Int'l study finds vast magma storage beneath Mt. Paektu

A massive magma storage region seems to exist beneath Mount Paektu along the border between North Korea and China, an international study showed.It may be related to volcanic unrest observed on the enigmatic volcano in the early 2000s, according to the results of a research project published in the Science Advances journal.The reclusive North conducted a rare joint research with western scientists on the seismic activity of the 2,750-meter-high mountain. The North Korean, British and American sc

April 16, 2016

Fine dust hits capital area for 3rd day

The Seoul metropolitan area is under a fine dust advisory for the third consecutive day on Sunday.The city government issued the advisory for the city at noon as its 25 ward offices recorded an average fine dust concentration of 159 micrograms per cubic meter.The advisory is issued when the fine dust (PM-10) level exceeds 150 micrograms per cubic meter for more than two hours.The city recommended adults with respiratory or cardiovascular problems, the weak and old and children to stay inside and

April 10, 2016

Korea again rejects Volkswagen's recall plan

South Korea's environment ministry said Wednesday that it has again rejected Volkswagen's plan to recall its vehicles built to sidestep emissions tests sold in the country, citing the plan's insufficiency.The German carmaker recently submitted its recall plan to the Ministry of Environment for around 125,000 vehicles equipped with what are called defeat devices designed to manipulate emissions results.The ministry, however, demanded more supplementation and said the German carmaker failed to pro

March 23, 2016

Korea confirms 2 additional FMD outbreaks

Two additional outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease have been confirmed in South Korea, the government said Tuesday, stirring up fears that the livestock disease is rapidly spreading in the country's central area.Pigs at two swine farms in Nonsan in the central region of South Chungcheong Province tested positive for the highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.The quarantine authorities have culled affected ani

March 15, 2016

Korea confirms additional FMD outbreak

An additional outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in South Korea, rekindling concerns that the livestock disease may further spread widely, the government said Friday.Pigs at a swine farm in Nonsan in the central region of South Chungcheong Province tested positive for the highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.The quarantine authorities have culled some 400 affected animals, and placed a tr

March 11, 2016

Korea confirms two additional FMD cases

Two more cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been confirmed in South Korea, rekindling concerns that the animal disease could spread across the nation, the government said Thursday.Pigs at farms in Gongju and Cheonan in the central region of South Chungcheong Province tested positive for the highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.The authorities plan to cull the affected animals.Early last month, two outbrea

Feb. 18, 2016

Cold spell eases up in Korea

The cold snap that has paralyzed most of South Korea and stranded nearly 90,000 tourists on the country's resort island of Jeju began to ease up Monday afternoon, weather officials said.The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said it has lifted a cold wave warning from 2:00 p.m and a cold wave advisory from 1:00 p.m from most parts of the country, including Jeju Island which was hit by the worst heavy snow in 32 years."The weather was initially expected to let-up starting Tuesday afternoon

Jan. 25, 2016

Korea's power demand hits new high amid cold wave

South Korea's power demand soared to an all-time high on Thursday as people turned up their heaters amid a severe cold wave, the government said Thursday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Power Exchange said electricity demand rose to 82.97 million kilowatts as of 11 a.m., breaking the previous record of 82.12 million kilowatts set two days earlier.The spike came as the average temperature for all of South Korea fell below freezing, with Gimhwa in Cheorwon County, 88 kilom

Jan. 21, 2016

Cold wave sweeps most parts of Korea for three consecutive days

Most parts of the country were hit by a severe cold wave early Wednesday morning, with South Korea's weather service issuing a cold wave advisory for the third consecutive day.As of 5 a.m., temperatures had dropped to minus 13.9 degrees Celsius in Seoul, minus 18.3 degrees in Paju, minus 11.6 degrees in Suwon, minus 12.1 degrees in Incheon and minus 17.2 degrees in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.The mercury also dropped below zero in the central and southern parts of the country, with minus 11.8 de

Jan. 20, 2016

Cold wave pushes up power demand to record high

South Korea's power demand soared to an all-time high on Tuesday as the country was hit by a severe cold wave, the government said Tuesday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said electricity demand hit 82.12 million kilowatts as of 11 a.m., breaking the previous record of 80.15 million kilowatts set on Dec. 17, 2014.The spike came as the average temperature for all of South Korea fell to minus 10 degree Celsius. In Seoul, the mercury fell below 15 degrees early in the morning.The country

Jan. 19, 2016

Korea shuts down nuclear reactor due to warning signal alert

South Korea shut down one of its nuclear reactors on the east coast Tuesday after a warning signal went off indicating a possible problem, the country's atomic energy operator said.The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp. said the 950,000 kilowatt Hanul No. 1 was shut down at 11:39 a.m. after a "reactor warning light" went off at the plant located in Uljin, some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul.It said preliminary checks showed no radioactive contamination near the reactor and that there is no imm

Jan. 19, 2016

No radioactive substances found in tap water following North Korea's nuke test

The metropolitan government said Tuesday it has not detected any radioactive substances in its tap water following North Korea's fourth nuclear bomb test conducted Jan. 6.The Office of Waterworks under the Seoul municipal government said the tap water for 10 million Seoul citizens has been confirmed safe as a result of its examination of artificial radioactive elements, such as cesium-134.Conducted from Jan. 6 through Jan. 12, the city government tested Han River water collected at four water in

Jan. 19, 2016

Seoul city to revitalize Seochon

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it will embark on projects to restore and beautify a neighborhood of traditional Korean houses in central Seoul.The city government plans to build historic cultural streets in Seochon, or "western village," which stretches out from the western wing of Gyeongbok Palace and stretches all the way up to the base of Mount Inwang.The plan is to enlarge the pedestrian passages from 1 meter to 4 meters, repave roads and restrict building heights in the ar

Jan. 6, 2016

Beijing issues 2nd smog red alert

The Chinese capital city of Beijing issued its second-ever red alert for dangerous acrid smog as it urged citizens to stay indoors, China's state media reported Friday.The red alert, the most serious warning for air pollution, forecast that severe smog will blanket Beijing for three days starting Saturday morning. Beijing, notorious for its severe air pollution, issued its first-ever smog red alert earlier this month, closing schools and curbing production at factories. China regularly sees haza

Dec. 18, 2015

Korea's sea level up 10 cm in 40 years: data

The sea level around South Korea has risen about 10 centimeters in the last 40 years, a clear sign of global warming impacting the environment, the country's hydrographic administration said Wednesday.  According to the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Administration, which has kept tabs on mean sea levels over the years, the rise is linked to the melting polar ice caps, blamed on the warming of water temperatures. The organization added that natural erosion by waves and wind and the develop

Dec. 16, 2015