“Sado Kinzan Gold Mine, located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, is a collection of historic relics depicting the 400-year history of Sado‘s gold and silver mines. A guided tour, which includes facilities such as ‘the Best Gold Processing Plant in Asia’ and ‘Japan‘s First Western-Style Vertical Tunnel,’ will cause visitors to marvel at the impressive scale.” The introduction of the tourist site, which has been formally recommended by the Japanese gov

Viewpoints Feb. 25, 2022

When I was watching the dispute unfold this week over a popular note-taking app for Apple’s mobile operating system iOS, I could not help but think about what mobile apps really mean for my digital life beleaguered by a steady rise in total cost. App developer Ginger Labs on Monday announced that it would introduce a subscription pricing model for its popular note-taking mobile app Notability. The announcement itself is not surprising, since app developers often switch from a one-time pur

Viewpoints Nov. 6, 2021

Do you know how to get immense thanks and respect from an innocent kid in a single day? First, in the morning, you gently take away her favorite toy, claiming it’s bad and unnecessary for her. In the evening, you give the very same toy back to her, claiming it’s an “all-new” toy with the most advanced features ever that pro toy users love. To pull off this feat, you have to prepare a lot, including a nice presentation on a big screen and plenty of complex charts that just

Viewpoints Oct. 23, 2021

Windows 11, released on Oct. 5 worldwide, is expected to offer a fresh round of changes for South Korean computer users, global PC makers and distributors, but a mix of unpredictable factors such as COVID-19, the chip shortage and the launch of compatible devices could affect how the new operating system will be received in the coming months. On major online communities here, users continue to share their experiences of Microsoft’s new operating system that comes with an overhauled user

Technology Oct. 18, 2021

Trading of secondhand goods is nothing new. But when it is combined with a convenient mobile app and hyperlocal community functionalities, something radically different can be envisioned. A striking case in point is the soaring success of Danggeun Market, a startup which has popularized hyperlocal e-commerce app Karrot. “Danggeun,” which means carrot as well as an abbreviation for “in your neighborhood” in Korean, is now a symbol of mobile secondhand item trading here.

Technology Oct. 13, 2021

“Hate the game developer, not the game.” This slightly tweaked version of the timeless maxim applies to the two well-known massively multiplayer online role-playing games: Lineage and Diablo 2. Both have been touted as the undisputed pioneering games that set the stage for the rapid growth of the MMORPG genre in the past decades. Lineage, released by NCSoft in September 1998, reshaped the Korean gaming scene; Diablo 2, put out by Blizzard Entertainment in June 2000, was a landmark P

Viewpoints Oct. 9, 2021

South Korea has been implementing a set of educational policies aimed at helping students and teachers prepare for digital transformation in a wide array of fields. The pandemic that started last year is accelerating the shift in the educational sector toward a digital paradigm, requiring schools and policymakers to rethink the way they teach students as well as what they should teach in a new era. The Korean government, recognizing the sweeping changes sparked by the spread of COVID-19, is

Technology Oct. 6, 2021

Alux, a startup in the fast-growing field of educational technology, or edtech, is providing next-generation education programs based on big data, artificial intelligence and the metaverse to some 2,000 schools across the country.  Lee Chi-heon, CEO of Alux, said the Seoul-based startup is navigating a whirlwind of changes in the education market, sparked by a pandemic-induced switch from offline programs to what is called “untact” alternatives, referring mainly to contactless

Technology Oct. 6, 2021

With Apple set to launch the iPhone 13 in South Korea in early October, Samsung Electronics appears under pressure to safeguard its share not only on its home turf, but also in the increasingly competitive global smartphone market. Korea’s major mobile carriers plan to accept preorders for the iPhone 13 from Friday, with the official release date slated for Oct. 8, heralding a new round of competition among smartphone makers, especially Samsung Electronics which holds a firm grip on the

Technology Sept. 29, 2021

For South Koreans who were children in the 1970s and 1980s, the phrase “squid game” is likely to evoke a mix of thrills and nostalgia. The tag game on a squid-shaped board drawn in the dirt was fairly tough to play -- sometimes brutal to the point of causing injury -- but it remained hugely popular, as making it to the final goal area after physically clashing with those on the defense was nothing if not exhilarating. Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director of “Squid Game,” is no

Technology Sept. 27, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic makes it a new normal to stay home rather than venture out to meet with people. Consequently, a wide variety of indoor activities ranging from home renovation to binge-watching videos on streaming services are booming. The trend offers a unique chance for those who want to upgrade their outdated gadgets in the name of improving the quality of life at home. Of course, I proudly belong to the group keen on justifying spending on new gadgets. The item that has kept me read

Viewpoints Sept. 25, 2021

For die-hard South Korean fans of “The Simpsons,” Marvel and “Star Wars” franchises, the planned launch of Disney+ on Nov. 12 is a long-awaited day for celebration -- and binge-watching. Netflix and other streaming services currently available in Korea do not offer the much-coveted video library of the Walt Disney Co., so the introduction of another video service is a welcome development for viewers. The launch of Disney+ also signals a fresh round of competition in

Technology Sept. 15, 2021

Cho Myung-dae, CEO of Linked Data Center, demonstrated how a digital archive works by taking the Korean War records as an example. By clicking on the keyword, a number of search results instantly pop up in a well-arranged list of related subcategories such as specific battles, locations and people. This way, users don’t have to dig through piles of data without having a clue what they will get in the end. “Searching through string matches is essentially limited,” Cho said. &

Culture Sept. 13, 2021

Truck drivers are often blamed for the surging number of people who get transported to another virtual world filled with magicians, knights and demons. I mean, not real truck drivers, but those in fantasy web novels. A typical storyline goes like this: A protagonist is killed by a speeding truck on the road and for some mysterious reason comes to life in a new world that is drastically different from Earth. In the transition period, a mythical god gives superhuman abilities to the characters s

Viewpoints Sept. 11, 2021

On Saturday, photos of a Jeju Air airplane featuring BTS’ Jimin on its exterior circulated on Weibo as part of a BTS fan club’s campaign to celebrate the K-pop star’s 26th birthday. K-pop fan clubs often celebrate the birthdays of their stars by buying advertisements in newspapers, on public transport or on subway billboards. But the photos sparked serious backlash in China, and Weibo banned the fan club-run social media account with over 1.1 million followers from posting f

K-pop Sept. 8, 2021