South Korea - The Korea Times

Cafes, restaurants to be banned from using disposable items under revised law

gettyimagesbankCafes and restaurants will be banned from using disposable products at stores starting next year to reduce plastic waste spiking amid the pandemic, the environment ministry said Friday. The ministry has recently put up an administrative notice that a revised law prohibiting the use of disposable items, such as paper cups and plastic straws, inside cafes, fast food chains and other restaurants will go into effect in January, or next month at the earliest. The government had initially banned plastic use by law in August 2018 but added an enforcement decree to the law after COVID-19 broke out to temporarily allow the use of disposable items due to concerns over virus transmissions through multiuse items. The ministry said the decree was recently deleted to deal with waste problems as the use of disposable products surged amid the pandemic.Under the new revision, cafes and eateries could face fines according to the frequency of violation of the plastic-ban policy and the size of their stores. (Yonhap)

Nov 19, 2021

Cafes, restaurants to be banned from using disposable items under revised law

78% of domestic plastic waste comes from food packaging: survey

Workers sort out plastic waste along a conveyor belt at Union Park in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, in this Sept. 13 photo. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hae-rinMore than seven out of 10 pieces of plastic thrown away by households is food packaging, and the amount of household plastic waste has been increasing, as people have been spending more time at home amid the prolonged pandemic, according to a recent report by Greenpeace Korea. Greenpeace Korea presented, Wednesday, its survey of 2,671 people from 841 households about domestic plastic garbage. It is the plastic garbage report with the largest-scale public participation so far, according to the group.According to the report, 78.1 percent of domestic plastic waste comes from food packaging from daily life. Specifically, beverage and dairy products make up 32.5 percent of this food packaging, snacks make up 12.9 percent, and “home meal replacement” plastic waste makes up 7.6 percent.Following food packaging plastic waste, personal hygiene products such as wipes, shampoo bottles, toothbrushes and rubber gloves,

Nov 17, 2021By Lee Hae-rin

78% of domestic plastic waste comes from food packaging: survey

State-run agency opens protection facility for endangered animals

A sulcata tortoise at the CITES Animal Shelter within the compound of the National Institute of Ecology in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province / Courtesy of the National Institute of EcologyBy Bahk Eun-jiA state-run agency has opened a facility to protect endangered animals. The National Institute of Ecology (NIE) said Sunday that the CITES Animal Shelter, located in the NIE's compound in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong Province, recently started caring for endangered animals that were either abandoned by their owners or confiscated after being smuggled into Korea.A serval wild cat at the CITES Animal Shelter / Courtesy of the National Institute of EcologyThe CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is a multilateral treaty adopted in 1973 to prevent the illegal trading of endangered species and to protect them. Korea joined the convention in 1993. The shelter, which was built on a 2,162-square-meter site, contains quarantine, rearing and exhibition facilities, and can accommodate up to 580 animals from 140 species.In Septembe

Nov 14, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

State-run agency opens protection facility for endangered animals

South Korea, IAEA hold talks on North Korean nukes, Fukushima water release

This 2018 June file photo shows the logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the building of the IAEA laboratories in Seibersdorf, near Vienna. AFP-YonhapSouth Korea and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held high-level talks Friday to discuss North Korea's nuclear program, Japan's planned disposal of radioactive contaminated water and other issues, the foreign ministry said.Ham Sang-wook, deputy foreign minister for multilateral and global affairs, met Massimo Aparo, the head of the IAEA department of safeguards, in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.During the meeting, Ham requested the IAEA play a proactive role in enhancing transparency and safety regarding Japan's planned disposal of the wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.Tokyo plans to release the water that has been stored in tanks at the wrecked plant, possibly starting 2023.Seoul and the IAEA have held high-level talks since 2013 to promote bilateral strategic communication. (Yonhap)

Nov 12, 2021

South Korea, IAEA hold talks on North Korean nukes, Fukushima water release

2.1 magnitude quake hits southeastern city of Pohang: KMA

This image, provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration, shows the location of the epicenter of an earthquake that struck South Korea's southeastern region on Nov. 12. Korea TimesA 2.1 magnitude earthquake struck the southeastern city of Pohang early Friday but is not expected to cause any damage, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred at 1:31 a.m. in a region about 12 kilometers north of the Buk ward office in Pohang, some 375 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a depth of 8 km. The quake's tremor was recorded at Level 2 on the seismic intensity scale in North Gyeongsang Province, where the epicenter was located, and Level 1 in other regions.Level 2 means only a small number of people in a quiet state or on higher level floors can feel the shaking, and Level 1 means most people would not have felt it.In 2017, a 5.4 magnitude quake hit Pohang, leading to the postponement of that year's state-administered college entrance exam by one week. It was the first time the annual exam was delayed du

