A two-day international forum on fine dust problems will kick off in Seoul on Thursday. Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the forum will bring together representatives from 13 cities in northeastern Asia including Beijing, Jilin, Tokyo, Kyoto, Japan, Ulaanbaatar. There will also be researchers from government agencies and education institutions such as the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, Japan’s Mie University and the Mongolian University of Life Science. Citizens p

Social Affairs May 29, 2017

Media files and messages were recovered from at least two mobile phones found inside the salvaged Sewol ferry, a committee investigating the wreckage said Friday. One of the two phones was turned off at 10:01 a.m. on April 16, 2014, the day of the ship’s sinking, which left over 300 dead or missing. Some of the unread messages on the device said, “Did you escape? You must contact me,” “Heard that police just sent a patrol boat,” “Did you get on a rescue copter?”Screen capture of a lawmaker Ahn M

Social Affairs May 26, 2017

South Korea will tighten rules on unisex public bathrooms over safety and privacy issues, the Ministry of Interior said Friday. Under the revised Public Toilets Act, slated to take effect later this year, the owner of a building with a place of business of over 2,000 square meters must build toilets separately for men and women.The same will apply to public institutions such as hospitals and schools of over 1,000 square meters. Many public bathrooms in crowded downtown areas are shared by men an

Social Affairs May 26, 2017

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that a human bone discovered from inside the ferry Sewol on May 10 was identified to be from Danwon High School student Cho Eun-hwa, one of the nine passengers missing from the disaster in April 2014.Cho is the third victim to be identified since a search of the recovered wreckage began in April. The two already identified are Danwon High School teacher Go Chang-suk and student Heo Da-yoon.Danwon High School student Cho Eun-hwa (Yonhap)The searc

Social Affairs May 25, 2017

The South Korean government has injected almost 22 trillion won ($19.6 billion) into a massive rivers development project since its launch in 2008, data showed Wednesday.According to government data, 11.85 trillion won, about half of the cost poured into the project, was spent on works on the Nakdong River, the longest river in Korea. About 3.67 trillion won was used on the Han River, while 3.4 trillion won was spent on the Geum River and 3.36 trillion won on the Youngsan River. The money was sp

Social Affairs May 24, 2017

Hopes rise for a new investigation to clear lingering suspicions about the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry, with the wreckage recovered, missing victims’ remains found and several phones discovered with still-retrievable data. An independent fact-finding committee investigating the disaster, which killed over 300 passengers, is set to meet Friday to discuss how to proceed with their probe. The special body, launched in April with eight members appointed by the National Assembly, said that it wil

Social Affairs May 24, 2017

Shoes Tree, an art installation made of 30,000 worn-out shoes near Seoul Station, has elicited mixed reviews since its unveiling Saturday. “At first, I thought it was a pile of garbage. Looking at it close, it is surely a garbage mountain and smells really bad,” said Kim Gui-ri, a 49-year-old Seoul citizen, participating in a city-run program to discover and promote public art in the capital. A citizen takes a photo of installation art Shoes Tree in Seoul Station on Saturday. (Kim Da-sol/The Kor

Social Affairs May 23, 2017

국내 최초의 공중 정원이라는 콘셉트로 만들어진 ‘서울로 7017’이 지난 토요일 개장했다.‘서울로 7017’이 개장하면서 서울역 광장에 설치된 조형물 ‘슈즈 트리’(Shoes Tree)가 최대 관심사로 떠올랐다.슈즈트리는 세계적 정원 디자이너로 손꼽히는 황지해 작가의 재능 기부 작품으로, 버려진 신발 3만 켤레로 만들어졌다. 폐기될 신발에 예술적 가치를 부여해 우리의 소비문화를 되돌아 보는 취지이다.  슈즈트리를 설치한 정원 디자이너 황지해 작가가 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 포즈를 취하고 있다.다만 몇몇 시민들은 주변과 어울리지 않는다고 비판했다.서울시가 도심 속 공공미술 작품의 가치를 발굴하고 시민들이 직접 개선점을 찾아 제안한다는 취지에서 운영하는 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단에서도 다양한 의견이 나왔다.서울시 에너지 복지사로 일하는 김귀리 (49)씨는 “공공미술 작품이 시민들에게 줄 수 있는 즐거움이나 힐링을 (슈즈트리에서) 찾기 힘들었다”며 아쉬움을 표했다.아트 저널리스트로 일

한국어판 May 23, 2017

Even before Shoes Tree, a giant art installation made from thousands of worn-out shoes, was officially unveiled in front of Seoul Station, it drew mixed responses. Some called it a giant pile of garbage. Others, refraining from premature judgment, expressed curiosity over its artistic intention and meaning. The artist, Hwang Ji-hae, sat down with The Korea Herald on Monday, two days after its unveiling Saturday, to discuss her work.Hwang Ji-hae, garden designer and environmental artist, stands i

Social Affairs May 23, 2017

President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered a review of a mammoth rivers development project, a much-debated legacy of former President Lee Myung-bak. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae stressed the review would be a “policy inspection” on the 22 trillion won ($19.6 billion) national undertaking -- which a large proportion of the public still seems to disapprove of -- not a political vendetta targeting individuals. The project, initiated in 2008 with a strong push from then-President Lee, require

Politics May 22, 2017

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will become more important for South Korea diplomatically and economically, with new President Moon Jae-in’s emphasis on diplomatic diversification, Moon’s special envoy to the ASEAN said Sunday. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, named Friday by Moon as special envoy to the regional organization, departed Sunday for a tour of three nations.  Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (center). Yonhap“My dispatch is in line with the president’s conviction and vision that aside

Politics May 21, 2017

Following weeks of yellow dust storms and high fine dust levels, South Korea is seeing a rise of ozone concentration levels in the air, which experts said are just as harmful as dust particles. High ozone concentration occurs when the temperature is high. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, a daytime high in Seoul on Sunday reached 28 degree Celsius, a summer heat normally expected at around mid-July to August. Daytime highs reached 29 degrees Celsius in Daejeon and Gwangju, an

Social Affairs May 21, 2017

Concerns are growing over dangers posed by emergency exits with no balcony or ladder after another man accidentally fell to his death in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The accident, which occurred earlier this month, has reignited calls for safety measures.Police said that the deceased 58-year-old man, identified by the surname Kim, opened an emergency exit door on the second floor of a building in search for a toilet. However, he fell from 3 meters above ground as there were no balcony or emergen

Social Affairs May 18, 2017

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will host a debate at Gwanghwamun Square on May 27 to bring people together to help solve the fine dust problem.A group of 3,000 citizens, divided into 100 different teams and each joined by environmental experts, will discuss measures to combat fine dust and reduce its impact on the well-being of people here. The capital blanketed in a gray haze caused by fine dust in the air. (Yonhap)The city government said opinions and questions will also be collected online

Social Affairs May 18, 2017

South Korea is moving to distribute free air purifiers to day cares, nursing homes and schools to protect people most vulnerable to fine dust. The measure, still under discussion at related ministries, would be a follow-up to President Moon Jae-in’s surprise directive last week to temporarily close down old coal-fired power plants to combat the country’s worsening air quality. An official at the Education Ministry confirmed to The Korea Herald on Wednesday that it is currently reviewing the budg

Social Affairs May 17, 2017