The South Korean government said Tuesday that it has found no trace of radioactive materials in any fish or marine products recently caught in the country's neighboring seas.The latest test, conducted late last month, tested 118 samples of 16 species that are most popular in the country, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."The test conducted in October found no trace of radioactive materials, such as cesium or iodine," it said in a press release."The ministry will continue to cond

Nov. 5, 2013

South Korea’s largest ecological center officially launched last month to give a boost to ecological studies and enhance public awareness of environmental problems, according to officials from the Ministry of Environment.The National Institute of Ecology finally unveiled the long-awaited center named Ecorium, which occupies almost 1 square kilometer in Seocheon, a small town in South Chungcheong Province. Having been in temporary operation since March, inviting around 15,760 visitors, it will op

Nov. 4, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Many of the ills of the modern world ― starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war and disease ― are likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change, a leaked draft of an international scientific report forecasts.The report uses the word “exacerbate”repeatedly to describe warming’s effect on poverty, lack of water, disease and even the causes of war.The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will issue a report next Mar

Nov. 4, 2013

Lawmakers on Monday raised concerns about worsening water quality and environmental damage at the nation’s four major rivers after a massive project of dredging, damming and straightening up the waterways under the former Lee Myung-bak administration. At the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee’s parliamentary audit, the main opposition Democratic Party members blamed the 22.2 trillion won river project for the ecological deterioration at the Hangang, Nakdonggang, Youngsangang and

Oct. 21, 2013

The government and ruling party decided Tuesday to loosen a new regulation that requires companies to register chemical substances, in the face of strong backlash from businesses.During a policy consultation, the Ministry of Environment and the ruling Saenuri Party agreed to exempt chemicals used in small amounts or used for research and development purposes from the requirement, which will come into force in late 2014. The National Assembly passed the new law in April to tighten rules on indust

Sept. 24, 2013

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The upcoming UN report on climate change is not likely to rattle US deniers of global warming who hold sway in the halls of power, experts say.A hefty analysis of the latest science on global climate change, the report is packed with recommendations for policymakers.It will be released at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) next week, though most Republicans in the US government are expected to dismiss it outright."The IPCC report will help for the observers a

Sept. 21, 2013

South Korean seas are still safe from the radiation leak at a Japanese nuclear power plant, the government said Thursday in an attempt to ease growing public concerns here.A recent radiation check of six areas close to Japan found no or only minuscule traces of induced radioactive materials, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."The result of an analysis of waters from six sea areas that was conducted jointly with the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission showed no traces of induce

Sept. 12, 2013

The Korea National Park Service is planning to introduce a gene analysis system as part of its wildlife management support for Asiatic black bears on Mount Jirisan, the Ministry of Environment said Sunday.The authorities will set up security cameras and fur traps that could pluck hair bulbs for identifying the population and tracking down their routes. The officials explained the new system was adopted due to the habitat expansion and to relieve the bears’ stress when being captured to attach tr

Sept. 8, 2013

Major retailers are joining a campaign to reduce gift wrapping and adornments to save costs and protect the environment ahead of the the Sept. 18-20 Chuseok holidays, according to the Ministry of Environment.Major department stores, large supermarkets and online shopping malls promised to replace expensive ribbons and packaging with environmentally friendly materials for food gift packages.The new practice aims to reduce the environmental impact and cut production costs for retailers. Getting ri

Sept. 4, 2013

The temperature of South Korean waters has risen 1.29 C over the past 43 years, which is about triple the global average in the same period, government data showed Sunday.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that the sea surface temperature rise was gauged at 207 locations around the Korean Peninsula from 1968 to 2010. In the same period, the world's sea surface temperature rose by 0.4 C, it said.A lawmaker who obtained and released the data said that the steep temperature rise has affected

Sept. 1, 2013

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has called on the government to take measures to address Koreans’ growing anxiety over a series of leaks of highly radioactive water from the crippled nuclear reactor in Japan. Concerns are growing here after the operator of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant confirmed fresh leaks in addition to its announcement of a leak of 300 tons of contaminated water earlier this week.In an emergency meeting with related ministers on Thursday Chung directed the government to enhan

Aug. 23, 2013

The prosecution on Wednesday sought an arrest warrant for a brother-in-law of former President Chun Doo-hwan for allegedly managing properties for the military dictator accused of taking large amounts of bribes while in office in the 1980s.The move was taken as part of the prosecution’s efforts to collect the concealed assets of the former president who was ordered by the supreme court in 1997 to return to state coffers some 220 billion won ($196.8 million) he illegally accumulated through bribe

Aug. 15, 2013

An agreement between Seoul and Pyongyang to reopen their joint industrial complex was a welcome sign for inter-Korean relations, but much work is still needed for the two sides to put their relations on a positive footing, a Chinese scholar said Thursday. South and North Korea agreed on Wednesday to reopen the Gaeseong industrial complex in the North’s border city, which was shut down in April amid soaring tensions following Pyongyang’s third nuclear test.However, they failed to set an exact dat

Aug. 15, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) ― As the world gets warmer, people’s tempers are likely to get hotter, scientists say. A massive new study finds that aggressive acts like committing violent crimes and waging war become more likely with each added degree.Researchers analyzed 60 studies on historic empire collapses, recent wars, violent crime rates in the United States and lab simulations that tested police decisions on when to shoot. They found something in common over centuries: Extreme weather ― very hot or dr

Aug. 8, 2013