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.
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
As Taiwan celebrated its baseball team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 on Sunday, how politicians referred to the team in their congratulatory messages reflected the nation’s political divide. Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei (中華台北隊), made history with its first-ever Premier12 championship after beating Japan 4-0 at the Tokyo Dome. Right after the game, President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated the team via a post on his Facebook page. Besides the players, Lai also lauded the team’s coaching and medical staff, and the fans cheering for them in Tokyo or watching the live broadcast, saying that “every
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