Some 1,200 metric tons of plastic waste shipped back to Korea from the Philippines in January and 3,400 tons of waste stopped from illegally being exported are to be incinerated starting Wednesday.  (Yonhap-Greenpeace)The Pyongtaek city government will send the unrecyclable garbage currently held at Pyeongtaek Port to four Gyeonggi-area private incineration facilities.　Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae is set to visit the port for an on-site inspection on Wednesday to oversee the process, accor

The Seoul Metropolitan Government laid out plans Sunday to designate tent zones and reduce the amount of trash generated in parks along the Han River, as part of efforts to better keep the parks clean and boost public safety.Banpo Hangang Park (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)　Tents will only be allowed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 13 specific tent zones in 11 riverside parks -- including two in Yeouido Hangang Park and two in Banpo Hangang Park. In the zones, tents must be smaller than 2 meters tall a

A grandson of the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung was apprehended Sunday at the Incheon Airport on suspicions of using liquid marijuana, even as another SK Group family member is under probe for using it. (Yonhap)The 28-year-old -- eldest son of Chung Mong-il, the eighth son of Hyundai founder and CEO of Hyundai M Partners -- was taken into custody at around 9:30 a.m. upon his arrival from the United Kingdom, according to the police. Chung is suspected of purchasing a liquid form of mar

An appeals court said Thursday the government does not have to disclose documents on the negotiations that led to a controversial 2015 deal between South Korea and Japan on Tokyo’s wartime sex slavery, citing national interest. (Yonhap)Overturning a lower court’s decision, the Seoul High Court ruled that making public the documents, which include diplomatic secrets, could severely violate Korea’s interests and damage ties with Japan.“If the information is revealed, Japan’s side would be disclose

Subway Line No. 5 in Seoul was partially disrupted at around 11 a.m. Thursday due to a power outage, Seoul Metro said.  (Yonhap)The power cut took place on the rail connecting Gwangnaru Station and Gangdong Station, suspending subway services in both directions at four stops between Gunja Station and Gangdong Station. Efforts are underway to restore services. As of 11:20 a.m., subway services bound for the Sangildong and Macheon stations have resumed. By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

The prosecution on Wednesday apprehended the businessman at the center of allegations of rape, sexual bribery and abuse of power involving former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui, accusing him of fraud and other charges. In the fresh probe into the high-profile case, prosecutors identified suspected misappropriation of company funds and fraud by Yoon Jung-cheon, 58, while he was heading a construction firm between November 2017 and May last year, according to the prosecution. The prosecution is

South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo, on trial for his alleged role in rigging online comments to benefit then-presidential candidate Moon Jae-in, has been released on bail after 77 days in detention.The Seoul High Court approved Kim’s request for bail on the condition that he is limited to staying at his residence in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. The court allowed Kim, who won his post in 2018, to commute to work, but ordered him not to contact anyone in connection with the ongo

Bereaved families of the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster on Monday called for a fresh prosecutorial investigation into the event and punishment for those accountable, a day before the fifth anniversary of the disaster. (Yonhap)Five years after the 6,800-ton ferry sank in waters off the southern coast on April 16, 2014, killing 304 people -- most of whom were high school students on a field trip -- the victims’ families said justice has not yet been served because of attempted cover-ups.

After the Constitutional Court ruled the abortion ban as unconstitutional, South Korea faces the tough task of revising the criminal code that has criminalized abortions, by the end of 2020. One of the core points lawmakers have to agree on for the revision is the number of weeks of pregnancy during which women are allowed to have abortions. In the verdict, the court said that criminalizing all abortions -- even in the early stages of pregnancy -- restricts pregnant women’s rights to self-determ

Police on Friday referred the case of Hwang Ha-na, a granddaughter of the founder of a major South Korean dairy company, to the prosecution on charges of using and selling illegal drugs. (Yonhap)Hwang, 31-year-old granddaughter of Namyang Dairy Products’ founder Hong Doo-young, was arrested on suspicion that she sold and used methamphetamine in 2015. She also faces fresh allegations she used illegal drugs last April. As she was moved from the detention room of the Suwon Nambu Police Station to t

The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the country’s decades-old abortion ban runs counter to the Constitution, paving the way for a revision of the criminal code 66 years after it was established. 　Pro-choice activists cheer in front of the Constituional Court, Thursday, following the ruling that ordered a revision of the current abortion ban. (Yonhap)In a landmark decision that overturned its 2012 ruling, the court ruled 7-2 that criminalizing all abortions -- even in the early stages of

