Negotiations at the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in Busan ended with delegations failing to reach a deal and agreeing to resume talks next year. The INC-5, which started based on a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly meeting in March 2022, started Monday in Busan, with hopes of reaching an agreement to end plastic pollution. The meeting concluded late Sunday without a deal, despite making “significant progress&rd

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2024

Negotiations at the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in Busan, were seen making little progress with only two days left before the Dec. 1 deadline. The INC-5, which was started after a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly meeting in March 2022, is the final round of negotiations before delegations are expected to finalize the legally binding treaty text. The gathering started Monday and is scheduled to end on Sunday. Challe

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2024

Korea is expected to face a winter marked by the more frequent occurrence of heavier, wetter snow than usual, the Korea Meteorological Administration projected on Friday. Starting Wednesday, Korea already witnessed a historic two-day spell of record-breaking November snowfall. According to the KMA, the unprecedented heavy snowfall nationwide was due to the warmer temperatures of the West Sea compared to previous years, due to the unusually warm weather South Korea experienced during summer and a

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2024

South Korea was thrown into disarray on Thursday as unusually heavy November snowfall continued for a second day. Treacherous conditions led to widespread transportation delays and caused power outages in parts of Seoul. Heavy snowfall of over 40 centimeters blanketed the densely populated Greater Seoul area. Thursday’s snowfall was the third-highest amount ever recorded for Seoul in November, reaching up to 40.2 cm in Gwanak-gu, while Yongin and Gunpo in Gyeonggi Province saw up to 47.5 c

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2024

Heavy snow warnings were issued across the country as South Korea -- especially the Greater Seoul area and Gangwon Province -- experienced heavy snowfall nationwide, with more expected overnight. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, more than 20 centimeters of snow covered parts of Seoul as of 7 a.m., Wednesday morning. Normally, a warning is issued by the KMA when snowfall is expected to reach above 20 cm within 24 hours. The last time a snowfall warning was issued by the KMA

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2024

BUSAN -- Delegates from 177 countries gathered in Busan on Monday for the fifth round of negotiations to clinch a deal for a legally binding United Nations treaty to combat plastic pollution, though doubts linger as to whether a final agreement can be reached. From Monday through Sunday, delegates to the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee are expected to finalize a legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution. This initiative emerged from a resolution passed duri

Social Affairs Nov. 25, 2024

All eyes turn to Busan as delegations from 175 countries gather for the final round of negotiations to clinch a legally binding United Nations treaty to combat plastic pollution. Kicking off Monday and running through Dec. 1, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee could define the global response to one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. The initiative stems from a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly meeting in March 2022, which

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2024

Hackers linked to North Korea’s military intelligence agency were found to be responsible for extorting ethereum cryptocurrency worth 58 billion won ($41.5 million) back in 2019, according to the National Office of Investigation of the Korean National Police Agency, Thursday. According to the KNPA, North Korea’s state-sponsored hacker groups Lazarus and Andariel were found to be involved in the theft of 342,000 ethereum tokens from the South Korea-based cryptocurrency exchange Upbit

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it will host a large-scale, city-wide winter festival next month, accompanied by media art and radiant sculptures decorating the city. Also known as Seoul Winter Festa, the city government combined several winter-themed events into one large-scale festival for the first time in 2023. According to the city government, the event saw around 7.4 million visitors. This year’s event will kick off on Dec. 13 and run until Jan. 5 at six location

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2024

With less than a week left for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution at its fifth and final session, the Ministry of Environment told the press Wednesday that reaching a deal “could be difficult.” "Out of the five scheduled rounds of negotiations, four have been completed,” said an Environment Ministry official. “However, the process remains deadlocked due to sharp conflict between cou

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2024

Police are pushing to introduce driver’s licenses dedicated specifically for personal mobility devices, such as electric scooters or motorized bicycles, according to the Korean National Police Agency. “The agency is planning to derive a reasonable proposal by January next year at the latest, after conducting surveys and consultations with related agencies and organizations by the end of this year,” a KNPA official told the press on Tuesday. Currently, three methods are being co

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated on Tuesday that the correct English name for the river running through the capital city, commonly referred to as the “Han River,” is the “Hangang River.” The recent announcement comes as the city government aims to address the ongoing confusion caused by the mixed usage of both terms. Known as Hangang in Korean -- "gang" meaning "river" -- the 508-kilometer-long waterway is a major national landmark and a popula

Social Affairs Nov. 19, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday that it is pushing to hire foreign nationals as bus drivers on local community routes as the city struggles to deal with a chronic manpower shortage in the transportation sector. The city government requested last month that the Office for Government Policy Coordination expand the E-9 visa program to include the transportation sector and to extend the employment period for E-9 visa holders from three to five years. Currently, E-9 visas are is

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2024

Most regions were issued cold wave alerts Monday as South Korea saw a 10-degree drop in average temperatures compared to the previous day, with the cold expected to continue into Wednesday. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, most parts of Korea saw temperatures dip below freezing, with average morning temperatures reaching as low as minus 5 degrees Celsius and daytime temperatures ranging between 6 C to 13 C, which is 1 C to 3 C lower than previous years. With Seoul seeing mor

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2024

The Seoul Western District Court on Friday accepted an injunction filed by students and parents to suspend the validity of Yonsei University’s early admissions entrance exam in October, following allegations that exam questions were leaked prior to the test. The court ruled to “suspend the continuation of subsequent procedures” related to the early admissions exam until a ruling is made in a lawsuit demanding the exam be readministered. The decision effectively halts the announ

Social Affairs Nov. 15, 2024