Choi Won-suk is a photojournalist at The Korea Times. Before joining the newspaper, he also worked as a photojournalist with AFP and St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. He spent 13 years in the United States, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts in Photography from Ohio University - Athens. Over the past 11 years, Choi covered various news events such as presidential elections, the 2019 North Korea-United States Hanoi Summit and 2022 Qatar World Cup. But above all, Choi believes in local journalism and finds a lot of joy telling life stories of ordinary citizens in small neighborhoods.
South Korea bans disposable plastic bags from big supermarkets
A South Korean government ban on the use of disposable plastic bags at big supermarkets came into effect on Tuesday (January 1) in a bid to protect the environment and encourage recycling.
The revised law affects about 2,000 supermarkets over 165 square metres in size, all of which used to provide disposable plastic bags for free, South Korea's Environment Ministry said.
Ahead of the ban on Monday (December 31), shoppers in Seoul thought the move was the "right way to go" but an inconvenience that will take time to get used to. One shopper felt it might be better to find ways to reuse plastic bags, rather than ban them altogether.
More than 60 countries now have bans or taxes on single-use plastics, according to the United Nations, which has called for such measures to stem the tide of pollution. Of the 9 billion tonnes of plastic the world has produced, only 9 percent has been recycled, the United Nations added. (Reuters)
Ocean microplastics pollution cycle. GettyimagesBank
By Choi Won-suk