Public spaces hold symbolic meaning to South Koreans and it is important to build more of them in cities to enhance national dignity, said Chairperson Kwon Young-gull from the National Architecture Policy Commission at the Global Business Forum held in Seoul on Wednesday. The GBF, organized by The Korea Herald, is an association of experts from various fields such as business leaders, scholars, diplomats and celebrities, who come together to provide comprehensive views on industrial changes. Sev

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province, Wednesday morning, marking the strongest earthquake in South Korea's southwestern region's history and the most powerful quake of the year, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The earthquake that occurred at 8:26 a.m. was the 16th strongest earthquake since 1973, when the country started compiling relevant records. The quake’s depth was measured at 8 kilometers and it was followed by 17 afte

South Korea's first tropical night of 2024 hit Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Monday night, a week earlier than last year, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday. Tropical nights are defined as ones in which the temperature remains above 25 degrees Celsius from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day, according to the KMA. As of 6:50 a.m. Tuesday, the KMA announced that temperatures remained above 25 C in Gangneung and would remain the same or higher until 9 a.m. It is the

Summer is right around the corner, with average daytime temperatures nationwide estimated to record over 30 degrees Celsius throughout the week, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. Monday’s average daytime temperatures nationwide were to range between 26 C and 33 C, as South Korea falls under the influence of high pressure coming toward the peninsula from Mongolia while warm air comes in from the west, according to the KMA. On Tuesday and Wednesday, morning te

South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea on Sunday, in response to North Korea's launches of trash-laden balloons into South Korean territory over the weekend, the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed. Despite warnings of retaliation from Seoul, North Korea flew 330 additional balloons loaded with trash from late Saturday until 10 a.m. Sunday morning, apparently in response to activists' launches of leaflet-carrying balloons headed the other way. "Our military conduc

There is an 80 percent chance for global temperatures to rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels within the next five years, according to the World Meteorological Organization on Wednesday. According to the WMO’s Global Annual to Decadal Update report, the global temperatures for each year between 2024 and 2028 are predicted to range between 1.1 and 1.9 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The report, which is issued annually by the WMO, provides an explanati

Amid global efforts to curb disposable plastic consumption, South Korea has been stuck in a dilemma about whether to regulate disposable cups and straws for food services out of fear of financially burdening smaller businesses. The country has backtracked on previously implemented disposable plastic regulations, with the Environment Ministry lifting its ban on disposable cups, plastic straws and plastic bags at cafes and restaurants, while also giving provisional approval to bring plastic bags b

Nine out of 10 Korean nationals believe that South Korea is now facing a climate crisis, according to survey results released by the Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday. According to the survey, 89.9 percent of respondents answered that Korea is in the midst of a climate crisis and 90.1 percent of respondents answered that they feel the impacts of climate change directly, due to extreme weather events such as prolonged heat waves. In January, the KMA stated that 2023 was Korea’s

Daewoo Engineering & Construction’s Chairman Jung Won-ju, who doubles as chairman of Herald Media Group, met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Sunday to discuss measures to expand South Korean construction companies into Africa and to strengthen strategic cooperation with each other. “Daewoo E&C has conducted around 280 projects in Africa worth $32 billion. ... We have recently finished the construction of the Botswana -Zambia bridge,” said Jung. “Da

The South Korean government vowed on Monday to share phishing scam call data with private companies developing artificial intelligence-based software and services to counter voice phishing scams, which have consistently been on the rise over the last few years. Voice phishing scams, or fraudulent phone calls, are estimated to have caused up to 196.5 billion won ($143 million) in damages in 2023, according to Financial Supervisory Service data from March 2024 -- a 35.4 percent increase from numbe

The National Assembly began its 22nd four-year session Thursday, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea having the majority of 175 seats in the 300-member parliament, foreshadowing another heated partisan struggle against the conservative president and ruling party, which holds 108 seats. The National Assembly will hold its first plenary session on June 5, where it will elect a new speaker to lead the new parliament for the first two years. As it is customary for the party with the

A Chinese national who worked for South Korean chipmaker SK hynix is on trial accused of smuggling technology to reduce semiconductor defects to the company's Chinese rival Huawei, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Tuesday. According to police officials, the ex-employee in her 30s was arrested under the Act on Prevention of Divulgence and Protection of Industrial Technology in April. She was indicted by prosecutors earlier in the month and is currently standing trial at Suwon Dis

South Korea will host the UN Public Service Forum next month to discuss ways to transform and innovate the public sector, focusing on digital transformation and artificial intelligence, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said Sunday. This year’s UN Public Service Forum will be held for three days at Songdo, Incheon, from June 24 to 26. It will be jointly organized by the Interior Ministry and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The UN Public Service Forum is an annual intern

The Chollian-5 is set to become South Korea’s third geostationary meteorological satellite, as it passed a preliminary feasibility study Thursday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of Science and ICT. According to the KMA and the Science and ICT Ministry, a total budget of 680 billion won ($499 million) will be invested in developing the satellite, following the results of the feasibility study. If things go according to the plan, the new satellite will

Line No. 8 of the Seoul Metro, a subway operator of South Korea's capital city, will extend its services to the Byeollae Station in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, by August, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Thursday. Six new stations will be added along a 12.9-kilometer stretch from Amsa Station, which is currently the last stop for the eastbound subway trains of Line No. 8. Travellers will be able to transfer from Line No. 8 to Gyeongchun Line, and vice versa, at Byeollae Sta