Mobile weather apps are gaining popularity in South Korea, as people need more detailed information about the fine dust situation. One of the popular mobile weather apps is Wongi Weather, according to digital marketing firm NHN AD. The app has been downloaded over 1.45 million times, topping the weather category.Wongi Weather is popular among smartphone users in their 40s and 50s due to its user-friendly and simple design.  (NHN AD)Trailing behind in the rankings are the K Weather and MiseMise a

Technology March 26, 2018

The Cheongju Sangdang Police Station on Saturday booked an after-school instructor for alleged sexual harassment at a high school. Police launched a probe after a female student said on March 8 that she had been sexually harassed by the teacher. (123rf)“The teacher placed his head on my lap and forced me to clean his ears. I could not say anything because I had to enroll in a college with music,” she wrote on Facebook. The instructor had also called students over to his room during a camp, she s

Social Affairs March 25, 2018

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced countermeasures against “lonely death,” as the number of people dying alone and not being discovered until significantly later has surged from 285 in 2013 to 366 in 2017 in the capital. Over 2 million single-person and two-person households account for 54 percent of all households in Korea.　 (123RF)The city believes the best way to prevent lonely death is by establishing social relationships. In November last year, an elderly person with dementia w

Social Affairs March 22, 2018

A clutch of mobile quiz apps are gaining popularity in Korea, with users joining real-time contests on their smartphones to win money.With a growing number of Koreans are going mobile to solve quiz questions on their phones, four quiz game apps were released in February alone.(JAM Live Facebook)One of the most popular quiz apps is JAM Live, developed by Snow, known for its popular photo-editing app. Each quiz session, which consists of a series of 12 multiple-choice questions, begins at 12:30 p.

Industry March 20, 2018

Ewha Womans University announced Monday a test of a new grading system in which professors are entitled to choose how to grade students over the coming year.The new system aims to allow professors to evaluate students more appropriately in regards to the characteristics of the classes, according to the university.Professors may choose between new absolute evaluation and relative evaluation systems, or a blend of the two. (123RF)In the new relative evaluation method, the number of students who ca

Social Affairs March 20, 2018

A statue of the Black Panther superhero in Busan, erected by The Walt Disney Co. to commemorate portions of the “Black Panther” being filmed in Busan, has been toppled, in an apparent act of vandalism.The statue in the Jung-gu area was damaged at some point between Friday night and early morning Saturday, according to the Korean Film Council. It was found on the ground with its ankle broken from the pedestal when a passer-by spotted it. Disney had installed two Black Panther statues in Busan, on

Social Affairs March 19, 2018

A woman is under investigation for allegedly tricking her neighbor into believing that liquid lye, an alkaline solution used for washing or cleaning, was a type of jelly.The Gwangju Seobu Police Station booked the suspect for negligence resulting in injury on Friday. The suspect reportedly deceived the victim at a local mill in Hwajeong-dong, Gwangju, saying that the lye was a type of Korean jelly called “muk.” (123RF)Believing it was jelly that had not yet solidified, the victim tasted the lye,

Social Affairs March 16, 2018

A university research team has identified a protein produced by immune system that plays a key role in asthma attacks, opening up new possibilities for treatment research.The team led by professor Chung Doo-hyun at Department of Biomedical Sciences at Seoul National University found that XCL1 protein, produced by immune cells called natural killer T cells, engages with dendritic cells that contribute to the induction of allergic asthma. (123RF)If the lungs are exposed to external substances such

Technology March 15, 2018

Anseong Police Station said Tuesday that it gave an award to a female high school student who helped out in arresting a man for public indecency.The student saw a man exposing himself near the bathroom at Wildlife Park in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, and reported him to police on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. (Yonhap)He had already run away when police arrived, but a picture of the man taken by the student let police identify who he was. Police arrested him in 15 minutes after matching his appearance with

Social Affairs March 14, 2018

A neuropsychiatrist who publically diagnosed Korean actor Yoo Ah-in with hypomania via social media is likely to be expelled from the Korean NeuroPsychiatric Association.The association has been taking actions to investigate the doctor and mete out discipline since February, starting with establishing an ethics committee. The disciplinary decision could be made as early as next week.Although still in the disciplinary procedure stages, neuropsychiatrist Kim Hyun-chul is likely to be expelled from

Social Affairs March 13, 2018

The cherry blossom topped the list of spring flowers in generating positive psychological effects, according to the Gangneung-Wonju National University research team. The research team analyzed the impressions and emotions of 40 male and 40 female respondents when they were shown the pictures of forsythia, azalea, Japanese apricot, cherry, magnolia trees with and without the flowers.Respondents were asked to evaluate their impressions from 27 pairs of adjectives such as bright-dark and beautiful

Culture March 12, 2018

The Rural Development Administration has developed an education program in which students can learn about a proper diet from cultivating their own agricultural products.The education program, called “Green Food,” consists of 18 sessions per year, nine sessions per semester. (Rural Development Administration)Students are provided with the opportunity to learn how to garden, plant, maintain and harvest crops, as well as how to cook and eat properly.The new program includes a guidebook and audiovis

Social Affairs March 11, 2018

A male suspect in Seoul was arrested for reportedly killing his family members with a weapon on Friday.Gangbuk Police Station said the man is under investigation for parricide and murder charges.The suspect has been suspected of killing his father and sister by striking them with a weapon at home around 7 p.m. Friday. (Yonhap)Police suspect he beat the family members after his sister scolded him for destroying a newly purchased bed.The college student allegedly called police and confessed that h

Social Affairs March 11, 2018

My tiny studio apartment found its ideal identity as “home” only after I removed all the unnecessary items.It was at the school library where the idea of throwing away some of my personal belongings came across my mind. The book titled “Living with Less” by Mary Lambert, a decluttering and feng shui consultant in the UK, offered a way to create comfort by getting rid of excessive possessions at home.As I wanted a fresh start for 2018, minimizing the clutter was the perfect shift. Decluttering th

Culture March 9, 2018

A Cheongju police station said it arrested a man Thursday on suspicion of committing a robbery that left the victim in hospital for two weeks.The suspect has been indicted for punching the victim and stealing his diamond ring, cash and other articles worth 1.57 million won ($1,470) in front of a mall in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province on Feb. 23 according to police.The victim was injured and received treatment for two weeks at a hospital. (AP-Yonhap)Police suspect he punched

Social Affairs March 8, 2018