In the alleys of Bukchon Hanok Village, an area in central Seoul famed for its traditional Korean houses, countless tourists tromp around taking photos with digital cameras and smartphones. The tourists are loud. You can hear them coming. “Every morning at around 7:30 a.m., we hear a ton of tourists making noise,” says Kim Jae-hyeok, 43, a Bukchon resident. “I think I’m going to get a neurosis from it. I cannot tolerate the noise anymore.” “When I first moved here, I was very open to tourists and let them come into my house and use my bathroom,” says Oh Ok-sun, 55, who has been a resident for four years. But the steady stream has become more like an inundation. “People just lined up to come into my home so I had to shut my door,” she says. “And now, I have to clean up garbage that the tourists leave every morning.” 

Tourism is good for the economy of course, but not for people whose homes are destinations for busloads of visitors from China and Japan. Bukchon shares this problem with Ihwa Mural Village in Jongno District, central Seoul, which has 70 colorful murals, and Seochon in Hyoja-dong and Sajik-dong, west of Gyeongbok Palace, which boasts traditional Hanok houses in which merchants resided during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). In Bukchon, the Jongno District Office has posted 16 signs that read “Silence please” in English, Chinese and Japanese. It hasn’t helped. The Seoul city government and Jongno District Office are now concerned that the deluge of tourists may lead to a so-called touristification of certain neighborhoods. Touristification is when an ordinary area becomes so popular with tourists that it forces residents to move away. 

According to the Seoul city government and Jongno District Office, a total of 18 complaints were filed by the residents in Bukchon related to tourists last month. Last year, only two complaints were filed. “18 complaints are quite a lot if they’re all about the tourists,” says an official at the district office. The number of residents packing up and leaving the area is increasing. “Of 90 houses here, there are 10 that are unoccupied,” says Lee Gang-bae, 53, a representative of Gahoe-dong in Jongno District. “Existing residents are starting to consider leaving because of various noise and parking difficulties.” Real estate prices in the neighborhood have dropped significantly. “A 3.3 square-meters (35.5 square-feet) plot of land cost 30 million won to 35 million won ($27,000 - 31,000) five years ago,” a real estate broker says, “but now, the price has dropped to 20 million won to 25 million won.” After some neighborhoods became tourist attractions, groceries, laundries and butcher shops disappeared as residents left the neighborhood. “In Paris, 400 areas were selected as protected zones where various shops such as groceries and laundries are supported and protected by the government,” said Lim Young-shin, president of a nonprofit organization, Imagine Peace. 

Some residents are taking matters into their own hands. In April, residents of Ihwa Mural Village started to erase some of the murals, their most popular tourist attraction. Earlier this month, they painted over some more. The stairs adorned with paintings of sunflowers, a prized feature, were painted over with bland grey paint. On the walls next to the stairs, there are various phrases written in red paint such as “Do not tour around residential areas” and even “Stop tourism.”

Intelligence is a person’s ability to perceive information and retain it as knowledge that can be used in the future in any applicable context. It is important in learning, concept formation, understanding, and reasoning. On the other hand, character refers to good or bad behaviors or human virtues such as empathy, courage, integrity, loyalty, and compassion. Character is important especially in human relations, choices that people make, and actions that they do.

Although both are important, many people believe that intelligence weighs more. They say it is what ultimately makes humans the highest form of animal, but some people think otherwise.

Supporters of intelligence stress that it drives people to achieve their dreams and realize their true potentials. For this reason, many people emphasize the importance of education and invest in the education of their children. Fostering children’s intelligence gives society high hopes that they will someday land a promising job, build a career, and give back to society.

Furthermore, intelligence is most useful in crises and problem-solving situations. Intelligence makes people more efficient, productive, and results-oriented than character does. In contrast, character and emotions often drive people to focus on too many considerations that get in the way of what should be a faster decision-making process. 

Most importantly, all forms of intelligence are highly valued in different sectors of society. For example, scientists are the ones who invent and discover breakthroughs that benefit mankind. They are also the ones who are always in pursuit of knowledge that can help improve humans’ quality of life. Moreover, intellectualschallenge existing belief systems and social constructs to help mankind embrace modernity and change.

Opponents of intelligence say that intelligence should only besecondary to character. Character is what makes people human. It represents a person’s heart. Intelligence, on the other hand, is useless if people’s actions are not driven by their beliefs, principles, and integrity. 

Moreover, people driven by character can make contributions to society just as well as intellectuals do. More often than not, people of character think beyond themselves. They strive to touch people’s lives and make positive changes. They also make good leaders because they have the ability to think of ways to elevate not only their status but society’s as a whole.

