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SOUTH KOREA PLANE CRASH KILLS AT LEAST 124, TWO CREW MEMBERS SURVIVE

A Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Jeju Air crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, killing at least 124 people. The plane, which was carrying 181 people, including six crew members, crashed at 09:07 a.m. Korean time, according to the Yonhap news agency. The plane, which was flying from Bangkok, attempted to land at the airport but failed to lower its landing gear, resulting in the fuselage being dragged along the ground. The impact caused the plane to break apart, with the tail section separating from the rest of the aircraft. Two crew members, Lee Mo, 33, and Ms. Ku, in her 20s, survived the crash and are being treated at a hospital in Mokpo. According to Yonhap, both survivors were in the rear emergency exit area when the crash occurred and were able to escape when the tail section broke off. Lee, who suffered a fractured left shoulder and injuries to his head, said he had no recollection of anything after the plane appeared to have landed. Ku reported that smoke came out of one of the plane’s engines, and then it exploded. Acting President Choi Sang-mok convened an emergency meeting regarding the accident and ordered authorities to make every effort to rescue personnel and prevent safety accidents involving firefighters during the rescue process. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash, with the transport ministry announcing that it will spare no efforts in determining the exact cause and details of the situation. Jeju Air CEO Kim E-Bae said that supporting the bereaved was a top priority for now. The crash is the first major accident in Jeju Air’s 19 years of operation. A temporary mortuary has been set up at Muan International Airport for victims of the passenger plane crash. Source: Jerusalem Post

BAYELSA STATE GETS BOOST IN RICE PRODUCTION AS SOUTH KOREA INSTALLS MODERN RICE PROCESSING MILLSBayelsa State has made a significant milestone in its quest to be a major rice producer in Nigeria and the West African subregion. This is with the installation of modern rice processing mills in bayelsa as part of bilateral relationships between the state and a technical team from the Republic of South Korea.

In a statement made available to Capital Times News, the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State Governor, Dan Alabra, said the installation of the state-of-the-art mills, with a capacity to process 40 metric tonnes of rice paddies per day, was completed at the state-owned School-to-Land Farm in Yenagoa, the state capital. The leader of the Korean delegation, Mr. Byung Chul Son revealed that the team has worked closely with the state Ministry of Agriculture to train staff in various aspects of rice cultivation and production. According to Daniel Alabrah, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Beke Sese explained that the South Korean government donated four units of rice mills with a production capacity of 10 tonnes per day each. Prof. Sese stated, “What we had was a three-tonne per day rice mill. With the four units of 10 tonnes per day, we now have a combined 40 tonnes per day rice production mills. That means there will be an exponential increase in our rice production towards meeting our target of one million tonnes of rice production annually.” Governor Douye Diri expressed his gratitude to the Korean government for donation and technical support. The governor emphasized the state’s commitment to strengthening its bilateral relationship with the Korean government in the area of agriculture. He noted, “Bayelsa has huge potential for rice cultivation, and yet we purchase rice. As a government, we decided to engage with the immediate past Korean ambassador to Nigeria, and he put Bayelsa under the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) programme that supports sustainable development in developing countries.” Daniel Alabrah quoted Governor Diri as saying, “So we are now benefiting from this partnership in terms of provision of farming equipment such as rice mills and technical assistance.” The governor urged the Korean engineers to explore the possibility of providing more technical support in training the state’s engineers to manufacture tractors and other farming equipment.