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☆ North Korea fires ballistic missiles as Blinken visits Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People are seen watching television at Seoul's Yongsan Railway Station showing North Korea's first test-firing of the new strategic cruise missile Pulhwasal-3-31. North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday for the first time in two months, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul for a conference hosted by President Yoon Suk Yeol on advancing democracy. North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday for the first time in two months, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul for a conference hosted by President Yoon Suk Yeol on advancing democracy. Japan later said that it had detected what appeared to be a second ballistic missile launch by the North, and that both fell outside its exclusive economic zone area. North Korea's military has been conducting exercises using conventional weapons in recent weeks, often personally overseen by the isolated state's leader, Kim Jong Un.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Yoon Suk, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Kim Jong Un Locations: Yongsan, Korea, Seoul, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Japan, Japanese

☆ An American tourist in Seoul said he sprayed graffiti in 155 places to raise awareness about teeth grinding
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A US tourist in South Korea was accused of vandalizing 155 places in Seoul. The unnamed American told police he was trying to raise awareness of the condition, bruxism. AdvertisementAn American tourist has been accused of spraying graffiti at 155 locations in Seoul's central Yongsan district, police said on Monday. The Yongsan police department said it arrested an unnamed American man in his 30s who arrived in October as a tourist, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. The unnamed American told police that he suffers from severe bruxism, and wanted to let others know it can be a serious condition, the Seoul Shinmun Daily reported.

Persons: He's, —, Yonhap Organizations: Service, Chosun Ilbo, Police, Seoul Shinmun Locations: South Korea, Seoul, Yongsan district, Yongsan, Korean, Yonhap

☆ South Korea: Itaewon crush haunts survivors one year after Halloween crowd disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Hye Minyi can still vividly recall what happened in Itaewon, South Korea, on the night of October 29, 2022. Whether the disaster in Itaewon last year will put a dent in this growing popularity is yet to be seen. “We are extremely concerned that there could be a repeat of the Itaewon tragedy,” said Shibuya mayor Ken Hasebe. The Itaewon crowd crush was South Korea’s worst peacetime disaster since the sinking of a ferry in 2014 killed 304 people – among them 250 students and teachers from the Danwon State High School. Lee is certain of one thing, however – that she is “never going back to the area again.”“For me, Halloween and the Itaewon tragedy are (inextricably) linked,” she said.

Persons: CNN — Hye, Amy, Hye, ” Hye, ”, “, Anthony Wallace, expats, Ken Hasebe, Hasebe, ” Hasebe, overtourism, Yuya Shino, Critics, Jung Yeon, Yoon Suk, Kim Kun, Chung Sung, Lee, Kim Ho, Lee Sang Organizations: CNN, Getty, “, Reuters, Danwon State High School, South Korean, Seoul Metropolitan Government, South, City, Facebook, Interior, Safety Locations: Itaewon, South Korea, Seoul, AFP, Asia, Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Japan, Shibuya, “, Tokyo's Shibuya, Guangzhou, China, South, Danwon, Yongsan

☆ US charges ex-Army employee at South Korean facility with bribery, fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - A former civilian employee at a U.S. Army facility in South Korea has been arrested on charges of receiving $400,000 in kickbacks from military contractors, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said on Monday. Young Beom Kim, 62, was responsible for overseeing construction contracts at the Army Garrison Yongsan-Casey from 2017 to 2021. Kim, a U.S. citizen and resident of South Korea, pleaded not guilty to six counts of wire fraud, bribery and money laundering. Prosecutors also say he received kickbacks from a South Korea-based supplier of parts manufactured by U.S. and Chinese companies. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korean police seek manslaughter charges over deadly Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, South Korea — Police in South Korea are seeking charges of involuntary manslaughter and negligence against 23 officials, including law enforcement officers, for a lack of safety measures they said were responsible for a crowd surge last year that killed nearly 160 people. Despite anticipating a Halloween weekend crowd of more than 100,000, Seoul police had assigned 137 officers to the capital’s nightlife district Itaewon on the day of the crush. Those officers were focused on monitoring narcotics use and violent crimes, which experts say left few resources for pedestrian safety. Son Je-han, who headed the National Police Agency’s special investigation into the incident, said Friday his team will now send the case to prosecutors. However, Son said the special investigation team will close its investigations of the Interior and Safety Ministry, the National Police Agency, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, saying it was difficult to establish their direct responsibility.

