Catholic diocese asks parishes to hold special masses to mark Tai Po fire anniversary

South China Morning Post - Nov 13, 2026

The head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese has asked all of the city’s parishes to hold special masses and prayers to mark the first anniversary of the deadly Tai Po fire later this month. Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan invited parishes to offer mass for the deceased on November 26, one year after the blaze broke out, according to a notice issued by the Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Liturgy Commission on Friday. The inferno at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate raged for more than 43 hours, killing...

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Gov't holds first task force meeting to ease living costs for wage earners

Gov't holds first task force meeting to ease living costs for wage earners

Korea on Friday held the inaugural meeting of a new task force aimed at developing policies to reduce living costs and boost real disposable income for wage earners. First Vice Finance Minister Kwon Dae-young chaired the meeting with officials from relevant ministries to discuss detailed implementation plans following the presidential office's announcement of the initiative this week. The task force comprises four working groups covering existing support measures, taxation, fiscal policy and finance, respectively, to identify practical ways to achieve those goals. The new team will focus particularly on helping workers cope with labor market changes driven by structural changes in industry, along with the growing financial burden of caring for children and elderly parents. Other key goals will include helping workers build assets, improve job security and manage their health. "The measures in the 2026 tax revision bill and next year's budget proposal are directly linked to wage earners' household finances next year," Kwon said. "While respecting deliberations at the National Assembly, we w

FM Cho heads to China for talks with Wang Yi on bilateral ties, prospects for NK-US dialogue

FM Cho heads to China for talks with Wang Yi on bilateral ties, prospects for NK-US dialogue

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun departed for China on Friday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on bilateral relations and issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, including the possibility of renewed dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. Cho was scheduled to hold talks with Wang later in the day, followed by a dinner hosted by the Chinese foreign minister, according to the foreign ministry. "We plan to discuss the overall state of bilateral relations, particularly issues that need to be coordinated between the two countries ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit," Cho told reporters at Gimpo International Airport before departing for China. His visit comes ahead of President Lee Jae Myung's planned trip to China for the APEC summit in Shenzhen from Wednesday to Thursday, and the ministerial meeting was expected to help lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We plan to hold comprehensive discussions with China on these issues, particularly North Korea-related matters, including the possibility of U.S.-No

N. Korea changes national flag's aspect ratio for 1st time since 1948

N. Korea changes national flag's aspect ratio for 1st time since 1948

North Korea has revised its constitution to change its national flag's aspect ratio for the first time since its regime was established in 1948, according to the amended basic law posted on the website of Pyongyang's propaganda outlet. Article 166 of the revised constitution posted on Naenara's website stipulates that the ratio of the flag's height to its width is 1 to 1.65, replacing the previous ratio of 1 to 2. The change came as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sought to build his own governing style and national identity while retaining some legacies of his predecessors. The flag's 1-to-2 ratio rule had remained unchanged in the law until the North's constitutional revision in September 2023. Despite the ratio change, the overall design of the North's flag remains intact, consisting of a broad red stripe in the center, narrow white stripes above and below it, blue stripes above and below the white stripes, and a red five-pointed star in a white circle. The constitution says the red stripe stands for the blood shed by anti-Japan fighters who dedicated their lives to defending the c

Lee to hold bilateral talks with Thai, Philippine leaders at ASEAN summit

Lee to hold bilateral talks with Thai, Philippine leaders at ASEAN summit

Korean President Lee Jae Myung will hold bilateral meetings with his Thai and Philippine counterparts next week on the sidelines of a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), his spokesperson said Friday. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced Lee's planned meetings as the Korean president is scheduled to attend the ASEAN summit in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in China. Lee will attend the ASEAN summit in Manila on Monday and Tuesday before traveling to China's Shenzhen on Wednesday for a two-day trip to attend the APEC summit. Lee will separately meet with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. on Monday afternoon on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, Kang said in a press release. On the sidelines of the APEC summit Wednesday, Lee will hold a luncheon meeting with Korean residents in southern China, home to some 24,000 Korean nationals, she said.

