The Korea Herald

Quake count rises on Korean Peninsula

The Korean Peninsula was hit by 93 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or stronger last year, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.A report by the KMA said the latest figure is the highest since the center began to compile data in 1978, and almost double the average of 44.5 quakes a year monitored between 1999 and 2012.No deadly quakes were observed, but a string of minor tremors suggest that the country, known as being relatively safe from earthquakes, needs a comprehensive study on the

Jan. 6, 2014

Biologist devoted to preserving biodiversity

Over the past few years, dams were built on large rivers and hundreds of ultrahigh-voltage power lines were erected along villages, despite public outcry over environmental concerns.The construction affected endangered species’ habitats, and drinking water, sitting stagnant, became contaminated. Biologist Choe Jae-chun strongly believes that such major disruptions in the ecosystem could be prevented if only people knew more about the environment. He vowed to help bring people closer to ecology a

Dec. 27, 2013

Biologist devoted to preserving biodiversity

Korea’s largest ecological park to open next month

South Korea’s largest ecological park will open on Jan. 2 to boost public awareness of the environment and biodiversity, officials said Wednesday.The state-run National Institute of Ecology in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, will display some 46,000 specimens from 4,500 plant species and 4,200 specimens from 240 animal species in its Ecorium exhibition center. Some 326.4 billion won ($308 million) has been spent on the construction of the facility on a 1 million-square-kilometer plot of la

Dec. 25, 2013

China bans shellfish imports from U.S. West Coast

SEATTLE (AP) ― China has suspended imports of shellfish from the U.S. West Coast, cutting off one of the biggest export markets for Northwest companies and prompting fears of a months-long shutdown.The Chinese government imposed the ban after discovering that recent shipments of geoduck clams from Northwest waters had high levels of arsenic and a toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning, KUOW public radio reported The Chinese government says the ban that started last week will continue in

Dec. 16, 2013

U.S. Navy expands sonar testing despite troubling signs

SAN DIEGO (AP) ― The U.S. Navy plans to increase sonar testing over the next five years, even as research it funded reveals worrying signs that the loud underwater noise could disturb whales and dolphins.Reported mass strandings of certain whale species have increased worldwide since the military started using sonar half a century ago. Scientists think the sounds scare animals into shallow waters where they can become disoriented and wash ashore, but technology capable of close monitoring has em

Dec. 16, 2013

U.S. Navy expands sonar testing despite troubling signs

Rival parties clash over spy agency reform after Jang's execution

Rival political parties in South Korea clashed Monday over the scope of reforming the state spy agency's operations in the wake of the execution of North Korea's No. 2 man.The ruling Saenuri Party said the National Intelligence Service (NIS)'s operations should be enhanced to effectively deal with the security uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula following the North's execution of Jang Song-thaek.The once-powerful uncle and guardian of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was executed last Thursday

Dec. 16, 2013

Ministry unveils steps to improve fine dust forecast

The government on Tuesday announced measures to better cope with harmful fine dust amid mounting criticism over its inaccurate forecasts in the past week. The Ministry of Environment is to have a taskforce of 12 experts from concerned ministries to release a fine dust forecast on a daily basis starting as early as next Monday, according to officials. The new plan came as smog blanketed much of the country in recent weeks. The smog level was way off from the calculation by the National Institute

Dec. 10, 2013

Gov't to provide more information on fine dust

South Korea plans to inform its citizens of fine dust levels twice a day starting early next year to cope with the continued inflow of harmful particles from China, the government said Tuesday.The government has so far issued forecasts when the air quality was measured at levels three or higher in a five-tier rating composed of "good," "so-so," "a little bad," "bad," "very bad," to help people properly deal with high-density fine dust.But starting next Monday, the forecasting service will be pro

Dec. 10, 2013

Operation rate of S. Korean nuke power plants dips to 25-year low

The operation rate of the country's nuclear power plants sank to its lowest level in 25 years, as a number of the plants were suspended for faulty parts supplied under fake tests and also underwent regular maintenance work, data showed on Sunday.According to the Korea Electric Power Corp., the operation rate of the country's 23 nuclear power plants stood at 75.2 percent in the first 10 months of the year.Last year, the comparable figure was 82.3 percent, also down 8.4 percentage points from a ye

Dec. 8, 2013

Korea, China to hold talks on smog crisis

Korean and Chinese experts are to meet in Beijing next week to discuss measures to fight acrid smog, according to the Ministry of Environment. A taskforce of 10 experts from concerned organizations is to meet with the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection on Dec. 12, to solve problems involving toxic airborne pollutants, particularly ultra fine dust particles. The organizations participating in the project are the Metropolitan Air Quality Management Office, National Institute of Environme

