Category: Seoul

Seoul Government to Remove Trashcans from Subway Restrooms

| August 4, 2017

This initiative probably will help to make the restrooms cleanlier as long as people don’t throw the toilet paper on the ground instead:

Trash bins are set to vanish from public restrooms in Seoul subway stations in phases from Aug. 1, according to Seoul Metro Friday.

The men’s restroom trash bins will be removed first. The women’s bins will be removed from Sep. 1 to allow sanitary waste bins to be installed.

The project, “Trash bin free restroom,” aims to make public restrooms cleaner without the bad odor. It is already in effect on subway lines five to eight and will be extended to all Seoul subway lines except nine.

Seoul Metro is positive that after a trial the project will reduce odors and make the restrooms more welcoming.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

Seoul Government Announces Opening of K-Travel Buses for Foreigners

| June 9, 2017

It is already pretty easy for foreigners to get around South Korea and the Seoul government is starting a program to make it even easier:

The Seoul metropolitan government said Sunday it will operate an inter-city bus connecting major tourist attractions in South Korea starting this week to provide visitors a chance to explore the many hidden treasures in the country.

The “K-travel Bus” exclusively serves foreign tourists, residents and students who want to travel outside the capital city, to boost travel to smaller cities and rural areas, a municipal official said. The initial two-day tours will run till the end of the year.

Under the planned service, foreigners can choose one of five destinations from Seoul — the southeastern city of Daegu, Ganghwa Island in Incheon near Seoul, the northeastern province of Gangwon, the southwestern province of South Jeolla and the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

China Causes Approximately 55% of Seoul’s Air Pollution

| April 8, 2017

It has seemed to me that the yellow dust pollution from China has gotten worse every year and this study now confirms that it in fact has:

Seoul’s government is trying its best to counter the gunk in the city’s air.

But it admitted Thursday that sources of pollution from outside Korea, including fine particle pollution from China, have increased in the past few years.

“According to our research conducted in 2011 and 2016, Seoul’s contribution to pollution grew from 21 percent in 2011 to 22 percent in 2016,” said Hwang Bo-yeon, head of the Climate and Environment Headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. “But the contribution to air pollution by international factors, including fine dust from China, grew from 49 percent to 55 percent in the same period.

“The city will do all it can, including increasing city-to-city meetings with Beijing to address the problem together.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.