Finally, character not only elevates a single individual but society as a unit. A society that is made of people driven by integrity prospers better than a society that is comprised by intellectuals who outsmart each other and compete with one another.

Inflation fell to the lowest rate in 16 months, remaining below 1 percent for four consecutive months as crude prices continued to slide and the government discounted power bills to ease the burden caused by the increased use of air-conditioners during the heat wave. However, despite the low inflation rate, Koreans, especially those in middle and low-income households, are burdened by the continuing price hike in produce, which is expected to worsen with the sluggish economy. In August, the country’s consumer prices rose 0.4 percent year on year, the lowest growth since April 2015, when the prices also rose 0.4 percent, the government said on Thursday. “The slow growth rate is mainly due to the government’s decision made last month to give discounts on electricity bills for households,” said Yoo Soo-young, a director at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. “The inflation rate in August would be around 0.8 percent if the changes in electricity billing systems were not made.” 

In fact, the government has decided to discount household electricity bills from July to September, as lawmakers and many residents found the current progressive billing system unfair or said it burdened households. During the heat wave, angry residents called for changes to the system. “The fall in crude oil prices not only impacted the price of petroleum products but also dragged down the overall prices for electricity, water and gas,” Yoo said. Prices for electricity, water and gas fell 12.6 percent in August compared to the previous year, contributing to lowering inflation by 0.57 percentage points. Petroleum prices dropped 8.8 percent over the year, mirroring the fall in international crude prices, lowering inflation by another 0.37 percentage points. Gasoline prices fell 8.2 percent and diesel prices dropped 7.6 percent compared to a year ago. Even though the overall inflation rate slowed, basic living expenses and consumer prices of food increased last month, tightening living conditions for low and middle-income households. Prices of fresh produce rose 2.8 percent compared to the previous year and the prices of other food, including agricultural produce, livestock and fishery products increased 1 percent. “The prices of vegetable rose significantly from the previous year due to the hot weather,” said Yoo at the Finance Ministry. 

The prices of vegetables alone rose 6.2 percent year-on-year last month. Napa cabbage prices jumped 58 percent, pepper became 30.9 percent more expensive and the cost of garlic rose 17.5 percent. The cost of Korean beef, or hanwoo, rose 13.7 percent, but pork prices dropped 4.5 percent. These products are widely used during Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving, which is just two weeks away. Service prices, including rent, utility bills, travel and dining, in August increased 1.9 percent year-on-year, contributing to raising overall inflation by 1.07 percentage points. The cost of rent, including jeonse, or lump-sum rental deposits, was up 2.5 percent compared to the previous year. The price of the Korean liquor soju sold in restaurants and bars rose 13.2 percent, and the prices of raw fish meals at restaurants increased 5.2 percent, according to Statistics Korea. 

Consumer prices rose the most in Busan by 0.8 percent, followed by Seoul (0.7 percent) and Gwangju (0.6 percent). Inflation was lowest in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, and Jinju, South Gyeongsang, which each saw inflation drop 0.3 percent in August. “The discounts on electricity bills are going to expire in October and we expect the inflation rate to move up to around 1 percent later this year as it did before,” said Yoo. “Global oil prices are showing signs of recovering and it appears that some of the downward pressure from overseas will be reduced. “The government will monitor consumer and global oil prices thoroughly and will try its best to stabilize the local retail and agricultural industries so that they can be prepared for Chuseok.” The government statistics agency researched 481 major goods Koreans purchase in 37 major cities and provinces.

The modern Olympics has three vital ceremonies: the opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. These ceremonies have evolvedover time, but they are still based on the ceremonies held in the ancient Olympic Games. 

The opening ceremonies of the Olympics officially mark the beginning of the Olympic Games. However, in the recent Olympic Games, some athletic competitions are held prior to the opening ceremonies because of the increasing number of teams that participate in the different sporting events.

The opening ceremonies typically commence with raising the host country’s national flag along with playing its national anthem. Afterwards, an artistic program prepared by the host is presented.This usually involves singing, dancing, and acting performances that showcase the host country’s culture, history, and other important features. During the artistic program, the current Olympic Motto is also presented.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the opening ceremony featured performances that highlighted the ancient art and culture. The presentation aimed to show the world that China is becoming a world power that is set to bring great things to the world. 

The 2012 London Olympics highlighted some of the country’s contributions to the world like the Industrial Revolution and the Beatles. 

