Legal arguments delay trial over murder of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi again

South China Morning Post - Oct 9, 2026

The murder trial of Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has been delayed again while the court addresses legal issues raised by lawyers in the high-profile case. Deputy High Court Judge Brian Keith told the nine-member jury on Friday that the hearing would resume on Monday after the legal arguments concluded. Choi’s mother, Cheung Yin-fa, had been expected to face cross-examination by counsel for Choi’s ex-husband, Alex Kwong Kong-chi, on the fifth day of her testimony. He is standing trial...

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Cayetano: Impeach drop is hitting a defense that can’t strike back

Oct 13, 2026

Cayetano: Impeach drop is hitting a defense that can’t strike back

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday likened the prosecution’s decision to withdraw three of the four articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to a fistfight in which one party is hit but then told not to retaliate. “Kumbaga sa suntukan, sinuntok niyo na yung defense, then sasabihin niyo, ‘To save

Quezon priest, eco-warriors complete protest march for environment

Oct 13, 2026

Quezon priest, eco-warriors complete protest march for environment

LUCENA CITY — Catholic priest Fr. Warren Puno expressed disappointment and indignation over the government’s failure to respond adequately to the grievances of environmentalists and marginalized communities at the end of a week-long protest march from Atimonan, Quezon, to Manila on Monday. “Bakit sarado ang pintuan sa panaghoy ng mamamayan? Para kanino ba talaga ang

US Army receives 1st Hanwha-made mobile howitzer system: report

Oct 13, 2026

US Army receives 1st Hanwha-made mobile howitzer system: report

The U.S. Army has received its first South Korean-made mobile howitzer system as part of efforts to replace its aging artillery systems, a U.S. defense news outlet reported Monday. The Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC), manufactured by Hanwha Defense USA, a U.S. subsidiary of South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace Co., was displayed at a U.S. Army event held in Washington earlier this month, Defense News reported, citing U.S. Army officials. "We're excited to have that and get ready to test it," Brig. Gen. Robert Mikesh Jr., the Army's portfolio management executive for offensive fires, was quoted as saying. "And get that soldier feedback, that we think is so important." In August, Hanwha Defense USA was selected to provide prototypes based on a wheeled variant of the bestselling K9 Thunder self-propelled artillery for the MTC program, which aims to develop a highly mobile 155 mm artillery system to replace the Army's aging M777 towed howitzers. The contract calls for the delivery of six MTC prototypes, with an option for an additional 12 systems, and has a cumulative value of up to $262.9 million, a

Adding 'jeong' to technology

Oct 13, 2026

Adding 'jeong' to technology

This year, the combined operating profits of Korea’s semiconductor companies are expected to soar well beyond 500 trillion won ($373 billion), reaching unprecedented levels. Some have likened this extraordinary performance to winning a lottery. But I see it differently. What we are witnessing today, I believe, is not a stroke of good fortune. Rather, it is the culmination of decades of perseverance, sacrifice and dedication. As Koreans know well, countless companies, engineers and technicians have worked since the 1970s to build the foundations of the nation’s semiconductor industry. After nearly half a century of accumulated effort, the seeds they planted are finally coming to fruition. A similar story of long-term commitment can be found in the rapid growth of international students choosing to study in Korea. In 2023, the Ministry of Education launched the Study Korea 300K Project, setting a goal of attracting 300,000 international students by 2027. That target has already been achieved ahead of schedule, with the number of international students in Korea surpassing 300,000 this

Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' finds intimate voice on Seoul stage

Oct 13, 2026

Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' finds intimate voice on Seoul stage

On a stage stripped of almost everything but white, actors Isabelle Huppert and Lee Hye-young summoned a snowbound island. There were no trees, no hospital bed and no visible parrot to rescue. Yet as the French and Korean actors read from Han Kang’s novel, their voices and languages supplied the scenery: severed fingers ache and snow gathering around an unseen house. “Oiseau,” a bilingual reading play drawn from the Nobel laureaute's “We Do Not Part,” made its Korean premiere at Sogang University’s Mary Hall on Saturday — exactly two years after Han won the Nobel Prize in literature, a date Korean literature fans affectionately call “Han Kang Day.” Presented through Sunday as part of the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF), the production brought July’s Avignon Festival premiere from the roughly 2,000-seat outdoor Cour d’honneur at the Palace of the Popes into a 500-seat indoor theater. The smaller space sharpened its defining quality: intimacy. Dressed in white, Huppert and Lee stood amid white fabric in front of reading stands. Huppert voiced Kyung-ha in French

1-star motels, cult villages, N. Korean restaurants: YouTuber goes where viewers won't

Oct 13, 2026

1-star motels, cult villages, N. Korean restaurants: YouTuber goes where viewers won't

When YouTuber Inevitable Yunhwa walked into North Korean restaurants in China, she spoke nothing but English, convinced she was passing as a foreigner, only to realize while editing the footage at home that she looked unmistakably South Korean and that the staff had most likely let her slide. Born in 1999, Yunhwa is a religious studies graduate who once planned to go to law school. Now, she runs one of the more unusual channels on the Korean side of YouTube. Since posting her first video in February 2024, she has drawn 570,000 subscribers as of Monday, not with "mukbangs" (eating broadcasts) or daily vlogs but with long, meticulously edited videos that take her into one-star motels and bars, villages run by religious groups with criminal histories and North Korean state-run restaurants. She insists she is not a journalist, yet her audience increasingly holds her to the standards of one, a tension that shapes nearly every decision she makes as she sets her sights on viewers beyond Korea. 6-month experiment The channel was never meant to last. Yunhwa had quit her office job to prepare for l