SEOUL, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A North Korean drone briefly entered a no-fly zone surrounding South Korea's presidential office when it intruded into the South's airspace last week, Seoul's military said on Thursday, fuelling criticism over its air defences. The drone was among five North Korean drones that crossed into the South on Dec. 26, prompting South Korea's military to scramble fighter jets and helicopters. The border crossing has sparked criticism over South Korea's air defences at a time of the North's growing nuclear and missile threats. Reclusive North Korea has pursued missile and nuclear weapons programmes in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. North and South Korea are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Two former police officers were arrested in South Korea on Monday, accused of destroying evidence relating to the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Seoul, according to authorities in the country. They allegedly ordered their subordinates to destroy an internal report about the risks stemming from a large crowd gathering in Itaewon during Halloween festivities. The two officers were already dismissed from their posts in November over their handling of the Itaewon incident. Both are under suspicion of professional negligence in relation to the crowd crush resulting in deaths and injuries. Video Ad Feedback CNN reporter returns to Itaewon's narrow alley one day after the Halloween disaster.

☆ South Korea police official found dead amid scrutiny over Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 11 (Reuters) - A South Korean police official being investigated over the deadly Halloween crush was found dead at his home in Seoul on Friday, the Yonhap news agency reported. Telephone calls by Reuters to the Yongsan station were unanswered. Jeong, 55, faced accusations that he had deleted intelligence reports warning of a serious accident, after an investigation began into police responses to the crush. Lawmakers slammed the suspected removal of the documents at a parliamentary session on Monday, and urged the arrest and punishment of those in charge. National Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun told lawmakers that the intelligence chief at the Yongsan station had ordered the records to be deleted and would be investigated.

☆ How Seoul crowd crush turned Halloween revelry to disaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

21:07 Police: Yes, Emergency report 112.Caller: Hello.Police: Yes, this is emergency report.Caller: Hello, this is Halloween street above Itaewon.Police: Yes.Caller: We’re near a bar called Meeting Square. During the festival.Police: Yes, yes.Caller: Oh, hey, hey, what's that called, it's a Halloween festival but it’s a serious situation. Oh, it's in front of the Meeting Square.Police: Yes.Caller: Yes, yes, the condition is a bit serious right now.Police: Meeting Square, Itaewon?Caller: Yes, Itaewon Station, Meeting Square.Police: Oh, yes, I understand. Yes.Caller: Yes. 22:00 Police: Emergency report 112.Caller: Ah, I want to report.

☆ After deadly Halloween crush, lost shoes await owners in Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The deadly crush in the nearby nightlife district Itaewon happened after tens of thousands gathered for Halloween celebrations Saturday evening. Most of the victims were women and many of them were missing shoes, which experts say reflects the force of a crowd surge that stripped footwear from their feet in the crush. Some 250 pairs of shoes at the gym are part of a huge collection of abandoned items found in Itaewon following the tragedy. As of Tuesday afternoon, 156 people were confirmed dead and 151 were being treated for injuries, with 29 of them in critical condition. Officials say 26 of the dead were foreign nationals, including five Iranians, four Chinese, four Russians, two Americans and two Japanese citizens.

☆ South Korea's deadly Halloween crush was avoidable, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

District authorities for Yongsan, where Itaewon is located, discussed measures to prevent illegal drug use and the spread of COVID-19 during the Halloween weekend, according to a district press release. But there were only 137 police officers in Itaewon at the time, the city of Seoul said. Moon Hyeon-cheol, a professor at the Graduate School of Disaster Safety Management at Soongsil University, said this type of crush had the potential to happen in any populous city. "We need to take this tragedy and learn to prepare for the risk of disaster," he said. Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ University of Kentucky student among at least 153 dead in Seoul crowd crush
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A University of Kentucky student is among at least 153 people, and one of two Americans, who died in a crowd crush in Seoul, South Korea this weekend, the school announced Sunday afternoon. Anne Gieske, a third-year nursing student from northern Kentucky, was among the victims who perished in the crowd crush, the university's President, Eli Capilouto, announced to the school on Sunday. Gieske was from northern Kentucky, and was studying abroad in South Korea this semester, Capilouto said. Two other University of Kentucky students and a faculty member who are also abroad in South Korea are safe, the president wrote. Capilouto said school officials "have been in contact with Anne’s family and will provide whatever support we can — now and in the days ahead — as they cope with this indescribable loss."