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, the opening ceremony was a celebration of Brazil’s distinct and awesome culture. It also featured a short reminder on the growing environmental problems, like climate change, that the world is experiencing.

After the artistic program is the Parade of Nations. During the Parade of Nations, some of the participating athletes of every country march into the stadium. A theme song chosen by the host country plays in the background as groups of athletes from their respective countries march one at a time. Each country’s delegationis led by the country’s flag and a sign with the country’s name on it. Traditionally, participating athletes from Greece enter first followed by the countries arranged in alphabetical order. Delegates from the host country enter last.

The highlight of the opening ceremony is when the Olympic Torch is brought into the stadium. It is passed from one athlete to another during the torch relay until it reaches the last athlete, usually a representative of the host country, who is tasked to light the stadium’s cauldron. This is followed by a symbolic release of two doves that signifies peace. The release of the doves marks the end of the opening ceremony.

The significance of the opening ceremony of the Olympics goes deeper than just officially marking the beginning of the Olympic Games. It is also filled with expressions of culture and meaningful messages that the host country wants the world to know.

Household income continued its slow growth in the second quarter this year, and spending remained unchanged compared to a year ago, as economic conditions remain grim and the income gap between rich and poor continues to grow. Monthly household income during the second quarter of the year averaged 4.31 million won ($3,850), according to a Statistics Korea report released Friday, a 0.8 percent increase from a year ago. But when compared to average household income during the first quarter (4.6 million won), it was a 5.46 percent drop. “Average household income saw limited growth in the second quarter largely because income made from investments shrank sharply,” said an official at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. “But income made from labor and businesses saw mild growth.” 

Household income has been struggling since the second half of last year. After reporting a 2.9 percent year-on-year growth during the second quarter last year, household income growth has remained below 1 percent. During the second quarter this year, household income growth was even slower than the 0.9 percent inflation rate. With income barely going up, households are tightening their purse strings. Household spending in the second quarter remained unchanged compared to a year ago, with monthly spending averaging 3.28 million won. But when compared to the first quarter of this year, it fell at a sharper rate than household income. Second-quarter spending shrank 6.8 percent. Even worse, the average propensity to consume in the second quarter fell to an all-time low, breaking the previous record set in the third quarter of last year. 

Average propensity to consume is the fraction of disposable income that a household spends after excluding required expenditures such as taxes and insurance. In the second quarter, the fraction amounted to 70.9 percent, while the previous record held in the third quarter was 71.5 percent, meaning people have been cutting back on spending. Statistics Korea attributed the drop to an aging society where the number of heads of households in their 60s is increasing while the population of younger people in their 30s and 40s is shrinking. As a result, Korean households have been cutting back on consumption of daily necessities as well as clothing and shoes. Spending on food and beverages dropped 4.2 percent year on year, clothing and shoes fell 2.5 percent and even spending on education saw a drop of 0.7 percent. 

Instead, more is being spent on recreational activities and goods. Money spent on cigarettes and alcohol increased 7.1 percent, mostly because of a tax hike on tobacco enacted last January. Cigarette spending alone increased nearly 11 percent. Spending on cultural activities and entertainment also rose during the second quarter due to extensive holidays in early May. The Statistics Korea report showed income disparity worsened in the second quarter. Households in the lower 20 percent saw their income shrink 6 percent, whereas the top 20 percent saw a 1.7 percent increase.

26 out of the 50 states in the U.S. experienced extremely hot temperatures during the latter part of July. Over 110 million Americans were affected by this condition with most of them from the central and eastern parts of the country. The highest temperature recorded in the U.S. for the month of July is 121 degrees Fahrenheit which is equivalent to almost 50 degrees Celsius. This temperature is even higher than the temperatures recorded in Middle Eastern countries during the same time frame. 

A weather phenomenon called “heat dome” is said to be the cause of such rise in temperature. Heat dome is defined by meteorologistsas the high pressure that is located in the upper atmosphere. This high pressure acts as a cover or a lid that prevents hot air from escaping. As a result, the hot air is forced back onto the ground which then makes people experience dangerously high temperatures. During a heat dome, temperatures can rise from 10 to 20 degrees more than average temperatures.

The heat dome in the U.S. today does not only cause temperatures to go really high, but it also lessens the quality of air that people breathe. Moreover, temperatures remain high even at night, so people are not given relief from the heat throughout the day. People may continue to sweat even at night and may not get good sleep. This may lead to exhaustion and dehydration. People can also suffer from heat strokes, respiratory issues, and blood circulation problems.

