Articles by Lee Jung-joo
Lee Jung-joo
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com-
Korea eyes May launch for AI-based flood forecast system
A flood forecasting system equipped with artificial intelligence technology will be implemented nationwide from May, in preparation for the rainy season during the summer, the Ministry of Environment said Wednesday. The new AI-based flood forecasting system will be installed in a total of 223 locations nationwide, including 75 locations categorized as special flood warning points such as those next to large rivers. The system will analyze the possibility of a flood occurring every 10 minutes and
Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2024
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Emergency alerts to include English keywords
From Wednesday, emergency text alerts will include keywords in English to help people who don't speak Korean understand better what kind of emergencies are occurring, said the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Wednesday. Emergency text alerts are alert messages that are sent to everyone who is within a certain radius of emergency situations, such as evacuation alerts and extreme weather events like earthquakes and heavy rain. These alert messages are categorized into three different types:
Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2024
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Ultrafine dust levels this year could be severe: ministry
Ultrafine dust levels in March could be higher than previous years due to high pressure, higher-than-normal temperatures and a stagnant atmosphere, according to the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday. As a measure to reduce exposure to higher ultrafine dust levels, the Environment Ministry stated that it recommends workers, especially those who have respiratory symptoms or those who are pregnant, to work flexibly if high fine dust levels persist for more than two days. Flexible work includes spa
Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2024
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Plans unveiled to redevelop southwest Seoul
The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled plans to redevelop southwest Seoul into an innovative urban district that combines functions such as work, leisure and housing on Tuesday. During Tuesday’s press briefing, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said that the city government will begin construction in southwest Seoul in 2025 to transform industrial and old residential areas into futuristic, high-tech industrial clusters and residential, leisure and work areas with green spaces. Southwest Seoul con
Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2024
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Seoul looks for foreign volunteers to monitor city life
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will recruit 40 foreign national volunteers as the “Seoul Life Monitoring Team,” to help the city government identify any concerns or inconveniences foreign nationals living in Seoul have. The city government has been recruiting Seoul Life Monitoring Team volunteers since introducing the program in 2012. In 2023, 37 volunteers of 20 different nationalities participated in the program. This year, foreign nationals and naturalized citizens may apply if
Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2024
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Fake compilation video featuring President Yoon goes viral
A fake compilation video featuring President Yoon Suk Yeol delivering a speech has spread rapidly on social media, prompting South Korea's independent media regulation agency to decide on Friday to remove the deceptive video from all social media channels. The 46-second fabricated video shows Yoon saying “I, Yoon Suk Yeol, have been enforcing laws that harass our nation,” as well as “I ruined our country and made its people suffer by clinging onto an ideology that deviates
Social Affairs Feb. 23, 2024
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S. Korea, US, Japan concur on 'stern' response to NK-Russia arms deal
The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on the need for a firm response to North Korea's provision of arms to Russia for its war against Ukraine, as well as on enhancing cooperation to address North Korean threats, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Friday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held a trilateral meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers&rsq
Foreign Affairs Feb. 23, 2024
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Heavy snow hits S. Korea, with more expected
After more than 8 centimeters of snow was dumped on Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, snowfall continued in Gangwon Province and other regions, with up to 70 cm expected in the worst affected areas. Cold temperatures and strong winds are forecast to persist in other regions. As of Thursday morning, Greater Seoul and the Chungcheong provinces saw 3-8 cm of snow, following a mix of snow and rain Wednesday evening. In Seoul, 12.3 cm of snow had fallen as of Thursday morning. From
Social Affairs Feb. 22, 2024
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Weather agency to improve earthquake, heavy rain alerts
South Korea will upgrade its disaster warning system to better alert people in affected areas, while removing parts of the system that may inconvenience the public, the nation's weather agency said Tuesday. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent due to climate change, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced a set of plans in a press conference Tuesday to strengthen the effectiveness of the KMA’s information and improve the reliability of its response measures. Th
Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2024
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Seoul offers discount on monthly transit passes for young adults
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will offer a discount for adults aged between 19 to 34 on the monthly transit pass starting from Feb. 26, it said Wednesday. Those aged between 19 and 34 will be able to have unlimited access to public transportation for 58,000 won or 55,000 won, which is 7,000 won cheaper than the regular transit passes. Seoul’s monthly transit pass -- the “Climate Card” -- is a new pass that gives commuters unlimited access to public transportation systems wi
Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2024
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Nurses urge trainee doctors to return
A group of nurses in Korea urged doctors to come back to their duties, stressing that its their duty to protect patients. “We also believe that the government’s sudden announcement to increase medical school enrollment quota is excessive. We also doubt that the quality of education from medical schools following the quota increase will be as good as the government claims it will be,” wrote the Korean Young Nurses Association on Instagram. “Nevertheless, we request for you
Social Affairs Feb. 20, 2024
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Police vow to probe doctors’ joint action
The police will investigate doctors who undertake joint action in protest of the government’s plan to increase the annual student enrollment quota at medical schools from 2025, Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency told reporters Monday. Yoon said that the police would investigate any joint action taken by doctors that were reported to law enforcement agencies, adding that arrest warrants would be issued for individual doctors who are “clearly in vi
Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2024
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Korea had over 100 quakes above magnitude 2.0 in 2023: KMA
More than 100 earthquakes with a magnitude above 2.0 were recorded on the Korean Peninsula in 2023, marking a slight increase compared to previous years, according to a report by the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. Through its annual report on earthquake occurrences, the KMA noted that a total of 106 earthquakes above magnitude 2.0 were recorded on the peninsula last year, more than the annual average of 70.8. This figure is calculated based on the number of earthquake occurrences
Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2024
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South Korea, NASA launch air quality research across Asia
South Korea's National Institute of Environmental Research and NASA will conduct joint research in Korean territory to identify sources behind winter air pollution across Asia, the Ministry of Environment in South Korea announced Sunday. The joint research is scheduled to commence in South Korea on Monday and will extend to Malaysia and Thailand until Mar. 25. This year's air quality study, scheduled for February to March, coincides with a period of heightened air pollution levels comp
Social Affairs Feb. 18, 2024
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Ex-police officers, teachers selected as school violence investigators in Seoul
Nearly 190 school violence investigators consisting mainly of retired police officers and teachers have been selected to investigate fights and bullying cases that arise between students starting from the upcoming March semester, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Sunday. School violence investigators were first introduced in December 2023 to lessen the burden of teachers who were previously responsible for handling and investigating fights between students while being exposed to co
Social Affairs Feb. 18, 2024
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