President Park Geun-hye plans to support the planned launch of a new deal on combating climate change, an official said Friday ahead of the president's trip to France to attend a crucial U.N. conference on the issue.Park is scheduled to leave for Paris on Sunday for the conference meant to produce political momentum for the negotiations on a new legally binding deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions.Park is set to present South Korea's plans to help developing countries improve their capabilities

Seoul City is recruiting dozens of foreign student interns who will participate in the city’s administrative and volunteer work, officials said. Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would pick 30 foreign students for Seoul City’s global internship next month.The city government has run the global internship program twice a year since 2008 to offer opportunities for foreign students to work for the city.Students will be dispatched to Seoul City Hall or affiliated organizations and support admini

Seoul City on Wednesday released the final version of its new logo -- with a little modification. Seoul Metropolitan Government said it had revised the new slogan “I.Seoul.U” to “I∙Seoul∙U,” changing the position of the dots to better emphasize the connection between “you” and “I” through the city. The decision was made based on expert advice. (Seoul Metropolitan Government)The new logo was chosen in late October after a series of public votes. It beat two other candidates -- “Seoulmate” and “Se

The Transport Ministry on Wednesday approved Seoul City’s plan to tear down the outdated overpass near Seoul Station and alter routes for smoother traffic flow.The ministry, however, said it was not a consent to the city’s controversial plan to create a pedestrian park on the 1-kilometer flyover, and that the approval was only given as new traffic routes submitted by the city did not pose any problems.“This means we are approving a detour from the Seoul Station overpass, it does not mean that th

The U.S. military has launched a probe into a helicopter crash that left two American soldiers dead, officials said Tuesday. An AH-64 Apache helicopter from the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division crashed onto a mountain road late Monday near Wonju, Gangwon Province, some 100 kilometers east of Seoul. The accident took place 20 minutes after the attack helicopter departed from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The crew members were on their routine night low-fly training mission, the U

A 50-year-old fashion and interior designer surnamed Kim has been running a unique cultural space since last summer in Seochon, Jongno, Seoul, where cultural assets, galleries and traditional Korean houses are little exposed to urban development. To create a mingling spot where artists and people share their stories, she opened a small eatery with an investment of over 100 million won ($86,300). Despite many regular customers, she has faced a dilemma as to whether she should continue the busines

South Korean police over the weekend escalated their pressure against one of the country’s umbrella labor unions, raiding the group’s office and seeking a lawsuit over the massive antigovernment rally on Nov. 14.Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Saturday raided 12 offices of eight labor unions, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, as part of the probe into the large-scale protest held in central Seoul that injured tens of protesters and police. One protestor remains in critical

A Korean civic group has sued German carmaker Volkswagen over an emissions-rigging scandal, claiming that it affected public health rights, the organization said Thursday. A total of 22 members of civic group Countermeasure Committee for Public Livelihood said they filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen Korea CEO Thomas Kuehl for allegedly taking massive financial advantage by violating rules, and causing environment problems, thereby affecting the public health. This is the first time that a third

Seoul City will repair worn-out braille blocks and install more on the streets to improve the walking environment for the blind by next year, officials said Wednesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would repair 40 percent of the blocks embossed with bumps that help the blind find their way. Braille blocks currently span 1,381 kilometers of the city.The city has earmarked about 29 billion won ($24.7 million) for the project. The city had conducted on-site inspections with blind residen

Seoul City vowed to actively utilize social media as an administrative tool to better communicate with the public and boost civic participation, officials said. For instance, disaster and safety alerts will be sent through Seoul City’s official social media accounts, including Twitter and Facebook, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.This is part of the city’s “Social Metropolitan City Seoul” project that is based on how about 30 million Koreans use social networking services across the count

Korea’s top court will establish a patent dispute mediation center as part of efforts to promptly help settle cross-border legal battles involving intellectual property rights, officials said Tuesday. The Supreme Court said it would launch a special “one-stop” center under the Patent Court where the international intellectual property conflicts can be negotiated and resolved. “Mediation is crucial in patent cases, as they mostly deal with highly professional knowledge and sensitive issues involv

Seoul City on Monday urged the central government to loosen drone regulations as part of its plans to use the unmanned aerial vehicles for the public good. The Seoul Metropolitan Government requested the Defense Ministry and Transport Ministry simplify the approvals process for drone use in cases to be used for monitoring the city’s traffic status, officials said. Under current rules, flying drones over 12 kilograms requires a permit from the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration. Regardless of

More than 4,700 immigration law violators were caught in the last two months along with over 1,100 employers who hired them, Justice Ministry officials said Sunday. The ministry said it caught 4,751 foreigners in breach of immigration law including some 3,600 who worked here without a visa. The rest were people whose visas had expired. The ministry has carried out an intensive crackdown against illegal immigration since September in cooperation with police and other ministries. Under the Immigra

Park, an 18-year-old Seoul high school student, has smoked for more than three years. Smoking a few times a day, he does not think cigarettes pose significant health risks to him. “I only smoke two or three times a day. I don’t think I’m very addicted and don’t have serious health issues yet. It’s just a way to hang out with friends,” Park told The Korea Herald, asking not to be named. Park is one of a large number of Korean teenagers who do not consider smoking harmful. According to the latest

The Seoul government will stop receiving damage reports from possible victims of a toxic humidifier disinfectant from next year, officials said Thursday, stirring concerns that the deadline could leave out potential victims who may show health problems in the future. The Environment Ministry said Thursday it would accept requests for a health probe by the end of next month from those who had used the humidifier disinfectant in question. Since July 2013, the government has carried out two investi

Tension between Seoul city government and the police authorities is escalating over the city’s plan to restore the outdated flyover near Seoul Station into an eco-friendly walkway.In September last year, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon vowed to transform a 1-kilometer-long section of the flyover into a pedestrian park as part of its urban restoration scheme, dubbed Korea’s version of New York’s High Line Park. Under the name of “Seoul Station 7017 Project,” the city aims to boost the neighboring marke

Food is not merely a crucial means of maintaining health and nutrition, but also an “object” of design that is perceived, contextualized and consumed, a Spanish food design guru said Tuesday. “Thinking food as an object is very important. If we view it as an object, it can (be) full of meanings and experiences, if it is well designed. This edible object can be designed with parameters such as ergonomics, functionality, usability and so forth,” said food designer Marti Guixe in a session at the H

South Korea’s funeral culture is fast changing with four out of five deceased being cremated rather than buried, government data showed Monday.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the country’s cremation rate accounted for 79 percent of funerals last year, surging fourfold compared to two decades ago. This is a 2 percentage point rise over last year. By region, eight metropolitan cities including the capital recorded 85.2 percent on average, 10 percent more than non-metropolitan and

More than half of pet dogs in Seoul remain unregistered despite the city government’s efforts to reduce the number of stray dogs and boost animal welfare, data showed Friday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, only about 220,000 pet dogs were registered as of September, which accounts for 44 percent of the estimated 500,000 dogs in the city. The government made pet registration mandatory in 2013 as part of efforts to prevent the rising pet abandonment and loss rates, and to guarantee

Seoul City on Thursday announced plans to give a monthly allowance to unemployed youth as part of its efforts to better bridge them to the labor market. Seoul Metropolitan Government said that it would offer 500,000 won ($440) a month starting from next year for unemployed young people aged between 19 and 29 who are in the low-income bracket. The city will provide the subsidy to 3,000 individuals on a trial basis for up to six months and expand the number to 15,000 over the next five years. A to