A group of protesters held a rally against Japan’s disposal of radioactive water into the ocean, in front of the “Statue of a Girl Of Peace” at the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday.  One protestor wore a mask resembling Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and acted out the disposal of radioactive water into the ocean. The water containing radioactive materials are stored at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, in Japan, which was damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsuna

Social Affairs May 13, 2020

Shanghai Disneyland which was closed on Jan. 25 reopened on Monday, reflecting a loosening of social distancing linked to the novel coronavirus outbreak. It is the first of its kind to reopen among all other entertainment parks in the US, Japan, Europe and Hong Kong. Along with rides and attractions, Shanghai Disneyland opened all shops, restaurants and cafes within the park to its visitors. However, it decided to limit the number of visitors and closed some of its performance and play area

World News May 12, 2020

A full moon, also called the Supermoon or Flower Moon, shines bright in every part of the world.  The Supermoon rises above the Statue of Liberty in New Jersey, US.  A silhouette of a bird is seen as it files past the moon that is behind Lomonosov Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia. The Supermoon glows red in an astronomical event that occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, which makes it appear usually larger and brighter, as it rises over Caracas, Ven

World News May 10, 2020

No events will be held at parks run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Children’s Day, which falls on Tuesday, May 5, this year. The city announced Sunday the cancellation of all festivals and events at its public parks that were planned to be held around the Children’s Day holiday, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The city encouraged park visitors to take a walk rather than staying in one place for a longer period, which could cause cluster

Social Affairs May 5, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic keeps students away from campuses, college festivals are getting postponed to the fall semester. In recent weeks, the number of new infections has slowed down, prompting the country to end its 45-day social distancing campaign in favor of “everyday life quarantine,” starting Wednesday. However, universities in Seoul and other regions remain cautious about the lingering threat from the novel coronavirus. As a preventive measure, universities are pushing b

Social Affairs May 4, 2020

About 200 people were unable to take the Test of English for International Communication on Sunday as the site closed without prior notice due to the coronavirus issue. Test-takers waited outside Kyungil High School in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, until 9:20 a.m., shortly before the test was scheduled to start. The person in charge belatedly arrived and explained that they had to go to a different test site by 9:50 a.m. If that wasn’t possible, the person said, they could skip the test and get

Social Affairs May 4, 2020

South Koreans are sticking to the social distancing guidelines, even though the coronavirus curve has flattened in recent weeks.  The country plans to loosen its social distancing campaign, starting Wednesday, but throughout the nation many citizens remain cautious because a resurgence of the novel coronavirus cannot be ruled out. Social distancing is practiced in many places. People enjoying their holiday weekend are keeping a safe distance, and so are job applicants sitting company r

Social Affairs May 4, 2020

Words engraved by calligrapher Kim Dong-wook on sand at Yeongildae Beach in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, express the message that Dokdo is Korea’s territory and urge Japan to stop its attempts to claim it. Kim has held more than a hundred calligraphy performances nationwide, 24 on Dokdo, to promote awareness that the country’s eastern most islets are part of the nation’s territory. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Social Affairs May 2, 2020

Prior to the long holiday period, many have expressed concerns over the novel coronavirus and are choosing to keep “social distance,” data showed Tuesday. According to Incruit and Albacall, a local job search portal and smartphone application, respectively, 95.2 percent of 1,345 respondents aged 20-59 have decided to maintain social distancing during the long holiday period, which begins Thursday and ends Tuesday. For plans on ways to spend the holiday amid virus fears, relaxing

Social Affairs May 1, 2020

“Untact” tourism has become a new trend amid the protracted spread of the novel coronavirus. The new style of traveling -- the name being a Korean contraction of “undoing contact” -- refers to avoiding crowded places or indoor activities, and instead turning to outdoor attractions with plenty of space. Targeting forthcoming holidays, operators of several tourist sites popular among South Koreans, including Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, have been promoting a li

Travel May 1, 2020

A pair of oriental storks, endangered species designated as South Korea’s natural treasure No. 199, laid eggs in a nest they had built on top of a transmission tower standing in the middle of a farmland in southern Taean, South Chungcheong Province on Tuesday.  The storks inhibited in the wild after being artificially fecundated at Yesan Stork Park in South Chungcheong Province. It is rare for wild storks to find their mate and build a nest on an ordinary structure like a transmissi

Culture May 1, 2020

South Korean members of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement celebrated the World Penguin Day at Gwanghwamun Plaza on Friday.  Holding a press conference and performances, the civic activists stressed the need to preserve krill, which is the main diet of penguins, while pointing out that commercial fishery of krill has been expanding rapidly.  The World Penguin Day promotes public awareness for the endangerment of penguins and encourages people to learn more about them

Social Affairs April 26, 2020

High school students and parents received national academic assessment test papers while maintaining social distancing via walk-thru and drive-thru distribution on Friday. Instead of testing altogether in classrooms, students had to return home with the test papers and answer sheets to take a take-home test to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

Social Affairs April 25, 2020

Seoulites gathered in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday morning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which falls on April 22 annually.  The Seoul Metropolitan Government held various commemorative events, such as the “Earth, Us, Ulssu” Korean traditional performance and the display of pickets that read, “daily climate action.” People wearing animal masks joined in, calling for action to “stop global warming” and t

Social Affairs April 23, 2020

The Korea Baseball Organization announced Tuesday that the 2020 regular season will kick off on May 5, which is also the Children’s Day holiday. The season was postponed from its regular start date of March 28 due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Four exhibition games are to be played for the preseason, one of which started Tuesday and the last to be wrapped up Monday. All exhibition games and early regular season games will be played without fans, amid concerns over the spread of t

Baseball April 22, 2020