Latest news with #Choi
HKFP
8 hours ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Schools must be national security ‘gatekeepers,' gov't says after principal warns against US consulate event
A Hong Kong school principal has warned teachers not to take part in Independence Day activities hosted by the US consulate after the city's authorities reportedly warned that participation may violate national security legislation. The unnamed school principal's remarks were quoted in a Wednesday post by Edu Lancet – a social media page run by former Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) subject manager Hans Yeung. A screenshot of the principal's message attached to the post reads: 'Per a reminder received from the Education Bureau's regional education office, teachers are reminded to be careful about Independence Day activities held by the US consulate in Hong Kong.' The principal advised against taking part in the celebrations 'to avoid violating the national security law and Hong Kong laws.' The message said, 'If you learn that there are students participating, please put the protection of students first and discourage them from doing so.' 'Clear guidelines' In a reply to Ming Pao, the Education Bureau (EDB) said: 'Schools have the responsibility to properly carry out their role as gatekeepers and enhance teachers' and students' sensitivity to national security.' However, the EDB did not confirm whether it had issued such a directive, nor did it clarify whether participating in US Independence Day events would amount to a violation of Hong Kong's national security laws. The bureau pointed out that Hong Kong would soon mark the fifth anniversary of the enactment of Beijing's national security law and said its multi-pronged approach included activities inside and outside the classroom to enhance students' understanding of the law. Meanwhile, in an interview with the Beijing-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po, published on Wednesday, Secretary for Education Christine Choi said that Hong Kong should be the first line of defence against what she called 'soft resistance' – a term used by government officials since 2021 without a clear definition. Choi said that the EDB had issued 'clear guidelines' to schools, including ordering them to conduct background checks on external organisations to ensure there were no 'anti-China disruptors' and to review their own off-campus activities and books to prevent the proliferation of 'illegal and harmful information'. Choi did not spell out those vetting guidelines or provide examples of partner organisations that were off-limits to schools for national security reasons. HKFP has reached out to the EDB and the US consulate for comment. The education chief also appeared to take aim at Edu Lancet. Without naming the page, she accused it of exaggerating safety concerns about Hong Kong schools' study tours in mainland China. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
RTHK
11 hours ago
- Sport
- RTHK
HK fencer Ryan Choi claims gold at Asian Championships
HK fencer Ryan Choi claims gold at Asian Championships Choi's win comes after securing gold at the Shanghai Grand Prix last month. Photo courtesy of the International Fencing Federation Hong Kong, China fencing star Ryan Choi on Thursday captured his maiden Asian Fencing Championships gold, as he beat the national team's Mo Ziwei 15-6 in the men's foil final in Bali. Choi earned his place in the showdown following convincing wins over China's Xu Jie in the semi-final, as well as fellow SAR teammate Lawrence Ng in the last eight. The win is another confidence boost for 27-year-old Choi, who last month struck gold in the FIE Grand Prix Foil in Shanghai – his first international title. Reigning Olympic champion, Edgar Cheung, meanwhile, missed out on the chance to reclaim his regional crown – as he secured bronze in a tightly-contested semi-final.
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Family of South Korean lawyer killed in Tesla crash sues US carmaker, local subsidiary
The family of a lawyer who died in a 2020 Tesla Model X crash in Seoul has filed a lawsuit against Tesla's US headquarters and its South Korean subsidiary, alleging sudden unintended acceleration and vehicle defects. Lawyer Ha Jong-seon, representing the victim's family, held a press conference on Thursday and announced that a civil complaint had been filed with the Seoul Central District Court a day earlier. The case centres on a fatal accident that occurred on December 9, 2020, when a Tesla Model X crashed into the wall of an underground parking garage in Yongsan district, Seoul. At the time, the vehicle was being driven by a chauffeur, identified as Choi, while lawyer Yoon, a passenger in the car, was killed in the crash and ensuing fire. The family said that telematics data retrieved from the vehicle raises serious questions about the cause of the accident. According to the data, the accelerator pedal was allegedly pressed at 100 per cent displacement for six seconds, yet the vehicle's speed increased by only 39km/h (24mph) – from 55.84 to 94.95km/h – a discrepancy they argue indicates the driver may have been pressing the brakes instead. 'Normally, we would rely on Event Data Recorder (EDR) data in such cases, but the fire destroyed it on impact,' Ha said. 'However, this Tesla vehicle transmitted operational data via telematics to the company's server, allowing us to review the vehicle's speed and pedal input just before the crash.' 00:58 Chinese driver survives after her Tesla is sent flying, landing on parked cars Chinese driver survives after her Tesla is sent flying, landing on parked cars Ha added that the Tesla Model X in question is capable of accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. 'If the accelerator had really been fully pressed for six seconds, the car should have gone much faster. This inconsistency strongly suggests the driver was braking.'