Dec. 5, 2013

Fine dust level 3 times higher than normal

South Korea is on alert over choking smog originating from wintertime coal use in China, which is threatening people’s respiratory and immune systems.The concentration of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, or PM10, increased to more than three times normal levels Wednesday, with Gyeonggi Province recording the highest figure of 268 micrograms per cubic meter. The concentration in the province averaged 55 micrograms on Nov. 22, according to the National Institute of Envi

Dec. 4, 2013

Korea grapples with health risks, damage from city pigeons

Throughout history, pigeons and doves have been symbols of love and peace and used as messengers over long distances. The birds have now turned into an urban headache posing health risks, damaging property and spoiling the landscape. They are often branded as “flying rats” and “chickgeons” (referring to overweight birds). The Ministry of Environment designated city pigeons as harmful wildlife in 2009 for carrying pathogenic disease germs and defacing buildings and cultural assets with excreta.Bu

Dec. 2, 2013

Korea grapples with health risks, damage from city pigeons

New faultlines widen at U.N. climate talks

WARSAW (AFP) -- Fraught UN climate talks revealed growing frustration this week among vulnerable nations and observers with the political stance of emerging economies like China and India in the battle to stave off dangerous Earth warming.As the global balance of economic and political clout shifts, the world of climate negotiations is no longer a simple standoff between developed and developing nations.Some fear a growing divide within the developing bloc will see the voice of poor, climate-vul

Nov. 24, 2013

KECO to tap into green market in Africa

The state-run Korea Environment Corp. is to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday with Water Sanitation for Africa, in an effort to help improve access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the region, company officials said Wednesday.The agreement, which will be made in Abidjan, Cte d’Ivoire, focuses on cooperation in making environment-friendly policies, infrastructure and welfare services.Water and sanitation levels have been typically poor in Sub-Saharan Africa, with only 31 percen

Nov. 21, 2013

Environment minister urges support for U.N. climate fund

Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu urged developed countries Thursday to provide funds to tackle global challenges stemming from climate change, the ministry said.Yoon made the call at the 19th session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland, which brought together representatives from more than 190 countries to debate how to deal with climate change beyond 2020, it said. “Developed countries should express their will to begin suppor

Nov. 21, 2013

Boar war: Korea struggles to deal with wild pigs

This is something you don’t see everyday in the city: four feral boars on a rampage. It all happened in the morning of Nov. 8, around apartment buildings, a school playground and even a department store. The bizarre sight would surely have made a great anecdote for the witnesses, but the damage and risk that the boars make every year have reached an alarming level, data show.According to a Ministry of Environment report, 381 sightings of feral boars were reported in downtown Seoul between 2011 a

Nov. 20, 2013

Boar war: Korea struggles to deal with wild pigs

Guizhou strives to balance economy, environment

GUIYANG/BEIJING, China ― At the epicenter of breakneck growth in southwestern China, Guizhou province is ramping up efforts to tackle pollution that poses an increasing threat to the region’s public health, foreign investment and tourism. Fortified with ample cultural and natural heritage, the provincial government is seeking to turn one of the country’s least developed regions into an industrial and tourism hub. One year ago it unveiled plans to pump 100 million yuan ($16.4 million) into each o

Nov. 18, 2013

Tense week ahead for climate talks

WARSAW (AP) ― U.N. climate talks head into a tense final week Monday after the diplomatic effort to reduce global warming gases was hit by a series of setbacks, including Japan’s decision to ditch its voluntary emissions target.The two-decade-old negotiations have so far failed to achieve their goal of slashing emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that scientists say are warming the planet. They don’t seem to be getting any closer after a tumultuous first week at this year’s session in Wa

Nov. 18, 2013

Korea eyes era of ‘green growth 2.0’

Despite concerns that it has weakened its commitment, Korea remains determined to fight global warming by pushing through carbon reduction projects at home and boosting international cooperation, the nation’s ambassador for climate change said. In recent months, criticism has mounted over the new administration’s relative lack of interest in advancing Seoul’s much-touted climate initiative, which hit its stride under former President Lee Myung-bak with his 2008 “low carbon, green growth” vision.

Nov. 10, 2013

Korea, China, Japan to jointly study fine pollutants

South Korea, China and Japan have agreed to start joint research on ultrafine pollutants as part of a broad scientific cooperation to fight environmental problems.The chiefs of those three countries’ state-run environmental scientific institutes also agreed to add environmental disasters to the list of their ongoing joint projects, including climate change, yellow dust, harmful chemicals and water pollution. The 10th annual meeting was held in Nanjing, China, from Tuesday to Friday, with the par

Nov. 10, 2013