South Korea - The Korea Times

Firefighters combating wildfires in central regions for 3rd day

A chopper sprays water over a hill in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, April 4. YonhapThousands of firefighters and forestry personnel were combating wildfires Tuesday in South Chungcheong Province and the nearby city of Daejeon that have continued for the third day.The wildfires in the county of Hongseong, 114 kilometers south of Seoul, and the nearby cities of Dangjin and Daejeon broke out on Sunday when a dry weather warning was issued in the region, and remain unextinguished as of Tuesday morning. Some 1,800 firefighting personnel, along with 19 fire choppers, were deployed overnight through the morning to combat the wildfire in Hongseong, but the blaze spread further due to strong winds.The fire extinguishing rate for the Hongseong wildfire stood at 67 percent as of 5 a.m., and 1,452 hectares of land were presumed to have been affected by the blaze. Nearly 3,000 personnel and 188 fire engines and gear will be sent to the scene on Tuesday to bring the main body of the fire under control, forestry officials said. Fifteen fire helicopters were separately deployed to fight the

Apr 4, 2023

Firefighters combating wildfires in central regions for 3rd day

Seoul wildfire completely extinguished after 25 hours

Firefighters and Army soldiers try to put out the smoldering fires on Mount Inwang in central Seoul, April 3. YonhapA wildfire on a mountain in central Seoul was completely put out Monday afternoon after 25 hours, authorities said.The fire started on Mount Inwang, a popular trekking spot in the central ward of Jongno, shortly before noon Sunday and spread rapidly due to strong wind, temporarily forcing about 120 households to evacuate, according to the Seoul city government. No injuries or deaths have been reported.The main fire was put out at around 5 p.m. Sunday, but firefighters had difficulty extinguishing the smoldering fires despite all-night operations.The city government said all the smoldering fires were completely extinguished as of 1:27 p.m.It estimates the fire burned about 15 hectares of woodland, equivalent to 21 football fields.Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the cause of the fire, leaving all possibilities open, including arson and accidental fire. (Yonhap)

Apr 3, 2023

Seoul wildfire completely extinguished after 25 hours

Last-ditch efforts under way to contain wildfire in central Seoul

Last-ditch efforts under way to contain wildfire in central Seoul

Firefighters and Army soldiers try to put out the smoldering fires on Mount Inwang in central Seoul, April 3. YonhapFirefighting authorities on Monday are making last-ditch efforts to contain a wildfire on a mountain in central Seoul, as smoldering fires have not been completely extinguished for over 20 hours.The fire started on Mount Inwang, a popular trekking spot in the central ward of Jongno, shortly before noon Sunday and spread rapidly due to strong wind, temporarily forcing about 120 households to evacuate, according to the Seoul city government. No injuries or deaths have been reported.The main fire was put out at around 5 p.m. Sunday, but firefighters were still having difficulty extinguishing the smoldering fires despite all-night operations, the government said, adding the fire extinguishing rate reached 98 percent as of 6:50 a.m. Monday.The government estimates the fire has burned about 15 hectares of woodland, equivalent to 21 football fields.Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the cause of the fire, leaving all possibilities open, including arson and acciden

Apr 3, 2023

Last-ditch efforts under way to contain wildfire in central Seoul

Seoul wildfire completely extinguished after 25 hours

Yoon orders all-out efforts against spring wildfires

A National Fire Agency helicopter dumps water to contain a fire at Mount Inwang in central Seoul on April 2. YonhapPresident Yoon Suk Yeol instructed relevant authorities Sunday to make all-out efforts to put out and prevent spring wildfires, his office said.Yoon issued the message following reports of wildfires on Mount Inwang, near the previous location of Korea's presidential office, and a mountain in Hongseong, 114 kilometers south of Seoul.As of 2:30 p.m., some 580 officials and nine helicopters had been mobilized to put out the blaze on Mount Inwang that broke out shortly before noon. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries caused by it.Authorities have banned entry to the mountain, with residents in nearby areas being evacuated. Some 120 households already have been evacuated.Some 0.23 square kilometers of land, equivalent to the size of 32 football fields, have been destroyed by the wildfire.Yoon ordered the National Fire Agency and the National Forest Service to use all possible resources to extinguish the fires, and called on the interior and defense ministries to

Apr 2, 2023

Yoon orders all-out efforts against spring wildfires

Ramsar wetland in Han River cleaned up for protected birdlife

Willow trees on Bam Island in the Han River in Seoul are water-sprayed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Monday, to clean the trees off droppings left behind by great cormorants. The winter migratory birds have been coming to the island in increasing numbers in recent years. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentBy Ko Dong-hwanThere is a tiny island on the Han River in the middle of Seoul where human entry is restricted almost all the time. Only those contracted to monitor the site twice daily and those with clearance for research purposes are allowed to visit. The island, 1.3 kilometers long and 300 meters wide, is internationally recognized for its significance in providing a natural habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife species. Bam Island has been under the city's protection since 1999 when the city government recognized its ecological value. It earned additional recognition from the United Nations Convention on Wetlands in 2012, being designated as a Ramsar Wetland ― an ecological site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention of 1971.On Monday, the

