Category Archives: South Korea

North Korea ICBM launch may have been a failure, South’s military says

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Intercontinental ballistic missile is believed to have suffered in-flight malfunction, says Seoul, as Japan PM criticises ‘outrageous’ launch

North Korea’s launch of a suspected new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) may have been a failure, military chiefs in South Korea have said. The missile was one of three fired on Thursday morning.

The ICBM was fired from the suburbs of Pyongyang but then appeared to have failed during normal flight after the separation of the propellant and warhead sections, defence sources told multiple South Korean media outlets.

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North Korea missile crosses maritime border with South for first time

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One missile landed close to South Korean territorial waters, south of the Northern Limit Line, military chiefs in Seoul say

North Korea fired at least 10 missiles off its eastern and western coasts on Wednesday morning, with one landing in waters further south than ever before, according to the South Korean military, which shortly after responded by firing missiles over a maritime border.

The unprecedented number of launches was confirmed after earlier reports of three short-range ballistic missiles fired off North Korea’s eastern coast, leading to a rare air raid warning being issued on a remote South Korean island.

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Seoul crowd crush: PM and police admit failures as anger grows

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Death toll rises to 156, as authorities admit crowd control measures were inadequate before Halloween disaster in Itaewon

South Korea’s prime minister has called Saturday’s deadly Halloween crush in Seoul a “disastrous accident that should not have happened”, as authorities responded to growing public anger with a series of apologies.

Expressing sorrow to bereaved families as the first memorial services were held, Han Duck-soo admitted that institutional failures in managing crowds played a role in the disaster, and said the government would work with all ministries, agencies and medical institutions to ensure such problems during spontaneous events never happened again.

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South Korea opens investigation into deadly Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul

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Shops closed and concerts cancelled after Halloween party surge kills more than 150 people, as questions raised over crowd control

South Korean authorities have opened an investigation into the deaths of more than 150 people, in a crush in a nightlife district in Seoul on Saturday as experts said crowd controls could have reduced the surge that led to the disaster.

It remained unclear what led the huge Halloween party crowd to head into a narrow alley in the Itaewon area. Witnesses said people fell on each other “like dominoes”, and some victims were bleeding from their noses and mouths while being given CPR.

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A visual guide to how the Seoul Halloween crowd crush unfolded

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More than 150 people were killed as mostly young people flooded the narrow, sloping streets of Itaewon to celebrate Halloween

On Saturday night, tens of thousands of mostly young people flocked to Itaewon in Seoul to celebrate Halloween.

Images of Itaewon subway station before the tragedy show large crowds gathering in the area, known for its nightlife, bars and restaurants.

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Sydney woman killed in Seoul crowd crush ‘loved by all’ – as it happened

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Andrews pledges to cooperate with Labor on fixing any loopholes found in visa regime

ABC Radio asks Andrews about reports in the Nine papers of significant gaps in Australia’s visa regime allowing migration agents and fixers to set up so-called visa farms.

I would encourage the Labor government to have a look at the issues in that report and see whether or not there are concerns, there are loopholes and if so I can assure them I will work very cooperatively to get them fixed.

Your department was found to have leaked details of a boat turnback which had come from Sri Lanka on election day this year … and yet you’re criticising this government for … allegedly leaking?

It was a deliberate decision that was taken on the day. And the reason that that decision was taken was because of transparency, and for deterrence ... the issue was that there was a lot of a lot of criticism about discussions of boat arrivals and the fact that we, as a Coalition, were very concerned about whether or not there would be increases in boat arrivals.

Now on election day, when that boat arrived, and I was advised of it early in the in the morning and the prime minister at the time, Scott Morrison would have been advised either before or after – I’m not sure when he was actually advised of that … The decision was taken that in the interests of transparency, the information would be released and it would be released by the agencies responsible because that was the most apolitical way to release that information.

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Australian among people killed in Halloween crush in South Korea

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Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirms an Australian was among at least 150 others killed in the disaster on Saturday night

An Australian is among the more than 150 people who have died in the South Korean capital after a crowd crush during Halloween celebrations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it had been notified of the Australian’s death in Seoul on Saturday night, local time.

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At least 153 killed in crowd crush during Halloween festivities in Seoul

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President Yoon Suk-yeol declares state of national mourning after fatal surge in Itaewon nightlife quarter of South Korean capital

South Korea’s president has pledged a full investigation after at least 153 people were crushed to death during Halloween celebrations when crowds surged through a narrow alleyway in a packed nightlife area of Seoul, plunging the nation into mourning.

Yoon Suk-yeol designated Seoul’s popular Itaewon district a disaster zone after the deadliest crowd crush in South Korean history, describing it as “a tragedy … that should not have happened”.

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Seoul crowd crush: what we know so far about Halloween deaths in Itaewon

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At least 150 people died when large crowd surged in narrow alley of South Korean nightlife district, officials say

At least 150 people have been killed and around 80 injured in a crowd crush and stampede in a narrow alley during Halloween festivities in Itaewon, a popular leisure district of Seoul in South Korea.

Officials said a large crowd began pushing forward in the sloped alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a party spot in Seoul. Some local media reports said earlier that people rushed to a bar after a celebrity was sighted.

Many of the victims were women in their 20s, said a National Fire Agency offical, Choi Cheon-sik.

Fire officials and witnesses said people continued to pour into the alley while it was already packed wall-to-wall. When those at the top of the sloped street fell, it sent others below them toppling over others.

About 100,000 people had filled Itaewon’s streets for the biggest festivities since the easing of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Dozens of bars and restaurants were packed with revellers wearing elaborate Halloween costumes.

