Despite children’s love of slime-based toys, a large number of slime products have been recalled after being found to contain hazardous substances. Both online and offline sales of the recalled products were prohibited as of Thursday, and a list was uploaded on the Korean Agency of Technology and Standards website (www.safetykorea.kr).  (Yonhap)KATS announced on Thursday that it was ordering recalls of 76 of the 190 slime products on the market for violating safety standards, on the basis of saf

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2018

“Ddiye,” a 10-year-old YouTube sensation who charmed the Korean public, has announced she will take a break because “haters” reported her videos for no apparent reason. The YouTuber uploaded her first ASMR video Nov. 2 and had gained 5.9 million views for it as of Tuesday. The child’s unscripted actions -- nibbling on sea grapes with a microphone taped near her mouth -- distinguished Ddiye from numerous professional ASMR YouTubers. Her instant popularity brought in over 460,000 subscribers in a

Television Dec. 18, 2018

Municipal governments in Japan are moving forward with legislation to address hate speech. Although the laws protect people of all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds, it is Koreans in Japan who stand to benefit most as anti-Korean sentiment is prevalent throughout the nation.Tokyo’s Kunitachi City Council approved an ordinance on Wednesday banning discriminatory practices and hate speech.  (Yonhap)The bill specifically prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, occupation and s

International Dec. 13, 2018

Cheerleaders have pointed out sexual harassment prevalent online, particularly the Ilbe Storehouse.Baseball team Samsung Lions cheerleader Hwang Da-geon said in a post on her Instagram on Monday, “Cheerleader as an occupation is fun, but is this the price I have to pay? I can’t bear to look at the dirty comments section.” (Instagram)Hwang, 18, says she has been sexually harassed by online comments uploaded to online community Ilbe Storehouse. Aside from the comments, she said people have been se

Culture Dec. 12, 2018

A man dressed up as Santa Claus appeared in front of the venue of the UN Climate Change Conference COP24 in Poland on Tuesday to raise awareness of Korea’s fine dust problem.The one-man protester, revealed to be Korea Green Foundation Chairman Choi Yul, covered himself with black dust to emphasize Korea’s poor air quality.  (Korean Green Foundation)His sign reading “Stop fossil fuel, there’s no border in the sky” attracted the attention of passersby, with many stopping to take pictures and read

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2018

An increasing number of Korean-American judges are making their mark in US courts. Eumi K. Lee was appointed as an Alameda County Superior Court judge on Friday (local time), becoming the first Korean-American judge in that California county, which is part of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Eumi K. Lee (UC Hastings College of the Law-Yonhap)Despite their relatively small presence on US benches, Korean-American judges are setting some notable records. In July, Dorothy C. Kim became the first Korean-

International Dec. 11, 2018

Photographer Choi Won-seok, widely known as “Rotta,” denied sexual harassment allegations at his first court hearing Monday.Rotta is charged of indecent assault for allegedly touching the abdomen, waist, thighs and genitals of a 21-year-old model during a photo shoot in June 2013.  Photographer Rotta (Rotta`s Instagram)During the trial Monday, Rotta’s lawyer acknowledged that the photographer did have physical contact with the model, but denied that it was without consent. The Public Prosecutor’

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2018

A middle-aged man has been arrested for running around naked in front of the National Assembly building, police said Friday.The 61-year-old man was spotted heavily drunk and walking around naked in freezing temperatures in front of the National Assembly around 7:15 a.m. Seoul was forecast to be minus 10 degrees Celsius at that time. (Yonhap)Yeongdeungpo Police dispatched officers to the area after security guards at the National Assembly reported the man. According to police, the man was found m

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2018

The Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution to designate Dec. 8 as Koreatown Day on Wednesday, making it the first ethnic town to be given a celebratory date. The Korean American History Museum has been pushing for Koreatown Day to be recognized since 2017, to celebrate the town’s 45th anniversary. The resolution for Koreatown Day was proposed by LA City Council President Herb Wesson. (LA City Council President Herb Wesson Twitter)Many ethnic enclaves exist in the diverse city of Los Angele

World News Dec. 6, 2018

Korean retailers Homeplus and Wemakeprice have discontinued sales of Fukushima-imported instant noodles after the product’s place of origin label stirred up health concerns.Otaru Shio Ramen -- produced in Fukushima, Japan, and imported to Korea by Homeplus and Wemakeprice -- has Fukushima printed as the area of production in Japanese. However, the Korean label specifies only Japan as the place of origin, prompting some consumers to point out that the translated label is misleading and takes away

Food Dec. 5, 2018

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

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2018

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

Travel Dec. 3, 2018

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

Industry Dec. 3, 2018

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

Food Nov. 30, 2018

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

Film Nov. 29, 2018