Tumblr, a global microblogging website, will strictly prohibit adult content under a new set of guidelines.In a statement titled “A better, more positive Tumblr,” Tumblr CEO Jeff D ’Onofrio announced, “Today, we’re taking another step by no longer allowing adult content, including explicit sexual content and nudity (with some exceptions).” (Yonhap)The social media platform, which is often used to share photos, has been accused of being a hotbed of pornography and spycam footage. The website was

Seoul Metropolitan Government has teamed up with startup company OME to run a cooking class for foreigners at a Korean traditional market.OME’s cooking class is one of the eight tourism programs selected for “Seoul Tourism Startup 2018,” a series of programs aiming to provide “unique” travel experiences for foreigners visiting Korea.  (Seoul Metropolitan Government)Participants will learn basic Korean phrases and use them to buy fresh ingredients from the Euljiro Jungbu market. Later, they will

The Korean-developed mobile game application Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG, has surpassed 200 million downloads since its global release on March 19 in North America, Southeast Asia and elsewhere. In Korea, the mobile game launched on May 16.The widely played battle royal game surpassed 100 million downloads in August. The app’s popularity continued apace, crossing 200 million downloads as of Monday and drawing 30 million daily active users.  (PlayerUnknown`s Battlegrounds=Y

Samyang Food announced on Friday that the discontinued “Haek Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen” will return, with an upgrade to make the ramen even spicier than before.  (Samyang Food)“We decided to officially bring back the product to express our gratitude to customers who loved the ‘Haek Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen.’ Samyang Food will strengthen communication with customers to put out products that meet the public demand.” Samyang Food said.The renewed Haek Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen, also known as 2X

CJ ENM announced Thursday that the entertainment company is working with Universal Studios and MGM to release US remakes of the Korean movies “Sunny” and “Miss Granny.” (CJ ENM)“Sunny” (2011) attracted over 7 million moviegoers in Korea. The remake will be produced by US comedian Kevin Hart’s production company Hart Beat as “Bye Bye Bye.” Universal Studios will be in charge of investment and distribution.Scriptwriter Amy Aniobi is in charge of the film scenario, according to an announcement Thur

Residents of Korea woke up to a cold morning, as daily low temperatures dropped to minus 3 to 1 degrees Celsius nationwide.  (Yonhap)Despite the chilly weather, temperatures will go up throughout the day. Seoul will reach a daytime high of 6 degrees Celsius, Incheon 7 C, Chuncheon 7 C, Daegu 13 C, Gwangju 14 C, and Busan 16 C.As there will be a sharp change in temperatures, the Korean Meteorological Administration advised people to take care of their health. Fine dust levels will be “moderate” i

The Investor’s Choice Award 2018 was held to honor Korean startups at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday.(Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Hosted by The Investor, the event aimed to acknowledge innovative key players in the industry and stimulate discussion about Korea’s startup environment. Fleur Pellerin, co-founder and managing partner of Korelya Capital. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)(Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Fleur Pellerin, co-founder and managing partner of Paris-based Korelya Ca

A children’s 3D puzzle has received heavy criticism for its positive image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, forcing the company to discontinue the product.The toy, created by Scholas Store in partnership with EBS Media, is part of a puzzle series of leaders that are trying to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. Children can build a small 3D figure of Kim Jong-un using the kit.   (EBS Media)The puzzle positively described Kim Jong-un as “the youngest head-of-state in the world” and “a leader

Thousands of Zumba enthusiasts gathered for a dance event at Ilsan Kintex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Zumba refers to an aerobic fitness activity based on Latin dance rhythms. The event kicked off with a master class with Zumba founder Beto Perez from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Actress Choi Yeo-jin, a well-known Zumba dancer, joined the crowd to dance with Perez himself.Zumba dancers in colorful outfits filled the venue and danced to the rhythmic music.　By Lee Tae-hee (taeheelee@heraldcorp.com

Steven Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, will release a digital album after an 11-year hiatus that followed a controversial decision to acquire US citizenship. By becoming a US citizen, Yoo was able to avoid South Korea’s mandatory military service.According to local media, the singer will send out a prerelease track Thursday, titled “Another Day.” The song is a medium-tempo ballad.  (Steven Yoo Weibo)Yoo’s album will be available Dec. 5 along with a music video for the title track. The singer c