Remains of 2 Korean independence fighters to return home from US, Uzbekistan

Remains of 2 Korean independence fighters to return home from US, Uzbekistan

The remains of two Korean independence fighters laid to rest in the United States and Uzbekistan will return home next week to mark the 80th anniversary of a project to repatriate the remains of such activists from overseas, the veterans ministry said Friday. The remains of Ho Si-han and Lee Gwal will be brought back from the U.S. and Uzbekistan, respectively, on Sunday, according to the ministry. It marks the first time that the remains of an independence fighter buried in Uzbekistan will return home. An event marking their return will be held at a memorial park in Seoul on Monday, attended by some 300 personnel, and the remains will later be buried at the national cemetery in the central city of Daejeon. Ho, born in Seoul in 1885, was arrested by the Japanese police while raising military funds following the March 1 independence movement against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea. He also took part in a number of fundraising schemes to support the Korean independence movement from 1927 to 1945, before he died in Los Angeles in 1956. The Korean government posthumously awarded him the

Korea's rice production falls for 5th year in 2026 amid changing diets

Korea's rice production falls for 5th year in 2026 amid changing diets

Korea's rice output declined for the fifth consecutive year in 2026 amid changing dietary habits, data showed Friday, with the cultivation area also reaching a new low. Rice production decreased 0.9 percent year-on-year to 3.5 million tons this year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the fourth-lowest level since the government began compiling the data in 1965. The combined area of rice paddies in the country fell 1.1 percent year-on-year to 670,000 hectares, the smallest on record. Despite the decline in overall production, output per 1,000 square meters increased 0.2 percent year-on-year to 524 kilograms this year, according to the ministry. Rice remains a staple food in Korea, but consumption has steadily fallen in recent decades amid shifts in dietary preferences. The decrease in production also came amid the government's efforts to manage output while encouraging farmers to switch to other crops. By region, South Jeolla Province and Gwangju together produced 736,000 tons of rice, followed by South Chungcheong Province with 681,000 tons and Nor

Defense ministry conducting poll on military cadets over proposed academy integration

Defense ministry conducting poll on military cadets over proposed academy integration

The defense ministry said Friday it is surveying military cadets on the proposal to integrate the Army, Air Force and Navy academies as the government seeks to revise the plan amid pushback from alumni groups and key stakeholders. The online survey, running from Friday through Tuesday, will poll 2,350 cadets across all four class years, excluding about 143 naval cadets set to be deployed for rotational training, a ministry official told reporters. The ministry is pushing to merge the three institutions into a unified military academy, but the plan has drawn fierce opposition from cadets and alumni who say it could erode the distinct identity and specialized capabilities of each armed service. The ministry is now reportedly weighing the option of relocating the military academy of the Army out of Seoul as planned while retaining the two others, a move seen as backtracking from its original merger plan. "The survey aims to evaluate the current military academies and collect cadets' opinions as part of broader efforts to gather input from various sectors to refine the plan for establishing

Former presidential security official named new KOICA chief

Former presidential security official named new KOICA chief

Oh Hyun-joo, former third deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, has been named to head the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the foreign ministry said Friday. Oh will formally take office on Monday to lead the agency, which is affiliated with the foreign ministry and responsible for the government's official development assistance (ODA) programs. After entering the foreign service in 1994, Oh held various posts in development cooperation and multilateral diplomacy, including deputy chief of mission at South Korea's U.N. mission. She became South Korea's first female ambassador to the Holy See in January 2023 and was appointed third deputy director of the National Security Office in June last year. "Oh is expected to actively realize KOICA's vision of becoming a leading global development cooperation agency that pursues universal values and shared national interests, while strengthening its role as an integrated platform for South Korea's grant aid programs," the ministry said in a statement. The KOICA president serves a three-year term and is selected

