South Korea - The Korea Times

PM vows more efforts to reduce ultrafine dust

The government will additionally ban Grade 5 diesel vehicles, the lowest in the country's five-tier emission standard, in the two cities of Busan and Daegu. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday that the government will make more efforts to reduce ultrafine dust as part of its drive to tackle the rise in air pollution. Under the move, the government will additionally ban Grade 5 diesel vehicles, the lowest in the country's five-tier emission standard, in the two cities of Busan and Daegu, Han said. Currently, Grade 5 diesel vehicles are banned across Seoul and its neighboring areas from December-March every year. The government aims to cut the level of ultrafine dust to 13 micrograms per cubic meter by 2027, Han said. "We will strengthen sector-specific management of major emission sources, such as large-scale workplaces, coal power plants, construction sites, and ports," Han said. (Yonhap)

Nov 25, 2022

PM vows more efforts to reduce ultrafine dust

Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 50,000 amid winter virus wave fears

A medical worker guides people at a COVID-19 testing station in a community health center in Nowon, northern Seoul, on Nov. 21. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases hit over 50,000 on Friday, continuing the mild uptrend from the previous week, as the virus wave is beginning to take hold with the onset of winter. The country reported 53,698 new COVID-19 infections, including 39 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,837,840, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's figure is down from 59,089 logged the previous day, but an increase by about 4,200 compared with a week earlier, reflecting the moderate upward curve of the virus trend. The KDCA reported 55 more deaths from the disease, putting the death toll at 30,278. The number of critically ill patients came to 453, up 16 from Thursday. The number of critically ill patients jumped 16 percent to an average of 409 in the third week of November from a week ago, government data showed. Health authorities have been bracing for what has become the seventh wave of the novel virus in the country. Health

Nov 25, 2022

Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 50,000 amid winter virus wave fears

Nation's south reels from drought-ravaged water shortage

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min talks to reporters in front of Geumil Reservoir in Pyeongil Island, Wando County, South Jeolla, Wednesday, where low precipitation through the past six months has been drying the reservoir to a dangerously low level. YonhapSouth Jeolla hit hard; ministers scramble to fetch emergency fundsBy Ko Dong-hwanHouses were inundated and people were stranded in farms after Uljin, Donghae and other eastern coastal cities in Korea were flooded by over 180 millimeters of rain over two days earlier this week. However, regions on the other side of the country are now reeling from a completely opposite kind of climate disaster. The low levels of precipitation over the past months are causing reservoirs ― that provide tap and drinking water in South Jeolla Province and Jeju Island ― to reach a dangerously low level, putting on edge the central government, responsible for addressing the hardships of local communities.Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min on Wednesday visited Geumil Reservoir, which is located on the country's southern island

Nov 24, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan

Nation's south reels from drought-ravaged water shortage

Korea reports 2 more avian influenza cases

A quarantine officials disinfect a truck near a poultry farm in the city of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Nov. 17. YonhapSouth Korea on Friday confirmed two additional cases of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) strain of H5N1, bringing the total cases reported from poultry farms since this autumn to 18, officials said.One of the cases was confirmed at an egg farm in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, and the other at a duck farm in Cheongju, 113 km southeast of the capital, the officials said.Quarantine measures have been taken on the two affected farms, including access blockades, a mass cull of poultry and an epidemiological investigation, the officials said. (Yonhap)

Nov 18, 2022

Korea reports 2 more avian influenza cases

Korea to provide $2.72 million to global climate fund

A picture released by the Egyptian Presidency of the 27th UN Climate Change Conference shows the illumination of Khafre Pyramid, one of the three ancient pyramids of Giza, Nov. 5. AFP-YonhapKorea will provide a total of 3.6 billion won ($2.72 million) to an international fund aimed at helping developing nations adapt to the harmful effects of climate change, the finance ministry said Wednesday.Seoul will contribute 1.2 billion won per annum to the Adaptation Fund over the next three years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement.Korea unveiled its contribution plan at the fund's high-level contributor dialogue in Egypt on Tuesday, which took place on the margins of the 27th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties.It marks Korea's first contribution to the fund set up in 2001 under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.The fund finances projects and programs in developing country communities that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Since 2010, it has committed $923.5 million to projects and programs t