After some early-morning drizzle followed by a short lull, more rain and possibly even some snow are on the way in Seoul in the afternoon.Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, the Chungcheong provinces and Jeju Island will see 5 to 15 millimeters of rain. The rest of the nation will see only light showers, around 5 mm. (Yonhap)Seoul as well as Gyeonggi and North Gyeongsang provinces will see 1 cm of snow mixed with rain in the evening. Mountainous regions of Gangwon Province will see up to 5 cm of sno

The suspect of alleged sexual offense was arrested in Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday, thanks to a police officer’s intuition. According to Gyeonggi Gapyeong Police Station, the police received a call at 3:23 a.m. in which only screaming and fighting sounds could be heard before it was hung up.  (Yonhap)The police officer who received the initial call made numerous attempts to call back and eventually got through to a woman who said, “It was a minor quarrel because we were drunk, you don’t have to

YouTube sensation J.Fla, famous for her covers of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” has become the first independent Korean YouTuber to attract 10 million subscribers.“J.Fla is the first individual Korean YouTuber to surpass 10 million subscribers,” J.Fla’s agency Feel Music said Tuesday.(J.Fla Music=YouTube)The singer, also known as her Korean name Kim Jung-hwa, wrote “10,000,000 subscribers! It’s incredible! I didn’t expect this to happen so soon.” on her Twitter accoun

A 46-year-old man was booked without detention Monday for stealing a truck and fleeing the scene, later claiming he “desperately needed to see his family.”According to North Jeolla Wanju Police Station, the suspect is to be charged with theft, specifically stealing a 1-ton truck on Nov. 8. The truck is estimated to be worth 16 million won ($14,200).  (Yonhap)The stolen vehicle was parked in an elementary school parking lot with its doors open and keys in the ignition. The man hopped into the dri

The rate at which Koreans read books regularly is hitting new lows each year. Only 60 percent of adults read at least one book in 2017, down 5.4 percent from 2015, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The decline in book readers comes as no surprise, as people are drawn to activities with more instant gratification, such as games, social media and video streaming. One hopeful sign for authors, publishers and booksellers is the emergence of new services built upon what is cal

Gwangju District Court on Thursday issued a six-month prison sentence to a former Sunchon National University professor for defaming the victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, overturning the defendant’s appeal and reinforcing the original sentence once again.The court ruled that the professor insulted the sex slaves with remarks such as, “(The comfort women) were taken for sexual slavery, or they voluntarily followed, because they were ‘seductive.’ In my opinion, they probably had a clear i

Seoul Metropolitan City said it will launch a street-outreach program Friday, the day after the nationwide Suneung exam, which determines college admissions for high-school students nationwide.Through the program, post-exam counseling and stress-reduction activities will be available in various areas where students tend to gather. Many high-school seniors suffer from depression and anxiety after taking the state-run exam, which is considered a crucial step in determining their future.  (Yonhap)T

Clear skies are expected nationwide after continuous days of fine dust blanketing the nation.Easterly winds will blow away the fine dust that has covering the nation over the week. Most regions will show “good” levels of fine dust, but Seoul and Gyeonggi Province will record “moderate” levels in the morning.  (Yonhap)The daily lows will be slightly cooler than Monday’s, ranging between 3 to 9 degrees Celsius. The daily high temperature will rise to 13 to 16 C throughout the day.Gangwon Province

Police on Thursday said they have arrested a Japanese tourist for stealing live ammunition from a shooting range in Myeong-dong “to use as a decoration.” The tourist visited the shooting range with a fellow Chinese traveler on Wednesday to shoot pistols. While the safety guard was loading the gun, the Japanese tourist allegedly pocketed two bullets. (AP)After the shooting range reported the theft, the police immediately banned the two tourists from leaving the country and identified their accomm

Blue Bottle Coffee is launching its first South Korean store in Seoul’s Seongsu neighborhood by the second quarter of 2019, marking the company’s second overseas expansion.Despite rumors that the company’s first Korean branch would be established in either Gangnam or Samcheong-dong, Blue Bottle Coffee Korea announced recently that Seongsu had been chosen as the venue.(Blue Bottle Coffee)The Seongsu district in eastern Seoul is sometimes called “the Brooklyn of Seoul.” The area is emerging as a c