Residents of Korea woke up to a cold morning, as daily low temperatures dropped to minus 3 to 1 degrees Celsius nationwide.  (Yonhap)Despite the chilly weather, temperatures will go up throughout the day. Seoul will reach a daytime high of 6 degrees Celsius, Incheon 7 C, Chuncheon 7 C, Daegu 13 C, Gwangju 14 C, and Busan 16 C.As there will be a sharp change in temperatures, the Korean Meteorological Administration advised people to take care of their health. Fine dust levels will be “moderate” i

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2018

The Investor’s Choice Award 2018 was held to honor Korean startups at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday.(Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Hosted by The Investor, the event aimed to acknowledge innovative key players in the industry and stimulate discussion about Korea’s startup environment. Fleur Pellerin, co-founder and managing partner of Korelya Capital. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)(Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Fleur Pellerin, co-founder and managing partner of Paris-based Korelya Ca

Industry Nov. 28, 2018

A children’s 3D puzzle has received heavy criticism for its positive image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, forcing the company to discontinue the product.The toy, created by Scholas Store in partnership with EBS Media, is part of a puzzle series of leaders that are trying to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. Children can build a small 3D figure of Kim Jong-un using the kit.   (EBS Media)The puzzle positively described Kim Jong-un as “the youngest head-of-state in the world” and “a leader

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2018

Thousands of Zumba enthusiasts gathered for a dance event at Ilsan Kintex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Zumba refers to an aerobic fitness activity based on Latin dance rhythms. The event kicked off with a master class with Zumba founder Beto Perez from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Actress Choi Yeo-jin, a well-known Zumba dancer, joined the crowd to dance with Perez himself.Zumba dancers in colorful outfits filled the venue and danced to the rhythmic music.　By Lee Tae-hee (taeheelee@heraldcorp.com

Social Affairs Nov. 25, 2018

Steven Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, will release a digital album after an 11-year hiatus that followed a controversial decision to acquire US citizenship. By becoming a US citizen, Yoo was able to avoid South Korea’s mandatory military service.According to local media, the singer will send out a prerelease track Thursday, titled “Another Day.” The song is a medium-tempo ballad.  (Steven Yoo Weibo)Yoo’s album will be available Dec. 5 along with a music video for the title track. The singer c

Performance Nov. 21, 2018

After some early-morning drizzle followed by a short lull, more rain and possibly even some snow are on the way in Seoul in the afternoon.Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, the Chungcheong provinces and Jeju Island will see 5 to 15 millimeters of rain. The rest of the nation will see only light showers, around 5 mm. (Yonhap)Seoul as well as Gyeonggi and North Gyeongsang provinces will see 1 cm of snow mixed with rain in the evening. Mountainous regions of Gangwon Province will see up to 5 cm of sno

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2018

The suspect of alleged sexual offense was arrested in Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday, thanks to a police officer’s intuition. According to Gyeonggi Gapyeong Police Station, the police received a call at 3:23 a.m. in which only screaming and fighting sounds could be heard before it was hung up.  (Yonhap)The police officer who received the initial call made numerous attempts to call back and eventually got through to a woman who said, “It was a minor quarrel because we were drunk, you don’t have to

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2018

YouTube sensation J.Fla, famous for her covers of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” has become the first independent Korean YouTuber to attract 10 million subscribers.“J.Fla is the first individual Korean YouTuber to surpass 10 million subscribers,” J.Fla’s agency Feel Music said Tuesday.(J.Fla Music=YouTube)The singer, also known as her Korean name Kim Jung-hwa, wrote “10,000,000 subscribers! It’s incredible! I didn’t expect this to happen so soon.” on her Twitter accoun

Performance Nov. 20, 2018

A 46-year-old man was booked without detention Monday for stealing a truck and fleeing the scene, later claiming he “desperately needed to see his family.”According to North Jeolla Wanju Police Station, the suspect is to be charged with theft, specifically stealing a 1-ton truck on Nov. 8. The truck is estimated to be worth 16 million won ($14,200).  (Yonhap)The stolen vehicle was parked in an elementary school parking lot with its doors open and keys in the ignition. The man hopped into the dri

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2018

The rate at which Koreans read books regularly is hitting new lows each year. Only 60 percent of adults read at least one book in 2017, down 5.4 percent from 2015, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The decline in book readers comes as no surprise, as people are drawn to activities with more instant gratification, such as games, social media and video streaming. One hopeful sign for authors, publishers and booksellers is the emergence of new services built upon what is cal

Culture Nov. 15, 2018

Gwangju District Court on Thursday issued a six-month prison sentence to a former Sunchon National University professor for defaming the victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, overturning the defendant’s appeal and reinforcing the original sentence once again.The court ruled that the professor insulted the sex slaves with remarks such as, “(The comfort women) were taken for sexual slavery, or they voluntarily followed, because they were ‘seductive.’ In my opinion, they probably had a clear i

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2018

Seoul Metropolitan City said it will launch a street-outreach program Friday, the day after the nationwide Suneung exam, which determines college admissions for high-school students nationwide.Through the program, post-exam counseling and stress-reduction activities will be available in various areas where students tend to gather. Many high-school seniors suffer from depression and anxiety after taking the state-run exam, which is considered a crucial step in determining their future.  (Yonhap)T

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2018

Clear skies are expected nationwide after continuous days of fine dust blanketing the nation.Easterly winds will blow away the fine dust that has covering the nation over the week. Most regions will show “good” levels of fine dust, but Seoul and Gyeonggi Province will record “moderate” levels in the morning.  (Yonhap)The daily lows will be slightly cooler than Monday’s, ranging between 3 to 9 degrees Celsius. The daily high temperature will rise to 13 to 16 C throughout the day.Gangwon Province

Social Affairs Nov. 13, 2018

Police on Thursday said they have arrested a Japanese tourist for stealing live ammunition from a shooting range in Myeong-dong “to use as a decoration.” The tourist visited the shooting range with a fellow Chinese traveler on Wednesday to shoot pistols. While the safety guard was loading the gun, the Japanese tourist allegedly pocketed two bullets. (AP)After the shooting range reported the theft, the police immediately banned the two tourists from leaving the country and identified their accomm

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2018

Blue Bottle Coffee is launching its first South Korean store in Seoul’s Seongsu neighborhood by the second quarter of 2019, marking the company’s second overseas expansion.Despite rumors that the company’s first Korean branch would be established in either Gangnam or Samcheong-dong, Blue Bottle Coffee Korea announced recently that Seongsu had been chosen as the venue.(Blue Bottle Coffee)The Seongsu district in eastern Seoul is sometimes called “the Brooklyn of Seoul.” The area is emerging as a c

Food Nov. 7, 2018