Americans arrested in South Korea for sending Bibles to North Korea
SEOUL: South Korean police on Friday arrested six US nationals attempting to send plastic bottles packed with rice and Bibles to North Korea, the head of the investigation team said.
Local police said the six were trying to send thousands of plastic bottles, filled with rice, one-dollar bills and Bibles, into the sea off Ganghwa Island at 1:03 am on Friday when they were caught.
'We have arrested and are questioning six American nationals in their 20s to 50s on suspicion of violating the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety,' the head of the investigation team at Ganghwa Police Station in Incheon told AFP.
The Americans could not speak Korean, so 'an interpreter was provided for them and we have since started the questioning,' he added.
Located northwest of Seoul, Ganghwa Island is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10 kilometres (six miles) from the maritime border between the two countries.
The island has long been a popular site for non-profit organisations and anti-North Korean groups to launch plastic bottles filled with rice, as well as USB sticks containing K-pop and South Korean dramas.
The area was designated a danger zone last November, along with other border regions where activists launch balloons carrying leaflets.
At the time, the government said such activities could be perceived by the North as provocative.
Last year, the two Koreas were in a tit-for-tat propaganda war, as the North sent thousands of trash-filled balloons southwards, saying they were retaliation for propaganda balloons launched by South Korean activists.
In response, Seoul turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts -- including K-pop tunes and international news -- and North Korea started transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the frontier that had been a major nuisance for South Korean residents in the area.
South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office this month, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang and has halted the loudspeaker broadcasts, which North Korea, in return, stopped the following day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Trillions, tigers and turnarounds
Southeast Asia's economic journey is one of the great plot twists of modern development. In the late 1960s, the region was a patchwork of newly independent nations—some hopeful, some fragile, and all facing the hard task of nation-building after centuries of colonial rule. Back then, the Philippines led the economic pack, buoyed by American institutions, a cosmopolitan capital, and an educated, English-speaking elite. Indonesia and Thailand were still predominantly agrarian but rich in demographic energy. Malaysia was just finding its industrial footing after formation. And Singapore, bereft of natural resources and separated from Malaysia, seemed an unlikely contender for regional dominance. Fast forward to the present, and that economic order has been turned on its head. Indonesia now leads the region with a trillion-dollar economy, Singapore has become a high-income global hub, and both Thailand and Malaysia have transitioned into mid-sized industrial powers. Meanwhile, the Philippines, once the early mover, has struggled to keep pace—its growth real but outstripped by those once in its shadow. So, what explains this reversal of fortunes? The answer isn't just about who grew fastest—it's about how they grew and what that reveals about the deeper engines of transformation in Southeast Asia. 1. Scale Without Strategy is Just Potential Energy Indonesia's population gave it tremendous latent power, even in the 1960s. But scale alone is never destiny. It took decades of reform, difficult political transitions, and a renewed national focus on infrastructure and deregulation—especially under President Joko Widodo—to turn potential into sustained output. Investments in logistics, digitalisation, and industrial upgrading have made Indonesia not just big, but increasingly strategic in global value chains. The Philippines, by contrast, was long a story of untapped potential. A vast diaspora, cultural links to the West, and a service-oriented workforce should have been assets. But policy inconsistency, weak institutions, and chronic underinvestment in infrastructure kept productivity low. The country became a reliable exporter of workers, but not of high-value goods or innovation. 2. Location Helps, but Governance Wins Singapore is the clearest example of how governance trumps geography. With no natural hinterland and few resources, it focused instead on institutional excellence. It didn't just operate a port—it became a platform for finance, logistics, arbitration, and innovation. Bureaucratic efficiency became a national export. Foreign investment wasn't just welcomed—it was strategically deployed. While others debated tariffs, Singapore streamlined customs. While others politicised education, it produced a globally competitive workforce. Its rise was not miraculous—it was meticulously engineered through decades of compounding good policy. 3. Reform is Not a One-Off; It's a Reflex Malaysia and Thailand rode the early waves of globalisation, leveraging export-led growth, attracting Japanese and Western capital, and building strong manufacturing ecosystems—especially in electronics. But both now face the "middle-income trap": where gains from cheap labour have plateaued and higher productivity hasn't yet emerged. In Malaysia's case, institutional complacency and political turbulence have dimmed the reform flame. In Thailand, frequent coups and uncertain rule of law have dulled investor confidence. The lesson is this: reform isn't a speech—it's a system of reflexes that must evolve over time. And in some corners of Asean, that muscle memory has faded. Beyond Growth: A Region Rewriting Its Own Playbook What Southeast Asia is experiencing today is not just a race for GDP milestones—it's a recalibration of what economic success looks like in a post-globalisation era. Once seen through the lens of Cold War alliances and postcolonial recovery, the region now sits at the intersection of global supply chain shifts, technological disruption, and geopolitical realignment. This situation demands a shift in mindset. Asean must stop being a passive beneficiary of global trade and become an active architect of its own destiny—by building regional value chains, accelerating digital integration, and embracing bold, sometimes uncomfortable, governance reforms. The prosperity seen today didn't emerge by accident. It was forged through hard choices, long-term planning, and a willingness to adapt. But the future will demand even more—especially as AI reshapes labour markets, climate change tests resilience, and geopolitical pressures tighten. Yes, Indonesia now wears the trillion-dollar crown. Singapore remains the region's startup nation. Malaysia and Thailand still punch above their weight. And the Philippines? Its story isn't finished. But the next chapter will require more than remittances and resilience. It will require reinvention. Because in Southeast Asia, history doesn't repeat—it recalibrates. And the region's most enduring truth remains: leadership isn't inherited. It's built. Samirul Ariff Othman is an economist, adjunct lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, international relations analyst and senior consultant with Global Asia Consulting. The views expressed here are his own.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Thousands block roads in another night of Serbian protests
