Oil Prices Hit Four-Month High as Geopolitical Risks and Supply Disruptions Intensify 
South Korea Industry Minister Heads to Washington Amid U.S. Tariff Hike Concerns 
Chinalco and Rio Tinto Acquire Controlling Stake in Brazil’s CBA for $903 Million 
Panama Supreme Court Voids CK Hutchison Port Concessions, Raising Geopolitical and Trade Concerns 
Nvidia’s $100 Billion OpenAI Investment Faces Internal Doubts, Report Says 
U.S.–Venezuela Relations Show Signs of Thaw as Top Envoy Visits Caracas 
Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair 
US Judge Rejects $2.36B Penalty Bid Against Google in Privacy Data Case 
Meta Stock Surges After Q4 2025 Earnings Beat and Strong Q1 2026 Revenue Outlook Despite Higher Capex 
Amazon Stock Dips as Reports Link Company to Potential $50B OpenAI Investment 
Panama Supreme Court Voids Hong Kong Firm’s Panama Canal Port Contracts Over Constitutional Violations 
SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom 
Asian Currencies Trade Flat as Dollar Retreats After Fed Decision 
Federal Judge Signals Possible Dismissal of xAI Lawsuit Against OpenAI 
Apple Forecasts Strong Revenue Growth as iPhone Demand Surges in China and India 
U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal 
Saks Global to End Saks on Amazon Partnership Amid Bankruptcy Restructuring 
The coffee shops and restaurants in South Korea are reportedly receiving complaints from customers after disposable cups and dishes were banned for diners. The establishments cannot do anything about the ban since it was the government's order to stop the use of disposable utensils in their stores.
The South Korean government imposed a ban on plastic cups in fast-food outlets, and the policy went into effect on Friday, April 1. As per The Korea Times, the use of disposable utensils was first prohibited in 2018, and the ban was lifted in 2020.
When the pandemic struck, the regulation was brought back to stop the spread of COVID-19. The government eased up the restriction a few months later, but the Ministry of Environment is now imposing the same rule with the same strictness when it was first implemented as the country's government believes the COVID situation will soon enter the endemic phase.
"People got used to using plastic cups again during the last two years and I understand that many still feel uneasy about drinking beverages in a mug, which many people share at cafes and restaurants," a coffee shop owner only identified by her surname Jeon said in a statement. "However, there is nothing I can do about the government's policy but people keep asking me if they can just use a plastic cup because they are going to leave in five minutes."
There are also locals who believe that the restriction on the use of plastic cups is not effective because the ban is only implemented in South Korea. They are saying this because the removal of disposables is part of the effort to help save the environment.
"The government is encouraging people to use personal cups but they are also made using plastic," another customer said. "I don't know how Korea alone banning plastic cups can help improve environmental protection."
Meanwhile, The Korea Herald previously reported that the country has banned single-use plastics cups once again. The Environment Ministry ordered restaurants and coffee shops to follow and containers, plastic cups, toothpicks, and wooden chopsticks were not allowed even in bars and food stalls. This recent prohibition was announced just last week.
