The Korea Times

Calls growing against apartment construction near Joseon-era royal tomb

A petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for stopping construction of apartment complexes near a 17th-century royal tomb, has garnered more than 112,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon. Screenshot from Cheong Wa Dae websitePossibility of demolition alarms owners of units in new buildingsBy Jun Ji-hyeVoices are being raised over the construction of three apartment complexes located near a royal tomb dating back to the 17th century, with critics saying that the construction will seriously harm the value of the tomb as a cultural asset. A petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website called for demolition of the buildings under construction, which are scheduled to be completed next year. It said the construction was pushed forward without due process ― such as seeking approval from the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) ― although the buildings are being built near the Joseon-era royal tomb that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.The site of the apartment complexes is within Geomdan New Town in northern Incheon, and is close to Jangneung Royal Tomb in Gimp

Sep 23, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Calls growing against apartment construction near Joseon-era royal tomb

Society

Gov't reconsiders 2nd Jeju airport project

A panoramic view of the site for a new international airport on Jeju Island / Korea Times file By Jun Ji-hyeThe government has taken a step backward in its plan to build a new international airport on the southern island of Jeju, saying that additional reviews of environment and safety issues are needed before the project can proceed. This move was a change from the government's previous position that it would push promptly for the construction of the new airport.On Sept. 17, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport finalized and announced its five-year plan, which covers this year through 2025, on developing and improving domestic airports. In that plan, the ministry said, “With regard to the second airport on Jeju Island, we will comprehensively review the environmental factors as well as the aviation safety issues before deciding on the direction of the project.”In its previous plan, which had covered 2016 through 2020, the ministry had said, “We will p

Sep 18, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Gov't reconsiders 2nd Jeju airport project

Health

Jeju authorities on alert over increased tourist numbers during Chuseok holiday

Tourists arrive at Jeju International Airport, Friday, a day before the Chuseok holiday officially begins. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeJeju Island authorities are staying vigilant over an inflow of tourists as well as people visiting their families on the resort island during the Chuseok holiday that begins Saturday and runs through Wednesday. Concern is growing as the island has seen a decreasing tread in COVID-19 infections in recent days, following the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province's decision to impose Level 4 restrictions, the highest in the country's four-tier social distancing plan, in the region.Level 4 bans private gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. and the operation of entertainment establishments, including nightclubs and bars. Twelve designated beaches on the island were shut down as well.The inflow of people from other regions, especially those from the Seoul metropolitan area that has reported the largest number of new daily cases for months, during the holiday is raising fears that virus cases on the island could surge again at any time. According to the Jeju

Sep 17, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Jeju authorities on alert over increased tourist numbers during Chuseok holiday

Nationwide exodus begins ahead of extended Chuseok holiday

Society

Kyung Hee University System's Peace BAR Festival to kick off Friday

Participants discuss global crises during the Peace BAR Festival held at Kyung Hee University in Seoul last Sept. 23. This year's event will begin Friday. Courtesy of Kyung Hee University SystemBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Kyung Hee University System will host the Peace BAR Festival 2021 to mark the 40th U.N. International Day of Peace that falls on Sept. 21. The event will kick off Friday under the theme of “No Time to Lose, A Quest for Immediate Action for Planetary Crisis.”The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the U.N. General Assembly after Dr. Choue Young-seek, founder of the Kyung Hee University System, proposed it through the International Association of University Presidents and the government of Costa Rica that year. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the day as a period of non-violence and ceasefire, to be observed around the world on Sept. 21 each year.The 2021 theme for the day, set by the U.N., is “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world.”The Kyung Hee University System has been

Sep 16, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Kyung Hee University System's Peace BAR Festival to kick off Friday

Society

Korea struggles to cope with waste crisis

Trucks carrying waste head to a landfill in Incheon's Seo District, Sept. 1. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulThis article is the first in a series on various environment problems, government countermeasures and expert opinions about how to solve them. ― ED. 'Authorities should change people's minds about waste facilities'By Jun Ji-hyeWaste has long been associated with human activities, with its amount having consistently increased in parallel with economic development. Korea is no exception. According to the Ministry of Environment, the total amount of waste produced in the country has continued to increase, with the latest figure tallied at 497,238 tons per day as of 2019. This was up 11.5 percent from 446,102 tons per day in 2018.The ministry is planning to announce statistics for 2020 in December, and the figure is expected to have surged further, as people stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic have come to depend more on online shopping for food and daily necessities, resulting in their production of more waste from packaging and other disposable materials. Once waste is

Sep 16, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Korea struggles to cope with waste crisis

Travel & Food

Floral artist seeking to offer unforgettable wedding day to couples

Nicolai Bergmann / Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel SeoulBy Jun Ji-hyeThe prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things in life, including weddings, and this has also affected the design work of Nicolai Bergmann, a world-renowned floral artist. Bergmann says people seem to have become much more connected with their families and friends during the pandemic, as the scale and number of weddings have been limited during this time.“We've seen people place more importance on spending quality time with the people that are dearest to them,” Bergmann said during an interview with The Korea Times. “This is reflected in my floral designs. We've definitely become more particular about the small details in our design so that the bride and groom and all of the guests can feel the moment when the flowers are at their most beautiful state.”Bergmann, who is in charge of flower decorations for wedding ceremonies to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in spring and summer in 2022, has decided to adopt the theme of “The Garden of Dreams,” a quiet forest in the