Mar 28, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Ramsar wetland in Han River cleaned up for protected birdlife

Gyeonggi police investigate dog farm after finding dead dogs, animal bones

Police officers examine the ground to retrieve animal bones from a dog farm in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Screen captured from Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon's Facebook pageBy Kim Se-jeong Gyeonggi police launched an investigation into a dog farm in Gwangju last weekend after finding eight dead dogs and the bones of 21 unidentified animals. Police suspected the farm owner had abandoned the animals in violation of the animal protection law. The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency is currently examining the remains to identify the cause of their deaths. The unidentified bones are believed to be of dogs, goats and cats, according to the police. The police also found 51 dogs alive, all caged, at the farm.“We will conduct health checkups on the live animals,” a police officer was quoted as saying by a local Korean newspaper. “Most dead dogs were found in cages, leading us to suspect that the owner left them to die.” Under animal protection law, those failing to provide care and necessary medical treatment to animals can face imprisonment of up to three yea

Mar 27, 2023By Kim Se-jeong

Gyeonggi police investigate dog farm after finding dead dogs, animal bones

Zoo shares sad story of what caused Sero the zebra to escape

Sero, a three-year-old zebra, trots by surprised bystanders in an eastern Seoul residential area after escaping from a nearby zoo on Thursday in this photo provided by a local resident. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe sad story of the three-year-old zebra, Sero, is drawing belated public attention after news about his escape from a zoo made headlines.According to zoo officials and fire authorities, Sero escaped from the zoo inside Seoul Children's Grand Park in eastern Seoul by breaking a wooden deck installed around his pen at around 2:50 p.m. on Thursday.After roaming around the nearby residential area, Sero was captured safely in the street located about one kilometer away from the zoo after being tranquilized. He was brought back to the zoo at around 6:10 p.m. Police, fire and zoo officials try to capture Sero, a three-year-old zebra, in an eastern Seoul residential district after his escape from a nearby zoo on Thursday in this photo provided by a local resident. YonhapAccording to a YouTube channel of the Seoul Facilities Corp., Sero was born in June of 2019 in the zoo and was happy and

Mar 24, 2023By Jun Ji-hye

Zoo shares sad story of what caused Sero the zebra to escape

Whale carcass found on southwestern beach

This March 24 photo provided by the local Coast Guard shows a dead whale lying on a beach on an islet in Buan County, 204 kilometers south of Seoul.A whale carcass has been found on a beach on an islet off the southwestern coast, officials said Friday.The 10-meter-long whale was found by a resident on a sandy beach on an islet in Buan County, 204 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 7 p.m. on Thursday, the local Coast Guard said.The animal is presumed to be a Bryde's whale, an endangered species, whose trade is strictly prohibited.There were no signs of illegal capture, according to the authorities. The Coast Guard and the whale research center of the National Institute of Fisheries Science will conduct an investigation into the whale's death, they said. (Yonhap)

Mar 24, 2023

Whale carcass found on southwestern beach

Zebra captured after escaping from Seoul zoo

In this photo provided by a citizen, a zebra walks in a residential district in eastern Seoul after escaping from a nearby zoo, Thursday. YonhapA zebra that escaped from a zoo in Seoul, Thursday, was captured in the streets of the Korean capital after roaming at large for about three hours, according to zoo officials and fire authorities.The zebra reportedly broke free from Seoul Children's Grand Park zoo in eastern Seoul around 2:50 p.m. and roamed around the nearby residential area. Born in 2021 in the same zoo, the zebra, named Sero, broke through the wooden deck installed around its pen, according to zoo staff.Officials later managed to surround the zebra with a safety fence and administered anesthetic muscle relaxants. The zebra was returned to the zoo at around 6:10 p.m.There were no reported casualties or property damage caused by the incident, according to officials. (Yonhap)A zebra walks in a residential district in eastern Seoul after escaping from a nearby zoo on March 23, in this photo provided by a citizen. YonhapPolice, fire fighters and zoo officials try to capture a z

Mar 23, 2023

Zebra captured after escaping from Seoul zoo

Food ministry refutes microcystin-poisoned rice scandal

An algae-ridden lower part of the Nakdong River near the drinking water reservoir for Busan, Aug. 11, 2022 / YonhapEnvironmental observers call the government's poison test 'unreliable'By Ko Dong-hwanKorea's food watchdog has refuted claims about a poisoned rice scandal that was brought up last week by environmental activists, saying the authority did not find any poison in rice samples used in a test conducted last year. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety told The Korea Times on Wednesday that it had collected samples of rice, radish and cabbage from across the country and tested them to check whether the foods being distributed across the country are safe to eat.According to results released to the public in January, 40 samples of rice from 2021 were collected from a rice processing complex where produce from paddy fields near the country's four biggest rivers was stored. Parts of the Han River, Nakdong River, Geum River and Yeongsan River have been polluted with green algae because dams on the rivers stagnate the water flow and have, therefore, disrupted ecosystems. Environmenta

Mar 23, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Environment & Animals