Nearly 17,000 students hit by data leak at Hong Kong exams authority

South China Morning Post - Oct 31, 2026

The personal data of nearly 17,000 mainland Chinese-based students who applied to take two international exams through the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) has been leaked after its information system was compromised. The authority said the leaked data included the names, dates of birth and email addresses of about 16,900 students. It added that there was no evidence that the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) or any other examinations had been...

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China helps dismantle major meth trafficking network in Southeast Asia

China helps dismantle major meth trafficking network in Southeast Asia

China has broken up a major transnational drug trafficking network in cooperation with Indonesia and Malaysia, seizing around 1.2 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine, China’s Ministry of Public Security said on Friday. The operation was carried out on October 21 by Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN), which raided and shut down a large-scale drug processing and purification facility in Aceh, Indonesia, and arrested 11 people, with help from China’s National Narcotics Control Commission...

Once shunned, prisons become sought-after facilities for local communities

Once shunned, prisons become sought-after facilities for local communities

Prisons, once widely regarded as undesirable facilities, are now drawing competition from local governments seeking to revive shrinking communities and struggling economies. Seven municipal governments are competing to host four new correctional facilities as part of the Ministry of Justice’s first nationwide competitive bidding process for prison sites. The ministry launched a nationwide call for applications on Aug. 28, marking the first time it has used a competitive bidding process to select sites for new correctional facilities. Previously, sites were chosen through consultations between the ministry and local governments. Under the new system, municipalities must seek residents' input and obtain approval from their local councils before submitting bids. The four planned facilities will each have a capacity of 1,000 inmates and employ around 250 staff members. Seven local governments have joined the race, including the counties of Yeongyang, Cheongsong, Yeongdeok and Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province, the city of Jecheon and Boeun County in North Chungcheong Province and Jeongse

Korea expands benefits for retired working dogs to help them find forever homes

Korea expands benefits for retired working dogs to help them find forever homes

Korea is stepping up its efforts to help retired working dogs find forever homes by building a comprehensive, state-funded safety net designed to ease the steep financial burden on adoptive families. Under an expanded initiative led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the government is introducing direct medical subsidies, discounted veterinary care, and dedicated hospice facilities to ensure these canine public servants are cared for after their service ends. Roughly 1,100 working dogs currently serve across six government bodies, including the military, police, fire services, customs and quarantine inspection. Among them, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency alone operates approximately 70 specialized detector dogs at key international travel hubs. For years, private adoption for retired working dogs faced steep hurdles. Specialized breeds like beagles, Labradors, and Malinois typically retire around age 8 after six to eight years of active duty. Upon retirement, adoptive owners are left with high medical costs for joint issues, dental problems and chronic ailment

'Assume everything is being recorded': Korea's Gen Z rewrites the rules of office life

'Assume everything is being recorded': Korea's Gen Z rewrites the rules of office life

"Whenever you talk to an employee in their 20s, it's probably best to assume the entire conversation is being recorded." It is a warning increasingly shared among Korean managers in their 40s and 50s as they try to make sense of a generation of young employees whose workplace habits can seem baffling — and sometimes unsettling — to their bosses. Some older managers see low loyalty to the company and a lack of respect for senior colleagues. Gen Z workers, however, see something very different: a desire for clear communication, boundaries between work and private life and relationships based less on hierarchy. From recording conversations with bosses and avoiding unnecessary apologies to skipping team lunches and continuing to use honorific speech even with close colleagues, young Koreans are quietly rewriting some of the unwritten rules that have long governed the country's offices. Why record a conversation with your boss? For some middle managers, discovering that a young employee is recording a conversation without saying anything can be uncomfortable. Some even wonder whether the em

Is it really just the autumn blues?

Is it really just the autumn blues?

