“Turn my photo into Ghibli style.”With a simple prompt, the “Ghibli style” function has quickly become a widely shared trend across social media. Among the new image generation features introduced by OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o, the so-called “Ghibli style” has become a cultural phenomenon. By simply entering a prompt, anyone can generate images rendered in the signature look of a renowned animation studio. As a result, social media platforms are now flooded with users showcasing their new “Ghibli profile pictures.”This trend has gone beyond a passing faze, directly influencing the platform’

“Gwan-hon-sang-je” refers to the four most representative rituals during one’s lifetime. It includes four traditional rituals: coming-of-age, marriage, funerals, and ancestral rites. Especially “Sang,” which corresponds to funeral, is one of the most changing parts among the four ritual as Korean society changes.The traditional Korean funeral consists of 19 steps, which is more complicated than today’s. It is influenced by the Confucian culture, which considers death as the last hurdle of one’s life. “Sang” is the ceremony for the deceased, the soul, the ancestral god, and the people left behi

*This review contains light spoilers.We live in a society in which love seems to lack depth. It seems that the meaning of love is dispersing as time goes by. Nowadays, some people date just for the sake of “dating.” They go to bars and hook up just to feel something, and say “I love you” without meaning it. Many enter relationships not because of genuine emotions but of personal needs they wish to fulfill, whether it be validation, ambition, or distraction. It is like love is slowly resembling fast fashion – becoming something that is cheap, disposable, and mass-produced. Rarely do we think ab

In Oct. 2024, the long-lost Woldae, an elevated platform in front of Gwanghwamun at Gyeongbokgung Palace, was restored to its original location, drawing significant attention. The Woldae, built in 1866 during the reign of Heungseon Daewongun, was a symbol of the grandeur of Gyeongbokgung and the king’s connection with his people. After being damaged during the Japanese colonial period, the platform had been absent for decades, but its recent reconstruction reignites important discussions about its historical and symbolic significance.The idea of constructing the Woldae dates back to the reign

Have you ever studied late at night during exam periods, gone to bed around dawn, and then woke up in the late afternoon? Many people follow this kind of sleep pattern not only during exam periods but also during vacations. They go to bed late and wake up late, especially when they do not have to wake up early the following day. However, when you try to sleep earlier than usual, it can suddenly become difficult to fall asleep, which might make you question whether you are dealing with insomnia. However, this may not be insomnia, but Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS).DSPS refers to a conditio

Note: This article includes a summary of MICKEY 17.What does it feel like to die? It sounds quite strange since we know that the dead do not speak. “Even on my seventeenth go-around, I hate dying.” The guy who replies indifferently is Mickey Barnes, the “Expendable.” We often say we feel like expendables when we think of ourselves as useless and part of a machine. However, the Expendable in the movie is necessary for all spaceship members. The Expendable’s role is to die and be reprinted in outer space with an automatically updated memory. This lets others prepare for unidentified dangers such

In an increasingly globalized world, one of the most critical roles of the media is to serve as a bridge between people and global events. Since not all citizens can witness international affairs firsthand, the press is responsible for providing accurate and unbiased information. This applies not only to domestic social issues but also to reporting on the brutal realities of conflict zones.When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, South Korean media took significant risks to report on the war. South Korean correspondents were dispatched to border regions, risking their safety. Furthermore,

Have you ever experienced inconvenience due to too many tourists when visiting a famous tourist attraction? Recently, the number of places experiencing this phenomenon has been rapidly increasing worldwide. For example, Japan is planning to increase accommodation taxes and travel taxes as the number of tourists has excessively increased. Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of overseas travelers has increased unprecedentedly, and “overtourism” is occurring in tourist destinations around the world, where too many tourists stay beyond the capacity of the tourist attraction. An appr

I have always been hesitant to watch movies that are widely known as classics because they do not seem like something you can just spontaneously play and enjoy. I prefer to watch them when I am ready to fully take them in and I try to focus solely on them. Cinema Paradiso was one of these. Not only is it a beloved classic, but the fact that it is a foreign movie in a language that I am not familiar with, made me hesitate even more. However, by the time the movie finished, I regretted not seeing it sooner.The movie begins with Toto receiving news from home that a man named Alfredo has passed aw

Imagine stepping into a time machine and traveling back to 2010, when Bitcoin was worth just a few cents. Would you risk investing in everything you had? Or, what if you traveled to 2021, when Bitcoin hit an all-time high of nearly 70,000 USD, only to see it crash months later? The fluctuating expectations surrounding Bitcoin reflect its volatile nature and the ongoing debate about its value and future potential.Bitcoin was first started on Jan. 3, 2009, by an anonymous person or even a group called Satoshi Nakamoto. Being the first cryptocurrency to be created, Bitcoin was designed as a decen

