2 h. ago Hong Kong train driver’s antics have passengers laughing as MTR clips go viral

A video clip in which a Hong Kong train driver can be heard imitating a recorded passenger announcement in an MTR carriage has gone viral online, along with two others involving the rail giant’s staff, with internet users applauding the workers’ creative and personal approaches. In one video, the East Rail line driver can be heard mimicking the standard announcement telling passengers to “please step back from the train doors” and then adding, “Du du du du du du duuu”, the warning sound that...

Politics

5 h. ago Annexing Germany, China, UK, Japan, South Korea, US, and Canada with Explosive Travel Technology Innovations Topping and Gyrating with Bomb

Annexing Germany, China, UK, Japan, South Korea, US, and Canada with Explosive Travel Technology Innovations Topping and Gyrating with Bomb-Sized High-Tech Breakthroughs in 2025  Travel And Tour World

Events

9 h. ago South Korea exports rebound on tech boost but US, China shipments extend losses

South Korea exports rebound on tech boost but US, China shipments extend losses  Reuters

Politics

52 h. ago China Beats Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and Philippines to Lead South Korea’s Travel Market with Explosive Growth in Independent Travel and Flexible Visa Policy

China Beats Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and Philippines to Lead South Korea’s Travel Market with Explosive Growth in Independent Travel and Flexible Visa Policy  Travel And Tour World

Events

3 d. ago Talks over threats: South Korea tries a new tack to sway its nuclear neighbour

On a day heavy with memory, South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung invoked the language of peace, urging restraint and dialogue even as the nuclear-armed North forges deeper ties with Russia and the Korean peninsula bristles with tension. “The surest way to secure our safety is to build peace – peace so strong that there is no need to fight,” Lee said in a solemn social media post, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the onset of the Korean war. The conflict from 1950–53 left millions dead and...

Events

3 d. ago 2 Chinese men arrested in South Korea for using drone to film naval base

Two Chinese men have been arrested in the South Korean city of Busan for using a drone to illegally film a naval base, including a visiting US aircraft carrier, amid fears of such incidents occurring more regularly and threatening national security. One of the men, in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of undertaking an action “benefiting an enemy by other methods”, South Korean police said on Thursday. It marked the first time that South Korea has arrested a foreigner on such a charge and...

Events

4 d. ago China concerns expose Nato divisions as Tokyo liaison office shelved

Nato has shelved plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo, dealing a symbolic blow to Japan’s hopes of cementing the alliance’s presence in the Indo-Pacific and exposing divisions among member states over how directly they should confront China’s rising power. The proposal had been strongly backed by former prime minister Fumio Kishida’s government, which viewed the planned office as a step towards closer coordination with Nato and its partners in the region, including Australia, South Korea and...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s concerns expose Nato divisions as Tokyo liaison office shelved

Nato has shelved plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo, dealing a symbolic blow to Japan’s hopes of cementing the alliance’s presence in the Indo-Pacific and exposing divisions among member states over how directly they should confront China’s rising power. The proposal had been strongly backed by former prime minister Fumio Kishida’s government, which viewed the planned office as a step towards closer coordination with Nato and its partners in the region, including Australia, South Korea and...

Politics

4 d. ago Nato shelves Tokyo office plan. Is China too powerful to provoke?

Nato has shelved plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo, dealing a symbolic blow to Japan’s hopes of cementing the alliance’s presence in the Indo-Pacific and exposing divisions among member states over how directly they should confront China’s rising power. The proposal had been strongly backed by former prime minister Fumio Kishida’s government, which viewed the planned office as a step towards closer coordination with Nato and its partners in the region, including Australia, South Korea and...

Politics

5 d. ago China Surpasses Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand as South Koreans’ Leading Travel Destination for 2025, Boosted by Impromptu Weekend Getaways

China Surpasses Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand as South Koreans’ Leading Travel Destination for 2025, Boosted by Impromptu Weekend Getaways  Travel And Tour World

Politics

5 d. ago South Korean student shares harrowing escape from Israel amid missile barrage

A South Korean college student has recounted her harrowing escape from Israel amid a barrage of Iranian missile strikes as a fragile ceasefire between the arch-foes takes hold following a 12-day conflict. The woman, who is studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, chronicled her June 13 evacuation during the aerial clash in a video posted to YouTube last Thursday. She said she was woken up by air raid sirens at 3am, forcing her to rush into a bomb shelter. “I initially thought the...

