Heavy snow is expected across South Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. According to the KMA, snowfall will begin Tuesday morning in northern areas of the country, including Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, inland and mountainous regions of Gangwon Province, and the northern parts of South Chungcheong Province. Snow clouds will then expand to the central region, into North and South Jeolla provinces and across western parts of North a

Social Affairs Jan. 8, 2024

Details regarding the party membership of the suspect in the stabbing attack of Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday are unlikely to be disclosed, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. “After internal discussions, it was concluded that while Kim’s political party affiliation is a matter of public concern, it could not be disclosed under the law,” a Busan Metropolitan Police Agency official told The Korea Herald on Sunday. The Busan Metropolitan

Social Affairs Jan. 7, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government aims for 2024 to be the “Year of Great Transformation,” with the goal of shaping Seoul into a happier city, said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon during the city government’s New Year’s meeting on Friday. “With South Korea ranking 57th in the 2023 World Happiness Report, Seoul’s ultimate goal for 2024 is to ensure citizens’ happiness,” said Oh. “For policies that guarantee citizens’ happiness to be realized, Seou

Social Affairs Jan. 5, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that it will charge the 2,000 won ($1.53) congestion toll fee at Namsan Tunnel Nos. 1 and 3 for northbound traffic only, beginning Jan. 15. The city government stopped collecting toll fees for the first time in 27 years from March 17 to May 16 last year as a temporary pricing model to decide whether to scrap the toll collection system. For the first month, toll fees were exempted for southbound traffic only, while for the second month toll fees wer

Social Affairs Jan. 4, 2024

The year 2023 was Korea's “hottest year on record,” according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday. South Korea’s average annual temperature was 13.7 degrees Celsius, the highest average annual temperature since 1973, when weather records were first collected by the administration, the KMA said. The average annual temperature last year was 0.3 degrees higher than the previous record of 13.4 C in 2015. According to the KMA’s data, between January to Nove

Social Affairs Jan. 3, 2024

A fire broke out at an apartment building in Gyeonggi Province, leaving one dead and 14 others injured, according to fire services on Tuesday. According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire Service, the fire occurred on the ninth floor of a 15-story apartment building in the city of Gunpo in Gyeonggi Province at around 7:15 a.m. A man in his 50s, who was living on the ninth floor, was pronounced dead at the site. His wife, also in her 50s, was sent to a hospital for severe burns and breathing difficulties du

Social Affairs Jan. 2, 2024

As 2023 draws to a close, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast on Friday that most of South Korea will see either snow or rain over the weekend. According to the KMA, snow or rain is expected to fall in most parts of the country on Saturday and Sunday, as low pressure passes through. The central parts of the West Sea, western Seoul and northern South Chungcheong Province are expected to be hit with the first waves of snow or rain on Saturday morning. These weather conditions are expe

Social Affairs Dec. 29, 2023

The Ministry of Environment said Thursday it will require industries that are heavy producers of organic waste resources to transition to the production of biogas starting Dec. 31. According to the Environment Ministry’s biogas law, public and private industries that generate organic waste such as livestock manure and food waste will be required to produce them in the form of biogas. Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, plant m

Social Affairs Dec. 28, 2023

Subways and buses running in central Seoul will extend late-night operating hours for those enjoying New Year's Eve celebrations, with the bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion and Sejongdaero expected to take place from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m the next day. Normally, on public holidays subways are scheduled to arrive at their final station by midnight. However, on Sunday, subway trains will operate until 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day. A total of 173 subway trains will run on Line Nos. 1 to

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it will add eight six-carriage trains on Line No. 9 of the Seoul Metro, increasing the number of trains in operation from the current 45 to 53 by early 2024. Out of the eight that are planned to be added, five will begin operating from this weekend on Dec. 30. With the newly added trains, the city government plans to reduce train arrival intervals and extreme overcrowding during rush hour. By the year-end, train arrival intervals are exp

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2023

A fire that broke out in an apartment building in Dobong-gu, northern Seoul that left two people dead and injured 30 others Monday was likely caused by human negligence, the police and fire authorities said Tuesday. A police official on-site said that it seems “unlikely that the fire was ignited due to electrical factors” after a joint on-site investigation. “It seems unlikely that the fire was caused by a short circuit or malfunctioning electrical equipment. Based on the evide

Social Affairs Dec. 26, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Tuesday that it will monitor traffic conditions in real time using drones starting in 2024. Using drone footage of traffic taken 200 meters above the ground, an artificial intelligence algorithm will analyze the footage to find patterns and predict future traffic conditions. To create a traffic management system that utilizes drones and AI, the Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted several tests in September and October. The city government tested

Social Affairs Dec. 26, 2023

A canopy of white covered the capital city of Seoul on Christmas morning, making it a white Christmas for the first time since 2015. In Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, while there were several pedestrians hurrying to get indoors to escape the snow, there were also some taking photos of the winter scenery. “It really feels like Christmas today,” said 25-year-old Baek Ji-yoon. “Christmas is one of my favorite holidays of the year because of its general atmosphere, but the sn

Social Affairs Dec. 25, 2023

Thursday’s temperatures were recorded to be the lowest so far this year, with morning lows reaching as low as minus 19 degrees Celsius and daytime highs expected to range between minus 10 C and 2 C. However, with winds traveling as fast as 55 kilometers per hour nationwide, the Korea Meteorological Administration stated that it would feel a lot colder than the actual temperature. In Seoul, morning low temperatures were minus 15 C, with high temperatures of minus 7 C and a wind chill of min

Social Affairs Dec. 21, 2023

Temperatures are expected to drop significantly from Thursday as the cold weather continues to persist in the central region, with heavy snow forecast in southwestern parts of South Korea until Friday, according to the national weather agency on Wednesday. As the continental high pressure builds, cold air will begin to move toward the west, causing snow clouds that have formed along the west coast to move inland, it said. This will cause snow to fall near the west coast of South Chungcheong Prov

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2023