South Korea woke up to the coldest day of winter so far as morning temperatures Wednesday plunged to minus 17 degrees Celsius in Seoul, minus 7.7 C in Busan and minus 10.3 C in Daegu, just a day after the weather agency issued cold wave warnings for most parts of the country. A light-emitting diode sign displays the temperature of minus 17 degrees Celsius in eastern Seoul on Wednesday. Yonhap　A cold wave warning is issued when the temperature remains below minus 15 degrees for two or more days,

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2018

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea will welcome delegations from a record 94 countries and tourists around the world for the international event slated for next month. And among the visitors will be Muslims. Mobile Prayer Room. Photo: KTOFor Muslims visiting Gangneung -- one of three venues in Gangwon Province where the games will be held -- “mobile prayer rooms” will be set up in the region to attract more adherents of Islam that make up the world’s second-largest religious gro

Olympic Games Jan. 24, 2018

South Korea woke up to the coldest day of the winter so far as morning temperatures plunged to minus 15.6 degrees Celsius in Seoul, minus 7.7 C in Busan and minus 10.3 C in Daegu, according to the weather agency Wednesday. YonhapThe wind chill took temperatures down to minus 23 C in Seoul in the morning and some parts of the country, while daytime highs are expected to hover from minus 12 C to 0 C. Up to 5 centimeters of snow was forecast Wednesday morning on the west coast, Jeju and Chungcheong

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2018

Yongin in Gyeonggi province -- home to Everland and Caribbean Bay, South Korea’s most popular amusement and water parks -- has been highlighted as one of the fastest growing cities in the country, setting up 27 industrial complex centers, including Yongin Techno Valley that has nearly completed construction. Yongin Mayor Jung Chan-minThe 1.02-square-kilometer Yongin Techno Valley alone is bringing in some 750 companies to the industrial complex as a high-tech hub, expecting to create 7,000 jobs

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2018

An extreme cold wave hit South Korea on Tuesday with lows of minus 13 degrees Celsius in Seoul and Chuncheon, minus 6 C in Daegu and minus 2 C in Busan.Daytime highs ranging from minus 9 C to zero C are expected across the country.  (Yonhap)The Korean Meteorological Administration said very cold wind chill is expected in most parts of the country, with wind chill temperature of minus 20.1 C in Seoul on Tuesday morning.Tuesday’s frigid conditions will be accompanied by overnight snowfall of up to

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2018

When Seoul waived public transportation fees last week as part of antipollution emergency measures, Mike Hugo, 31, a foreign resident who has been working in South Korea since 2009, also received an “important notification” via text message; only he couldn’t read Korean.“I received notifications of emergency situations on Jan. 14, 16 and 17. Of course the messages were in Korean. I had to copy and paste the messages into the Papago app to confirm that it was about fine dust and free public trans

Social Affairs Jan. 22, 2018

Monday’s skies are expected to be cloudy in general, with snow possible in the afternoon in parts of the country, according to forecasts.The Korean Meteorological Administration said daily temperatures will be above average, but temperature drops are expected later Monday due to a low pressure trough moving in from China.  (Yonhap)Morning and daytime temperatures remain mild, ranging from minus 2 degrees Celsius to 4 C in Seoul, 4 C to 8 C in Busan and 0 C to 6 C in Daegu. The weather agency sai

Social Affairs Jan. 22, 2018

A National Intelligence Service agent central to allegations that the spy agency attempted to manipulate public opinion in the run up to the 2012 presidential election is to be indicted, prosecutors said Sunday. National Intelligence Service’s agent, surnamed KimThe NIS agent is alleged to have been involved in an online smear campaign against then-liberal presidential candidate Moon Jae-in, who lost by a narrow margin to conservative Park Geun-hye in the election. The expected indictment for th

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2018

Amid worsening air quality, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced proposals for a mandatory “alternate no-driving day” program on days of high particulate matter levels, during which half of vehicles in the city would be banned from using the roads. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon announces plans to tackle fine dust problems at Seoul City Hall on Sunday. YonhapSeoul’s Mayor Park Woon-soon said during a Sunday press briefing at Seoul City Hall that, if the plan was improved, the city would activa

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2018

Authorities’ move to adopt a mandatory “alternate no-driving day” policy on days when air quality is bad -- a measure aimed at reducing air pollutants -- is drawing mixed reviews. Under the scheme, half of all affected vehicles would be banned from roads depending on the last digit of the car‘s license plate, according to a Seoul metropolitan government official interviewed by The Korea Herald.  Seoul’s Mapo Bridge can barely be seen early Thursday morning due to air pollution. Yonhap“Last year,

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2018

Thursday’s weather will be warmer than the average temperature for this time of the year, with daytime temperatures expected to make their way up from 4 to 12 degrees Celsius. However, fine dust levels remain high across the country, with Seoul activating its free public transportation program again Thursday, following Monday and Wednesday. Seoul’s Mapo Bridge can barely be seen early in the morning Thursday due to air pollution. YonhapAs of 9 a.m., the real-time air quality index site (www.aqic

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2018

Consecutive days of heavy smog is nothing new for Koreans. Last year, the country’s air quality at one point reached 179 micrograms per cubic meter of ultrafine dust, the second-highest level in the world after India, according to AirVisual, which measures pollutant levels.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (Yonhap)But Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province, where more than half of the country’s 52 million people live, differ sharply in their approach to the issue.A war of words intensified on both

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2018

Seoul is waiving public transport fees Wednesday during peak commuting hours as the daily average density of ultrafine dust is expected to exceed 50 micrograms per cubic meter throughout the day -- a level considered “bad.” The free public transit program -- first implemented last year and initiated on Jan. 14 due to air pollution -- is part of the capital city’s measures to fight air pollution, which also include limiting car use and temporarily shutting down government building parking lots. 

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2018

During the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games, most athletes will be eating at restaurants in the two Olympic villages in PyeongChang and Gangneung, where the Olympics will take place from Feb. 9-25, followed by the 10-day Paralympics, which will kick off on March 9. Food safety inspectors monitor samples of food and beverage for athletes on Monday at a laboratory vehicle set up near the Olympic Village restaurant in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. The Ministry of Food and Drug

Olympic Games Jan. 16, 2018

Among foreign tourists, Seoul taxis are notorious for refusing services past midnight and driving recklessly. But taxis with marked “International Taxi” enjoy a reputation for friendly and superior service.Seoul's International Taxi. Photo: Daehan SangunProviding services in English, Chinese and Japanese, Seoul’s foreign-language taxi fleet has been part of the city’s key strategy to boost tourism and attract more foreigners.However, the system of city-licensed cabs faces an uncertain future due

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2018