Han Hyo-dong, 58, a master zookeeper supervising carnivores including tigers and leopards at Seoul Zoo, first joined the zoo’s animal welfare team in 1985. Seoul Zoo, located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, opened its doors in 1984 with 77 species of animals on a 196,000-square-meter plot. “I had the intention of learning about deer when I first joined, because I was thinking of operating deer farms in my hometown,” said Han, reminiscing the past when antlers could be sold at high prices.Han Hyo-dong,

Social Affairs Sept. 30, 2016

A day for zookeeper Han Hyo-dong, Seoul Zoo’s master zookeeper who has worked there for the past 32 years, begins at 6 a.m.At the crack of dawn, he arrives at his office next to the Beast Pavillion, located at the very back of the Seoul Zoo in Gwacheon. As soon as he changes his clothes and puts on his boots, he walks around the breeding cages and checks each tiger’s condition.(The Korea Herald)Every morning he writes down detailed logs of the zoo’s 24 Siberian tigers on their conditions and hea

Social Affairs Sept. 30, 2016

The revelation of toxic substances in toothpaste products, albeit at a minuscule level, has further fanned the fires of public frustration over the government’s lax regulations, amid ongoing safety concerns on the use of chemicals in everyday products in South Korea. On Monday, Rep. Lee Jeong-mi of the minor Justice Party said that a total of 11 toothpaste products sold by the local cosmetics company AmorePacific contained from 0.0022 to 0.0044 parts per million of Chloromethyl-methylisothiazolo

Social Affairs Sept. 28, 2016

Approximately 5,000 to 6,000 animals are hit and killed on the streets of Seoul every year, a lawmaker said Tuesday.According to the opposition The Minjoo Party Rep. Song Ok-joo, Seoul Metropolitan Government data showed that 17,036 animals were killed on the streets of Seoul over the past three years, with the number rising each year.A total of 7,465 animals were killed on Seoul streets in 2014, while the number jumped to 6,065 in 2015. Within the first half of 2016, 3,506 animals were found de

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2016

Despite the shrinking number of HIV infections and AIDS patients worldwide, the rates of HIV and AIDS among South Koreans has increased sharply over the past decade, data showed Tuesday.According to World Health Organization data gathered by the ruling Saenuri Party’s lawmaker Yoon Jong-pil, the number of new HIV infections and AIDS patients around the world decreased 35 percent from 2000 to 2015, while the number in South Korea quadrupled over the same period.In 2010, 219 South Korean patients

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2016

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that it will start a campaign to fix the incorrect use of English, Chinese and Japanese on signboards.Any Seoul resident or visitor can participate by reporting incorrectly written instructions -- including signs installed at subway stations, bus stations, cultural assets and more -- to visitseoul1@seoul.go.kr from Sept. 21 to Oct. 4. To check Korean orthography, one can visit dictionary.seoul.go.kr. All reports will be sent to an advisory committee

Social Affairs Sept. 19, 2016

Seoul stands to see the third biggest economic loss globally -- approximately $103.5 billion -- if faced with natural catastrophes and man-made economic shocks between the period of 2015 and 2025, a report showed Monday.Based on the original research by the Cambridge Center for Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, UK insurance firm Lloyds’ City Risk Index 2015-2025 listed 301 major cities in terms of expected loss to a selected location’s economic output -- average

Social Affairs Sept. 19, 2016

The government and the ruling Saenuri Party on Sunday held an emergency meeting and decided to review whether to designate the quake-hit southeastern city of Gyeongju as a disaster area to provide it with state funding for recovery works.They also agreed on the need to strengthen safety measures against earthquakes and prepare detailed guidelines to measure the damage of public facilities, houses and cultural assets. They also discussed ways to support the citizens of Gyeongju from any psycholog

Social Affairs Sept. 18, 2016

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will remove eight additional overpasses starting from next year in an aim to create pedestrian-friendly streets.Since 1968, a total of 101 overpasses had been constructed in the capital to relieve traffic congestion.With a more developed transportation system and changes in city infrastructure, the metro government said it decided to remove an additional eight of the remaining overpasses within the next five years. From 2002 to 2015, 18 overpasses

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2016

[THE INVESTOR] The South Korean government should step up efforts in building a chemical-safe society and Oxy Reckitt Benckiser should sincerely apologize to all victims affected by their products since 2006, the United Nations special rapporteur said in a report.Baskut Tuncak, the UN special rapporteur for human rights and disposal of hazardous substances, underlined the “government’s obligation to protect and realize the rights to life and to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health.” T

Sept. 12, 2016

The South Korean government should step up efforts in building a chemical-safe society and Oxy Reckitt Benckiser should sincerely apologize to all victims affected by their products since 2006, the United Nations special rapporteur said in a report.Baskut Tuncak, the UN special rapporteur for human rights and disposal of hazardous substances, underlined the “government’s obligation to protect and realize the rights to life and to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health.” The report was r

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2016

This is the third installment of a three-part series on Seoul’s battle against three types of urban pollution: smell, noise, and light. -- Ed.Office worker Wi, 26, often plays soccer at a public field near Gangnam, but he recently faced resistance from some residents who live nearby. An official from the district office asked Wi and his teammates to avoid playing soccer there at night, as there had been complaints that the bright lights at the field disturbed residents. “But it doesn’t make sens

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2016