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

Roses in full bloom brighten up people’s day amid continued virus outbreak. Seoul citizens admire different species of roses while taking a walk around the Rose Garden at the Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul. On the opposite side of the country, a German rose called “Corona” attracts a bee at the River Seomjingang village in Gokseong, South Jeolla Province. People also take time to enjoy roses from around the world even though the 5th International Rose Festival that was

South Korea’s mandatory ID card system is set to remove information about the region of issuance from October, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said Monday. All Koreans are assigned a 13-digit resident registration number in their ID cards. Currently, four digits are used to indicate the place of issuance. The Interior Ministry said Monday the four digits, from eighth to eleventh, will be replaced by arbitrary numbers in an effort to protect personal information and prevent discrim

Tiger cub siblings, one male and one female, were introduced to the public Thursday at Everland, a zoo and theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The mother tiger was shown taking care of her cubs, which are less than 100 days old. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Spring flowers in full bloom welcome tourists in Jeju, South Korea’s largest island. Tourists enjoy the warm spring weather, taking pictures in a field filled with poppy flowers in Jeju City. Hydrangeas in full flower capture the spring mood at a cafe in Seogwipo, Jeju. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Buddhism-themed traditional lanterns portraying fairies, lotus flowers, animals and Buddha are displayed to brighten up Cheonggye Stream in Seoul from Thursday to next Sunday. Meanwhile, Buddhist groups in South Korea canceled a lantern procession this weekend to mark Buddha’s birthday amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. The procession had already been postponed, with the actual Buddhist holiday being on April 30. Celebratory services, however, will be proceeded at temples across the

After a series of delays in school reopening, high school seniors in South Korea finally returned to classrooms on Wednesday as the first group of students to do so amid the continued virus outbreak. Strict guidelines were followed, such as maintaining social distancing, checking temperatures and even placing plastic dividing screens on desks, to prevent virus spread. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

The Statue of Peace, a symbol of Japan’s World War II-era atrocities and sexual slavery, was damaged Wednesday by a man in his 20s. At the same time, a scandal was unfolding in connection with alleged corruption by local organizations advocating for the rights of the Korean victims. According to police, the suspect damaged the statue in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, by hitting its face with a rock on Wednesday at 6:45 a.m. He was subdued by a pedestrian before the police arrived. He threatened to

The Northwestern University Korean Alumni Association on Saturday donated food and face masks to Jincheon Community Children’s Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, in efforts to support children amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The children’s center received prepackaged boxes of food, including nonperishable items such as pasta and masks donated by Cei Chung, CEO of Noodle Lover and alumnus of Northwestern University. “Our association in Korea remains steadfast in its

Five kestrels, designated as South Korean natural treasure No. 323, were born in a nest built inside a flower pot on an apartment balcony in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. It was March 20 when the chicks’ parents settled on the balcony. The resident of the apartment made a bigger nest out of cardboard for his little guests to have enough space to brood five eggs. The five chicks were all born healthy and are now getting ready to fly on their own. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun

People visited the Gwangju May 18 National Cemetery ahead of the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising to honor those who were killed during the protest. May 18 in South Korea is a day of remembrance for the hundreds of protestors that died in the southern city of Gwangju in their fight against the military rule of former general-turned-President Chun Doo-hwan and his brutal government-led crackdown, in May 1980. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)