South Korea lifts ban on single-use paper cups

South Korea on Tuesday scrapped the ban on single-use paper cups while extending the grace period for the ban on plastic straws and bags.

The Ministry of Environment said that it decided to exclude paper cups from disposable items, which had earlier been prohibited from being used at cafes and restaurants, as other countries mainly restricted the use of single-use plastic cups.

The ministry said it will continue to encourage cafes and restaurants to use reusable cups.

It also decided to indefinitely extend the one-year grace period for the ban on plastic straws at cafes and the ban on plastic bags at convenience stores and bakeries.

The grace period was originally scheduled to expire later this month to fine the violators up to 3 million won (about 2,290 U.S. dollars).