Events

6 d. ago South Korea’s next labour minister was driving a train when he got the call

South Korea is set to appoint a train driver as the first blue-collar worker to lead its employment and labour ministry, as critics have expressed concerns about the role being entangled by influence peddling from politicians and labour unions. Kim Young-hoon, 57, was in his driver’s seat operating a train between Busan and Gimcheon, southeast of Seoul, when the news broke of President Lee Jae-myung’s cabinet selections on Monday. With his phone turned off, Kim said he had not learned about the...

Politics

6 d. ago South Korea’s first lady problem: plagiarism, privilege and Kim Keon

When a top private university revoked the master’s degree of South Korea’s former first lady for plagiarism this week, it was more than just another routine academic scandal – it was a signal that the days of unchecked privilege for political spouses may be over. On Monday, Sookmyung Women’s University announced it had annulled the art education degree awarded to Kim Keon-hee in 1999 – submitted under her previous name, Kim Myung-shin – after its research ethics panel found the thesis was so...

Politics

6 d. ago From degrees to designer bags, scandals plague South Korea’s ex

When a top private university revoked the master’s degree of South Korea’s former first lady for plagiarism this week, it was more than just another routine academic scandal – it was a signal that the days of unchecked privilege for political spouses may be over. On Monday, Sookmyung Women’s University announced it had annulled the art education degree awarded to Kim Keon-hee in 1999 – submitted under her previous name, Kim Myung-shin – after its research ethics panel found the thesis was so...

Politics

6 d. ago Tories accuse Labour of going 'cap in hand' to Beijing as ministers publish 'China audit'

Tories accuse Labour of going 'cap in hand' to Beijing as ministers publish 'China audit'  MSN

Politics

7 d. ago South Korean students hire ‘digital undertakers’ amid US visa scrutiny

South Koreans looking to study in the United States are turning to “digital undertakers” to scrub their online footprint clean before applying for visas, as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to significantly tighten its social media vetting. Last Friday, the US Embassy in Seoul said it would resume receiving visa applications for students and those on exchange programmes – but applicants would have to give it access to their social media accounts. “All applicants for F, M or J...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong bakery Taipan closes after 41 years owing ‘HK$10 million in wages’

Hong Kong bakery chain Taipan Bread & Cakes, which invented “snow skin” mooncakes, has closed all of its branches after 41 years in business, with the labour minister estimating it owes more than 200 workers about HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) in unpaid wages and severance pay. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Tuesday that 82 of the bakery’s more than 200 workers had approached the Labour Department to register wages owed to them as of noon. “We understand that their...

Economics

7 d. ago Lost futures: teen dancers’ deaths expose dark side of South Korean education

A suspected suicide pact among three teenage girls in Busan has reignited urgent calls for education reform, shining a harsh light on the crushing academic and career pressures faced by South Korea’s youth. Public criticism has centred on the country’s fiercely competitive university entrance system, widely blamed for thrusting children into a relentless academic race that begins as early as kindergarten. The latest tragedy unfolded early on Saturday, when the bodies of three second-year...

Events

8 d. ago Asian shippers fear spiralling costs as Iran threatens Strait of Hormuz closure

US air strikes on Iran sent oil prices soaring on Monday, leaving Asian shippers burdened with fresh costs on top of extra insurance premiums of US$1 million more per tanker, as Tehran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and paralyse the crucial sea lane. Up to 20 million barrels of oil pass each day through Hormuz, one-fifth of global supply, most of it destined for East Asia’s biggest economies – China, South Korea and Japan. The neck of water is controlled by Iran, whose parliament on...

Events

8 d. ago South Korea’s surprising new face of public safety: dog walkers

On a warm summer evening in Seoul’s Seodaemun district, more than 30 joggers and police officers in vests run alongside a stream, weaving between cyclists and passers-by. It may look like an ordinary fitness meet-up, but this is one of South Korea’s newest experiments in public safety. The joggers are part of Running Patrol, a city-supported initiative that enlists local running clubs to act as informal safety patrols. Launched on Thursday, the programme reflects a broader shift in Seoul’s...

Politics