Sep 16, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Floral artist seeking to offer unforgettable wedding day to couples

Companies

'More than 20,000 passengers have boarded international sightseeing flights'

Flight attendants of Air Seoul carry out an event for passengers who boarded the airline's “international sightseeing flight” on Feb. 21. Joint press corpsBy Jun Ji-hyeMore than 20,000 passengers have boarded “international sightseeing flights” operated by domestic airlines, which take passengers over other countries and then return to Korea. The special services were launched in December last year to generate profits for airlines and duty-free stores amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.Passengers using these flights are given the same duty-free benefits as other passengers using regular international flights.According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Customs Service, a total of 216 special flights have operated between Dec. 12 and Aug. 31, with the number of passengers tallied at 22,551.The passengers have spent a total of 33 billion won ($28 million) at duty-free shops and the most popular products were cosmetics, whose sales reached 8.2 billion won.The flights, which departed only from Incheon International Airport at the beg

Sep 13, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

'More than 20,000 passengers have boarded international sightseeing flights'

Health

Controversy growing over price paid for COVID-19 treatments

gettyimagesbankGoverment moving fast to secure new medicinesBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government is working to preemptively secure oral COVID-19 treatments that are expected to be commercialized within the year. The authorities are moving fast, bracing for fierce competition between countries around the world, as seen in the cutthroat race to secure COVID-19 vaccines. The government said closed meetings with a global pharmaceutical company have been held to pre-purchase COVID-19 treatments.“What has been discussed is confidential for now. We will unveil several details after a contract is completed,” Koh Jae-young, a senior official from the Central Disease Control Headquarters, told reporters, Wednesday.Among global pharmaceutical companies, Merck has been ahead of its competitors in developing oral COVID-19 treatments, with the firm expected to seek the emergency use authorization of its Molnupiravir (MK-4482) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in October at the earliest. Molnupiravir is an “investigational oral antiviral candidate for treatment of mild to moderate

Sep 10, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Controversy growing over price paid for COVID-19 treatments

Law & Crime

Street vendor suffers burns after customer throws food into boiling oil

This CCTV image shows a street vendor being scalded after a customer threw hotteok into the boiling oil. Captured from KBS NewsBy Jun Ji-hyeA street vendor in Daegu has suffered burns to her right hand, shoulder and chest after a customer threw hotteok (sweet pancake made from flour, brown sugar and seeds or nuts) into boiling oil after complaining about her refusal to cut it for him. The vendor called for harsh punishment of the customer.According to the vendor, the customer bought two hotteok, Sept. 5, and asked her to cut them, saying that he wanted to share them with his friends. She refused the request, showing him a notice reading “no cutting,” on display in her booth.Then, the customer threw the hotteok into boiling oil in front of the vendor, splashing the oil and burning her exposed skin.“The customer glared at me even in front of the police officers who came to the scene. I want him to be punished sternly,” the vendor told a local daily newspaper, Segye Ilbo, Thursday. “After the incident, two friends of the customer appeared at my booth. One a

Sep 9, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Street vendor suffers burns after customer throws food into boiling oil

Travel & Food

4 night-view spots to visit in Seoul

By Jun Ji-hyeSeoul, the busy and crowded capital of South Korea, has been quieter than ever after 6 p.m. these days, following the government's nighttime curfew on eateries and cafes as a part of heightened social distancing rules amid continued COVID-19 infections.At a time when everyone is asked to refrain from meeting people after work, four places that are ideal to enjoy the Seoul's night view alone are recommended by HotelsCombined, to help people to relieve their stress. Seoullo 7017 Seoullo 7017 / Courtesy of HotelsCombined Seoullo 7017, located near Seoul Station, used to be an overpass that has been remodeled as a park.This overpass for vehicles used to symbolize the image of Seoul in the 1970s, but was closed due to safety concerns in the 2000s. After being reborn after renovation as a pedestrian walkway in 2017, it currently serves as a rest area for nearby office workers and residents. In a section of Seoullo 7017, visitors can enjoy an exhibition of vari

Sep 8, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Jun Ji-hye

Read more

Calls growing against apartment construction near Joseon-era royal tomb

Gov't reconsiders 2nd Jeju airport project

Jeju authorities on alert over increased tourist numbers during Chuseok holiday

Kyung Hee University System's Peace BAR Festival to kick off Friday

Korea struggles to cope with waste crisis

Floral artist seeking to offer unforgettable wedding day to couples

'More than 20,000 passengers have boarded international sightseeing flights'

Controversy growing over price paid for COVID-19 treatments

Street vendor suffers burns after customer throws food into boiling oil

4 night-view spots to visit in Seoul

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