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
From Master Chef to writer, Choi Kang-rok shares his quiet struggles, new dreams
'Culinary Class Wars' celebrity chef opens up about pressure, aging, finding comfort beyond kitchen Known for his creative ideas and star turns on reality shows like Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars," chef Choi Kang-rok appeared at the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair on Wednesday not with a knife, but with a pen in hand — and a surprising amount of self-doubt. 'I'm very embarrassed to put my life into a book,' said Choi, 47, a well-known introvert, speaking slowly but candidly to a crowd at Coex. He attended the book fair as the author of 'Cooking for Life,' his first essay collection and second book following the 2023 recipe book 'Choi Kang-rok's Cooking Notes.' It was selected as one of 10 titles featured in the fair's selection of newly published works. The essay draws from Choi's own experiences, his thoughts about food and cooking, operating restaurants and what it means to live as a chef. 'I wasn't sure if it was okay to put those trivial stories out there,' he said. 'But I ended up writing down the small, everyday things from the life of an ordinary working person.' What he hopes to offer is not inspiration, but connection and comfort. 'Once you put your life into a book, it's kind of frozen in time. That made me hesitant. But if even this kind of experience can help someone feel, 'He's not that different from me. He lives just like the rest of us,' then maybe that shared feeling can be a form of consolation too.' A decade after winning 'Master Chef Korea 2' (2013) and after leading restaurants like Neo (2022-2024), Choi admitted that cooking no longer brings him joy. 'The first 10 years were fun — testing recipes and discovering the process. But these days, I'm quite afraid of how people look at me. I never truly mastered, and then I became a 'Master Chef.' I can feel the unspoken challenge in their eyes, like 'Let's see how good he is,'' he said. 'I've tried to overcome that, and I've gotten better at 'pretending,' pretending I'm skilled, pretending I've done it all before. But it doesn't make things any more enjoyable.' Choi said that presenting a dish means being put to the test. 'Whether you place a dish beautifully or serve it simply, the cook is waiting for the moment it falls apart. The dish must break down to receive feedback. It's a constant evaluation.' Despite his weariness, Choi is still dreaming. He mentioned Netflix's cooking show 'The Blank Menu for You,' where guests place open-ended orders that he interprets into custom dishes, and called it his 'fantasy,' partly because it lets him cook without the pressure of rent or running a restaurant. Another dream is to build a library-cum-kitchen, a place with a cooking space where people can browse his vast collection of cookbooks. Choi reflected on how aging has prompted him to rethink and adapt his cooking for this new phase of life. 'As I approach my 50s, I'm thinking about how both my body and cooking will naturally change with age. I'm preparing for a kind of cooking that evolves with these changes.'
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- General
- Korea Herald
Remnants of Baekje's Ungjin period unearthed
Discovered artifacts help better understand Baekje Kingdom's story A state-run research center found remnants of artifacts from Baekje Kingdom's Ungjin period (475-538 CE), the Korea Heritage Service said Tuesday, offering a rare glimpse into how the empire engaged in diplomacy and trade even during political instability. "Baekje was the earliest of the three kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) that rose to power and was successful. But we had difficulties in tracing the empire's golden age due to a lack of historical documents and artifacts left, often leaving us unclear about what Baekje was really like back then," Choi Eung-cheon, who heads the KHS, told reporters Tuesday during a press conference held at Korea House in central Seoul. "But the new finding will help us uncover and better understand Baekje's story," Choi noted. The Three Kingdoms of Korea were rival states that coexisted on the Korean Peninsula and parts of Manchuria from roughly the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD. Baekje's Ungjin era began when the kingdom moved its capital to Ungjin, now Gongju in South Chungcheong Province, after the fall of Hanseong and the death of King Gaero at the hands of Goguryeo forces under King Jangsu. The fall of the capital and the king's death plunged Baekje into deep turmoil, which continued to trouble the kingdom long after the capital was moved. Amid political instability, artifacts such as delicate gold earrings adorned with blue glass beads are a mixture of styles between earrings from Baekje's early Hanseong period and those worn by the queen during the later Ungjin period, indicating that the empire had advanced goldworking skills during that time, according to KHS. The research also found a silver ring with gold plating resembling those from Silla tombs, suggesting that Baekje's Ungjin period had close ties with Silla. A sword handle with a pentagonal silver decoration, also found in Naju and Nonsan, is believed to have been a gift from the Baekje royal family to local leaders. In addition, some 1,000 unearthed pieces of glass beads point out that Baekje had active trade links. The discovery found that the yellow and green beads were made with lead from Thailand, as the research found that they were the same material found in beads from King Muryeong's tomb. The KHS explained that this indicates that Baekje had diplomatic links with distant Southeast Asian countries at that time. The discovery was conducted by the Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage — an affiliate of the KHS — as part of a long-term study of the royal tombs and the tomb of King Muryeong of Baekje in Gongju from September 2023.
