About 100,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit South Korea next week for their national holiday, a state-run body said Thursday. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, they are anticipated to travel to Korea during the long holiday from April 30 to May 4. This is about a 20 percent increase compared to the same period last year, it said.The number of Chinese tourists has been growing steadily this year. In March, more than 500,000 Chinese came to Seoul, a 22 percent increase from the

Seoul City said Wednesday it will decide next month whether to reopen facilities at Lotte’s controversial skyscraper amid public concerns over the safety of the building and surrounding areas.Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would consider lifting the operating suspension of a theater and aquarium in Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, southern Seoul. The Ministry of Public Safety and Security recently confirmed that all safety countermeasures were properly taken at the facilities.The aquarium and

About 1 in 6 Koreans over age 30 have their lives cut short by air pollution, a study found Monday, raising concerns over public health. About 15,000 adults aged 30 or older in Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province die earlier than they otherwise would each year because of air pollution, especially fine dust, the report said. This accounts for about 16 percent of the yearly death toll of those aged over 30 in the two regions. The report was jointly authored by occupational and environmental medicine

Seoul City will raise the public transportation fare as part of its efforts to reduce its budget deficit and improve services, officials said Thursday. Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would increase the subway fare by 250 won ($0.20) to 1,300 won and bus fares by 150 won to 1,200 won. This is the first hike in 3 1/2 years.The new fares are expected to go into effect from late June after the city council reviews the proposal. As an alternative plan, the city has proposed a 200-won hike only

The world’s largest network of municipalities on Friday adopted an action plan aimed at taking prompt measures against climate change at a congress held in Seoul.The Seoul Action Plan was released by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to gather more global support at the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives World Congress.The plan, a follow-up to the Seoul Declaration adopted a day before, urged tight cooperation between cities through three major global municipality networks ― ICLEI

The country’s first-ever upcycling center will be opened in Seoul in 2017 in an aim to boost green industries, officials said Thursday. Seoul Metropolitan Government broke ground for the Seoul Upcycling Plaza (tentative name) in Janganpyeong, eastern Seoul, as part of the project to stimulate the culture of reusing, recycling and upcycling. In contrast to reusing and recycling, upcycling uses waste materials to convert them into new products. It has been a rising global trend, especially in the