“최민호 MINHO” (YouTube)
Yee Siyeon: “I’m MINHO — member of SHINee, singer, actor, and YouTuber.” But beyond those many titles, MINHO of SHINee has one more ambition: “The goal is the podium.” These days, he’s showing us his daily grind, running, swimming, and sweating, all under his real name, Choi Minho. A true veteran in the game, MINHO earned his “athletic idol” status over a decade ago through shows like MBC’s Idol Star Athletics Championships and KBS’s Dream Team Season 2. And now, he’s taking on everything from HYROX to running crews. During the SM London Run, an event featuring many of the artists from SMTOWN in London, MINHO stepped up as both crew leader and coach. “KUN and XIAOJUN are doing well!” he cheered, boosting morale for the new crew members. And when he playfully claimed, “You’re mine now. Gotcha, OH SION!” fans couldn’t help but laugh at his signature charm. But for MINHO, sports aren’t just about competition. It’s not about beating your best time or covering the most distance. It’s about the value of doing it together. When NCT’s JOHNNY started to fall behind due to conditioning issues, MINHO slowed down to walk with him, suggesting they finish the course together. When JOHNNY laughed and said, “5km fail!” MINHO replied, “Hey, what do you mean by ‘fail’? It’s still a success if you walk to the end.” And just like that, you’re reminded why his nickname is “Choi Dajeong.”

MINHO, who’s always there to match someone’s pace and lift others up, also finds himself recharged by the support and encouragement around him. When he competed in HYROX, an indoor fitness competition combining CrossFit and running, with chef Austin Kang as his partner, the two showed incredible camaraderie. Even when things got tough, they patted each other on the back, gave a thumbs-up, and covered for one another when the other started to falter. But more than anything, it was the fans’ cheers that gave MINHO the greatest boost. Focused and serious throughout the competition, his expression lit up the moment he heard familiar voices cheering him on. He pulled the rowing machine with renewed energy, later sharing, “As soon as I heard the cheering, it was like a power boost.” That kind of energy works just as powerfully on stage. When SHINee World’s cheers fill the air during a concert, MINHO says it feels like “Game 7 of the playoffs,” an ultimate high-stakes, high-adrenaline moment. For three days straight, he sprints full speed down the runway stage, and during the performance of “SAVIOR,” a track he describes as “the part that gets everyone moving,” he makes eye contact with each and every fan he can. “To me, concerts are a kind of workout,” MINHO says. And yet, the smile on his face during a concert shines brighter than in any high-intensity workout. That’s what his YouTube channel is all about — not just inspiring viewers to move their bodies, but inviting them to run together, cheer together, and grow together alongside the human Choi Minho.

“Extraordinary” (Lim Hyun-jung)
Kim Doheon (Music Critic): There is a profound impact in clear, vivid music. Even in today’s music industry, where short videos under 15 seconds and fleeting songs lasting less than two minutes have become the norm, the role of producers and audio engineers remains significant. Just as eyes accustomed to high-definition visuals with smooth motion refuse to settle for anything less, ears continuously crave better sound quality. Recently, the names of world-class mastering engineers like Serban Ghenea and Chris Gehringer have started appearing in the credits of Korean music as well. However, good sound and good music are not the same thing. It is only when a systematic process and official standards meet the harmony between creators and technicians that eyes, ears, and hearts truly open.

Singer-songwriter Lim Hyun-jung’s sixth album, Extraordinary, is exactly that kind of work. Born out of 19 years of learning and realization about good sound since 2006 and deeper reflections on creating truly great music, this album finally emerged into the world. After entering the music scene in 1994 by forming a band with Lee Juck, Lim Hyun-jung took charge of writing, composing, and producing her own music. Along the way, she continuously explored the aesthetics of sound with fellow musicians such as Shin Yoon-chul, Domingo Bang, and Kim Min-ki. To realize the musical ideals she had long envisioned, Lim Hyun-jung journeyed to London, where she ultimately achieved this milestone.

With Geoff Foster as the overall producer and Matt Dunkley as the arranger, the collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra captures the vivid presence and delicate joy of live performance. The album channels the hardships, challenges, and triumphs of turning a vague dream into reality, all flowing through a deepened voice under the theme of love. Though the production process may have been complex, the songs—evoking power pop, Wagnerian rock, and rock opera—resonate fully with longtime fans who remember past hits like “First Love” and “Love Like a Soft Spring Rain, Farewell Like a Cold Winter Rain”, as well as with audiophiles who cherish the thrill of upgrading their equipment.

Extraordinary continues the legacy of Lee Seung-chul’s The Secret of Color, produced by Neil Dorfsman, and Lee Seung-hwan’s Human, produced and arranged by David Campbell. The album serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of both great sound and great music—a clear, resonant impact that lingers.

“Taxi from Another Planet” (Charles S. Cockell)
Kim Boksung (Writer): I don’t know about you, but if I get in a taxi and the driver starts talking to me, I’m most familiar with them talking about their job—usually traffic, maybe the weather and how it affects the road (the time one explained at length how much hotter Dubai is than Seoul notwithstanding). In “Taxi from Another Planet,” however, author–scientist–professor Charles S. Cockell is the one doing the talking about our job from the backseat.

Cockell is an astrobiologist. Unlike a biologist, he studies life as it exists in the rest of the universe, and given we’ve never found any, it might explain why he sounds so philosophical. Each chapter in his book starts with a conversation with a taxi driver about the cosmos, then launches into spiraling explorations of a new topic: why we explore space, who we might find, whether we’ll move to another planet like Mars. And though he waxes whimsical on these subjects, he’s also as pragmatic as you would expect a man of science to be. He points to scorched Venus as where Earth’s headed if we don’t solve global warming, and though he’d love to go to space, he knows the longer missions—where whole generations would come and go onboard a spaceship—risk turning into floating prisons.

Cockell’s conversations range from informative to sci-fi thriller, and even funny, like with the driver who wonders if there’s taxis on other planets. Talking to cabbies from all around the world, you can tell he’s a teacher, too, making his mini-lectures easy and fun to understand. So buckle up and get ready for an out-of-this-world read.