By cities, the area of urban living forest per capita stood at only 4.35 square meters for Seoul, 5.29 square meters for Gyeonggi Province and 5.95 square meters for Incheon. This is far lower than London’s 27 square meters, New York’s 23 square meters and Paris’ 13 square meters.“With the rising interest in well-being and healthy leisure, the nationwide demand for sustainable green services has been on the increase,” a KFS official said.According to the KFS data, about 85.8 percent of Korean ci

Aug. 27, 2015

Despite tension abating on the Korean peninsula after breakthrough talks earlier in the week, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday it would cautiously deal with North Korea over recent agreements on bilateral cooperation, citing Pyongyang’s volatility.Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters that the negotiation between the two Koreas is not over, but has just begun, noting that there is a wide consensus among the officials that Seoul should first watch to see whether Pyongyang keeps its end

North Korea Aug. 27, 2015

 President Park Geun-hye urged Saenuri Party lawmakers to take the lead in forwarding her labor reform initiative at a luncheon for ruling party lawmakers Wednesday, calling the task a shared duty for future generations.During the gathering at Cheong Wa Dae, Park thanked the lawmakers for passing a reform bill on the civil service pension system in May, but asked them to push ahead with another set of reform bills during the upcoming regular session that kicks off on Tuesday.  President Park Geu

Politics Aug. 26, 2015

 South Korean President Park Geun-hye is at a crossroads, with frustration mounting over the prospects of inter-Korean ties and the heightened security tension over North Korea’s mine attack. As she passes the midway point of her single, five-year term Tuesday, the result of marathon negotiations by senior officials from the two Koreas could serve as a watershed moment for her presidency.At her term’s halfway mark, Park also remains stranded on the diplomatic front, as her efforts at achieving d

Politics Aug. 24, 2015

A former presidential secretary reportedly claimed Wednesday that it was President Park Geun-hye’s former top aide who ordered him to conduct an internal investigation of a rumor, which later grew into the infamous “Cheong Wa Dae document leak scandal.”Cho Eung-cheon, a former Blue House secretary for civil discipline, said that the leaked documents were written after former Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon gave a direct order to probe the rumors that Park was about to “sack him” in local vernacular

Politics Aug. 19, 2015

A presidential panel for Korean unification Tuesday denied a recent report that President Park Geun-hye had suggested a possible unification of the two Koreas next year by indicating a sign of sudden changes in North Korea."The president that day was requesting the panel to be better prepared for the unification because no one can predict when it could actually happen,” said the presidential committee for unification preparation in a statement. “She was neither commenting nor suggesting a sign o

Politics Aug. 18, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Monday ordered the military to maintain strong readiness against North Korea’s constant threats, asserting that its land mine attack earlier this month was a “clear military provocation” intended to kill South Korean soldiers.Park made the comments at a Cabinet meeting in an underground bunker to mark the launch of the Ulchi exercise, a four-day pan-national drill against contingencies. A joint military Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise with the U.S. was also launched fo

Politics Aug. 17, 2015

President Park Geun-hye is facing a dilemma over her address planned for the Aug. 15 Liberation Day holiday as she struggles to set the tone of her message toward North Korea after an unprecedented land mine attack in the demilitarized zone, which has further strained inter-Korean ties.The president is to deliver her annual speech to mark the nation’s liberation from Japanese rule Saturday, urging the people to join her efforts to overhaul four major sectors and bring cultural prosperity.  She i

Politics Aug. 12, 2015

The government has decided to designate Aug. 14 an extra public holiday and offer free access to state-run museums and palaces on the weekend when South Korea celebrates’ the 70th anniversary of the nation’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. President Park Geun-hye speaks at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (Yonhap)The decision was made during a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday, as part of efforts to boost the public’s sense of national pride and also

Politics Aug. 4, 2015

The South Korean government is considering making Aug. 14 an extra public holiday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the nation's liberation from Japan‘s 1910-45 colonial rule, according to reports quoting multiple officials.The plan on issuing an order to close all public offices and agencies, will be discussed during a weekly Cabinet meeting Tuesday and would be finalized a week after. Private companies will be given the choice to follow suit.President Park Geun-hye is expected to express

Latest News Aug. 2, 2015

The ruling Saenuri Party chairman vowed on Thursday to push for sweeping labor reforms in South Korea to help young job seekers find quality work, while the opposition leader followed with his own labor policy pitch.In a speech delivered at Columbia University in New York, Saenuri Rep. Kim Moo-sung said many young Koreans are frustrated because there are not enough jobs in the market, and his party has been working to loosen the nation’s rigid labor market. Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung sp

Politics July 30, 2015