The government will not enforce a deposit scheme for disposable cups, which was initially meant to be mandatory and scheduled to start in 2025, instead passing the responsibility to local governments.
Plastic cups and containers will be banned from parks along the Han River in 2025, in an effort by Seoul City to reduce single-use plastics. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced last Thursday comprehensive countermeasures against the surge of single-use plastic containers, sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Korea is expecting a large-scale return of Chinese travelers, as China announced the lifting of its ban on group tours to Korea last week after more than six years of economic sanctions. The sudden surge in interest is a promising development for the tourism industry, which has been severely impacted by the sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jeju Island government is acting on its plan to further strengthen ties with Arab and ASEAN nations through an international high-level gathering. The move is led by Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun, who met with ambassadors from 10 Arab nations in Korea and dignitaries from the Vietnamese government and an Indonesia-based global alliance of municipal governments in Asia-Pacific countries.