"I think the fall is getting to me." That's what a friend told me on the phone recently. "You're middle-aged now, and suddenly you're getting the autumn blues?" I said jokingly. He laughed awkwardly, then began telling me about his life lately. Seeing the darkening sky on his way home from work drains his energy. Once home, he lies on the couch and does nothing. Even after sleeping in on weekends, he doesn't feel refreshed. And after dinner, he finds himself reaching for bread and snacks. As I listened, I began to wonder whether it was really something that could simply be blamed on the season. In Korea, the expression "gaeul tada," literally "to be affected by autumn," carries a certain romanticism. It describes that wistful feeling that arrives with falling leaves, when even a familiar song can unexpectedly stir the emotions. But persistent sadness and lethargy, along with losing interest in hobbies once enjoyed, are a long way from romantic autumn melancholy. According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a "type of depression characterize

Korean webtoon finds new audience in India, creator eyes global reach

Korean webtoon finds new audience in India, creator eyes global reach

The Korean webtoon "Here We Go Again" by Go Eun has found a new audience in India, with a locally produced adaptation released Friday. Available on JioHotstar, one of India's major streaming platforms, "Love Always" was directed by Madhumita Sundararaman and stars Indian actors Gouri G Kishan, Ramzan Muhammed, Jayaprakash and Jayasudha. The series is the first adaptation of a Korean webtoon in India. The original work ran on Kakao's webtoon platform between 2015 and 2017, and garnered more than 200 million views. The Korea Times spoke with the webtoon artist about the adaptation and her hopes for the global reach of Korean comics. Go said she learned around 2020 or 2021 that her work was being adapted for Indian audiences. “My first reaction was like, ‘Wait, my work is getting adapted? Really?’ Then came, ‘In India?’ I was fascinated, but also dumbfounded,” Go recalled. “Here We Go Again” is a romantic fantasy about a married couple who, after spending 60 years together without love, are given the chance to turn back time and become young again. The experience allows them t

Is Donald Trump’s ‘Chinamaxxing’ pushing Beijing’s soft power?

Is Donald Trump’s ‘Chinamaxxing’ pushing Beijing’s soft power?

In May, Donald Trump touring Beijing’s Temple of Heaven – bathed in golden light as traditional Chinese music played in the background – was an unlikely image of US-China relations. For Julian Gewirtz, a former China official on president Joe Biden’s National Security Council, it also had a familiar Gen Z twist. “Trump, strange as it is to say, is Chinamaxxing,” he wrote in a Substack post at the time. The social media trend celebrates the features of Chinese life, from high-speed trains and...

US Democrats prepare to counter any Trump claim of foreign meddling in midterms

US Democrats prepare to counter any Trump claim of foreign meddling in midterms

Top Democrats on the US congressional intelligence committees say they are preparing to check and respond to any claim by US President Donald Trump that foreign powers interfered in the November 3 midterm elections, even though they say they have seen no sign of any country interfering with voting or vote counting. The concern comes as Democrats lead by eight points among likely voters in the fight for control of Congress, according to an October 27 PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. It also follows a...

The flaw in Australia’s ‘China threat’ thesis

The flaw in Australia’s ‘China threat’ thesis

Australia’s preparations for a possible conflict with China reflect “a relatively superficial understanding”, argues prominent economist John Edwards. Europe, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, he notes, are not preparing for such a conflict. Why should Australia? Edwards, a former senior economic adviser to former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, makes the observation in a Lowy Institute paper released in October and in a newspaper interview. Instead, he sees US-China rivalry as a...

Can Connie Chan become San Francisco’s first Asian-American in Congress?

Can Connie Chan become San Francisco’s first Asian-American in Congress?

On a recent warm Thursday evening, supporters drift into San Francisco’s United Irish Cultural Centre to hear Connie Chan, who is running for California’s 11th congressional district. Born in Hong Kong, Chan attended elementary school in Taiwan before immigrating to the United States at 13. Now a San Francisco supervisor, she hopes to succeed long-time Democratic powerhouse Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement and endorsed her. The 48-year-old politician would be the first Asian-American...

How a Democratic-controlled Congress could reshape US policy on China

How a Democratic-controlled Congress could reshape US policy on China

A Democratic takeover of either chamber of the US Congress could bring tougher scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Beijing, even as lawmakers are likely to maintain a broadly hawkish stance towards China, analysts said. A change in control could shift the emphasis of congressional oversight, with the Democratic Party seeking greater accountability for the administration’s China policy after Trump’s Republican Party largely gave him room to manoeuvre, said Sarah Trister, a former...

Tea, tunes and ties: China-Germany cultural exchanges flourish

Tea, tunes and ties: China-Germany cultural exchanges flourish

Tea, tunes and ties: China-Germany cultural exchanges flourish

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