The Seoul Metropolitan Government is looking for participants for a two-month program to uncover hidden art in the city’s nooks and corners. Residents of Seoul, regardless of their nationality, are eligible to apply for the “Arts on Seoul’s Streets Found by Citizens” project, which will run from April through June. Participants of last year’s “Arts on Seoul’s streets Found by Citizens” project pose for a photo at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. (The Seoul Metropolitan Government)The selected 1

Social Affairs March 7, 2017

Deaths related to the use of toxic humidifier sterilizers date back to at least 1995, seven years before the first government-acknowledged damage case, an environmental group claimed Monday. According to the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health, it discovered two deaths of users of the toxic products in 1995 after reviewing 5,432 damage claims made to the government from 2011 to Feb. 9.The victims are a 54-year-old person and a 50-day-old infant. Both used a product manufactured by

Social Affairs March 6, 2017

A single portion of rice burgers contains almost half or more of a whole day’s sodium intake, sending a health warning to students and busy office workers who frequently enjoy such food at economical prices.It consists of rice molded into the shape of buns with meat and other stuffing in between. According to a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Consumers Korea, some 50 types of rice burgers sold around schools and hagwon (cram schools) in Seoul have an average of 910.7 mi

Social Affairs March 3, 2017

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Thursday denounced President Park Geun-hye’s supporters who had installed tents without approval in front of the Seoul City Hall to stage protests against the impeachment of the embattled leader, adding he may order the forced removal of the tents.“Seoul Plaza, where pro-Park civic groups installed some 40 tents illegally without the city government’s approval, is a public space open for all,” said Mayor Park during a radio interview with CBS.“They have been botherin

Social Affairs March 2, 2017

For those who work in the medical field, the white knee-length coat is a symbol, not only for their authority as professionals but also for the strict hygiene standards they have to abide by. These garments prevent doctor-patient contamination, offer some storage space for items such as pens and small medical instruments, and also allow easy recognition by colleagues and patients. They also underline doctors’ authority.But ironically, these white coats have recently come under fire for posing an

Social Affairs March 1, 2017

The Seongnam City Government has begun the process to remove butchery facilities from South Korea’s largest dog meat market, two months after it decided to ban the slaughter of dogs and display of live dogs in cages there.  Empty cages are lined up to be removed from dog meat shops at Moran Market in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. (Kim Da-sol/The Korea Herald)Kim Yong-buk, a member of the vendors’ association speaking for 22 dog meat dealers, told reporters Monday that vendors agree with t

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2017

Sung Jong-tae, 35, a heavy smoker for the past 15 years, has tried almost everything there is to quit smoking, but his efforts have been in vain.“I am well aware, more than anybody else, of the detrimental effects of smoking, having a 3-year-old daughter at home. But still, nothing can physically help me stop smoking,” Sung told The Korea Herald.Even the recently introduced disturbing graphic warnings on cigarette packs have not helped him kick the habit.“These graphics, though quite terrifying

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2017

Despite Seoul City’s efforts to curb illegal subway rides by charging a fine of 30 times the original fare, such rides are still on the rise, subway operators said Friday.According to Seoul Metro and Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit, which respectively operate Subway Lines No. 1-4 and 5-9, more than 42,814 passengers were caught illegally hopping on trains last year, paying almost 1.7 billion won ($1.5 million) in fines. In 2015, the number of fined riders stood at 42,289, paying about 1.5 billi

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2017

Despite Seoul City’s efforts to curb illegal subway rides by charging a fine of 30 times the original fare, such rides are still on the rise, subway operators said Friday.According to Seoul Metro and Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit, which respectively operate Subway Lines No. 1-4 and 5-9, more than 42,814 passengers illegally hopped on trains last year, paying almost 1.7 billion won ($1.5 million) in fines. In 2015, the number of illegal riders stood at 42,289, paying about 1.5 billion won in f

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2017

South Korea saw a record-low number of marriages last year, reflecting the widespread trend of people getting married later in life, government statistics showed Thursday.According to Statistics Korea, the number of new marriages sat at 281,800 in 2016, down almost 7 percent from the previous year.(Yonhap)This was the first time the number fell below the 300,000-mark since the institute began collecting data in 2000.The number of people newly married in May, which is typically peak season for ma

Social Affairs Feb. 23, 2017

Wearing seatbelts was what prevented causalities from occurring in Wednesday’s bus crash on a highway in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province, keeping passengers inside the bus from falling out of the vehicle after the crash, police said Thursday. Police investigating the accident said most of the passengers had been wearing their seatbelts, and therefore avoided fatal injuries.Police are investigating the bus after it broke through a guardrail, plunging 5 meters down an embankment, on a highway

Social Affairs Feb. 23, 2017

Another foot-and-mouth infection was confirmed Sunday at a cattle farm in Boeun, the epicenter of the latest outbreak. That raised confirmed cases in South Korea to five and the number of cows culled to nearly 1,100 in five days since the first case was reported last week. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Sunday, six cows at a farm in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, were found to have contracted the O-type strain of the disease and were immediately culled. Y

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2017

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday that it would install malodor reduction devices in 10 more places in the capital to prevent bad smells wafting from waste pipes. The city government said it was part of Seoul’s efforts to reduce the number of civil complaints about bad smells by 30 percent by 2018.In June last year, the city government vowed to inject 170 million won ($153,561) to install malodor reduction devices.Malodor reduction devices, similar to air purification systems, work b

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2017

The ruling Saenuri Party on Wednesday tentatively decided to change its name to "Liberty Korea" as part of its effort to refurbish its image and shore up public trust in the wake of a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her close friend. The party’s interim chief In Myung-jin attends the meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)Its official English name will be announced later. The previous name change from the Grand National Party was made some five y

Politics Feb. 8, 2017

PARIS (AFP) -- Renault-Nissan said Wednesday it sold nearly 10 million vehicles worldwide as the group faces up to accusations that Renault participated in an emissions scandal.Renault-Nissan, which has aspirations to become one of the world's top three carmakers behind Volkswagen and Toyota, said in statement that unit sales jumped by nearly 17 percent to 9.96 million vehicles last year. (Yonhap)German giant Volkswagen is the world's biggest in terms of units sales, with 10.3 million vehicles s

Mobility Feb. 8, 2017