which distributed Ghibli's Oscar-winning "The Boy and the Heron", will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Toho after the deal, whose terms were not disclosed in statements from both companies.

"We are truly thrilled to be joining forces with the esteemed and storied Toho," GKIDS, which has distributed 13 animated films nominated for Oscars, said in a statement, citing founder Eric Beckman and President Dave Jesteadt.

Toho's own "Godzilla Minus One", a hit in overseas markets, took home an Oscar for visual effects in March, while "Shogun", a historical epic filmed mostly in Japanese, won a record number of Emmy Awards last month for a single season of drama.

Japan set up a committee last month to promote its entertainment industry, which was worth 12.9 trillion yen ($86.43 billion) in 2021, ranking third globally after the United States and China, the cabinet office said.

GKIDS manages the film catalogue of Ghibli, the studio of renowned Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, in North America.

In March, it inked a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to extend the US streaming rights to Ghibli films.