Student faces complaint for bringing gun to Northern Samar school

Inquirer.net - Oct 16, 2026

TACLOBAN CITY — A 15-year-old Grade 10 student of Catarman National High School in Catarman, Northern Samar, is facing a criminal complaint for allegedly bringing a firearm into his classroom on Oct.1. The Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8) announced on Thursday that they referred the complaint to the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Catarman

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President Lee's approval rating rises after dipping to lowest level: poll

Oct 16, 2026

President Lee's approval rating rises after dipping to lowest level: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating rose slightly to 39 percent after weeks of decline, a weekly poll showed Friday. The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,003 people aged 18 and older, showed that positive assessments of Lee's performance increased 2 percentage points from the previous week. The figure marks a slight recovery from his record low of 37 percent recorded in the previous two Gallup polls, following a downward trend since late August. Those who disapproved of Lee's handling of state affairs rose by 1 percentage point on-week to 52 percent. Among those who positively assessed Lee's performance, 20 percent cited diplomacy, followed by economic and livelihood issues at 11 percent. Real estate policies, along with economic and livelihood concerns, were among the main reasons cited by those who disapproved of Lee's performance. Support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea rose 1 percentage point to 36 percent after marking the lowest figure since the launch of Lee's administration last week. Support for the main opposition People Power Par

Seoul city blames ex-mayor's policies for weak long-term housing supply

Oct 16, 2026

Seoul city blames ex-mayor's policies for weak long-term housing supply

The Seoul city government on Friday blamed policies pursued under late former Mayor Park Won-soon for weakening the foundation for long-term housing supply in the capital. The municipality made the assessment in a report analyzing the city's housing policies over the past 20 years, as recent shortages in the capital have contributed to sharply rising home prices. The report said that between 2012 and 2020, while the late Park served as mayor, 389 of the 683 areas designated for city improvement projects were canceled, eliminating the opportunity to supply roughly 430,000 homes. Park, who was a member of the now ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), prioritized "urban regeneration" projects that focused on preservation over large-scale redevelopment or reconstruction. The report comes as current Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party has faced criticism from DPK lawmakers over his private-led housing supply policy. The city government under Oh plans to break ground on about 310,000 housing units by 2031 through redevelopment and reconstruction projects to respond to t

Seoul weighs expanding Cheonghae Unit operations toward Strait of Hormuz

Oct 16, 2026

Seoul weighs expanding Cheonghae Unit operations toward Strait of Hormuz

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Oct 16, 2026

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The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Friday criticized the government over what it called apparent differences between South Korea and the United States on the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), calling it a "serious diplomatic blunder." The criticism came after U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said earlier this week that "conditions have changed" and that calls for new standards in the OPCON transfer, citing North Korea's recent missile launches. During a parliamentary audit of military courts on Thursday, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said that the requirements for the OPCON transfer remained unchanged and that Seoul has conveyed its concerns to Washington. "Instead of reviewing the warning, the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) made a series of intimidating remarks directed at the USFK commander," Rep. Kim Tae-kyu, the PPP's chief floor spokesperson, said in a commentary. Rep. Kim also criticized the defense ministry's spokesperson for saying at an official press briefing that the transfer would never

Ex-lawmaker referred to prosecution over daughter's hiring at university

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One firefighter went into cardiac arrest and six other people were injured Friday following a fire at a factory in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, officials said. The fire broke out at the four-story metalworking factory at 8:38 a.m., with authorities bringing the main blaze under control about two hours later after deploying 80 firefighters. Two firefighters were seriously injured, including one who was rushed to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest. The fire also left three other firefighters and two factory officials with minor injuries, such as smoke inhalation. Fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the blaze. The factory reportedly stored flammable material. After being briefed on the fire, President Lee Jae Myung called for utmost efforts to extinguish the fire and rescue those in danger, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. The president also called for a thorough response to prevent further damage, citing the presence of inflammable substances inside the factory, while urging special caution to ensure the safety of firefighters battling the fire,

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Oct 16, 2026

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Special counsel seeks 30-yr term for ex-president over NK drone incursion

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Oct 16, 2026

AI glasses raise cheating fears ahead of CSAT, putting teachers under pressure

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