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

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

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

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

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

A high school graduate in Incheon said that she had been sexually harassed by a male teacher.She accused the teacher of sexual harassment Saturday, according to Incheon Yeonsu Police Station on Tuesday. The high school graduate said, “At the women’s high school I attended, the male teacher sexually harassed me, including touching my body.”  (Yonhap)She said there are two other victims who can testify about his actions.Taking the advice of the help center of the Incheon Metropolitan City Office o

Busan Dongnae Police Station arrested a male suspect in his 60s on charges of setting a bar on fire Friday. The arson suspect reportedly broke into the bar after smashing the window with a brick and set it on fire with a lighter, causing financial damage worth 20 million won ($18,400) at 10:40 p.m. on Feb. 25, according to police. (Yonhap)He is also accused of threatening the female owner of the bar with a weapon the day before the crime.Police believe that the suspect burned the place out of an

The Daegu High Court sentenced a foreign worker to 20 years in prison for killing his co-worker.The suspect was accused of murdering the victim by striking his head multiple times with a weapon and drowning him on Feb. 10, 2017.Although he was given a 14-year imprisonment at a lower court, the appellate court ruled 20 years in prison Thursday. (Yonhap)The suspect had been punished for misconduct at work due to his violent behaviors toward the victim. It is believed that he committed the crime ou

Seoul City is considering raising the basic taxi fare by as much as 1,500 won ($1.40) and extending extra charges in the nighttime in July.The hike is intended to reflect the current labor conditions of taxi drivers, according to a Seoul City official. The basic rate might be raised from the current 3,000 won to 4,500 won from July. (Yonhap)Another likely change involves the time frame for extra charges.At the moment, passengers pay additional charges when they use taxis from midnight to 4 a.m.T

South Korea’s Supreme Court has handed a 3 year and 6 month sentence to a father accused of child abuse resulting in death by playing ‘airplane’ to comfort his crying baby. ‘Airplane’ is a game in which a parent uses their feet to lift their child into the air.The father tried to soothe the 8-month-old by lifting and shaking him. But the infant fell and died as the father was holding the infant over his head.The father reportedly shook the stroller violently back and forth a few times to calm th

Choi Da-bin finished 7th at women’s singles figure skating Friday at her first-ever appearance in the Winter Olympics at Gangneung Ice Arena.Choi received 131.49 points in the ladies’ figure skating free program. She became the first Korean to finish inside top-10 with overall 199.26 points since the two-time medalist Kim Yu-na.Choi Da-binThe 18-year-old confidently skated to the original soundtrack from “Doctor Zhivago.” Despite a minor mistake with the second triple jump during her triple lutz

Famous as both boy band members and actors, Im Si-wan and Ok Taec-yeon, were chosen to be special guides at PyeongChang Olympic Plaza Culture-ICT Pavilion. The two Korean idols are participating in the special event as a part of their military service.(The PyeongChang Organizing Committee)Im introduced Paik Nam-june’s major work “Turtle” in front of some 200 visitors at the Culture-ICT Pavilion. There are seven pieces of artwork of the world-renowned video artist.(The PyeongChang Organizing Comm

The PyeongChang Organizing Committee said it would crack down on the pervasive reselling of PyeongChang Winter Olympic tickets both online and offline.“We cannot track down transactions made only once or twice by a single person. We are planning on catching those who have transferred tickets at least four to five times for profit,” an organizing committee member said.Although the organizing committee has not yet taken action against scalpers, it is closely monitoring ticket brokering on communit

The famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou showed confidence in Beijing’s eight-minute show, which China will perform during the closing ceremony at the PyeongChang Olympics.Zhang said, “All the equipment has been installed and carefully adjusted, and there is no need to worry.”“The weather is nicer than I thought, (and) I hope it won’t be too cold and windy during the ceremony,” he added.  Zhang Yimou(Yonhap)The director emphasized that they were well-prepared for the special show, but it is

The cryptocurrency fad led by bitcoin is attracting a growing number of South Korean college students into a dizzyingly volatile investment market, despite (or perhaps because of) its great accessibility and potentially bigger profits. Nevertheless, it is too premature to conclude that Korean college students have fully embraced the get-rich-quick bitcoin fever.There is no question that cryptocurrency is one of the hottest topics in South Korea, with the volume of local cryptocurrency trade sing

In PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, site of the ongoing Winter Olympics, the number of active Tinder users has seen an explosive surge.  (Tinder Facbeook Page)Tinder users can either swipe right on others’ pictures to open the door for a potential love connection, or swipe left and remove all possibility. If both users swipe right, the users are matched and can chat on the app.Athletes have proven to be no exception from the Olympic Tinder craze. Accounts of Olympic stars have been spotted on Tind

More than 300 Korean university students, who returned home after a year overseas doing volunteer activities in 68 countries, will perform a homecoming concert titled the “Good News Corps Festival.” The festival is scheduled to be held in 13 major cities in Korea and Japan to share the love and happiness they experienced.The festival offers a unique experience through musicals, plays, traditional performances and exhibition and experience programs of African and Latin.The performances began Satu

The photograph of two North Korean coaches cheering on a South Korean skier has been getting some attention on social media here. Kim Eun-ho participated in Olympic cross country skiing men‘s 15km + 15km skiathlon Sunday. Despite great efforts, the lone South Korean cross-country skier was disqualified after getting lapped by the head of the race.However, fans were touched by the North Korean coaches who came out to encourage Kim.Two N. Korean coaches cheering South Korean skier Kim Eun-ho. (Yon

With only two days until the 2018 Winter Olympics, attention has turned to the PyeongChang Olympic Village where the athletes are staying.Instead of the athletes, however, the public has been captivated by the design of the blankets in the Olympic Village.Athletes were given blankets covered with pictographs of Winter Olympic sports.(Hanssem)(Hanssem)The special blankets come in three different colors. Blue was chosen for those who are playing sports on ice in Gangneung, whereas red blankets wer

The majority of respondents from a matchmaking survey would choose short track as the sport to watch on a date during the PyeongChang Winter Games.According to a survey from matchmaking service Duo, 51.6 percent of unmarried respondents chose short track as the sport they would most like to watch with a significant other. A total 163 men and 172 women participated in the survey.Figure skating took second place with 23.3 percent, and speedskating followed at 8.7 percent. Skiing scored only 0.3 pe