South Korea - The Korea Times

Korea-based Green Climate Fund helps developing countries access direct finance

Korea’s role as host of the Green Climate Fund is drawing greater attention to how developing countries can access climate finance, particularly through mechanisms designed to bypass traditional intermediaries. Insights from a recent lecture in Seoul highlighted how the institution is expanding direct access to funding, allowing national entities to take greater control over climate projects. “Our goal is not just to fund projects but to help build systems where countries can mobilize climate finance independently,” Olena Borysova, a principal in the GCF’s investment services department, said Feb. 24 during a lecture for Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea. “Our global economy has long been built on burning carbon. The challenge now is how quickly we can transition to systems that are sustainable, resilient and climate-friendly.” To address this need, GCF was established as a key mechanism under the Paris Agreement, working with governments and financial institutions to fund climate projects in developing countries. “Whether climate change is anthropogenic or not, we are alrea

Apr 5, 2026By Bereket Alemayehu

Korea-based Green Climate Fund helps developing countries access direct finance

Korea delays shutdown of coal-powered plants amid energy crisis

Korea will delay the shutdown of coal-powered power plants as the government scrambles to secure electricity supplies amid an escalating energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. Speaking to The Korea Times on Monday, a senior official at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said the ministry will extend the operations of three coal-fired power stations that had been scheduled to close this year. “The timetable for closing them is being rescheduled,” the official said. Asked how long the shutdown would be delayed, another senior official said the details are still under discussion and that a final decision is expected to be made in the coming days. This comes after President Lee Jae Myung instructed Minister Kim Sung-hwan to reconsider the shutdown plan, citing the need for “emergency measures” to prevent power shortages in the wake of U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran. The move marks a major disruption to Korea’s policy to rid itself of all coal-powered power plants by 2040. After changing the name of the Ministry of Environment to the curr

Mar 30, 2026By Jung Min-ho

Korea delays shutdown of coal-powered plants amid energy crisis

Korea’s national parks attract over 2 million foreign visitors last year

Korea's national parks attracted a total of 2.05 million foreign visitors in 2025, the Korea National Park Service (KNPS) said Wednesday. Of this number, 1.13 million were international tourists, while the remaining 920,000 were foreign residents living here. Hallasan National Park on Jeju Island drew the largest share of overseas tourists, recording 270,000 visitors. The figure reflects a broader trend of foreign tourists on Jeju Island incorporating natural landscape activities into their itineraries, the agency said. Dadohaehaesang National Park ranked second with 140,000 visitors, followed by Taeanhaean National Park and Hallyeohaesang National Park, each with 130,000 recorded visitors. Among international tourists, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share at 250,000 or 21.9 percent of the total number of visitors. Taiwan followed with 130,000 visitors, the Philippines with 90,000, Indonesia with 80,000, the U.S. with 60,000 and Japan with 50,000. Visitors from Chinese-speaking regions and Southeast Asian countries made up a disproportionately large share of the total, a tren

Mar 25, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan

Korea’s national parks attract over 2 million foreign visitors last year

Korea's policies deemed insufficient to encourage aluminum can recycling

The government has been criticized for insufficient policies for aluminum can recycling, as the number of Koreans choosing aluminum cans as their most preferred beverage packaging material rose from a year earlier, signaling a growing preference for more recyclable materials. The Seoul Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) released the findings Thursday, after a survey of 1,011 adults nationwide on the occasion of Global Recycling Day, marked annually on March 18. The latest poll followed a previous one conducted in February 2025. When asked about their most preferred beverage packaging material, 34.7 percent of respondents chose aluminum cans, up 10.8 percentage points from the previous year. Plastic bottles remained the top choice at 43.4 percent, but the results were interpreted as a sign of shifting consumer sentiment toward more recyclable packaging. Nearly 8 in 10 respondents agreed that recycling materials without losing their original properties is important to mitigate the climate crisis. Even so, only about half were aware that aluminum cans can be infinitely recyc

Mar 19, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk

Korea's policies deemed insufficient to encourage aluminum can recycling

Gov't to strengthen swine flu response after virus detected in livestock feed

The government plans to strengthen quarantine measures at local pig farms, slaughterhouses and fodder production facilities, after the African swine fever (ASF) virus was detected in pig feed, the agricultural ministry said Monday. According to the ministry, an epidemiological investigation found the ASF virus inside the ingredients and feed using porcine plasma, a digestible protein source derived from the blood of pigs. The government suspects blood from an infected pig was mixed in and has decided to discard all fodder suspected to be infected, while recalling more than 490 tons of feed related to the problematic manufacturer, it added. The move came as the country reported a yearly record of ASF outbreaks, 22 cases, in less than three months since the start of this year. The figure marks a sharp increase compared to the combined tally of 17 for the last two years from 2024 to 2025. Quarantine authorities are also conducting a third round of inspections of pig farms nationwide until Friday. They are additionally carrying out daily blood tests on pigs slaughtered at some 64 slaughterhou

