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

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated on Tuesday that it wants to expand its current foreign caregivers pilot program -- now a little over two months in -- to include more caregivers from Southeast Asian countries other than the Philippines. Since September, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been running a six-month foreign caregiver pilot program with the Labor Ministry, with an aim to provide selected households based in Seoul with affordable chi

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2024

The construction of a hydroelectric dam has begun as a part of the Solomon Islands’ first-ever large-scale renewable energy project, according to the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) on Tuesday. According to K-water, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday in the capital city of Honiara in the Solomon Islands to mark the start of K-water’s project to build a hydroelectric dam on the islands’ Tina River. The ceremony was attended by more than 500 individuals, inc

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2024

Weather researchers from around the world came together Monday to discuss more measures that can be taken to improve weather forecasting in the era of climate change, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. The three-day event, hosted by the Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems, a research institute affiliated with the KMA, has been held annually since 2012, after South Korea established its own numerical weather prediction tool in 2011. Known as the Korean I

Social Affairs Nov. 4, 2024

South Korea will begin to see hints of winter weather, as temperatures are expected to drop significantly from Tuesday, with some regions seeing cold wave alerts issued in the morning, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. According to the KMA, average temperatures nationwide are expected to range from 2 to 11 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning, a 10 C difference from average temperatures on Monday. As a low-pressure trough passes over the northern parts of Korea, the K

Social Affairs Nov. 4, 2024

Weather forecasting has become essential to daily life, yet climate change is making it more unpredictable than ever. Amid growing uncertainty in weather prediction, Chang Dong-eon, administrator of the Korea Meteorological Administration, believes that the agency’s mission goes beyond delivering accurate forecasts. It also aims to empower individuals to take climate action and to enhance the nation’s overall resilience in facing the climate crisis, he said. “Just this summer,

Social Affairs Nov. 3, 2024

INJE, Gangwon Province -- In the village of Sinwol-ri, nestled between the mountains of Inje-gun, Gangwon Province, sits “New Moon Village,” now home for five rescued cows that are driving up hopes to rejuvenate a remote village suffering from population decline. Dubbed the “Flower Cows,” the male Holstein cows had been raised as livestock for beef, and were discovered at an unlicensed dog farm in Incheon in late 2020. As the farm was forced to shut down the same year, th

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2024

Following heavy rainfall focused on the southern region of South Korea, average nationwide temperatures will begin to significantly drop Monday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Thursday. During Thursday’s press briefing, the KMA explained it anticipates temperatures to significantly drop from Monday as the continental anticyclone from the north expands above the Korean Peninsula, bringing in cold, northwesterly winds into the country. On Monday, average morning low

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2024

For the first time since 2017, South Korea did not experience a typhoon landfall this summer, a stark contrast to the powerful storms that hit the country in the past two years, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Friday. Typhoon Khanun in 2023 caused floods and forced some 14,000 people to evacuate and Typhoon Hinnamnor in 2022 caused 14 casualties and six injured, as well as 244 billion won ($177 million) in property damages. In contrast, Typhoon Krathon approached South Korea from th

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government introduced a set of measures on Monday -- including increasing the staff of its 24-hour call center for people struggling with suicidal impulses -- to reduce its current suicide rate by 50 percent by 2030. It aims to shift its current suicide prevention policy, which currently solely focuses on high-risk groups, to addressing the broader public. “We want to shift the focus of our policy to a more comprehensive approach that empowers our citizens to take ca

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2024

Four middle school students in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, have been booked by the police for producing, possessing and distributing deepfake pornography, according to Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. Police officials confirmed on Saturday that two of the four individuals are suspected of using photos of their female classmates to create sexually explicit deepfake content since November 2023. The two students are additionally charged with possession of the deepfakes and sharing them wi

Social Affairs Oct. 27, 2024

The number of foreign nationals residing in South Korea long-term has increased to an all-time high, reaching almost 2.5 million last year, according to official data presented by the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Thursday. As of Nov. 1, 2023, there were a total of 2,459,542 foreign nationals staying in Korea for at least three months. According to the Interior Ministry -- which defines foreign residents as those without Korean nationality, those who have obtained Korean citizenship but are

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2024

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, central Seoul, will begin hosting rooftop tours, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Design Foundation on Wednesday. According to the city government and the foundation, the rooftop tours will open to the public from Friday to Nov. 17 as a test run, before officially launching it as a regular tour program in the spring of 2025. “The rooftop tour is a new attempt (by the Seoul Metropolitan

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2024