Starfield Coex Mall in Gangnam, southern Seoul, is holding a media art exhibition titled “Cube9” to commemorate its installation of ultrahigh-definition LED signage. Cube9 presents impressionist paintings of various artists in video format on the signage, providing shoppers another type of entertainment at the mall. The exhibition will run through Sunday. (Photos: Shinsegae Property Starfield-Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

A road on a closed national highway in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, reopened as Hoengseong Luge, a 2.4-kilometer-long track for racing unmotorized carts down -- also known as luge in korea. Hoengseong invested 2.7 billion won ($2.3 million) in crafting the tourist destination out of part of the National Route 42, which is closed. It is the first such track in South Korea to be constructed and operated under a local government. A recent investigation done by Korea Consumer Agency showed that

Facebook deleted about 7 million posts in the second quarter that were deemed to contain misinformation about the novel coronavirus, the social media company said. Content considered to contain false information on virus prevention and treatment made up a big portion of the deleted posts. Facebook explained that its artificial intelligence monitoring technology greatly contributed to the massive deletions from April to June as the company moved to remote working amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Swedish Ambassador Joachim Bergstrom has been practicing yoga at iconic sites in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang since May. The Swedish ambassador practices yoga near the Ryugyong Hotel on May 9. Ambassador Bergstrom practices yoga in front of the Juche Tower on June 21. The ambassador practices yoga at various places in Pyongyang earlier this month. (Photos: Reuters-Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office decided Tuesday to indict a freelance comedian surnamed Park for allegedly having installed hidden cameras in a women’s restroom inside the building of the state-run KBS TV. Park is suspected of hiding spy cameras on May 29 in the form of a portable battery charger in a women’s restroom inside a KBS building that had been used by members of sketch comedy show “Gag Concert.” The case was sent to the prosecution for i

Sculptures that look as if they are melting under the hot summer heat are displayed at Hyundai Department Store in Daegu for its annual “Daefrica Campaign” event. “Daefrica” refers to a combination of Daegu and Africa. Daegu’s average temperature during the summer is much higher than other regions in the country.  The store has chosen summer vacation as the main theme for this year’s event in hopes of cheering up visitors amid the protracted spread o

The New York Times said it plans to relocate its Hong Kong-based digital news operation to Seoul, amid growing concerns over the impact of China’s national security law. Seoul has been chosen as the location for the US paper’s digital media operation for South Korea’s openness to foreign business, freedom of press and its impact on news in Asia. By next year, one-third of its Hong Kong office will be moved to Seoul. Hong Kong has been a desirable location to many English-lan

Visitors to Haeundae Beach in Busan will face fines if caught not wearing face masks from July 20. Haeundae-gu announced Sunday it will impose a new guideline requiring visitors to put on face masks at Haeundae beach areas. Visitors who do not follow the guideline even after receiving a warning the first time will face a fine maximum of 3 million won ($2,500). Police and municipal officials will be on patrol at all times. In response to those who claim that such guideline violates individua

South Korea’s top mobile messenger application KakaoTalk has more users than that of Naver, the nation’s biggest portal, data showed. According to the data from mobile big data platform IGAWORKS, KakaoTalk and Naver recorded 35,590,000 and 30,160,000 monthly active user (MAU), respectively, last month. KakaoTalk exceeded Naver in both monthly average time and days spent on the platforms per single user. People spent a monthly average of 11.7 hours/24.6 days on KakaoTalk, and 10.2

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to hit the country Monday afternoon, starting in Jeju Island and gradually moving up. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Monday that rain will hit Jeju Island from early afternoon and move along the coastline of South Jeolla Province. Many regions are expected to see 30 to 150 millimeters of rain per hour accompanied by thunderstorms and heavy wind. Heavy showers of over 80 millimeters per hour are likely to continue throughout the night and

Yoga enthusiasts practice yoga at a park in Handan, Hebei province, northern China, ahead of International Yoga Day, which has been celebrated annually on June 21 since 2015. (Photos: AFP-Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Diverse forms of protest art created by various people, from artists and students to teachers, to express their solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement across different cities and states in the United States (Photos: AP, Reuters-Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Front-line medical professionals working outdoors were spotted hugging cool packs and taking short breaks in front of the fan to cool down amid a heat wave. The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed at around 50 each day during the second week of June, while temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will set up an additional 657 waste receptacles on Seoul streets this year, raising the total number from 6,940 to 7,597. There were 7,607 outdoor trash containers in Seoul in 1995, when the volume-based waste fee system was officially launched. However, the city gradually cut the number down to 3,707 as illegal activities such as using unauthorized bags and dumping personal trash in front of others’ property or even on streets frequently

Members of Workers’ Solidarity hold a rally in front of the US Embassy in Seoul on Friday morning over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis by a white police officer who pressed a knee into his neck. The death of the 46-year-old African American man involving police brutality and racial discrimination fueled public outrage across the United States and has spread into global protests. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp

An artificial island in the shape of a heart is seen floating on Lake Uiam in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Wednesday. The floating island will be filled with aquatic plants, which the city expects to purify the lake water as well as catch people’s eye when it’s done. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Horses are taking a rest at Jeju Horse Pastureland in Yonggang-dong, Jeju City, on Tuesday morning. Vast grassland and mountains in the backdrop make the horse pastureland one of Jeju Island’s must-visit sites. Visitors can see 130 Jeju horses, designated as National Treasure No. 347, in the grassland from April to November. The pastureland is state-owned and managed by the Cultural Heritage Administration for the special horses that need special care. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae

The English word “alien” will no longer be on identification cards issued to foreign residents in South Korea. The Ministry of Justice announced Monday a revision to the Immigration Act aimed at replacing the current name of “alien registration card” with a more neutral one. This is the first time the country is deleting the term “alien” in over 50 years since 1966 when the “alien residence permit” was first issued to foreign residents in the co

The Hamyang Daebong Mountain Valley Resort test-ran its monorails Wednesday ahead of reopening planned for late June.   The Daebong Monorail, 3.93 kilometers long, is South Korea’s first and longest sightseeing monorail that runs across a mountain. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Students of the two lowest grades of elementary school in South Korea returned to school Wednesday, while the nation recorded 40 virus cases, its highest in 49 days. Especially for the first graders stepping inside school gates for the first time, elementary schools nationwide welcomed them each in their own way. Teachers and parents put great effort into making sure that young students follow social distancing rules and other safety guidelines to prevent virus spread.  Meanwhile, ki