Plastic waste is causing environmental hazards in agricultural towns in the Korean countryside, as more than half of the waste is abandoned in empty fields, data showed Thursday.In the winter, those in farming villages wrap greenhouses with plastic to prevent crops such as peppers, onions and garlic from freezing. The plastic also works as a protection from weeds. Despite serious environmental issues such as soil pollution, the number of farmers abandoning used sheets of plastic on the ground ha

Social Affairs March 31, 2016

An estimated more than two-thirds of South Koreans live in apartments, and living in such close proximity has often caused disputes between neighbors over noise and more recently – odors wafting over from nearby homes. A post on an online community went viral recently: “Is eating samgyeopsal (roasted pork belly) at home a problem?”It was written by an apartment resident in Seoul, who said that he had felt insulted when his neighbor who lives upstairs made a fuss because he had cooked samgyeopsal

Social Affairs March 31, 2016

South Koreans in their 50s are the most willing to fight against North Korea if a war breaks out, a survey released Wednesday showed.According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, about 720 out of 1,000 respondents surveyed for the 2015 Patriotism Index said they would fight against North Korea if a war breaks out.Those in their 50s were the most willing to fight the North, with 83.5 percent saying yes, followed by those in their 60s at 81.5 percent. In contrast, only 50 percent of

Social Affairs March 30, 2016

In the hit drama “Reply 1988,” which vividly portrayed Korea in the ’80s, protagonist Deok-seon usually begins and ends her day by having a meal with her family, while watching television. This was when TV sets were becoming popular in Korea and served as the center of home life.But times have changed and it is rare to come across such a scene nowadays. A man is eating alone at a restaurant specially designed for “honbobjok,” people who eat alone, in Sinchon, Seoul. YonhapShin Hyang-gi, 50, who

Social Affairs March 29, 2016

When Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo trumped Go master Lee Se-dol last week, worldwide attention soon turned to concerns that Go players would eventually be replaced by AI robots.The Korea Employment Information Service unveiled Thursday a list of jobs that could be replaced by AI robots by 2020. It mostly included jobs that involve repetitive tasks or which require less human communication.Professional Go player Lee Se-dol attends a press conference after completing the five-ga

Social Affairs March 24, 2016

Boxes are stacked to be sent in international shopping support service Malltail’s New Jersey distribution center in the United States of America. (Malltail)Choo Yun-kyung, a 28-year-old office worker in Seoul, enjoys browsing through the latest collection of bags on overseas shopping websites such as shopbop.com.But she often uses Korean international shopping support services websites to actually purchase items sold only via international websites, due to the convenience of having product descr

Social Affairs March 24, 2016

Signs of spring are budding across the country, with the southern cities already seeing the forsythia bloom in mid-March.Seoul is also expected to see the spring flowers bloom from around March 24, according to weather service provider Kweather.While a cold snap that is expected to last until this weekend may delay the arrival of spring, anticipation of milder temperatures and warmer breeze are expected to invite more Seoulites and visitors to venture outdoors in the coming weeks.Starting in Apr

Social Affairs March 23, 2016

Seoul saw its number of unemployed people reach 286,000 February, a 13.1 percent annual rise, data showed Tuesday.According to Gyeongin Regional office of Statistics, Seoul’s unemployment rate reached 5.3 percent, compared to 4.7 percent in February 2015. The employment rate was 59.4 percent, slipping by 0.2 percentage points from a year before. The data was collected by surveying 4,100 households in Seoul and those aged 15 or older, excluding soldiers in service, public service workers and inma

Social Affairs March 23, 2016

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it will install more surveillance cameras in all of Seoul’s school zones for the security of young students and prevention of crime.As of March, there are a total of 3,167 surveillance cameras installed in 1,659, or 97.3 percent, of Seoul’s school zones.School zones began to be designated in 1995. They are areas within a radius of 300 meters of elementary schools or day care centers, according to road traffic laws.YonhapThe city vowed to in

Social Affairs March 23, 2016

Yonhap　The Environment Ministry on Wednesday fined German automaker Mercedes-Benz Korea for selling its S350D model without approval for transmission changes.The government slapped the firm with a fine of 168 million won ($143,000), 1.5 percent of revenue from its sales of 98 S350D vehicles in January and February.“According to the Clean Air Conservation Act, all automakers must manufacture and sell a model after the ministry approves its transmission specifications,” said the ministry in a stat

Social Affairs March 17, 2016

World Wide Fund for Nature said Wednesday it will host its Earth Hour 2016 campaign in Korea this weekend, inviting people to show commitment to save the planet. Individuals can participate in the campaign by switching off their lights for an hour on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.This year’s Earth Hour will be supported by mobile carrier KT and the Union Corporate Committee. The eight members – including Tyler Rasch, Guillaume Patry and Alberto Mondi -- of JTBC’s local TV show “Non Summit” will also part

Social Affairs March 17, 2016

Goyang City Mayor Choi Sung visited Chinese city Changzhou on Wednesday and signed a memorandum of understanding to boost bilateral cooperation, the city government said.The memorandum calls for the two cities to strengthen their friendship by cooperating on the economic front, as well as in the areas of tourism, traffic technology and the floricultural industry.“(Through this opportunity) both cities will be able to step up as international cities by sharing policies and expanding development,”

Social Affairs March 17, 2016

Visitors viewing paintings at an art center in Jung-gu, Seoul. (Yonhap)An 11-year-old student Yang Jin-hee (not her real name) visited the Museum of Silhak in Gyeonggi Province with her friends last Saturday. But soon after they arrived at the entrance, all four students were denied access due to safety concerns.The museum said it was inevitable because its internal regulations state that children aged 13 or below must be accompanied by a guardian. More state and city museums are presenting art

Social Affairs March 16, 2016

Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, the manufacturer of the toxic humidifier disinfectant blamed for the loss of over 140 lives, allegedly skipped toxicity tests on the product in question, local media reported Tuesday.According to news reports, the special probe team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office found that the disinfectant-maker intentionally did away with some toxicity tests on its humidifier disinfectant since 2001. This was when the firm started to add PHMG in their product, one of 1

Social Affairs March 15, 2016