Afghanistan and the BLA’s Evolving Capabilities

The Diplomat - Oct 8, 2026

Reported discussions in Kandahar point to a possible expansion of the BLA’s external support networks as the group comes under pressure in Pakistan.

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Oct 9, 2026

No. of Chinese boats fishing illegally near NLL more than double despite crackdown

The number of Chinese fishing boats operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea has more than doubled since the government announced a sweeping crackdown in late August, the Korea Coast Guard said Friday. About 190 Chinese boats were operating near the de facto inter-Korean sea border early this month, up from about 80 in late August. The figure is 50 fewer than the 240 counted a year earlier, and the number of boats typically rises during the autumn fishing season. The Coast Guard and the ministries of foreign affairs, unification, national defense and oceans and fisheries announced joint measures Aug. 27. They included deploying more Coast Guard special operations personnel, forcibly removing illegal fishing gear, installing artificial structures to block illegal fishing and revising the law to penalize vessels that anchor for purposes unrelated to passage. The Coast Guard said at the time that its goal was to drive all Chinese fishing boats out of the area. Foreign vessels are banned from fishing in the waters, but Chinese boats exploit the division of the Ko

Oct 9, 2026

Korea honors Filipino worker killed in factory explosion

Korea has honored a Filipino worker killed in August in a factory explosion, marking the third case under its initiative to support bereaved migrant workers’ families here. The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (K-COMWEL), a government agency responsible for administering industrial accident insurance, said Friday that it had helped the family of the worker bring his remains back to the Philippines. The worker, identified by the agency as Jisrael, died Aug. 28 in an explosion and fire at a factory manufacturing paint ingredients in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. “He worked diligently for his family, even in unfamiliar surroundings, living a life marked by a deep sense of responsibility and devotion,” K-COMWEL President Park Seung-heup said in a letter presented at the memorial service held at Incheon International Airport on Thursday. “K-COMWEL and the Republic of Korea will never forget his dedicated efforts and the legacy he leaves behind. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.” Park then presented the bereaved family with a co

Oct 9, 2026

Indian man files petition to S. Korean rights watchdog for physical abuse during deportation

An Indian man has filed a petition to the South Korean human rights watchdog alleging physical abuse during his deportation, such as being duct taped in the mouth and choked by immigration authorities. The Indian national submitted the petition to the National Human Rights Commission last Friday over violations to his bodily freedom and human dignity during his deportation on Aug. 27. According to the petition, the man had been detained at an immigration holding center in Hwaseong, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, for about eight months before officials forcibly removed him from the site. Under immigration law, foreigners subject to deportation can stay at such facilities for up to nine months. The petition said the man was handcuffed with duct tape around his mouth, with the man saying he suffered physical abuse, such as being hit in the cheek and being choked after he arrived at the airport to be deported. Rep. Park Eun-jung of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party shared body cam footage submitted by the justice ministry on the deportation during a parliamentary audit of the ministry Thu

Oct 9, 2026

Lee hails Korean writing system as 'face' of country on 100th Hangeul Day

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday hailed the Korean writing system – Hangeul – as the "face" of the country as he marked the 100th anniversary of Hangeul Day. "Writing is the face of the country and language is its heart," Lee wrote on Facebook, using South Korea's official name. "The strength of our language and writing is the competitiveness of the Republic of Korea." Hangeul was invented by King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in 1443 and promulgated three years later to augment the existing writing system based on the Chinese script. Hangeul Day was established in 1926 by the Korean Language Society as Koreans sought to preserve their language and writing system under the brutal 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of Korea. "A century ago, our ancestors devoted all their efforts to preserve our language and writing system," Lee wrote. "It was a determination that even though they had lost their country, they could not lose our spirit and identity." Lee said the writing system is now learned by people across the world, noting that King Sejong Institute, which teaches Korean lan