Nov 12, 2021

2.1 magnitude quake hits southeastern city of Pohang: KMA

Season's first snow in Seoul

A resident walks with an umbrella near Mount Bugak in Jongno District, central Seoul, Wednesday, as Seoul received its first snowfall of the season. The Korea Meteorological Administration said light snow was observed at a weather observation station in Seoul's Songwol-dong at 6:10 a.m., about a month earlier than last year's first snow. Yonhap

Nov 10, 2021

False information rampant online over 'urea water' solution

A farmer makes urea water from urea fertilizer and purified water in a self-made video clip uploaded on Nov. 4. Captured from YouTubeBy Lee Hae-rinFalse information and scams are spreading online about making and selling diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), also known as “urea water,” amid a supply shortage of the critical additive required for cutting air pollution from diesel engines. Law enforcement and environment authorities have warned of such activities, saying those making or selling unauthorized products could face heavy punishment including jail terms.These cases are taking place as the country is suffering from an extreme shortage of DEF since the middle of last month, following China tightening exports of component material, as nearly 98 percent of Korea's urea water imports are from the neighboring country.Several clips have been put online showing how to make urea water, including one by a farmer who blends agricultural urea fertilizer with purified water in a YouTube video uploaded Nov. 4.“Although this is how I created a urea solution, I wouldn't use it for m

Nov 9, 2021By Lee Hae-rin

False information rampant online over 'urea water' solution

No immediate end in sight for diesel exhaust fluid shortage in Korea

93.7 percent of Koreans consider climate crisis 'serious': survey

Attendees in the Blue Zone during the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Britain, Nov. 2. EPA-YonhapNearly 94 percent of South Koreans consider the climate crisis "serious," but only half believe the issue is connected to human rights, a survey showed Sunday.According to the survey of 1,500 people commissioned by the National Human Rights Commission, 80.4 percent responded that they are interested in the climate crisis issue.Asked how serious the crisis is, 93.7 percent said "serious," while 79.8 percent said climate change seriously affects people's lives, according to the survey.But only 52.1 percent of the respondents thought the issue is related to human rights.Duroo, a nonprofit organization of lawyers, and law firm Jipyong, which conducted the survey, said the government should make greater efforts to provide people with information on climate change's relations to human rights.The human rights watchdog commissioned the survey after about 40 people filed a joint petition claiming their human rights were violated due to the climate crisis, such as climate change leading to more acc

Nov 7, 2021

93.7 percent of Koreans consider climate crisis 'serious': survey

Lotte aquarium plans to transport beluga whale to wildlife sanctuary

A beluga whale swims in the Lotte World aquarium in Seoul, Nov. 5. YonhapLotte World said Friday that it plans to send its only-surviving beluga whale in its aquarium to a wildlife sanctuary next year in a move for its eventual release into its natural habitat.The theme park business unit of Hotel Lotte said it is in contact with a whale sanctuary in Iceland, and plans to talk with sanctuaries in Russia and Canada.Lotte World said the East Sea ― the body of water between South Korea and Japan ― is also considered as a site for releasing "Bella," or the last survivor of the three beluga whales."It is utmost important that Bella remains in good health condition in order to survive the wild environment," Lotte World aquarium chief Koh Jeong-rack said in a news conference at Lotte World in western Seoul.He said the 9-year-old female whale is regularly checked by medical staff members from Japan, Taiwan and Russia.The announcement came after years of criticism from wildlife and animal rights activists that the endangered oceanic creature naturally cannot live healthily in an aquarium.Lott

Nov 5, 2021

Lotte aquarium plans to transport beluga whale to wildlife sanctuary

Cheong Wa Dae says nuclear phase-out policy remains in place

Seen on a TV camera monitor, President Moon Jae-in, left, attends a joint press conference with Hungarian President Janos Ader in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 3. AP-YonhapCheong Wa Dae said Thursday there has been no change to the government's nuclear phase-out policy, responding to confusion over the Hungarian president's remarks following his meeting with President Moon Jae-in.Hungarian President Janos Ader held a summit with Moon in Budapest on Wednesday and told reporters afterward the two countries shared the view that achieving carbon neutrality is impossible without the use of nuclear energy.The statement raised questions about whether the Moon administration has changed its policy on scaling back nuclear power."Our nuclear phase-out policy is that we will reduce the share of nuclear power over the very long term until 2080 and instead raise the share of new renewable energy and hydrogen energy in order to achieve carbon neutrality," Park Soo-hyun, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication, told KBS radio."Our basic policy will continue without wavering," he said, add

Nov 4, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae says nuclear phase-out policy remains in place

Korea's nuclear phase-out plan raises net-zero dilemma

Environment & Animals