All eyes turn to Busan as delegations from 175 countries gather for the final round of negotiations to clinch a legally binding United Nations treaty to combat plastic pollution. Kicking off Monday and running through Dec. 1, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee could define the global response to one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. The initiative stems from a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly meeting in March 2022, which

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2024

Hackers linked to North Korea’s military intelligence agency were found to be responsible for extorting ethereum cryptocurrency worth 58 billion won ($41.5 million) back in 2019, according to the National Office of Investigation of the Korean National Police Agency, Thursday. According to the KNPA, North Korea’s state-sponsored hacker groups Lazarus and Andariel were found to be involved in the theft of 342,000 ethereum tokens from the South Korea-based cryptocurrency exchange Upbit

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it will host a large-scale, city-wide winter festival next month, accompanied by media art and radiant sculptures decorating the city. Also known as Seoul Winter Festa, the city government combined several winter-themed events into one large-scale festival for the first time in 2023. According to the city government, the event saw around 7.4 million visitors. This year’s event will kick off on Dec. 13 and run until Jan. 5 at six location

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2024

With less than a week left for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution at its fifth and final session, the Ministry of Environment told the press Wednesday that reaching a deal “could be difficult.” "Out of the five scheduled rounds of negotiations, four have been completed,” said an Environment Ministry official. “However, the process remains deadlocked due to sharp conflict between cou

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2024

Police are pushing to introduce driver’s licenses dedicated specifically for personal mobility devices, such as electric scooters or motorized bicycles, according to the Korean National Police Agency. “The agency is planning to derive a reasonable proposal by January next year at the latest, after conducting surveys and consultations with related agencies and organizations by the end of this year,” a KNPA official told the press on Tuesday. Currently, three methods are being co

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated on Tuesday that the correct English name for the river running through the capital city, commonly referred to as the “Han River,” is the “Hangang River.” The recent announcement comes as the city government aims to address the ongoing confusion caused by the mixed usage of both terms. Known as Hangang in Korean -- "gang" meaning "river" -- the 508-kilometer-long waterway is a major national landmark and a popula

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday that it is pushing to hire foreign nationals as bus drivers on local community routes as the city struggles to deal with a chronic manpower shortage in the transportation sector. The city government requested last month that the Office for Government Policy Coordination expand the E-9 visa program to include the transportation sector and to extend the employment period for E-9 visa holders from three to five years. Currently, E-9 visas are is

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2024

Most regions were issued cold wave alerts Monday as South Korea saw a 10-degree drop in average temperatures compared to the previous day, with the cold expected to continue into Wednesday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, most parts of Korea saw temperatures dip below freezing, with average morning temperatures reaching as low as minus 5 degrees Celsius and daytime temperatures ranging between 6 C to 13 C, which is 1 C to 3 C lower than previous years. With Seoul seeing mor

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2024

The Seoul Western District Court on Friday accepted an injunction filed by students and parents to suspend the validity of Yonsei University’s early admissions entrance exam in October, following allegations that exam questions were leaked prior to the test. The court ruled to “suspend the continuation of subsequent procedures” related to the early admissions exam until a ruling is made in a lawsuit demanding the exam be readministered. The decision effectively halts the announ

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2024

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration will uphold its commitment to the Paris Climate Accord throughout Donald Trump’s second term, despite mounting global concerns that the US president-elect may once again withdraw his country from the agreement, according to the Environment Ministry. Son Ok-ju, deputy minister of the Environment Ministry’s Planning and Coordination Office, stated, “Even with the Trump administration’s stance toward the Paris Agreement, the international ord

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2024

South Korean police have dismantled a massive online gambling ring worth 4 trillion won ($2.84 billion), apprehending 50 suspects accused of running the online operation since 2019 and employing deepfake technology to lure new users, according to the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday. According to police, out of 50 suspects, 13 have been arrested, including the website operator in his 40s. The remaining 37 have been forwarded to prosecutors. From October 2019 until March 2024, the 50 su

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2024

Reflecting growing interest in major foreign policy changes anticipated in the United States ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House as well as the recent tension between the two Koreas, the Korea Herald Security Forum, held Wednesday in Seoul, brought together 21 ambassadors and diplomats from 35 embassies. The top envoys attending The Korea Herald’s Security Forum said efforts are needed to maintain strong ties among allies and partner countries for better security and s

Social Affairs Nov. 14, 2024

Though fall has officially arrived in South Korea, this year’s foliage season was observed later than usual due to unprecedented high temperatures, resulting in less vibrant fall colors across the country. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s monitoring report of 21 prominent mountains nationwide, nearly half the mountains saw peak fall colors later than usual this year. The KMA declares the “beginning” of foliage when 20 percent of the leaves on a mount

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will officially begin the demonstration of the urban air mobility service -- or transportation system that uses aircraft to move people and cargo within urban areas -- by 2025, according to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Monday. During the city government’s conference on new technologies such as UAM, artificial intelligence and quantum technology, Oh announced the city government’s upcoming plans to officially launch the future public transportation servi

Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2024

A fire erupted early Sunday morning at a Posco factory in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and was brought under control within hours. Yet, a series of incidents, including multiple fires at Posco’s steel plant, has heightened anxiety among local residents this year. According to fire authorities, a fire erupted with multiple explosions at the Posco plant’s third Finex factory at around 4:20 a.m. Sunday. After initiating an emergency response at around 4:50 a.m., deploying 43 fire

Social Affairs Nov. 10, 2024