N. Korea reports test-firing of 'tactical' ballistic missile to improve weapons systems

Oct 13, 2026

N. Korea reports test-firing of 'tactical' ballistic missile to improve weapons systems

North Korea has test-fired a tactical ballistic missile to upgrade a key component of its weapons systems, which it called a "big success," the country's state media reported Tuesday. The report came a day after South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea. North Korea's missile administration "test-fired a tactical ballistic missile on Oct. 12 to confirm the success in the research for the technical upgrading of an important core element," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The administration claimed that the upgrade "was a big success heralding an important change in improving the performance and sophistication of all offensive weapon systems," it added, describing the test as part of regular activities. The North did not disclose further details about the test-firing. The JCS earlier noted that North Korea launched multiple types of ballistic missiles, with one specific kind of missile flying more than 900 kilometers, and that South Korean and U.S. authorities were conducting a detailed

USFK chief calls for more dispersed military drills across S. Korea, citing Ukraine war lessons

Oct 13, 2026

USFK chief calls for more dispersed military drills across S. Korea, citing Ukraine war lessons

The commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Monday called for more geographically dispersed military exercises across South Korea, citing lessons from the war in Ukraine and the need to adapt to evolving battlefield threats. Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks during a panel discussion at the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, as he discussed ways to improve the readiness and deterrence posture of U.S. and South Korean forces. "I think what we recognize is that largely the two big exercises every year in Korea focus on large command posts. We've got to move away from that," Brunson said. The general suggested that the allies consider conducting exercises across a much broader geographical area rather than in fixed locations. "What would it look like if we train from Jeju all the way up to Gyeonggi Province in the north?" he said. "So just imagine if we trained across the entirety of the peninsula." South Korea and the United States hold large-scale combined exercises every year -- the Freedom Shield and the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) -- to tr

US Pacific Command says N. Korea fired 2 ballistic missiles, reaffirms defense commitment

Oct 13, 2026

US Pacific Command says N. Korea fired 2 ballistic missiles, reaffirms defense commitment

U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) said Monday that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles recently while stressing that the move poses no immediate threat to the United States or its allies. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea launched two ballistic missiles on October 12, 2026 (KST)," the command said in a statement, referring to North Korea by its official name. The command said it was aware of the launches and was consulting closely with its allies and partners. "Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies," it said. It added that the U.S. remains "committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region." South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday (Korea time) it detected the launch at about 9:20 a.m. from the Pyongyang area and that at least one of the missiles flew more than 900 kilometers. The North's latest missile launch came after it fired one ballistic missile from the Wonsan area toward the East Sea on Oct. 3.

Broadway phenomenon 'Hamilton' set for Korea premiere in December

Oct 13, 2026

Broadway phenomenon 'Hamilton' set for Korea premiere in December

Broadway sensation “Hamilton,” which reshaped musical theater with its fusion of hip-hop, jazz and R&B, will make its long-awaited Korea debut in December, launching a new world tour with limited engagements in Busan and Seoul. The musical, produced by S&Co and presented by Clip Service, will run at Dream Theatre in Busan from Dec. 17 this year to Jan. 16, 2027, before moving to the Grand Theater of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul from Jan. 21 to March 20, 2027. Based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States, the production traces the immigrant’s rise to become a central figure in the early American republic and its financial system. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the book, music and lyrics, weaving 46 songs into a score that combines contemporary musical styles with Broadway traditions to tell a story of ambition, political rivalry and revolution. Since its Broadway premiere at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in August 2015, “Hamilton” has earned 16 Tony Award nominations, winning 11, including the best musical,

Study links academic backgrounds to problem-solving pathways

Oct 13, 2026

Study links academic backgrounds to problem-solving pathways

A Sejong University professor has collaborated with a researcher at Finland’s Aalto University to examine how university students’ academic backgrounds relate to their problem-solving approaches. The researchers are Jang Hye-won, a professor at Sejong University’s Office of Educational Innovation, and Petter Holme, a professor of computer science at Aalto University. They analyzed 84 written solutions from a first-year physics course at Harvard University, systematically organizing information about students’ assumptions and reasoning sequences to examine how their approaches differed by academic background. The study was published online last month in the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education under the title “Through Different Lenses: Connecting Educational Backgrounds to Fermi Problem-Solving Pathways.” The study used a Fermi problem, which requires people to make reasonable assumptions and arrive at approximate answers despite limited information. Such problems require learners to identify relevant variables, make reasonable estimates and assess whether

Drought conditions reported in 97 regions nationwide

Oct 13, 2026

Drought conditions reported in 97 regions nationwide

Drought conditions have been reported in 97 regions across the country, with the situation particularly severe in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, the interior ministry said Tuesday. Water storage levels in agricultural reservoirs nationwide stood at just 70 percent of the average for a normal year, the ministry said in its October drought report. The cumulative precipitation nationwide over the six months from April 2 to Oct. 1 totaled 783.3 millimeters, or 72.5 percent of the normal year average, the ministry said. As a result, meteorological drought conditions had been observed in 97 regions across the country as of Oct. 1. Of the 97 regions, 74 were classified as experiencing mild drought and 22 as moderate drought, while Yeongcheon, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was experiencing severe drought. However, the drought in Yeongcheon is expected to ease by the end of the year, as precipitation is forecast to be above normal in November and December, the ministry said.

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