Survivors found in flood tunnel in Nepal... Major news, including suspicion of lobbying for candidate Kim Seung-won, police reform, and attack on U.S. troops in Iran

■ [Nepal Flood] “I found it” in a dark tunnel… 'Korean rescue team filming' The moment Chinese survivors are discovered

The inside of the Nepal Hydroelectric Power Plant Tunnel was so dark that only the areas where flashlights and headlamps reached were blurry. The floor, which was completely covered with mud and turned into a wasteland, was littered with steel structures that had been bent or cut by debris flows the size of a large tsunami. On the afternoon of the 5th (local time), when rescue workers from the Korea Overseas Emergency Relief Service (KDRT) shined a flashlight at the area where the rebar pillars were erected at the top of the tunnel, a human figure was vaguely visible. Soon, the urgent voice of a rescue worker shouting “Survivor. ARE YOU OK?” rang out from inside the tunnel. Another rescuer shouted, “We found a survivor.”

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260906024500104

■ Korea "Kim Seung-won's successful lobbying" vs. prosecution in 2024 "It is difficult to determine illegality"

As the 'successful lobbying' battle continues over Justice Minister candidate Kim Seung-won's communication regarding the approval of clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment, the prosecution investigating the case at the time appears to have judged it difficult to determine the illegality of the solicitation itself. According to the Seoul Western District Prosecutor's Office's non-indictment decision dated December 27, 2024, obtained by Yonhap News on the 6th, the prosecution said, "It is difficult to conclude that the request itself is illegal," in response to Candidate Kim's request to expedite the approval of the clinical trial plan of a domestic treatment development company. The prosecution explained that despite the request, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety did not unusually violate regulations or manuals in this case, and that it was “confirmed that the review was conducted in accordance with prima facie procedures.”

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260906021151004

■ Justice Candidate Seung-won Kim directly contradicts Dong-hoon Han… “Political offensive by cutting out the front and back of the recording”

Kim Seung-won, the candidate for Minister of Justice, criticized the transcript released by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon on the 6th, raising 'suspicion of lobbying by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety,' saying, "By cutting out the front and back of the transcript, the verification of civil complaints is turning into pressure for approval." Candidate Kim's personnel hearing preparation team issued explanatory materials on this day and stated, "What the candidate requested from the Minister of Food and Drug Safety was not approval, but inspection and reporting of the review status." The preparation team explained that in a phone call with his acquaintance, Mr. Yang, Candidate Kim said, "I will ask the Minister to take a look at it directly," and "I will ask you to report it," and even after talking to the Minister of Food and Drug Safety, he said, "They said they will check first and report back to me, so just wait a little." At the same time, he claimed, “There is no request for unconditional approval, relaxation of review standards, or omission of procedures anywhere in the recording.”

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260906028800004

■ A dedicated police reform organization will be launched next week… “Police change only when the field changes.”

The National Police Agency announced on the 6th that it will launch an organization dedicated to police reform within the next week. The leader is at the level of a police officer. The National Police Agency announced in a press notice on the 6th, "This is to keep our promise to fundamentally reform the police," and that the specific organization and direction of implementation will be explained upon launch. Acting Police Commissioner Kim Jong-cheol received work reports from National Police Agency executives for two days starting the previous day and reviewed pending issues. Acting Director Kim said, “It is important for field staff to clearly recognize the changed investigation procedures and implement them on site,” and instructed them to share information on the revised Criminal Procedure Act with all employees and provide sufficient training in September.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260906025800004

■ President Lee begins state visit to France… “We will fulfill our diplomatic duties for the national interest.”

President Lee Jae-myung departed through Seoul Airport on the 6th for a state visit to France. This visit follows President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to President Lee, who visited Korea in April, to co-chair the 'Lumière Summit', an international film and video summit held in his country. President Lee will attend the Lumière Summit held in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southern France, on the 7th (local time) as co-chairman with President Macron. Next, they will move to Paris and begin a two-day state bilateral visit from the 8th. After the official welcoming ceremony, President Lee will have a private lunch with President Macron at the Elysee Palace and hold an expanded summit attended by delegations from both countries.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260906007351001

■ Iranian military "fires ballistic missiles at US aircraft carrier and destroyer... also attacks surface drones"

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on the 6th that it attacked a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer with several ballistic missiles on the 5th (local time). The Revolutionary Guard announced, "These warships belonging to the U.S. Navy, a child-killing army, have been sabotaging Iranian ships and participating in maritime blockades," and added, "After suffering damage, they were forced to hastily retreat from the conflict zone for fear of further attacks." He continued, “The aggressor, who had been exercising his power in the Middle East with false arrogance and false claims, had no choice but to officially acknowledge today’s attack,” adding, “This is living proof of the enemy’s strategic defeat and proof of the Revolutionary Guard’s offensive power.”

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260906010151009

■ Switching to a medical school in the metropolitan area?... 80% of medical school dropouts are from ‘regional areas’

Approximately 80% of students who dropped out of medical schools across the country last year were found to have graduated from local medical schools. It is presumed that the majority of them dropped out in order to re-enter medical schools in the metropolitan area. As a result of Jongno Academy's analysis of university information announcement data on the 6th, a total of 383 students dropped out of 39 medical schools across the country last year. Dropouts were especially concentrated at medical schools in regional areas. Of the 383 students who dropped out last year, 301 were medical students from non-metropolitan areas, accounting for 78.6%.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260906019000530

■ “9 out of 10 missing persons cases unsolved over the past 4 years are adults”

Representative Lim Ho-seon of the Democratic Party of Korea announced on the 6th that 9 out of 10 'unsolved' disappearance cases that have not yet been solved over the past four years are cases of missing adults. There are voices calling for the system to be supplemented because a missing person alert cannot be issued in the case of a missing adult. According to data submitted by Rep. Lim, a member of the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee, from the National Police Agency on this day, there were 1,727 unresolved missing persons cases that occurred from 2022 to July of this year. Among these, there were 1,596 general adult cases, or about 92.4% of all unresolved missing persons cases.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260904165500001

■ ‘Just Dream’, a food support system used by 210,000 people, expanded nationwide this month

The 'Just Dream' project, which provides food and daily necessities to vulnerable groups without needing proof of income, will expand nationwide this month. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 6th that 55 cities, counties, and districts that are not currently participating in the Just Dream project, including Ulleung-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, will sequentially launch the project within this month. So far, 210,000 people have received support through the Just Dream project, which started in 57 locations nationwide in December last year. Among them, about 44,700 people received welfare counseling, and about 4,400 people were connected to institutional protection systems such as basic livelihood security and emergency welfare support. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is also implementing the ‘Visiting Just Dream’ program for the elderly, the disabled, and remote island residents with limited mobility.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260904143700530

■ “By 2040, 1 in 10 people aged 65 or older will have dementia.”

It is predicted that by 2040, more than 1 in 10 Koreans aged 65 or older will suffer from dementia. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 6th, based on the National Data Center's future population projections and the results of the National Dementia Epidemiology Survey, the prevalence of dementia among seniors aged 65 or older in Korea in 2040 was predicted to be 10.34%. The prevalence of dementia fell from 9.17% in 2020 to 9.09% last year, but is expected to rise again and one in 10 people will develop dementia in 2040.

View full text: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260904127600530