Mar 16, 2026By Yonhap

Gov't to strengthen swine flu response after virus detected in livestock feed

Calls grow to stop zoos from letting visitors touch animals in defiance of ban

Calls are growing to end direct contact animal experiences at zoos across Korea, as new findings show many facilities continue to defy a legal ban on riding, touching and feeding animals more than two years after it took effect. Animal welfare advocates and lawmakers said the gap between the law and practice is exposing animals to chronic stress and sending the wrong message to children about wildlife. At a National Assembly forum Monday, Animal Welfare Research Institute AWARE and the Animal Welfare Parliamentary Forum presented findings from an eight-month survey of 21 registered or licensed zoos and nine unlicensed facilities across the country. The study reviewed compliance with the revised Act on the Management of Zoos and Aquariums, which since late 2023 has prohibited zoos from allowing visitors to climb on, touch or feed animals for entertainment purposes. Despite the legal shift, 20 out of 21 surveyed zoos were still selling feed for animal encounters, and 15 imposed no limits on purchase frequency or feeding volume. In 18 facilities, visitors could touch animals at any time wi

Mar 11, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Calls grow to stop zoos from letting visitors touch animals in defiance of ban

354 Seoul residents take on 100-day challenge to reduce household waste

Seoul has begun a 100-day “waste diet” experiment involving 354 residents, as city officials seek to demonstrate that the capital is taking responsibility for its own household trash and to spark a broader movement — amid criticism that it has been offloading its waste burden onto other regions. Under the program, 354 participants — matching the city’s per capita daily household waste generation of 354 grams — receive small electronic scales and are asked to weigh everything they throw away once a week over the course of the project, scheduled to run through June 10. They record the weight of general waste in volume‑based bags and seven types of recyclables — paper, plastic, vinyl, cans, glass bottles and polystyrene foam — and submit the data online. Participants are first asked to establish a baseline for their typical waste output, then try to cut that amount over 10 rounds and track how much they have reduced. Noh Su-im, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s climate and environment policy division, said the campaign is meant to be a citizen-led scheme t

Mar 4, 2026By Jung Min-ho

354 Seoul residents take on 100-day challenge to reduce household waste

Landfills go quiet as Seoul’s trash heads to incinerators — and other regions

S. Korea reports 1 new bird flu case; total rises to 51

South Korea has confirmed one additional case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at a layer farm north of Seoul, bringing the total number of cases reported this season to 51, authorities said Sunday. The latest case was detected at a poultry farm in Pocheon, about 40 kilometers north of the capital, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. Authorities have restricted access to the affected farm, begun culling the birds and launched an epidemiological investigation, officials said. A 24-hour standstill order has also been imposed on nearby poultry farms to curb further spread of the virus, they added. The government urged farms to strictly comply with quarantine and hygiene measures, including access controls and thorough disinfection, amid the seasonal migration of wild birds toward the end of winter.

Mar 1, 2026By Yonhap

S. Korea reports 1 new bird flu case; total rises to 51

Korea's arable land shrinks for 13th year in 2025

Korea's total arable land dropped for the 13th consecutive year in 2025, as rice paddies continued to shrink amid declining rice consumption, government data showed Friday. The country's arable land totaled 1.50 million hectares as of end-2025, down 0.3 percent from the previous year, according to the data by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Arable land in Asia's fourth-largest economy has been declining since 2013, largely due to falling rice consumption. Rice has traditionally been a staple food for Koreans. Total rice paddy area dipped 0.7 percent year-on-year to 755,952 hectares last year, accounting for 50.4 percent of the total, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier. The data is based on an analysis of satellite images taken between May and November last year.

Feb 27, 2026By Yonhap

Korea's arable land shrinks for 13th year in 2025

Korea reports 21st ASF case this year

Korea has confirmed a new African swine fever (ASF) case at a pig farm in the southeastern county of Hapcheon, raising the total number of cases this year to 21, authorities said Friday. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said it has dispatched quarantine officials to conduct an epidemiological investigation and restrict access to the site, and plans to cull all 5,213 pigs raised at the farm. A 24-hour standstill order has also been issued for livestock-related facilities in the areas. The country confirmed its first ASF case of the year last month in the eastern city of Gangneung after a two-month hiatus. ASF does not affect humans but is fatal to pigs, and there is currently no vaccine or cure for the disease.