US, China botanists sign landmark proposal on cooperation, global issues and projects

South China Morning Post - Oct 3, 2026

The botanical societies of the United States and China have signed a plant science cooperation initiative, vowing to strengthen bilateral ties and foster an open scientific community to tackle global issues. The joint initiative was signed during a Sino-American botany conference last month in Taian, in China’s eastern Shandong province, which brought together hundreds of experts from institutions in both countries. The conference, held from September 19 to 23, aimed to “further deepen botanical...

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PM Han underscores power of culture on National Foundation Day

PM Han underscores power of culture on National Foundation Day

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Saturday underscored the power of culture in addressing the common challenges facing humanity, while pledging to build a society where the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) are spread evenly. "With the great power of culture, we should broaden the scope of empathy and solidarity and take the lead in joining hands to share our experiences, technologies and cultural capabilities in addressing the common challenges facing humanity," Han said in a congratulatory speech marking National Foundation Day, which falls on Oct. 3. She said doing so would be a way to realize the founding spirit of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, which calls for broadly benefiting humanity. Han also vowed to push ahead with the government's plan to create an "AI-basic society," while ensuring that the transition does not "isolate anyone." The Lee Jae Myung government has pledged to build an AI-basic society where people can access AI services regardless of their income, age or level of digital literacy, as part of its policy agenda. Meanwhile, Han said the government will al

8 in 10 draft dodgers violating travel rules go unpunished

8 in 10 draft dodgers violating travel rules go unpunished

More than 8 in 10 South Koreans who remained overseas to dodge military service have gone unpunished over the past five years, data showed Saturday. Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to serve at least 18 months in the military to help counter threats from North Korea. Draft evasion carries up to five years in prison, but men who remain abroad effectively freeze their criminal cases because the statute of limitations stops while they are overseas, allowing them to dodge prosecution until they age out of mandatory service at 38. The data, obtained by Rep. Min Hong-chul of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) from the Military Manpower Administration, comes as South Korea struggles with a military manpower shortage amid its shrinking population. It showed that 794 of the 929 individuals who violated overseas travel rules related to military service between 2021 and 2025 had their investigations or prosecutions suspended. The number accounted for 85.5 percent of the total over the five-year period. The finding takes on added significance as the country’s armed f

Dispute intensifies over police search of pediatric emergency room

Dispute intensifies over police search of pediatric emergency room

A recent police search of Ajou University Hospital’s pediatric emergency center as part of an investigation into an infant’s death has sparked an uproar among medical groups, warning that police sweeps of emergency rooms obstruct vital treatment when seconds count. Regional medical associations, including one in Daegu, condemned the search Friday, a day after the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine (KSPEM) voiced their objections. Police maintain that they conducted the search under a court-issued warrant. Doctors counter that searching an emergency facility providing round-the-clock care for critically ill patients disrupts treatment and puts further pressure on essential medical services already under strain. The investigation stems from the death of a 4-month-old infant at the hospital in Gyeonggi Province on July 15. The child’s parents lodged a complaint alleging medical negligence about a month later. The infant reportedly developed breathing difficulties and other symptoms during a first outpatient visit to the hospital. The chil

Shark returns to canal a day after 2nd rescue attempt

Shark returns to canal a day after 2nd rescue attempt

A shark trapped in a canal in the southeastern city of Busan has returned to the waterway a day after authorities managed to guide it to near the canal's outlet to the open sea, officials said Saturday. The shark, named "Bukang-i," crossed the 50-meter-long, 6.8-meter-high net installed by a joint rescue team the previous day and returned to the inside of the canal at around noon, according to officials. The rescue team, comprising city and Coast Guard officials, had installed the net as part of a rescue operation to escort the shark out of the canal at Busan's North Port on Friday. However, the net became stuck to the bottom of the canal and the shark showed no intention of moving out, leading the authorities to halt the rescue operation and fixed the net some 100 meters from the canal exit. It marked the second attempt to rescue the shark, after the initial attempt on Tuesday involving only water streams, without the net, failed as the animal repeatedly escaped by swimming behind the boats. Bukang-i — a combination of Bukhang, or North Port, and the Korean suffix "i" — had attracted

Park Geun-hye releases letter written by her late father amid film controversy

Park Geun-hye releases letter written by her late father amid film controversy

As conservatives criticize the film “The Assassin(s),” which deals with the fatal shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, as a distortion of history, Rep. Yoo Young-ha of the People Power Party on Friday released a handwritten letter that former President Park Chung-hee sent to his daughter, former President Park Geun-hye. Yoo held a press conference at the National Assembly and released a copy of the letter, which had been kept by Park Geun-hye. The letter was written on Aug. 17, 1974, two days after Yuk's death. At the time, Park Geun-hye was studying in France. After learning of her mother's death, she returned to Korea via Tokyo, and received the letter from her younger sister, Park Geun-ryeong, while en route. In the letter, Park Chung-hee wrote to his daughter: “The bullet that should have struck your father instead struck your mother and took her away. I think again and again how wonderful it would have been if I had been shot and your mother had survived.” He continued, “Your mother took the bullet meant for me and left me with all the responsibility for you children and

