South Korea evacuates thousands of scouts ahead of typhoon
Buan, South Korea Reuters South Korea on Tuesday started evacuating thousands of teenage participants at the World Scout Jamboree from a campsite in the south-west of the country to safer areas mainly around the capital Seoul ahead of an approaching typhoon. The evacuation is the latest blow to the 10-day jamboree, after hundreds fell ill […]
South Koreans shocked after back-to-back stabbing rampages
Seongnam, South Korea Reuters An apparently random stabbing attack in a commuter town near Seoul, the second such rampage in South Korea in less than two weeks, has sparked fear in a country that has long been considered safe with a low murder rate and strict firearm curbs. A man rammed his car into passers-by […]
South Korea flood deaths cast doubt on work to prepare for extreme weather
Seoul, South KoreaReuters A year after South Korea vowed to step up readiness for extreme weather driven by climate change, experts say not enough work has been done even as greater volumes of sudden and torrential rains are expected in coming decades. Forty or more people have lost their lives in less than a week […]
StrangeSights: Tilted art; a zebra on the run; and, Greenland opts for permanent daylight savings…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
South Korea, Japan near landmark deal on wartime labour dispute – media
Seoul, South Korea/Tokyo, Japan Reuters South Korea and Japan may be near resolving a dispute over colonial-era forced labour that has overshadowed political and trade relations between the two neighbours, with media reports saying Seoul could announce plans on Monday. The South Korean government plans to announce on Monday morning its solution to the historical […]
In South Korea, free subway rides for the elderly become a political headache
Seoul, South KoreaReuters Every day, 71-year-old Park Gyung-sun delivers flowers, documents and other packages around Seoul – a job popular among senior citizens who are entitled to ride the city’s subways for free. The work, dubbed “silver delivery” in South Korea, earns Park, a former market stall owner, up to 700,000 won ($US550) a month. […]
Some 500 people are evacuated from fire in South Korea shanty town
Updated: 3:30pm (AEST)Seoul, South KoreaReuters About 500 people were evacuated on Friday after fire broke out in a shanty town in the South Korean capital, Seoul, burning down some 60 houses, fire authorities said. The fire erupted at 6:27am in Guryong Village in southern Seoul, which is home to more than 660 households, and was […]
North Korean hackers exploited Seoul Halloween tragedy to distribute malware, Google says
Seoul, South Korea Reuters North Korean government-backed hackers referenced the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul to distribute malware to users in South Korea, Google’s Threat Analysis group said in a report. The malware was embedded in Microsoft Office documents which purported to be a government report on the tragedy that killed more than 150 people […]
South Korea’s Yoon apologises for Halloween crush, vows justice
Seoul, South Korea Reuters South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol apologised on Monday for the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul, pledging to hold to account any officials found to be responsible for sloppy responses and to reform police and safety management systems. The 29th October crush killed 156 people, mostly in their twenties and thirties, and […]
South Korea Halloween crush victims’ belongings fill quiet lost-and-found centre
Seoul, South KoreaReuters A temporary morgue for some of the people killed in South Korea’s Halloween party crush is now a huge lost-and-found, where hundreds of items such as a “Happy Halloween” backpack and a Minnie Mouse hairband await their owners. The Wonhyoro sports centre was quiet on Tuesday, three days after the crush in the […]