TRAVEL
S Korea extends free entry
South Korea is to extend a temporary visa-free entry program for visitors from Taiwan, Japan and Macau to Oct. 31, in hopes of attracting more tourists to a series of cultural events, local media reported yesterday. Originally scheduled to run from Aug. 4 to yesterday, the program led to a 97 percent sequential increase in the number of visitors from Taiwan, Japan and other countries last month, the Korean Broadcasting System reported, citing an official statement issued by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. South Korea introduced the program ahead of this year’s Seoul Festa, which was held in the capital from Aug. 10 to 14, bringing the number of countries qualifying for visa-free entry this month to 107. The government decided to extend the measure in response to appeals from local governments and the tourism industry to boost international visitors to events scheduled for this and next month, including a BTS concert in Busan and other cultural events in Seoul, the report said.
WEATHER
Super typhoon brings rain
Parts of the nation were forecast to feel the effects of the periphery of Super Typhoon Hinnamnor from late yesterday to Saturday, but the storm is unlikely to directly impact the nation, the Central Weather Bureau said. The typhoon was expected to continue moving westward toward waters south of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands yesterday and linger there before veering northward toward Japan’s main islands and South Korea, the bureau said. However, a new tropical depression south of Hinnamnor is expected to develop into a tropical storm and move toward the typhoon, and the interaction between the two storms could cause Hinnamnor to veer south, it said. The bureau forecast that the storm would come closest to Taiwan tomorrow and on Saturday, as it lingers near the Ryukyu Islands.
CULTURE
Cloud Gate to hold free show
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre is to hold a free, open-air performance of 13 Tongues (十三聲) in front of Hsinchu City Hall on Saturday. The show, which starts at 7:30pm, is the sixth and final performance to be held as part of the city’s Summer Art Cultural Festival, Acting Hsinchu Mayor Chen Chang-hsian (陳章賢) said in a statement yesterday. 13 Tongues, which premiered in 2016, was created by Cloud Gate artistic director Cheng Tsun-lung (鄭宗龍) based on his childhood memories of the bustling street life in Taipei. Because rain from the outer bands of Typhoon Hinnamnor is forecast for Saturday, people planning to attend the event should check the Hsinchu City Cultural Affairs Bureau Web site to confirm whether the show would be held as scheduled.
ENVIRONMENT
Hair drive to clean oil spills
A non-profit group is launching a drive to collect hair trimmings and tights for use as sorbents in the event of an oil spill, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tang Hui-jane (湯蕙禎) said yesterday, urging hair salons and tights manufacturers to join the drive. Tang said studies have shown that 1kg of human hair can absorb 8kg of oil. The collection drive is being launched today, ahead of World Cleanup Day on Sept. 17, which was started by Estonians to tackle the waste problem and create a more sustainable environment, DPP Legislator Lai Pin-yu (賴品妤) said. An art exhibition is also to be held at Taipei Xin Zhong Shan Park from Sept. 29 to Oct. 10 to showcase art works made from discarded hair, she said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
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