Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed.  The Dangun myth tells the story of how the first Korean kingdom Gojoseon was founded in 2233 BC.  A long, long time ago, a heavenly prince named Hwanung descended on the Korean Peninsula to rule over humans. A tiger and a bear, envious of people living so happily and peacefully together under his rule, prayed and prayed with wishes to become human.  Hwanung, mo

Hashtag Korea Aug. 24, 2022

Late last month, residents of an apartment complex in Incheon were rattled by the discovery of a headless, mutilated torso, which turned out to be a silicone sex doll.  It was found in the building‘s parking lot, near a car that had a damaged roof. The vehicle’s owner, suspecting that the mannequin must have fallen from a height and landed on the car, reported it to the police. An investigation to identify the owner of the doll is currently ongoing.  The news of the inci

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2022

  Tech evangelists say artificial intelligence and robots will one day liberate humans from simple and repetitive physical or cognitive tasks.  But before we are all freed from the tedium of such chores, AI first needs an army of patient workers to teach it the subtleties of the real world, such as how to differentiate between a cat and a dog.  Known as data labelers or data annotators, these workers handle large amounts of raw data, made up of images, videos or audio record

Technology Aug. 20, 2022

Advances in artificial intelligence require countless hours of human work, not just from engineers and IT professionals, but also a massive input of lower skills.  But for the development of an AI-powered virtual dressing room, hardly any skills were required. All you are asked to do for a daytime gig as an AI fashion model is to bring yourself and 10 pieces of your own clothes or other fashion items for a photoshoot.   On Aug. 3, I was among several female models who had a pho

Latest News Aug. 20, 2022

Traditional Korean medicine boasts centuries of history, with herbal remedies and holistic treatments focused on patients‘ autogenic healing power. Practitioners of herbal medicine are called “han-uisa” in Korean, and their clinics are “han-uiwon.” They are rarely ever confused with conventional doctors and clinics that practice Western medicine, known as “auisa” and “uiwon.”  A controversy is raging over the English terminology afte

Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2022

The age of digital avatars is coming. Soon, there will be countless virtual humans taking up various roles, such as store clerks, brand models and social influencers.  Ordinary people, too, will have digital versions of themselves, though not necessarily similar looking, deployed for everyday interactions on social media and online spaces, says Jin Seung-hyuk, founder and CEO of KLleon, a Seoul-based startup specializing in technology to create virtual humans.  “I don’t

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2022

This week’s record rainfall wreaked havoc not only on the lives of many people, but also some animals.  Social media saw a flurry of postings about stranded animals on flooded streets such as wild ducks, feral cats and dogs.  One Instagram post uploaded on Tuesday by user @assa_candy shared a plea for help from a pet owner whose puppy got swept away in the heavy rain.  "My puppy was swept away in the rain at the Catholic University of Korea. It’s hard to know

Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2022

    The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories, a Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed.  On a recent Wednesday, a square near exit No. 2 of Sinchon Station was packed with people, predominantly young and female.  The crowds were for Enhypen, a rookie boy band from Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, who was holding a fan meet-and-greet event there.  While the septet said hello to fans one b

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2022

  Tall, handsome and sweet -- Theo is everything a girl wants.  He is the boy next door with curly hair, smiley eyes and an adorable and vibrant personality. He is effortlessly stylish and loves food and cooking. He also knows a thing or two about cool Korean stuff, as he is half-Korean and half-Brazilian.  Theo is a virtual human created by a Brazil-born K-pop fan-turned-entrepreneur in Seoul, with an aim of bridging the two worlds as Brazilians’ fascination with Korea g

Social Affairs Aug. 4, 2022

Last week, another corpse thought to be of a North Korean was recovered from the South Korean side of the Imjin River, which flows from North Korea and crosses the border. The deceased, a woman, was wearing a badge with portraits of the North’s two former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, according to local police investigators. It was the fourth time in July that a body suspected to be of a North Korean was found washed up in the South. The three other bodies wore no badge to indica

Social Affairs July 31, 2022

   With its rugged granite peaks, leafy forests, streams and walking trails, Bukhansan is an oasis of greenery in the bustling metropolis of Seoul. And it has rightly been receiving attention from foreign residents and visitors. The only drawback is that it is not a leisurely walk but one that requires proper hiking gear.  To address this and support foreigners who want to explore Bukhansan but don‘t have the right shoes or outfits, the Seoul Hiking Tourism Center offers

Travel July 30, 2022

On May 5, the Gangdong-gu District Office in eastern Seoul received a call reporting a damaged road pole posing safety risks to drivers. It was not residents nor police officers on patrol who found the hazardous situation on the road, but a 2-year-old female poodle named Oh-gu.  “Oh-gu suddenly moved closer to the median strip while walking on a crosswalk with me. She usually likes to sniff everywhere. It was her curiosity that made me spot the damaged pole,” said Cho Mi-you

Social Affairs July 26, 2022

  Under the beaming sunlight, vacationers enjoy beach time at Songjeong Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, one of the country’s most popular summer travel destinations, on Saturday. Some people take a rest in the shade of pine trees to escape from the blistering heat wave. As the scorching weather continued over the weekend, holidaymakers have been flocking to beaches to frolic in the cool, clear waters. Children enjoy swimming at Dolmeori Beach Dolmeori Beach in Hampyeong, South

Social Affairs July 23, 2022

  The hit drama series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” presents the story of rookie lawyer Woo Young-woo (played by Park Eun-bin), who is on the autism spectrum.  Showing Woo tackle difficult cases as she grows as a lawyer, while overcoming adversity and prejudice, the 16-part legal drama from television channel ENA was the most watched non-English TV show on Netflix during the week of July 11-17. For most viewers in Korea, where the show is set, the life and career of the

Social Affairs July 20, 2022

A K-pop idol-turned-actor recently turned himself into police, claiming he was tricked into working for phone scammers.  The 32-year-old, who turned himself in to a police station in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, said he thought he was hired for a simple job of collecting money from someone on behalf of his employer and wiring it to them. After meeting the person he was supposed to receive the money from, however, he realized that he was lured into assisting a voice phishing scam and that t

Social Affairs July 18, 2022