On Jan. 30, president Donald Trump published the executive order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and restoring biological Truth to the Federal Government.” This executive order shares the keynote with the previous order “Preventing and Combating Discrimination of the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation” published on Jan. 25. Trump’s order about gender ideology recognizes two sexes “male” and “female,” which are fundamental and not changeable. Also, he added the federal government will use the term “sex,” not gender identity.This announcement holds a different stream

To be honest, it was not the movie itself that made me watch this movie. It was the ongoing Hollywood gossip about the feud between the main cast. I was curious to see whether personal tensions would affect their performances and to what extent an actor can embody a role while suppressing real-life emotions.However, as the movie unfolded, I found myself drawn in for an entirely different reason. Instead of just observing the acting, I became immersed in the story’s emotional depth and its powerful depiction of domestic abuse. What I initially thought would be a casual viewing experience turned

What comes to mind when you hear the word “refugee?” Most people probably think of war refugees, those who are forced to leave their homes due to conflict and move to other regions or countries. However, according to the report “GRID 2023” published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), in 2022, there were more “climate refugees” than war refugees. Climate refugees are individuals who have been forced to leave their homes temporarily or permanently because their living conditions have become uninhabitable due to sudden climate change. In 2022, the total number of refugees was

What do you look for when you buy something? There might be various criteria for comparing products, such as performance, price, and reviews of the product. But the strongest first impression of the product depends on its “image,” such as the company’s reputation and the product design. This is why many companies allocate a large portion of their budget to the marketing. With technological advancements leading to increasingly competitive markets, traditional dominance by a single product is no longer the case. Companies are gradually shifting their focus from product differentiation to innovat

In Guryongpo, Pohang, there is a unique historical site where you can see streets filled with traditional Japanese houses. This seemingly out of place sight offers a glimpse into a complex past of Guryongpo. The Japanese House Street is a preserved neighborhood that dates back to Korea’s Japanese colonial period from 1910 to 1945, when the Korean peninsula was under the dominance of Japan.During the Japanese colonial period, Guryongpo was an important fishing and trading hub, due to its location on Korea’s southeastern coast. Japanese settlers began to move into the area in the early 20th cent

NASA has successfully restored communication with Voyager 1, a spacecraft traveling approximately 24 billion kilometers away from Earth in interstellar space. On Nov. 1 (local time), CNN reported that NASA had managed to reconnect with the spacecraft, which had autonomously shut down and entered a dormant state. This breakthrough, achieved just two weeks after the loss of contact, ensures the continuity of Voyager 1’s remarkable 47-year-long mission.The issue began on Oct. 18 when NASA sent a command to activate internal heaters on Voyager 1 to protect its components from prolonged exposure to

What does true freedom mean? The definition of freedom can vary significantly depending on the individual and the era. However, there are undoubtedly common aspects of freedom that are universally shared. One such work that explores these themes is On Liberty, a seminal text by 19th-century British philosopher John Stuart Mill. Recognized as one of the great classics of liberalism, the book delves into the concept of civil and social liberties. Through On Liberty, readers are invited to reflect on the nature of freedom, its importance, and its profound impact on human history.The book is struc

Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) provides a unique experience you cannot experience at any other film festival. Known for its focus on the Asian film market and embrace of diversity, BIFF is one of the most influential film festivals in Asia. Held in Busan, the vibrant city resonates with the atmosphere of the festival, adding to the festivity. Founded in 1996 and greeting its 29th edition, the festival has grown to become a platform for the international exchange of films, actors, cultures, and artistries.From world-class to emerging directors, BIFF provides filmmakers, especially Asi

The flame of the fire garden, located in the Railway Forest of Pohang, no longer blazes. According to Pohang-si officials, the flame of the fire garden completely died out on Sept. 27 after seven and a half years of burning and has not come back to life. As one of the landmarks of Pohang, the restoration of the fire garden presents a significant challenge for Pohang-si.The fire garden was established in 2017 after the flame was ignited by natural gas during the construction. In 2017, the construction of a park using abandoned railroads, now known as the Railway Forest, was in progress. The fir

We used to cite Thomas Kuhn’s Paradigm Shift to talk about the history of science. We highlight the discontinuous progress point that accompanies the process of entering normal science. Every typical point of this “discontinuous” progression is indexed with well-known scientists. Einstein, Rutherford, and Copernicus are examples. It is easy for us to think their genius “conception” has brought the phosphorus of present science. This misconception may lead us to ignore countless marginal parts of science history. The book Horizons tells us another half of the history of science.The writer claim