The suspect who had been arrested by the police on suspicion of murdering a Chinese woman whose body was found deserted on Jejudo Island was freed late Tuesday due to lack of evidence. The man had been a prime suspect as he had been a frequent visitor to the bar where the victim had worked. His cellphone showed records of text messages exchanged with the victim. He had also privately met with her at nighttime prior to her disappearance.(Yonhap)However, further police inquisition revealed the man

Social Affairs April 21, 2016

Seoul city will open the third no-leash play zone for dogs, at Boramae Park in Sindaebang-dong, Dongjak-gu, from Saturday. Other such zones also exist at Children’s Grand Park in Gangjin-gu and Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu. (123RF)The new Boramae Park playground will be 1,300 square meters and equipped with drinking fountains, dog toilets and dog exercise and entertainment facilities. To prevent conflicts between dogs of varying sizes, the space has been divided according to their builds.

Expat Living April 21, 2016

A group of eight Korean men were caught for illegally trafficking hallucinogenic drugs worth 400 million won ($350,000) from the U.S., the Seoul police said Wednesday. The men smuggled in 4.5 liters of the drug disguised as hand sanitizer over eight international mail deliveries between August and December 2015. Each 4-milliliter vial was later sold for 350,000 won at nightclubs in Gangnam and on the Internet, raking in 120 million won over five months. (123RF)The smuggled drug, called “Tear of

Social Affairs April 21, 2016

A Russian sailor who cashed a fake 10 billion won ($8.8 million) check was arrested on Wednesday. The Busan Saha police said the 29-year-old Russian exchanged the visibly crude counterfeit check at a convenience store for 650,000 won.Police discovered the store’s part-time worker to be verbally impaired and lacking in discernment.  The counterfeit checks the Russian held upon arrest. (Yonhap)Emboldened by the initial success, the man attempted an identical trick two hours later at another conven

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

A man who killed his girlfriend and fled the scene was caught on Wednesday, a day after the murder.  The 31-year-old identified by his surname Han, had stabbed his girlfriend multiple times in broad daylight at the parking lot of an apartment complex in Songpa-gu, Seoul. (123RF)Han had later fled on a motorcycle but was caught in a field near a greenhouse in Guri-si, Gyeonggi Province. The Songpa police said Han had admitted to attacking the victim. The motive of his crime is currently unknown.

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

Seocho-gu area in Gangnam will be reducing its number of cigarette vendors by widening the distance between each vendor starting October. The Seocho-gu district government said on Wednesday it will increase the minimum distance between vendors from 50 meters to 100 m. (Yonhap)This new rule will also apply within building complexes, therefore making it difficult for an establishment to house more than one cigarette seller. Previously, buildings over six stories in height and 2,000 square-meters i

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

Among the many accommodation booking applications, WithInnovations’ Yeogi-Eoddae took the crown as the “most-used app” in the Accommodation and Leisure Application criteria for three consecutive months.  Yeogi-Eoddae translates to "How's this place?"According to market research firm Nielsen Korea on Wednesday, Yeogi-Eoddae marked 680,000 monthly Android users in March, leading by a great margin over runner-up Yanolja which recorded 456,000 users. Daily Hotel followed with 387,000 users and Skysc

Industry April 20, 2016

A man who had drugged two of his dates to steal their money was arrested by the police on Wednesday.(123RF)The 28-year-old surnamed Lee used a chatting application to connect with dates. After meeting them in person, he drugged them with sleeping pills and stole their phones, clothes and wallet. The items he stole from two men in one night were worth 2.4 million won ($2,100). He committed the crimes at a three-hour interval. Northern Busan police said they are going through Lee’s cell phone to d

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

Six middle school students were arrested Wednesday for sexually assaulting a girl who had only just graduated from primary school.The boys, aged 14, are being accused of having sexual intercourse with a minor who was incapacitated under alcoholic influence and unable to resist.  This is a stock image. The girl in this photo is not the victim mentioned in the article. (123RF)The incident took place at a goshiwon -- low-cost single room accommodation -- rented by one of the boy’s parents, in Buche

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

A taxi driver who sexually assaulted an inebriated female passenger was sentenced to a year in prison without probation Tuesday.  (Yonhap)According to the Ulsan District Court, the 57-year-old driver was charged last July for taking advantage of a passenger’s drunken state to commit indecent acts on her in a motel room.The court determined, “The defendant’s indecent act and harassment resulted in a considerable amount of sexual humiliation and psychological shock for the victim,” and slapped him

