Korea to select storage site for high-level nuclear wastes by 2028

South Korea's government said Monday that it will follow the due process of narrowing down different views to build a nuclear depository for high-level radioactive waste on its soil by 2028 in order to avoid a possible conflict over the issue.The government also decided to push to develop the pyroprocessing technology to recycle nuclear reactor wastes into fuel, officials at the relevant ministries said.The decisions were made at the sixth meeting of the Atomic Energy Commission presided over by

July 25, 2016

Korea's air traffic reaches record high in H1

Korea's air traffic surged to a record high in the first six months of the year on a sharp increase in international flights to and from the country, the government said Thursday.The country's overall air traffic came to 358,195 flights in the January-June period, up 8.1 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.The rise was largely attributed to a steep increase in the number of international flights to and from Korea, along with tho

July 21, 2016

Magnitude 5 quake detected in southeastern Korea: meteorological agency

South Korea's meteorological agency said Tuesday it has detected a magnitude 5 earthquake in the water only 52 kilometers off the coast of the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan.  The Busan Regional Office of Meteorology said the earthquake was detected around 8:33 p.m.. The shock was detected across South and North Gyeongsang Province including in major cities such as Busan and Daegu. Sources said the earthquake was strong enough to shake buildings and make objects fall from tables and shelv

July 5, 2016

Migratory birds from Russia, Thailand visit Korea's western coast

Migratory birds from Russia and Thailand were found along the western coast of South Korea, highlighting the region's ecological value as a key migratory route for several bird species, official sources said Sunday. The short-tailed bush warbler, also nicknamed the "Asian stubtail," was spotted at Taeanhaean National Park, according to an official at the Korea National Park Service. He said the bird was wearing a special ring on its foot attached by the Bird Ringing Center, located in the Mariti

July 3, 2016

University students from 25 countries to take part in Korea water forum

University students from 25 countries will take part in a four day gathering in South Korea to discuss water environment issues facing the world, the Ministry of Environment said Sunday.The Korea Water Forum, which runs from Monday through Thursday at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, will involve 78 students representing their respective countries with participants exchanging views on water-related issues, the ministry said. Students will also be tasked with coming up wit

July 3, 2016

S. Korean, Chinese business leaders agree to reduce fine dust emissions

Dozens of South Korean and Chinese business leaders agreed Saturday to work together to try to reduce fine dust emissions amid growing health concerns in South Korea.Fine dust -- particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter -- is believed to pose the greatest health risks to the respiratory system.Fine particles can lodge deeply into the lungs due to their small size -- approximately 1/30th the average width of a human hair, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The business

June 18, 2016

Gov't to set up solar panels for schools

The South Korean government will install solar power generators at about 2,000 elementary and secondary schools nationwide in a way to help the education sector earn extra income and bolster the local renewable energy business, the trade ministry said Thursday.A special purpose firm by the Korea Electric Power Corp. will invest 400 billion won ($342.3 million) by next year in a project to help some 2,000 schools install 100 kilowatt-solar panels on their rooftops, according to the Ministry of Tr

June 16, 2016

Large number of endangered porpoises found off S. Korea's west coast

A large number of endangered porpoises has been discovered near the Taean Peninsula, a sign that the marine mammals are making a comeback off South Korea's western coast, the local park service said Monday.   According to the Korea National Park Service, some 100 Indo-Pacific finless porpoises have been sighted in protected waters.   It said the discovery of such a large number of porpoises is a sign of the stable and safe eco-system of the Taeanhaean National Park.    The mammals are listed on

June 6, 2016

Ruling party urges gov't to bolster clean-air policy

South Korea's ruling party on Thursday urged the government to put a priority on improving the country's air quality rather than just pursuing a policy of bolstering energy efficiency."While the government has been promoting diesel automobiles for energy efficiency, it is important to note such cars are behind the air pollution issue," Rep. Chung Jin-suk, the floor leader, said during the meeting with government officials on fine-dust emissions.The party whip then expressed concerns over specula

June 2, 2016

Diesel construction equipment also blamed for dust pollution

Diesel cars are being blamed as the main culprit of the chronic fine dust pollution in the country, but studies indicate that diesel construction equipment is also a big part of the problem, according to experts on Friday.A tally from the Ministry of Land, infrastructure and Transport showed South Korea had 450,482 registered construction equipment as of end-March, 67 percent of them forklifts and excavators. The majority, experts say, use diesel fuel for cost and efficiency reasons, releasing d

May 27, 2016

Government policy coordination organization to lead climate change policies

South Korea's Cabinet on Tuesday approved revisions to a set of the enforcement ordinances on green growth and carbon emissions trading to have the Office for Government Policy Coordination spearhead the country's climate change policies.According to the revisions, the office under the prime minister will serve as a "control tower" to curb Asia's fourth-largest economy's carbon emissions starting next month, Seoul officials said. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance will craft and coordinate pol

May 17, 2016

Gov't to conduct full-scale probe into biocides

South Korea's government said Tuesday it will conduct a nationwide investigation into all biocides circulated in the country amid growing public outcry against the South Korean unit of the British consumer product firm Oxy Reckitt Benckiser.   Oxy is currently being probed by state prosecutors over its toxic humidifier sterilizers that have been cited for causing many deaths and illnesses.   The Ministry of Environment said it will establish a formal management system to prevent similar incident

May 3, 2016

Japan's quake could affect Korea in upcoming years: geologist

The possibility of an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 5.5 occurring on the Korean Peninsula in the next several years cannot be ruled out in the wake of Japan's latest quakes, a geologist here said, citing a pattern of seismic activity.But the presumed quake, even if realized, will cause no severe damage to South Korea as its buildings are designed to resist a maximum 6.5-magnitude earthquake, according to Ji Heon-cheol, head of the quake research center at the state-funded Korea Institute

April 20, 2016

Korea, NASA to partner on air pollution study

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration will send two science planes to South Korea next week to conduct an air pollution study in cooperation with the Asian country's environment research body, government officials said Tuesday.The National Institute of Environmental Research said a DC-8 flying laboratory and a Beechcraft UC-12B King Air are scheduled to arrive at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, on April 27 as South Korean and U.S. scientists are set to begin the six-week joint st

April 19, 2016

Released dolphin confirmed to have given birth in wild, set new precedent

A team of South Korean researchers said Monday an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin released into the wild is confirmed to have successfully given birth, heralding the unprecedented birth.The marine mammal, called Sampal and believed to be aged between 13 and 15, is presumed to have delivered and raised a calf after being released into waters off the South Korean island of Jeju in 2013."We have spotted Sampal and her baby swimming in a parent-child posture many times during the recent three weeks,

April 18, 2016