지난 3월 29일 밤 11시 서울 마포구 홍대 인근의 한 유명클럽 앞. 주말을 맞아 클럽을 찾은 션 피켓(25)씨가 보안요원과 실랑이를 벌였다. 그가 알고 있는 클럽 입장료는 1만5000원인데, 보안요원이 그에게 입장료로 2만원을 내라고 하면서다. 피켓 씨는 “나도 한국인인데 왜 5000원을 더 내야 하느냐” 물었다. 겉모습은 백인이지만 그는 한국인 어머니, 미국인 아버지 사이에서 태어난 혼혈인이다. 하지만 그에게 돌아온 대답은 “그냥 가라” 였다. 그의 여자친구가 다시 찾아와 따지자 클럽 측이 “백인들은 문제를 일으키기 때문에 입장을 안 시킨다”고 했다. 피켓 씨는 “한국어로 말했지만 아무 소용이 없었다. 그들은 내 피부색깔만 봤다”며 인종차별을 당했다고 주장했다.프랑스 국적의 30대 남성 A씨가 겪은 차별은 더 심했다. 피켓 씨가 갔던 바로 그 클럽이었다. “백인은 문제를 일으킨다“며 출입 자체를 거부당했다는 게 그의 주장이다. 작년 가을에는 한국인 동료들과 함께 찾았던 이태원의

The Constitutional Court is set to rule on the validity of the current abortion ban Thursday for the second time in seven years, amid a growing feminist movement and public support for scrapping the law.  Women's rights activists and pro-life activists hold rallies to voice their demands in front of the Constitutional Court.(Yonhap)Since a court deadlock de facto found the abortion ban constitutional in a 4-4 decision in 2012, debate on women’s right to choose and a fetus’ right to life has cont

For Sean Pickett, it was supposed to be a fun night out with his girlfriend and friends in Hongdae, a popular nightlife district. That night, however, he faced discrimination at a major club because he looked “white,” he says.　Pickett, whose mother is South Korean and whose father is a white American, was charged 20,000 won for being a “white man,” he said, even though Korean men were charged 15,000 won and Korean women were charged 10,000 won. 　When Pickett asked the bouncer why he had to pay m

Police said Tuesday they had questioned two police officers about allegations that Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of a major South Korean dairy company, avoided a probe into drug use in 2015. (Yonhap)The two officers had investigated cases involving Hwang, 31, the granddaughter of Namyang Dairy Products founder Hong Du-yeong, who was suspected of having sold and used methamphetamine in 2015. She faces fresh allegations she used illegal drugs last April.　In 2015, Hwang was booked o

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and United Arab Emirates’ Khalifa University of Science and Technology opened the KAIST-KU Joint Research Center in Abu Dhabi, as part of their efforts to enhance cooperation in the wake of “Industry 4.0,” KAIST said Tuesday. 　KAIST President Shin Sung-chul (left) and Arif Al Hammadi, executive vice president of the Khalifa University of Science Technology, shake hands during the KAIST-KU Joint Research Center opening ceremony held in Abu Dhabi,

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday that it will establish a new body under Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to fight worsening particulate pollution in the nation’s capital. 　Under Park’s direct supervision, a body encompassing 11 departments and four state-run agencies under the municipality, as well as 25 district offices in Seoul, will be in charge of drawing up and implementing countermeasures to reduce dust pollution.(Yonhap)The control tower will go into operation at 4 p.m. on days whe

Police are expanding an investigation on drug use to celebrities, as Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of a major South Korean dairy producer, has revealed she took illegal substances on the recommendation of a celebrity acquaintance. (Yonhap)Hwang, 31, the granddaughter of Namyang Dairy Products’ founder Hong Du-yeong, was arrested Saturday for suspected of drug trading and use. She is accused of selling methamphetamine and using it herself in 2015. Separately, she is suspected of h

An Angolan family who had been stranded for more than three months in Incheon Airport’s transit zone after being denied entry to the country, testified in court Thursday to fight the immigration office’s decision not to accept their refugee applications. Nkuka Lulendo, his wife and four children aged under 10, who arrived to South Korea on a tourist visa on Dec. 28, explained that how he had been asked to sign a document accepting the rejection without proper explanation at the third hearing in

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology placed fourth in industry, innovation and infrastructure in the 2019 Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings, KAIST said Thursday.  Participants attend the 2019 KAIST-THE Innovation & Impact summit held at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology’s main campus in Daejeon. (KAIST)KAIST earned a nearly perfect score in patent, dissertation and research funding -- one of the specific indicators to measure its impact on s