Social Affairs April 19, 2016

South Korea's central bank cut its growth outlook for the economy on Tuesday, mainly blaming a slowdown in the global economy and trade.In its quarterly revision to the growth outlook, the Bank of Korea said Asia's fourth-largest economy is expected to expand 2.8 percent this year, compared with a 3 percent growth forecast three months earlier.The BOK joined a series of organizations that cut their own growth estimates for the local economy, including the International Monetary Fund, which has s

April 19, 2016

(Bite Size Psyche)이 그림 속 하트의 색은 과연 무엇일까? 보라색과 주황색으로 보인다면 틀렸다. 이 하트는 원래 분홍색이다. 다만, 하트를 지나가는 선의 색깔이 다르므로 마치 보라색과 주황색인 것처럼 보이는 것뿐이다. 분홍색 하트가 파란 선과 만나면 보라색이 되고 초록 선과 만나면 주황색이 된다.이 실험을 통해 우리는 우리 눈이 주변 색과의 대조를 통해 색을 인지한다는 것을 알 수 있다. 우리 눈이 잘못된 정보를 받아들이는 경우는 이 이외에도 많다. 영상 속 회전하는 선 끝에서 깜박깜박 점멸하는 연장선을 보아라. 분명히 움직이는 선의 연장선에 있지만 어쩐지 뒤처져서 따라오는 느낌이다. 이는 우리의 눈이 시각정보를 받아들여 뇌까지 전달시키는 데 걸리는 시간 때문이다.그뿐만 아니라 RGB (빨강, 초록, 파랑) 색상표에서 초록을 제거한 풍경 사진을 한참 바라본 후 원본 사진을 보게 되면, 분명히 컬러 사진임에도 불구하고 서서히 흑백 사진으로 흐려져 가는 것을 확인할 수 있

한국어판 April 19, 2016

간혹 그럴 때가 있다. 원어민과 대화할 때 나는 분명히 제대로 말했지만 무슨 영문에선지 상대방이 알아듣지 못하는 상황. 무안함을 무릅쓰고 반복해 말해보지만 돌아오는 어리둥절한 반응은 그대로다. 저 쪽에겐 모국어니, 내가 실수한 것만 같아 말은 더 꼬이기 시작하고 어느새 입은 굳게 닫힌다. 이럴 때 너무 황망해하지 마라. 한국말을 할 때도 지방 방언은 서로 못 알아듣고 나이차 있는 사이에도 사용하는 단어가 다르지 않은가. 그래서 같은 영어라도 사용하는 국가환경에 따라 전혀 다른 어휘와 표현법이 있을 수 있다. 익숙하지 않은 지역의 단어를 접하게 될 때 원어민이라도 이해하지 못할 수 있다. 당신이 잘못한 게 아니다!아래는 흔히 혼동되는 영국영어와 미국영어 어휘들이다. 　 (The Korea Herald)한국인에게는 아무래도 접할 기회가 비교적 많은 미국식 영어가 더 친숙할 수 있다.그렇다면, 영국영어를 마주치게 되는 곳은 어딜까? 최근 많이들 즐겨찾는 동남아 국가 중 과거 영국과 프랑스

한국어판 April 19, 2016

북한에서 “서양식 의복”을 단속하기 시작했다는 英 외신의 19일 보도가 눈길을 끌고 있다. 최근 북한에서 대거 탈북자가 속출하자 중국 인접 국경지역 주민들이 외부 문물에 노출되는 현상을 탓하며 전국적으로 치마 길이, 신발 모양, 머리 모양 등에 제약을 건 것이다.(123RF)속칭 “청년 비밀경찰”들이 이를 단속할 것이라는 보도다. 이 외신은 북한에서 활동하는 일본 언론인 이시마루 지로를 인용하며 “단속이 제7차 노동당 대회가 끝날 때까지 계속 될 것이다”고 말했다.또한, 김정은 북한 국방위원회 제1위원장이 지난달 자신의 “야심찬” 머리 모양을 따라 할 것을 명하며 남성들의 머리길이를 2센티미터로 단속했다고 주장했다. 여성들은 김 제1위원장의 부인 리설주의 머리 모양을 따라 하게끔 했다고 한다. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

한국어판 April 19, 2016

The government announced plans Monday to transform Seoul’s Yongsan 2ga-dong, better known by the expatriate community as Haebangchon or HBC, into a “Green Culture Village,” where nature will blend with the region’s unique culture.A total of 38 billion won ($33 million) will be invested by the government to build a food street and a strolling path along Mount Namsan for culture and history tours that include a walk through a sweater factory that once was the economic motor of HBC between 1960 and

Expat Living April 19, 2016