The heat dome is also destroying infrastructures like concrete roads that crumble or sink as a result. The weather phenomenon also contributed to the hastening of the spread of forest fires and the decrease of water supply in many different areas.

To deal with the heat dome, Americans came up with creative ways on how to cool down. Cooling rooms were created in central business areas in major cities, like New York and Washington, where the severe ozone pollution is worsening the effects of the heat dome. In other states, people are encouraged to use public transportation to lessen the heat that cars can produce. Free rides on air-conditioned buses are also offered to the public. The national government advised people to keep themselves hydrated, wear light clothing, and try to be vigilant about the possible effects of the heat dome, so that they can do necessary precautions.

Park In-bee spent the first half of this year fighting injuries to her back and her thumb. The severity of the injuries forced the 28-year-old LPGA hall of famer to considered pulling out of the Olympics - even though the Rio Games were the first time the women’s golf event was held in 116 years. Luckily, Park went to Rio. For now, Park is not only the first Korean to have completed a Career Grand Slam - a title given to a pro golfer who wins four different major tournaments - but she has become the first female golfer in over a century to take home Olympic gold. Amid windy conditions on Saturday during the final round of the women’s tournament at the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro, Park shot five-under 66 to aggregate 16-under 268 for the entire tournament. She finished five strokes clear of runner-up Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who shot two-under 69 for a four-day total of 11-under. 

“Well it definitely feels unreal,” Park said after her win. “This is something I’ve been really dreaming of doing this week and to get to represent your country in the Olympic Games and be able to get a gold medal is such a special feeling. “I’ve gone through some tough times,” she said, “but this is definitely a big relief.” Park is the only golfer in the history of the sport to have titles from four major championships and the Olympics. But her journey to become one of the most decorated female golfers has been long and rocky. In 2000, at the age of 12, Park moved to the United States to pursue a career in golf. It did not take long for the young Park to rise as a prodigy to watch: she topped the U.S. Girls’ Junior at the age of 14. Six years later, Park claimed the title from the U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 19 years and 11 months, the youngest player to ever win the event. Then Park faded out of the spotlight, going without an LPGA win since the 2008 U.S. Open for the next three years. It was Park’s marriage to Nam Gi-hyeob, her swing coach, that provided a passage out of the slump. In July 2012, after she and Nam were engaged, she added another LPGA title, winning the Evian Masters. She earned the Career Grand Slam in 2015 by taking the trophy at the Ricoh Women’s British Open, becoming the seventh golfer in the history of the LPGA to accomplish the feat. 

But another slump mired Park’s otherwise near-perfect career. This time around, it was injuries that held her down. Although she was inducted to the LPGA hall of fame after competing in this year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the youngest player in the history to qualify, she withdrew from events or didn’t make cuts during the first half of the season. She was totally out of action for two months, trying to mend her physical problems in anticipation of the Olympics. Without tangible signs of recovery, Park even considered calling it quits, saying, “If I’m not at my full condition, I kind of feel like I have to give a chance to somebody else who can perform better than me.” But as she did in the past, she emerged from her slump and saw the triumph of taking gold in Rio. 

“This really could be the highlight of my career,” Park said according to Golf Digest. “I was lucky enough to have the opportunity. We have five major tournaments a year. I’ve won a lot of the major championships. The Olympic Games: you get to do it only once every four years ... It’s a huge honor and I think it could be the highlight of my golfing career.”

The government plans on creating a 40 billion won ($35.8 million) fund to exclusively invest in the development of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning on Sunday said the fund, which will be managed for seven years will be investing in VR and AR companies that develop games, theme parks and educational resources. It will be used to finance companies that developing primary source technologies and also companies involved in marketing. 

“In order to secure a lead in the global VR market, we need to execute various policies including the setting up of a VR fund as well as providing tax benefits and create a VR cluster,” said Choi Jae-yoo, second vice-minister of science, ICT and future planning on Friday, when government officials met with start-up executives and tech experts at the newly opened start-up IR center at the Korea Development Bank’s headquarters in Yeouido Seoul. “Our goal is to create 50 companies with VR expertise by 2020.” Choi added that the government will consider numerous policies to contribute to creating a positive ecosystem where start-up investment will lead to higher investment returns that will create new start-ups in a so-called virtuous cycle. 

The decision to create an exclusive VR and AR fund came a week after the government named VR and AR as one of nine promising technologies during a policy meeting with President Park Geun-hye. Other industries on the list were autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence. They are all supposed to help Korea’s growth including exports. During the meeting Park stressed the importance of VR and AR development citing the global phenomenon created Pokemon Go. A market research company last week projected the VR and AR market to be worth $5.2 billion this year and to expand to $162 billion by 2020. This means that until 2020, the VR and AR market will enjoy average annual growth of 181.3 percent. 