Hong Kong Airport Authority to reshape 11 Skies as a high-end tourism landmark

Hong Kong Airport Authority to reshape 11 Skies as a high-end tourism landmark

The Airport Authority will reposition the 11 Skies commercial project after taking it over next April, with the government expecting it to become a high-end tourism landmark with minimal public investment, the transport chief has said. After developer New World Development (NWD) announced on Wednesday that it would return the 11 Skies project to the authority next April, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Saturday that the two sides had reached an agreement on commercial...

N. Korea fires ballistic missile amid tensions over DMZ mine blast

N. Korea fires ballistic missile amid tensions over DMZ mine blast

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, as tensions heightened over a recent mine blast along the inter-Korean border that injured three South Korean soldiers. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch at about 6:30 a.m. from the Wonsan area, without elaborating on the type of missile launched. The missile flew over 700 kilometers before landing at sea, the JCS said, adding it is analyzing the exact specifications of the launch with the U.S. side. South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities had tracked the launch since its early stage and shared relevant information, the JCS said in a notice. "Our military is closely monitoring various movements by the North under a robust South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and maintaining the capability and readiness to respond decisively to any provocations," it added. While the military did not specify the type of missile, it is reportedly analyzing its specifications while leaving open the possibility that it may have been a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) or

No clear path ahead for Lee's 'pacemaker' role amid Trump pressure, NK provocations

No clear path ahead for Lee's 'pacemaker' role amid Trump pressure, NK provocations

President Lee Jae Myung’s envisioned “pacemaker” role in North Korea diplomacy faces mounting obstacles from Washington and Pyongyang, as a U.S. investment dispute complicates ties with Trump, whom Lee is counting on to reopen talks, and the North continues to reject Seoul’s overtures while intensifying provocations. Lee has cast U.S. President Donald Trump as a “peacemaker” capable of engaging North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while describing himself as a “pacemaker” who would help create conditions for U.S.-North Korea dialogue and broaden it into peace talks involving South Korea. Because Lee’s “pacemaker” role depends heavily on Trump’s willingness to engage Kim, any dispute that complicates his coordination with the U.S. president could make it harder for Seoul to help restart North Korea talks. Against that backdrop, Trump stepped up pressure on Seoul over a $54 billion liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, Friday (local time), two days after unilaterally announcing South Korean participation, even though Seoul said no decision had been finalized. If fina

Yunchan Lim to give Mozart 270th anniversary recital in Daegu

Yunchan Lim to give Mozart 270th anniversary recital in Daegu

Pianist Yunchan Lim, who drew worldwide attention after becoming the youngest-ever winner of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will visit Daegu for a recital. Suseong Artpia said Friday that it will host “The Pianist Series — Yunchan Lim Piano Recital” at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at its Grand Theater. The recital, held to mark the 270th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, will give Korean audiences an early opportunity to hear Lim ahead of his planned complete cycle of Mozart’s piano sonatas at Carnegie Hall in New York and Wigmore Hall in London. Lim will perform Mozart’s piano sonatas and fantasies. His program includes Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, K. 279, Piano Sonata No. 6 in D major, K. 284, Fantasy in D minor, K. 397, Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332, and Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310, which he will present with his own deeply considered interpretations. Lim won the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022 at age 18, becoming the youngest winner in the competition’s history and gaining international recognition. He also receiv

China returns to top 100 in gender parity ranking for first time since 2016

China returns to top 100 in gender parity ranking for first time since 2016

For the first time in a decade, China has returned to the top 100 out of 145 economies in an annual global report assessing gender equality. China closed 69.9 per cent of its gender gap in 2025, rising to 96th place from 103rd the previous year and increasing 1.3 percentage points, according to the 2026 Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), an international non-profit organisation based in Switzerland. It marks the first time China has been ranked in the top 100...

Hong Kong to relax ad rules for broadcasters to boost business edge, minister says

Hong Kong to relax ad rules for broadcasters to boost business edge, minister says

Hong Kong authorities plan to relax restrictions on indirect advertising for broadcasters amid fierce competition from online and streaming media, the commerce minister has told the South China Morning Post. In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said many broadcast operators had requested to review the Generic Codes of Practice for Television to improve the business environment, and the government had responded. “They’re...

Residents near Xiangjiang River battlefields keep history alive

Residents near Xiangjiang River battlefields keep history alive

Residents near Xiangjiang River battlefields keep history alive

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