Fine dust ups risk of lung cancer by 20%
Airborne fine dust can greatly increase the chance of developing lung cancer, according to a South Korean medical team. The team analyzed the correlation between fine dust and the development of respiratory diseases and concluded that long-term exposure increases the risk of lung cancer by up to 20 percent. It also increases the chance of developing asthma […]
[Seoul] Euljiro’s last stand: Redevelopment rips through historic manufacturing hub
60-year-old Euljiro industrial district being torn down to make way for high-rise apartments For seven weeks, Lee Bae-woong, 75, and his son have been trying to salvage what they could from their 38-year-old hardware store in Euljiro, downtown Seoul. With excavators due in a week, they were running out of time. “The construction company will bury […]
Xi Jinping’s Subtle Summitry on the Korean Peninsula
As a pragmatist, Chinese President Xi Jinping patiently and methodically chooses the means and procedures to achieve his “China Dream,” waiting until China is ready and able to revise the global strategic, economic and diplomatic order led by the United States. His efforts to balance revisionist goals and pragmatic means are evident on the Korean […]
South Korea: refusing checkup is discrimination against HIV carrier
It is discrimination against HIV carriers for a healthcare center to refuse them a medical checkup, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said. The rights watchdog advised the institution to educate its staff of human rights. According to the commission, Monday, an HIV positive patients made a temporary reservation in August 2017 for […]
Moon expands communication with chaebol
Approval ratings of President Moon Jae-in remained relatively high in the first week of this year on the back of public approval for his signature “engagement-focused” North Korea policy. But his lackluster and not-that-impressive domestic policy, particularly the apparent failure of its economic policies after its decision to hike the minimum wage and cut the […]
South Korea soon to take back trash from Philippines
South Korea will soon take back thousands of tons of trash that were illegally exported to the Philippines, the environment ministry here said Friday. “We’re now consulting with the Philippine government on schedules to bring back 6,300 tons of plastic garbage illegally shipped to the country,” Lee Byung-wha, a senior official at the ministry, said. […]
After Singapore, Can Sizzle Be Replaced With Steak?
WHAT can face-to-face diplomacy between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un achieve? It is wisest not to expect a revolutionary change in Trump’s approach and instead for him to play to his strengths: ceremony and personal relationships. On substance, the South Korean-led process should be allowed to take the lead […]
South Korea: minimum wage stirs up controversy again
The government’s ordinance to revise the calculation method for the minimum wage is stirring up controversy and fueling conflict between businesses and workers. They have been locking horns over a particular issue concerning the inclusion of wages employers need to pay their employees for days off. Basically, companies will have to “legally” count and add […]
Seoul exploring new taxes on Google
Britain, Spain propose digital taxes on global tech giants Google is likely to face new taxes in Korea on revenue from digital services, as the country has vowed to join a global wave of tackling tax avoidance by internet media companies. Following Spain, Britain proposed a 2 percent tax on global technology giants like Google, […]
South Korea: CEO’s brutal attack on ex-employee
A video from a Korean investigative journalism team released Tuesday reveals the shocking moment a high-profile online business guru attacks a man at one of the companies he owns. In the video report jointly produced by News Tapa and its investigative team Sherlock, a former employee of Korean online file-sharing site WeDisk follows Yang Jin-ho, the company’s […]