Nov 16, 2022

Korea to provide $2.72 million to global climate fund

More than 40,000 cases of animal roadkill reported over past 3 years

A water deer fawn receives treatment after being hit by a car in February. Courtesy of Gyeonggi ProvinceBy Lee Yeon-wooMore than 40,000 wild animals were killed on Korea's roads during the past three years, according to the National Institute of Ecology.Song Eui-geun, a researcher at the National Institute of Ecology, disclosed in a recently released paper that 43,660 wild animals ended up as roadkill from 2019 to 2021.By species, Korean water deer, or hydropotes inermis, were the most killed wild animals, accounting for 60 percent of all roadkill mortalities. They were followed by raccoons (5,437), roe deers (2,039), weasels (671), wild boars (573), badgers (522) and wild rabbits (161).Song assumed that more than 100,000 wild animals end up as roadkill annually. Even though the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport have been collecting information about roadkill mortalities since last May, small rodents such as squirrels are largely not included in the study.To reduce the roadkill numbers, the government has built wildlife crossings and fenc

Nov 13, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo

More than 40,000 cases of animal roadkill reported over past 3 years

Animal rights activists accuse ex-president of abandoning North Korean dogs

President Moon Jae-in interacts with two white Pungsan dogs that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave to him as a gift, during an interview with BBC at the presidential office in Seoul, in this Oct. 12, 2018, file photo. Korea Times file'A commitment to be an animal's guardian is a commitment for life'By Jung Min-hoAnimal rights activists are criticizing former President Moon Jae-in for his decision to return his dogs ― given by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a gift following their 2018 summit ― to a government facility, saying that he should not treat the dogs as if they are objects.“Mr. Moon should not abandon the dogs or be forced to abandon them. As their guardian, it is his responsibility and privilege to care for their physical and emotional needs,” Patti Kim, head of Jindo Love Rescue, an animal rights group, told The Korea Times. “A commitment to be an animal's guardian is a commitment for life.”The statement came after Moon decided to give up a pair of white Pungsan dogs ― “Gomi” and “Songgang.” While they are currently und

Nov 10, 2022By Jung Min-ho

Animal rights activists accuse ex-president of abandoning North Korean dogs

1st ultrafine dust advisory in 9 months issued across Seoul

Fine dust and fog blanket Seoul's central area on Nov. 10. YonhapThe first ultrafine dust advisory in nine months was issued across Seoul on Thursday, the city government said.The advisory was issued at midnight over the capital, the first since Feb. 11, according to the Research Institute of Public Health and Environment of the city government.The advisory is issued when the hourly average concentration of PM 2.5 ― particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter ― stay above 75 micrograms per cubic meter for over two hours.The hourly average concentration across Seoul's 25 districts stood at 76 micrograms per cubic at 11 p.m. on Wednesday and at midnight, the institute said. It said the ultrafine dust level may have gone up as domestically generated fine dust piled up due to air stagnation. (Yonhap)

Nov 10, 2022

1st ultrafine dust advisory in 9 months issued across Seoul

INTERVIEW 'Giraffologist' shares her bond with the animal

Canadian zoologist Anne Innis Dagg, second from left, poses with giraffe zookeepers at the Seoul Grand Park Zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. Innis Dagg visited Korea to screen her documentary, "The Woman Who Loves Giraffes." Courtesy of Anne Innis DaggCanadian zoologist Anne Innis Dagg shares her love for giraffes, fight for gender equalityBy Kwon Mee-yooThe giraffe is one of the most unique-looking animals in the world, with its long neck and spotted patterning and is loved by people young and old.But Canadian zoologist Anne Innis Dagg's love for the giraffe is extraordinary. "The first time I saw a giraffe was when my mother took me to a zoo in Chicago when I was three. There was a huge giraffe and I just thought it was so wonderful and (since then) I loved it forever," Innis Dagg said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Saturday.The 89-year-old giraffe enthusiast was on a visit to East Asia, sharing her achievements in the field of zoology as well as women's rights. While in Korea, Innis Dagg showed the 2018 documentary about her, “The W

Nov 9, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo

[INTERVIEW] 'Giraffologist' shares her bond with the animal

2.9 magnitude aftershock reported following Goesan quake

A Goesan County official makes an on-site inspection following a report that roof tiles fell off a house in the county, 110 kilometers south of Seoul, Oct. 29. YonhapAn aftershock of magnitude 2.9 struck South Korea's central county of Goesan on Tuesday following a 4.1 magnitude quake last week, authorities said.No damage or casualties have been reported so far, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.The aftershock occurred in the area northeast of Goesan in North Chungcheong Province at 2:07 a.m. Tuesday, with an estimated depth of 14 kilometers, they said.A total of 21 aftershocks have occurred since Saturday's earthquake. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the Korean Peninsula this year. (Yonhap)

Nov 1, 2022

Environment & Animals