Lee pledges capital market reform to address stock undervaluation

Lee pledges capital market reform to address stock undervaluation

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday reiterated his commitment to capital market reform, pledging to address what he has called "undervaluation" of Korean stocks by boosting market confidence and cracking down on market irregularities. Lee made the pledge during a policy discussion on the capital market held at the Korea Exchange, which brought together experts, corporate representatives and government officials. "Normalizing the capital market is our government's unwavering policy direction and commitment," the president said. The president described the undervaluation of Korean stocks as an "unreasonable abnormality," reaffirming his administration's commitment to reforming the capital market and the broader financial market to boost investor confidence. Lee's remarks came amid significant volatility in Korea's stock market in recent months, with the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) trading in the mid-5,000-point range on Friday, after reaching an all-time closing high of 9,114.55 points in late June. The president cited investor confidence as the most important value in

Gov't vows zero tolerance against cheating with AI glasses

Gov't vows zero tolerance against cheating with AI glasses

The government promised Friday to exercise zero tolerance against cheating using artificial intelligence (AI) glasses in next week's nationwide college entrance exam after suspicions of such cheating arose over an unrealistic score in this year's certified tax accountant exam. The suspicions emerged following revelations that the highest scorer in the tax accountant exam received a near-perfect score, missing only one question out of the 160 on the first-round test, earning 397.5 points out of a possible 400, a score many test-takers view as unrealistic. That has raised concerns that AI cheating can be used in the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), set for Thursday. "The government views cheating using AI smart glasses as a serious issue that infringes upon fair opportunities for students who have worked diligently, and takes people's concerns regarding this matter very seriously," the Office for Government Policy Coordination said in a statement. "The government will take a zero-tolerance approach toward any cheating that compromises the fairness of examinations and will make sure

LG family scion repatriated from Cambodia after 8 years on the run

LG family scion repatriated from Cambodia after 8 years on the run

A member of the family that founded conglomerate LG Group has been repatriated from Cambodia eight years after leaving Korea to escape an investigation into stock manipulation charges, police said Friday. Koo Bon-hyun, a nephew of the late LG Group honorary chairman Koo Cha-kyung, was detained upon arriving in the country Monday to undergo an investigation on suspicion of violating the Capital Markets Act, embezzlement and breach of trust, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The 57-year-old left for the Netherlands in 2018 amid suspicions that he made illegal profits of 14.5 billion won ($10.9 million) by disclosing false information about a KOSDAQ-listed company he had acquired without capital. He is also accused of embezzling 4.6 billion won from the firm, including for entertainment expenses. Police obtained a detention warrant for Koo in 2019 and requested that Interpol issue a Red Notice for him. Cambodian police apprehended him in September and repatriated him back to Korea this week. He was formally arrested Wednesday under a court-issued warrant. In 2012, Koo receiv

'Soju should not exist': Surgeon warns of addiction risk from cheap, strong alcohol

'Soju should not exist': Surgeon warns of addiction risk from cheap, strong alcohol

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. A practicing surgeon has issued a strong warning about the dangers of soju — a popular traditional Korean alcohol that is now mass manufactured — drawing on his own experience of severe alcohol addiction. Lee Jun-suh, a hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon, appeared on the YouTube channel Doctor Dinho on Tuesday and said, "Soju is a drink that should not exist." "Its alcohol content is far too high for its price, fueling alcohol addiction," he said. Gastroenterologist Kim Tae-kyun agreed, saying, "At that price and concentration, shouldn't soju be considered a drug rather than an alcoholic beverage?" Lee said, "Alcoholic drinks like this type of diluted soju are uncommon. The availability of soju makes it far too easy for people to drink alcohol." Lee, who has overcome alcohol addiction, said he once underestimated the severity of his own dependence even while treating patients with end-stage liver and pancreatic diseases. "Even as I treated terminally ill patients, I thought, 'I'm different from them,'" he said. "At the time, there was a social at

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