TV footage and photos from the scene showed emergency workers and pedestrians performing CPR on people lying in the streets. The bodies of people who had been crushed or trampled to death lay in rows, covered with blankets or makeshift shrouds.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes beforehand, with police appearing to have trouble maintaining control of the crowds. “It was at least 10 times more crowded than usual,” Moon Ju-young, 21, told Reuters.

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Itaewon crowd crush: ‘Felt like an accident was bound to happen’

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Witnesses and bystanders in South Korean Halloween disaster tell how thick post-Covid crowds overwhelmed Seoul party district with deadly results

Partygoers in costumes fleeing in panic, desperate attempts at first aid on the sidewalks, scores of bodies lined up under makeshift shrouds: in Seoul’s lively Itaewon district, a Halloween festival turned to tragedy on Saturday.

At least 150 people were killed in a crowd surge and stampede, the cause of which remained unclear on Sunday. The popular, cosmopolitan district of the South Korean capital, located close to a former US military base, is renowned for its bars and clubs.

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Missing Iranian climber dropped headscarf by mistake, Instagram post claims

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Friends of Elnaz Rekabi have been unable to contact athlete since Sunday, while embassy says she returned home with rest of team

A female Iranian climber who competed in an international tournament without a hijab did so because her headscarf had dropped by mistake, a post on her Instagram account has claimed.

Footage of Elnaz Rekabi, 33, scaling a wall without her head covered during an international tournament went viral, coming amid big female-led demonstrations against Iran’s clerical rulers sparked by strict Islamic rules on women’s clothing.

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BTS members to do military service in South Korea

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Announcement ends long debate over whether K-pop group should get exemption

The seven members of BTS – one of the world’s biggest bands – will perform military service in their native South Korea, their agency has said, ending a long national debate over whether they should receive an exemption.

While many fans of the K-pop sensations were hoping the band members would be given special consideration due to their contribution to the South Korean economy and international prestige, the artists will each serve almost two years in the military.

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North Korea fires missile and flies warplanes near border, says Seoul

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Latest in spate of ballistic missile launches further raises animosities between the two countries

North Korea has launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters and flew warplanes near the border with South Korea, the South’s military said, further raising animosities triggered by the North’s recent barrage of weapons tests.

South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the launch happened early on Friday local time but gave no further details including how far the weapon flew.

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North Korea says it tested cruise missiles able to carry ‘tactical nukes’

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Kim Jong-un says tests are a warning to Pyongyang’s enemies and its nuclear combat forces were at ‘full preparedness for actual war’

Kim Jong-un supervised the launch of two long-range cruise missiles, North Korean state media said, adding that the weapons were equipped to carry tactical nukes and had already been deployed to some army units.

Pyongyang has conducted a blitz of ballistic missile tests recently, which it described as tactical nuclear drills that simulated taking out airports and military facilities across South Korea.

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North Korea says missile tests simulated striking South with tactical nuclear weapons

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Kim Jong-un said his forces were “completely ready to hit and destroy targets at any time from any location”

North Korea’s recent flurry of missile tests demonstrated its ability to carry out strikes with tactical nuclear weapons, its leader, Kim Jong-un, has said, adding that his forces were “completely ready to hit and destroy targets at any time from any location”.

Kim, who last month said the North’s transformation into a nuclear power was “irreversible,” said the drills were “an obvious warning and clear demonstration” to the country’s enemies.

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North Korea fires two more ballistic missiles after South Korea and US navy drills

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Tokyo says North Korea’s seventh round of weapons tests in two weeks may have been launched from submarine

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, the latest of its recent barrage of weapons tests, a day after Pyongyang warned the redeployment of a US aircraft carrier near the Korean peninsula was inflaming regional tensions.

South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement that it detected two missile launches between 1.48am and 1.58am on Sunday local time from the North’s eastern coastal city of Munchon. It added that South Korea’s military has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a readiness in close coordination with the US.

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What’s behind the sudden increase in missile tests from North Korea?

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With six launches in 12 days, North Korea is flexing its muscles and taking advantage of geopolitical turmoil across the world

Millions of residents of northern Japan will have felt a sense of deja vu on Tuesday morning when they were alerted to a North Korean missile flying overhead. Five years earlier, they had twice been shaken from their slumber by Japanese government warnings to seek shelter after missile launches by Pyongyang.

The intermediate-range missile involved in this week’s test was far from buzzing the rooftops of Hokkaido farmhouses – it flew at an altitude of 1,000km as it made its way to the Pacific Ocean, where it splashed down, without incident, more than 3,000km east of Japan.

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North Korea has fired another ballistic missile, South says

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Launch was the sixth in 12 days and the first since an intermediate-range missile was fired over Japan on Tuesday

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missile toward its east coast in the direction of Japan, after joint South Korean and US missile drills and the return of a US aircraft carrier to the region in response to the North’s recent missile tests.

The missile launch was the sixth in 12 days and the first since North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday.

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South Korea apologises after missile fired in response to North Korea test crashes

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Live-fire drill with the US supposed to be a show of strength, but ended in embarrassment and caused alarm among nearby residents

South Korea’s military has apologised after a missile it launched during a drill on Tuesday malfunctioned and crashed to the ground, causing alarm among nearby residents who thought they were under attack from North Korea, which had test launched a missile earlier in the day.

The live-fire drill, involving South Korea and the US, was supposed to be a show of strength by the allies, hours after the North sent an intermediate-range missile over northern Japan.

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North Korea fires ballistic missiles in fourth launch in a week after naval drills

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Launch follows joint military drills by South Korea, Japan and the US and visit by Kamala Harris

North Korea has fired two more ballistic missiles, South Korea’s military said, its fourth such launch this week as Seoul, Tokyo and Washington ramp up joint military drills.

The launch early on Saturday came after the navies of South Korea, the United States and Japan staged trilateral anti-submarine exercises on Friday for the first time in five years, and the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, made a visit to the region this week.

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