BELGRADE: Thousands of protesters blocked major roads in Belgrade and other Serbian cities on Sunday, as demonstrations calling for snap elections continued into a second night following Saturday's huge rally in the capital. On Saturday, around 140,000 people rallied in central Belgrade, the latest gathering in over half a year of demonstrations triggered by the collapse of a train station roof in the city of Novi Sad in November, killing 16 people in a disaster widely blamed on shoddy construction resulting from entrenched corruption. Anti-graft activists, responding to the arrest of a "large number of citizens" in the wake of the protest, called for more action - with thousands responding to set up dozens of blockades around the capital. At the key Autokomanda junction, protesters were setting up tents preparing to stay overnight, according to an AFP photographer. Protesters posted images of similar blockades from several other cities, including Novi Sad, and published plans for dozens of similar protests around the country. Local media and videos posted by protesters showed large crowds streaming onto major bridges, and students forming barriers from bins and fences. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told local station Pink TV that authorities were monitoring the situation. Earlier on Sunday, President Aleksandar Vucic remained defiant against protesters' demands for early elections, accusing the student-led movement of causing "terror" "Serbia has won, and you cannot defeat Serbia by violence as some wanted," Vucic said in a televised speech. 'Not a moment for withdrawal' Clashes with police after Saturday's rally ended with dozens of arrests, as riot officers used tear gas and batons to attempt to disperse a crowd that also threw bottles and flares. Authorities said 48 officers had been injured, one seriously, and put the crowd size at 36,000 -- well below an independent estimate by the Archive of Public Gatherings of around 140,000. Dacic said 22 people had sought medical help, of whom two were seriously injured. Ahead of Sunday's blockades, eight people were arrested on accusations including planning to block roads and attack state institutions "in order to violently change the state order", the Higher Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. Police said they had detained 77 people, with 38 still in custody following Saturday's rally. "This is not a moment for withdrawal," protest organisers said on Instagram, encouraging people to gather outside the prosecutors' office and demand their release. But Vucic insisted "there will be many more arrested for attacking police. This is not the end." He said there would be "no negotiations with terrorists and those who want to destroy the state". 'Take freedom' Ahead of Saturday's protest, organisers had issued an "ultimatum" for Vucic to call elections -- a demand he had dismissed well before the rally began. On Sunday, he reiterated there would not be any national vote before the end of 2026. The outcry over the Novi Sad disaster has already led to the resignation of the country's prime minister and a cabinet reshuffle. Vucic has repeatedly alleged the protests are part of a foreign plot to destroy his government. More than a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks, a crackdown that has now become routine ahead of large demonstrations. After the rally, organisers played a statement to the crowd calling for Serbians to "take freedom into your own hands". "The authorities had all the time to meet the demands and prevent an escalation," the organisers said in a statement.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Mass protests in Serbia demand snap elections, block roads
BELGRADE: Thousands of protesters blocked major roads in Belgrade and other Serbian cities on Sunday, as demonstrations calling for snap elections continued into a second night following Saturday's huge rally in the capital. On Saturday, around 140,000 people rallied in central Belgrade, the latest gathering in over half a year of demonstrations triggered by the collapse of a train station roof in the city of Novi Sad in November, killing 16 people in a disaster widely blamed on shoddy construction resulting from entrenched corruption. Anti-graft activists, responding to the arrest of a "large number of citizens" in the wake of the protest, called for more action - with thousands responding to set up dozens of blockades around the capital. At the key Autokomanda junction, protesters were setting up tents preparing to stay overnight, according to an AFP photographer. Protesters posted images of similar blockades from several other cities, including Novi Sad, and published plans for dozens of similar protests around the country. Local media and videos posted by protesters showed large crowds streaming onto major bridges, and students forming barriers from bins and fences. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told local station Pink TV that authorities were monitoring the situation. Earlier on Sunday, President Aleksandar Vucic remained defiant against protesters' demands for early elections, accusing the student-led movement of causing "terror" "Serbia has won, and you cannot defeat Serbia by violence as some wanted," Vucic said in a televised speech. 'Not a moment for withdrawal' Clashes with police after Saturday's rally ended with dozens of arrests, as riot officers used tear gas and batons to attempt to disperse a crowd that also threw bottles and flares. Authorities said 48 officers had been injured, one seriously, and put the crowd size at 36,000 -- well below an independent estimate by the Archive of Public Gatherings of around 140,000. Dacic said 22 people had sought medical help, of whom two were seriously injured. Ahead of Sunday's blockades, eight people were arrested on accusations including planning to block roads and attack state institutions "in order to violently change the state order", the Higher Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. Police said they had detained 77 people, with 38 still in custody following Saturday's rally. "This is not a moment for withdrawal," protest organisers said on Instagram, encouraging people to gather outside the prosecutors' office and demand their release. But Vucic insisted "there will be many more arrested for attacking police. This is not the end." He said there would be "no negotiations with terrorists and those who want to destroy the state". 'Take freedom' Ahead of Saturday's protest, organisers had issued an "ultimatum" for Vucic to call elections -- a demand he had dismissed well before the rally began. On Sunday, he reiterated there would not be any national vote before the end of 2026. The outcry over the Novi Sad disaster has already led to the resignation of the country's prime minister and a cabinet reshuffle. Vucic has repeatedly alleged the protests are part of a foreign plot to destroy his government. More than a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks, a crackdown that has now become routine ahead of large demonstrations. After the rally, organisers played a statement to the crowd calling for Serbians to "take freedom into your own hands". "The authorities had all the time to meet the demands and prevent an escalation," the organisers said in a statement.
