The concept of eco-design, adding environmental value to design or vice versa, is taking root in Korea as people open their eyes to the importance of the environment and eschew instant gratification when it involves products that pollute.Recognizing the huge economic potential of eco-design, the government is running various programs to help businesses and individuals commercialize their creative eco-friendly ideas. Marketers are utilizing this concept on their own by focusing on an expanding se

Feb. 28, 2014

The Seoul municipal government issued an ultrafine dust advisory Monday, urging people to stay indoors. The measure was taken at around noon, after Seoul’s atmospheric concentration levels of “particulate matter-2.5” pollutants recorded 92 micrograms per cubic meter.The city government issues the advisory if the average pollutant levels of 85 micrograms per cubic meter persist for at least two hours. A higher-level alert of warning is issued when the levels reach 120 micrograms. “PM-2.5,” or par

Feb. 24, 2014

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry began a three-day trip to Jakarta Saturday where he plans to focus on climate change.The Indonesian capital is the last stop in his three-country Asia tour. He traveled to Seoul and Beijing.On Sunday, he is scheduled to deliver a speech on climate change at the American Center here.In the first of a series of speeches on climate change this year, the secretary will touch on the "compelling and undeniable scientific case of this growing challenge," a senior Stat

Feb. 16, 2014

South Korea on Tuesday said it has completed the construction of its second research base in the Antarctic, becoming the 10th country to have more than one research station in the frozen continent.The completion of the Jang Bo-go Antarctic Research Station will be marked Wednesday in a ceremony at the base that will be attended by some 300 people, including the country's parliamentary speaker, Rep. Kang Chang-hee, and representatives from the research stations of the United States, New Zealand a

Feb. 11, 2014

South Korea's inspection and quarantine of imported plants successfully prevented the inflow of over 4,000 shipments of pest-infested plants last year, the government said Tuesday.In 2013, the country inspected some 3.5 million samples of imported plants to discover 7,506 of them were infested with insects, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.Some 4,400 of them, infested with 368 types of pests that are required to be quarantined, have either been destroyed or return

Feb. 11, 2014

The environment ministry said Wednesday it will begin nationwide forecasts of fine dust levels this week as part of efforts to cope with the continued inflow of harmful particles from China.The forecasting service, which has been tested in Seoul and its adjacent areas since August, aims to prevent health issues caused by high-density air pollution by informing the public of pollution levels before the environment is affected.The government will expand the service nationwide from Thursday when re

Feb. 5, 2014

Two new suspected bird flu cases have been reported this week, the government said Monday, as quarantine authorities stay on watch for any new signs after heavy traffic of people during the Lunar New Year holiday.The additional cases were reported Sunday at a duck farm in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, and a chicken farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.With the two newest additions, the total number of suspected cases of

Feb. 3, 2014

South Korea’s agriculture minister called for all-out efforts to prevent further outbreaks of avian influenza Tuesday, following a series of new suspected cases in areas close to the capital.“The government has so far put its utmost efforts into preventing the spread of AI and eradicating the animal disease at an early date,” Lee Dong-phil, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, said at a press briefing. Lee, however, noted that government efforts alone may not be enough. “We may be ab

Jan. 28, 2014

South Korea continued quarantine efforts Tuesday as avian influenza was showing signs of spreading wider.As of Tuesday morning, the virulent H5N8 strain of bird flu has been identified at 25 poultry farms, up from 17 farms the previous year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.Two additional suspected cases have been reported overnight at a duck farm in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, and a chicken farm in Pyeongtaek, just south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province.Th

Jan. 28, 2014

The government plans to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from business-as-usual levels in 2020 to help stem global warming, the environment ministry said Tuesday.The plan, approved by the Cabinet in the morning, calls for a reduction of 233 million carbon dioxide equivalent tons in 2020, according to the ministry. The figure represents a 30 percent reduction from the 2020 BAU level of 776 million tCO2e.The new road map maintains the 30 percent reduction target set by t

Jan. 28, 2014

A new bird flu-suspected case was reported Monday in North Chungcheong Province despite the South Korean government’s strengthened efforts to contain the further spread of the virus. A large number of ducks in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, showed common symptoms of the bird flu, with a sharp drop in the spawning rate and deaths of more than 100,000 ducks over the last two days. The quarantine officials immediately limited the access to surrounding areas and took disinfection measures. A

Jan. 27, 2014

South Korea continued quarantine efforts to prevent a further spread of bird flu Monday, as a 12-hour lockdown went into effect at all poultry farms in three provinces.The lockdown, also known as stand-still, prohibits the movement of any animal, persons or vehicle from farms, creating conditions for simultaneously sterilizing all infection sources, including seasonal homes to migratory birds."The government is working with district governments to simultaneously inspect and sterilize infection s

Jan. 27, 2014

The government is considering imposing a lockdown at all poultry farms throughout the country as avian influenza was showing signs of further spreading, officials said Sunday.A nationwide lockdown, if issued, will prohibit the movement of any poultry, workers or vehicles from farms for 48 hours. Such a move can be extended once for another 48 hours.Such a move will create what health authorities here have called a "window of opportunity" to sterilize all poultry farms at the same time and thus p

Jan. 26, 2014

The government on Sunday confirmed that the birds from two duck farms in Buan, North Jeolla Province were infected with avian influenza virus.There are now three duck farms with confirmed cases of avian influenza. It has yet to be determined whether the latest confirmed cases were caused by a highly pathogenic strain of the virus, however. “Only the H5 protein has been isolated, and as the N protein has yet to be verified it is still unknown whether (the strain) is highly pathogenic,” a Ministry

Jan. 19, 2014