Oct 9, 2026

Lee's approval rating remains at 37%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating held steady at 37 percent this week, with disapproval falling to 51 percent, a poll showed Friday. Positive assessment of Lee's performance remained unchanged from the last poll conducted three weeks earlier, according to the Gallup Korea survey conducted from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,000 people aged 18 and older. Lee's disapproval rating fell 5 percentage points from 56 percent in the previous poll. Among those who positively assessed Lee's performance, 24 percent cited foreign affairs, followed by economic and livelihood issues at 14 percent. Among those who negatively assessed his performance, 18 percent cited his real estate policies, followed by defense, security and North Korea policy at 15 percent. Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell 5 percentage points from the previous survey to 35 percent, marking the lowest since the launch of Lee's administration in June last year. Support for the main opposition People Power Party fell 1 percentage point to 26 percent. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points

Oct 9, 2026

PM vows efforts to uphold value of Hangeul in AI era

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Friday pledged to make efforts to uphold the value of the Korean writing system, Hangeul, even in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Han made the remarks during a ceremony celebrating the centenary of Hangeul Day, which commemorates the Korean script created by King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in 1443 and promulgated in 1446. "The government will do its best so that Hangeul is loved not only by our people but people around the world and so that its value is maintained even in the era of artificial intelligence," she said. Han, a former chief executive of online portal giant Naver, said the value of language has become increasingly more important, noting its role connecting people with AI. She shared plans to increase the number of types of Korean language corpora used to train AI from the current 174 to 340 by 2030 so that the technology better understands the language. Han also noted the country plans to expand the number of King Sejong Institutes, which teach the Korean language overseas, from the current 273 to more than 350 by 2030. M

Oct 9, 2026

More cafes, PC rooms found violating food safety rules

Internet cafes accounted for three-quarters of food hygiene violations since 2020 at leisure venues popular with children and teenagers, while inspections of kids cafes have fallen by nearly half, according to data from the office of Rep. Seo Young-seok of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Friday. Authorities recorded 782 violations of the Food Sanitation Act at kids cafes, internet cafes, comic book cafes and board game cafes from 2020 through June this year. The figures come from Ministry of Food and Drug Safety data submitted to DPK lawmakers on the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee. Internet cafes, known locally as "PC bang," accounted for 588 cases, or 75.2 percent, followed by kids cafes with 121, comic book cafes with 38 and board game cafes with 35. Failure to complete mandatory hygiene training was the most common violation at 464 cases, or 59.3 percent. It was followed by failure to undergo health checkups at 107, violations of operator compliance rules at 78, breaches of sanitary handling standards at 67 and facility standards violations at 40. Inter

Oct 9, 2026

Hong Kong needs tougher inspection regime, experts say after CK Asset building fiasco

Lawmakers and engineering sector leaders have called for a review of Hong Kong’s building inspection mechanism and a blacklist to bar errant contractors from government tenders, after Hong Kong’s first privately built “starter homes” project hit a snag over shoddy steel work. The government should review the inspection regime and increase its supervisory manpower, lawmakers and engineers said on Friday, calling for inspectors to be stationed at construction sites of private-sector-built...

Oct 9, 2026

Why Hong Kong’s Cantonese restaurants are closing – and who is saving them

The last basket of dim sum is sold, the roller shutter comes down, and another Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong closes. Nine months into 2026, this scene has already played out at least 30 times. The causes are familiar – sky-high rents, thin margins, rising costs, and dining habits reshaped by the pandemic years. Legislative Council figures show that between 2018 and 2025, the number of Cantonese restaurants and banquet halls in Hong Kong fell from 1,790 to 1,500, representing a 16 per cent...

Oct 9, 2026

Afghanistan and the BLA’s Evolving Capabilities

MORE NEWS

No. of Chinese boats fishing illegally near NLL more than double despite crackdown

Korea honors Filipino worker killed in factory explosion

Indian man files petition to S. Korean rights watchdog for physical abuse during deportation

Lee hails Korean writing system as 'face' of country on 100th Hangeul Day

Lee's approval rating remains at 37%: poll

PM vows efforts to uphold value of Hangeul in AI era

More cafes, PC rooms found violating food safety rules

Hong Kong needs tougher inspection regime, experts say after CK Asset building fiasco

Why Hong Kong’s Cantonese restaurants are closing – and who is saving them

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