[H.eco Forum] Protecting tidal flats important in fighting climate change, expert says

As global warming intensifies due to climate change, coastal regions will be among the areas worst hit. The rise in sea level is expected to cause severe disturbance to coastal ecosystems and ignite catastrophic socioeconomic problems with natural disasters. Countries are working together to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in a belief that problems hinted to stem from climate change will be prevented with eco-friendly initiatives, but experts say sea level rise is still inevitable even if t

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Democratic Party cornered by yet another sex scandal

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is yet again dealing with a sexual harassment controversy as it readies for an important election in less than three weeks. Legislators with the Democratic Party on Monday approved Rep. Park Wan-joo’s expulsion from the party over allegations that he sexually harassed a female staff member late last year. The party requested the National Assembly to penalize Park, which could cost him the lawmaker seat. Park was reportedly und

PoliticsMay 16, 2022

Education Ministry to run 50-day inspection on school safety

The Ministry of Education is to run a 50-day inspection on the educational environment of 1,250 kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools from Wednesday. The newly launched task force will review the schools’ respective quarantine measures, guidelines for extracurricular activities and monitor school facilities. As schools have recently resumed normal operations after a two-year COVID-19-induced hiatus, the inspection team will also examine schools’ respective infectio

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Quirks of Korean dating explained (1) Love confessions, a rite of passage for all couples

They say love is universal, but when it comes to dating culture, Korea has a different love language, according to five international couples that The Korea Herald interviewed. From love ‘confessions’ to matching outfits, here are some dating norms that set Korea apart. – Ed.    For Koreans, confessing their love to a crush is deemed a crucial step for a romantic relationship to begin. Only when one party makes the confession, the so-called “some&rdquo

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Kim reprimands officials for slow medical delivery

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reprimanded officials for failing to deliver medicine in time, and ordered the mobilization of the military to stabilize the supply in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, North Korea’s state media reported Monday. Raising concerns over the virus spread, Kim also strongly criticized law enforcement officials for failing to prevent people from hoarding and illegally distributing the medicines, the Korean Central News Agency said. “The fact that the m

North KoreaMay 16, 2022

Yoon calls for bipartisanship in economy, security

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized Monday the need for bipartisan cooperation on passing a supplementary budget to compensate for pandemic losses and to expand economic and security ties with major countries. In his first speech as the president at the National Assembly, Yoon focused on “bipartisan cooperation” and expressed his strong willingness to resolve pending issues with the support of lawmakers. After the speech, Yoon walked around the plenary session, shaking hands with o

PoliticsMay 16, 2022

Going solo: Korean body scrubs adapt to pandemic

For the first time in nearly two years, Bae Eun-jin, a 35-year old office worker in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, recently had a proper Korean sauna experience -- soaking her body in hot water and getting a full-body scrub.  The only difference was that the bathhouse she visited was set up for a single customer only.  “Since I was the only customer there, I felt safe from infection risks. I loved the quiet atmosphere without any distractions from other people,” said Bae, w

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Holler for Seollal: Holiday traditions burden some

* From waking up a dozing student to tidying up graves, online advertisements with unusual but real job descriptions offer a peek into the Korean society. The Korea Herald looks at some of these unusual ads. The following is the second installment. – Ed. Korea’s two biggest -- and longest -- holidays are Seollal and Chuseok, around which the hyperlocal community app Karrot Market is bustling with cries for help. The website usually operates a separate page for part-time jobs targe

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Poll shows tight contest in race for Gyeonggi governor

The two candidates of the ruling and the main opposition parties are running neck and neck in a race for the governorship of Gyeonggi Province in the June local elections, a survey showed Monday. Kim Eun-hye, former lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), led former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) 40.5 percent to 38.1 percent, according to the survey of 1,010 adults, conducted by Gallup Korea last Friday and Saturday. The gap of 2.4 percentage

PoliticsMay 16, 2022

Half of older adults in Seoul have no experience using kiosks: survey

Half of older adults in Seoul have no experience using digital kiosks, a survey showed Monday, despite a rising number of businesses adopting such self-service electronic machines amid the pandemic. The poll released by the Seoul Digital Foundation, a digital arm of the city government, showed 45.8 percent of people aged 55 or older living in Seoul said they have used kiosk machines, compared with 94.1 percent of those aged less than 55. Noticeably, 29.4 percent of those aged between 65 and 74 h