☆ Crowds so thick in Seoul that disaster was not clear until bodies were lined up, witness says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Mithil Aggarwal | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

At first everything seemed normal to Benedict Manlapaz as he joined Halloween revelers in the Itaewon neighborhood of South Korea's capital, Seoul, but the scale of the tragedy gradually became clear. “We all walked in the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd,” said Manlapaz, adding that he had been to a Halloween-themed cruise party with colleagues. Police stand guard at the scene of a Halloween crush in the Itaewon district on Sunday. As concerned relatives rushed to hospitals in search of their loved ones on Sunday, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a national mourning period. “Last night, a tragedy and a disaster that should never happen did happen in the middle of Seoul celebrating Halloween,” Yoon said.

SEOUL, South Korea — As morning arrived in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood, quiet prevailed at the scene of the tragedy where at least 153 people died on what should have been a night of Halloween revelry. What we know about the deadly incident in Seoul At least 153 people were killed and 103 injured, officials said. While Halloween is not a traditional holiday in South Korea, Itaewon is known for its costume parties at bars and clubs, which have soared in popularity in recent years. The last major tragedy in South Korea also hit young people. Stella Kim and Thomas Maresca reported from South Korea.

President Joe Biden was among several world leaders to send his condolences to South Korea after at least 153 people were killed and 82 injured during Halloween festivities in a popular nightlife district, in the capital Seoul. Xi added that he hoped South Korea “will make every effort to cure and deal with the aftermath,” Xinhua reported. “I am devastated by news of the terrible incident in connection with Halloween celebrations in Seoul,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on Twitter that he was deeply shocked by the “tragic events in #Seoul” and added that “This is a sad day for South Korea. "My heart goes out to those who lost their loved ones and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

[1/4] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol walks at the scene where many people died and were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/ Heo RanSEOUL, Oct 30 (Reuters) - South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after a Halloween crush killed some 151 people in a packed nightlife area in Seoul. It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing. Choi, the Yongsan district fire chief, said all the deaths were likely from the crush in the single narrow alley. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi, Choonsik Yoo Daewoung Kim, Hong-ji Kim, Writing by Jack Kim; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea declares national mourning after Halloween crush kills 151
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after a Halloween crush killed some 151 people in a packed nightlife area in Seoul. "A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night." A huge crowd celebrating in the popular Itaewon district surged into an alley on Saturday night, emergency officials said, adding the death toll could rise. The incident took place at about 10:20 p.m. (1320 GMT). "A number of people fell during a Halloween festival, and we have a large number of casualties," Choi said.

SEOUL, Oct 30 (Reuters) - With "Hooker Hill" and snaking alleyways of bars with signs like "BADASS" around the local landmark Hamilton Hotel, Seoul's Itaewon district was a symbol of freewheeling nightlife in the South Korean capital for decades, before tragedy struck. "This happened right at the moment when we were about to rebound after being hammered by the pandemic," said Lee, who has operated Itaewon businesses for three decades. A mysterious killing called the "Itaewon Murder" and other crimes in the late 1990s painted a dark image of the area. The district has been a recurrent theme in popular culture, with a recent hit drama "Itaewon Class" and K-pop song "Itaewon Freedom". They won't," said Park, who has run businesses in the district for nearly 30 years.

☆ At Least 151 Killed in Stampede at Seoul Halloween Celebration
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Timothy W. Martin | Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL—More than 150 people have died from a stampede in one of Seoul’s popular nightlife districts, following a massive turnout there for the Halloween weekend. At least 151 people were killed, while 82 others suffered injuries in the city’s Itaewon neighborhood, according to the fire department for Yongsan, the district in which Itaewon is located. More than 140 emergency vehicles had been dispatched to Itaewon, home to many nightclubs and bars that were throwing late-night Halloween parties.

☆ At Least 149 Killed in Stampede at Seoul Halloween Celebration
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Timothy W. Martin | Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL—Nearly 150 people have died from a stampede in one of Seoul’s popular nightlife districts, following a massive turnout there for the Halloween weekend. At least 149 people were killed, while 76 others suffered injuries in the city’s Itaewon neighborhood, according to the fire department for Yongsan, the district in which Itaewon is located. More than 140 emergency vehicles had been dispatched to Itaewon, home to many nightclubs and bars that were throwing late-night Halloween parties.

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