Some of the participants at Friday’s meeting said the government should come up with clear guidelines as to which companies will be eligible for the fund’s investments. Others said that to attract more private investors to participate in the fund the government needs to offer incentives or lower the investment requirement barriers. “VC (venture capitalists) should focus on future values such as long-term performance targets of the start-ups instead of their current balance sheet when deciding on an investment candidate,” said Lee Jong-chan, CEO of Motion Device, a VR game developer.

Dress codes are rules that pertain to clothing. A lot of workplaces have dress codes in place for their employees to comply with. Many of them require their employees to come to work in business attires while others do not. 

Having a workplace dress code is one of the highly contentioustopics in society. Many people feel that dress codes are unnecessary as they do not directly affect the work that people come to do at the office.

However, supporters of workplace dress codes say that dress codes give a professional impression of the company especially to clients. While it is true that an employee’s set of skills is what really counts, studies have shown that people make assumptions and form impressions based on how a person is dressed. That is why looking professional through a dress code is still a better way to go.

Moreover, dress codes help companies define their brands. They can be a part of companies’ corporate branding campaigns. For instance, it is necessary for workers to wear their company uniforms in order for them to be identified easily. Also, dress codes provide visual uniformity that subtly promotes the impression of being a team.

Lastly, dress codes are important when it comes to problemavoidance. They do not only exist for aesthetic purposes but for alignment with the nature of the job. For example, a workplace for blue-collar jobs may require casual attires that reduce the risk of injuries while a work place for white-collar jobs may require business attires that go with an office ambience.

On the other hand, opponents say that imposing a dress code in the workplace can become a financial burden especially if employees are required to come to work in corporate attires. Corporate attires including footwear for both men and women are often more expensive than casual garments because of the materials they are made of.

They also add that corporate attires or office uniforms, such as suits and ties, blazers, and slacks, imposed by dress codes are often uncomfortable to wear. Discomfort from wearing them for long work hours can get in the way of employees’ concentration and productivity. Additionally, being casually dressed does not mean that employees are less respectable and skilled. 

Finally, opponents believe that imposing a dress code in the workplace takes away the employees’ ability to express their personal styles. Being able to express one’s self in the workplace boosts employees’ morale which in turn leads to productivity and creativity.

There’s good news and bad news for fans of Korean animation this week. The good news is that “Kai” was released Wednesday, marking the first time in years that a Korean animated feature, rather than one by Pixar or Disney, hit local theaters. The film has been generating tons of buzz among animation buffs, as it’s the latest by director Lee Sung-gang, who was behind award-winning animated features including “Yobi the Five-tailed Fox” (2007) and “My Beautiful Girl, Mari” (2002). It also got attention for having Yeon Sang-ho, the director of the recent smash hit “Train to Busan” and an up-and-coming animator himself, as a producer. 

But the bad news is that “Kai” explicitly shows the bleak reality of the country’s film animation industry over its 96-minute run time. “Kai,” based on the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen, tells the story of a little boy named Kai who lives in Mongolia along with his mother and younger sister. One day, Kai’s sister disappears off a cliff obscured by thick snow when his family attempts to move to a new home during a heavy storm. Years after the tragic accident, Kai’s village begins to get mysteriously cold. As people try to figure out the cause of the change, Kai encounters the Soul of the River, who tells him he must confront Hatan, the snow queen who is attempting to freeze over the entire world. “Kai” packages itself as a grand adventure story, but it takes nearly 70 minutes for the boy to hit the road because of the time it spends introducing the supporting characters. It isn’t always a bad move to focus on characters other than the leads, as cute and zany sidekicks can breath life into animated films — consider the doe-eyed Puss in Boots from “Shrek 2” (2004) — but Lee gives them too much time and too many scenes, resulting in unhelpful distractions from the main storyline. 

Another disappointment is the eventual confrontation between Kai and Hatan. It’s supposed to be the highlight of the adventure, but the fight lacks thrills and abruptly comes to an end. “Kai” will likely remind viewers of the 2013 mega-hit “Frozen” in many ways because the Disney tale of two sisters was also based on the same fairy tale. With that in mind, director Lee should have come up with a more inventive and unique plot if he didn’t want to be overshadowed by the earlier film. Despite its elements that will appeal to younger viewers, “Kai” doesn’t offer enough of a story to resonate with general audiences. The film is rated for all.