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

S. Korea's Black Eagles aerobatic team to perform in British air shows in July

The South Korean Air Force's aerobatic flight team plans to join three international air shows in Britain in July, Seoul officials said Monday, marking its first visit to the European nation in 10 years. The Black Eagles team is set to participate in the Southport Air Show, Royal International Air Tattoo, and Farnborough Airshow from July 9-22, as part of military diplomacy to promote South Korean-made aircraft. The team last attended a British show in 2012. Later, it joined flight events in Sin

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Yoon offers unsparing COVID-19 aid to N. Korea

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will spare no effort to help North Korea cope with a massive outbreak of the coronavirus, offering to send vaccines and other necessary supplies if Pyongyang agrees to accept. Yoon made the offer for a second time as the North struggles to curb rapidly spreading infections after acknowledging an outbreak last week for the first time since the pandemic began. Leader Kim Jong-un has described the worsening situation as "a great upheaval" rarely see

North KoreaMay 16, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit 4-month low amid efforts for return to normalcy

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to their lowest tally in nearly four months Monday amid a slowing virus trend giving a boost to efforts for a return to normalcy. The country reported 13,296 new COVID-19 infections, including 28 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,795,357, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's count is the lowest since the 13,005 reported on Jan. 26. The omicron wave spread rapidly across the nation early this year, peaking at mo

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Helicopter carrying 3 crashes in southern city of Geoje

A helicopter carrying three crewmen crashed in the southern coastal city of Geoje on Monday, with their fate remaining unknown, firefighters said. The chopper went down near Mt. Seonja at around 9 a.m., according to an accident report filed with firefighting authorities. Three people were presumed to have been on board, according to an accident report Rescuers are trying to verify the fate of the crewmen. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsMay 16, 2022

Coordinated efforts, continued pressure keys to denuclearization of N. Korea: experts

The United States and South Korea must send a clear and strong message to North Korea that the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is their goal in order to succeed, a group of South Korean and US experts said in a book soon to be released. The experts also underscored the importance of maintaining pressure on Pyongyang while helping to address humanitarian issues, such as the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the impoverished country. "First, the two sides should co

North KoreaMay 16, 2022

S. Korea signs deal to purchase some 40 US-made helicopters to train military pilots

South Korea has signed a contract worth 170 billion won ($132.8 million) with a US aerospace firm, Bell Textron Asia, to purchase some 40 trainer helicopters by 2025, the state arms procurement agency said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) inked the deal with the firm on May 6 to procure the Bell 505 helicopters and eight simulators to train Army and Navy pilots, its officials said. The simulators are to be manufactured by a Korean firm. The South Korean military plan

DefenseMay 16, 2022

How bad could omicron get in North Korea?

After holding down the fort for over two years, North Korea finally let COVID-19 slip through the cracks in its tightly sealed doors. Just days since the first cases were announced, North Korea’s total number of related deaths rose to 42, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Sunday. The count of people with fever accumulated since late April reached 820,620, which is about 3 percent of its 25 million population.  How bad could omicron get in North Korea? Here&r

North KoreaMay 15, 2022

Largest-ever World Forestry Congress calls for stronger cooperation

The 15th edition of the World Forestry Congress, the world’s largest gathering on forests, ended with delegates signing a joint declaration calling on enhanced cooperation across the world. The Korea Forest Service said the latest edition of the WFC, which was held at Coex in Seoul between May 3-6, both online and offline, invited a total of some 15,000 people from 164 different countries, becoming the largest in the history of the congress. Participants of the WFC this year adopted t

Foreign AffairsMay 15, 2022

Korea-led initiative launched at UNCCD forum

The Korea Forest Service held an event commemorating the launch of Business for Land Initiative on Tuesday, during the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Cote d’Ivoire. Woori Financial Group became the first business in Korea to announce its support for the organization. The UNCCD is an international organization established in 1994 to protect and restore land. There are currently 197 member countries to

Social AffairsMay 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] Seoul to soon propose talks with Pyongyang on COVID-19

South Korea is preparing to propose holding talks with North Korea on providing COVID-19 assistance, as Pyongyang recently acknowledged that it is undergoing a virus outbreak and is believed to be struggling with a lack of test kits and medical supplies. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday morning 15 new COVID-19 deaths and 296,180 additional people with fever symptoms after the country for the first time acknowledged undergoing a virus outbreak three days

North KoreaMay 15, 2022