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

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

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

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

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

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

(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

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

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)

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

Jeju Seogwipo police on Monday arrested a Korean man on suspicion of the murder of a Chinese woman, whose body was found deserted in a field on Jejudo Island last week. A herb picker found the body last Wednesday and the police have investigated the case targeting people who were acquainted with the victim, a 22-year-old Chinese who entered the country on Oct. 7, 2015 and overstayed her visa-free period in order to work.The police had circulated this leaflet to verify the victim's identity. (Yon

Lotte Card on Monday announced the launching of an adhesive sticker that can be used in making payments for public transportation rides. The Lotte Sticker Card is one-third the size of a common credit card and can be attached to the back of a mobile phone for convenient use.  (Yonhap)The sticker card can also be used at SPC Group affiliates such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Paris Baguette and 7-Eleven. Those who already have a Lotte credit card can get this sticker issued. However, those who do not must s

A married man who impersonated a single lawyer to swindle more than 20 million won ($17,000) from a woman was given two years in prison on Monday. Seoul’s northern district court said it had determined the 37-year-old swindler surnamed Kim to be guilty of deceit as he had neither the intention nor the ability to pay back what he had “borrowed.” This is a stock image from 123RF (123RF)Kim had impersonated a chief lawyer at an existing law firm by using fake name cards.He duped a 34-year-old woman

A man was found dead in a parked car with stab wounds on his chest on Sunday at around 7 p.m. According to the police, the man also had self-inflicted wounds on his neck and left wrist. (123RF)“The car had been locked from inside and there seems to be no signs of struggle, but we are investigating with all possibilities open as there is no suicide note.”The man had been reported as missing last Wednesday at Gyeonggi Province’s Gwangju Police station.The Rexton vehicle, owned by the deceased, was

A woman found murdered on Jejudo Island was confirmed by police on Sunday to be a 22-year-old from China. The victim, whose identity remains withheld, is reported to have arrived in Korea on Oct. 7, 2015 with a traveler’s visa, then overstayed the visa for work.  (Yonhap)The Seogwipo police said their inquiry in the case led to an informant who claimed acquaintance with the victim. Based on the man’s description of the woman and convincingly matching records of her entry to Korea, the police hav

A local court has rejected Korean Air Lines Co.'s injunction request seeking to prohibit its pilots from taking any labor action, saying there were no procedural problems with the voting process that gave the green light for a strike, company officials said Friday.The ruling was made by the Seoul Southern District Court on Thursday, apparently throwing weight behind labor unionists currently demanding a salary hike and better working conditions after negotiations broke down in February. Both hav

When eating out at a restaurant in Yonggang-dong, Mapo-gu, check if there is a bin or a sack collecting bottle caps. Seoul Mapo-gu Yonggang-dong community center announced Friday that it will support the region’s low-income households by exchanging recyclable bottle caps for rice.  (123RF)According to the community center, last month’s trial run showed a stimulating outcome of 35,000 bottle cap collected within a month at bins placed at 50 or so participating restaurants. Every 500 bottle caps c

Seoul city will increase the number of real estate agencies for foreigners to 220, the city government announced Friday. Currently there are 175 real estate agencies in Seoul that are tested and certified by the city as “Global.” Among these, 131 are speak English, 29 Japanese, eight speak both English and Japanese and five speak Chinese. (123RF)These agencies are mainly clustered around Yongsan, Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa and Mapo areas, where the city’s foreign population tends to be denser. The

"Descendants of the Sun," the just-closed sensational TV series, rewrote the history of commercial success for terrestrial networks' weeknight dramas.The KBS 2TV's mini-series secured a combined 12.2 billion won ($10.6 million) worth of advertisement deals, including virtual advertising and PPL, according to sources in the broadcasting industry.The sum is close to the show's total production cost of 13 billion won and more than double the number of MBC TV's 2014 hit drama "Pretty Woman."All 28 f

Foreign currency deposits at banks jumped 13 percent in March from a month earlier due mainly to increased deposits by local companies, central bank data showed Friday. Outstanding foreign currency deposits held by local residents came to $60.6 billion last month, up $7.1 billion from the previous month, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. Local residents include firms and foreign nationals who have stayed in the country for more than six months. The deposit figure excludes inte