Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
July 17, 2017
Vietnam buffalo fight suspended after animal kills owner
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Authorities in northern Vietnam suspended a
traditional water buffalo fight after an animal attacked and killed its owner. Do
Van Viet, a local official in the resort town of Do Son, where the fight took place,
said the buffalo was killed and samples were taken to determine whether it had
been given a stimulant. Traditional buffalo fighting was halted during the
Vietnam War and resumed 27 years ago. Viet said several buffalo have died in
the fights that pit the animals against each other, but the death was the first
human fatality since the fights resumed. Viet said the buffalo at first chased the
owner of the second animal, but failed to catch him, then turned on its owner,
who died several hours later from multiple wounds.
China rocket failure likely to set back next space missions
BEIJING (AP) — The failure of China’s Long March 5 rocket deals a rare
setback to China’s highly successful space program, one that will almost
certainly delay plans to send a spacecraft to bring back samples from the moon
later this year, along with other upcoming missions. Experts say the still
unexplained mishap shows that for all its triumphs, China’s systematic
approach to space exploration is not immune to the vast difficulties and risks
involved in working with such cutting-edge technology. Authorities say the
Long March-5 Y2 launch had an abnormality during the flight after what
appeared to be a successful liftoff from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in
the southern island province of Hainan. The Long March-5 Y2 is China’s most
powerful launch vehicle.
Populist business tycoon is new president of Mongolia
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — A populist business tycoon and ex-judo
star has been inaugurated as Mongolia’s new president, pledging greater
benefits for the county’s 3 million people from their landlocked Asian nation’s
vast mineral wealth. Khaltmaa Battulga of the Democratic Party won a runoff
against his establishment opponent, Miyegombo Enkhbold, of the Mongolian
People’s Party. Battulga told The Associated Press he wanted a “win-win
situation for everyone” when it came to foreign investment, which has slumped
in recent years following weaker commodity prices and high-profile disputes
between the government and large investors, including mining giant Rio Tinto.
Mongolia’s economy grew just one percent last year, down from 17.5 percent in
2011. It now has $23 billion in debt, more than double the size of its
economy.
Vietnam capital to ban motorbikes in metro areas by 2030
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam’s capital will ban motorbikes in
metropolitan districts by 2030 to ease traffic congestion and pollution, according
to a new resolution. Past discussions about banning motorbikes in Hanoi were
met with strong opposition by people who said they could not do without
motorbikes, their main means of transportation and livelihoods, in the absence
of sufficient public transportation. Hanoi’s People’s Committee said on its
website the measure was part of a resolution that also calls for improved public
transport services. The city of 7.5 million people has more than 5 million
motorbikes and 500,000 cars, with both modes of transportation growing fast
over the past five years. Hanoi has 10 metropolitan districts and 19 suburban
districts. Two urban train lines are under construction and expected to begin
operation in the next few years.
NHK sorry over Hitler t-shirt worn by talk show guest
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, has apologized over a
cartoon with Adolph Hitler’s face that was printed on a t-shirt worn by a talk
show guest. The black t-shirt worn by entrepreneur Takafumi Horie also carried
a “No War” message on one side and a peace symbol on a lapel. Horie was a guest
on NHK’s “Afternoon Live” daily talk show. The t-shirt prompted complaints
from viewers. During the program, the NHK announcer and the show’s co-host
apologized. Responding to a tweet asking about the Hitler cartoon, Horie said it
was meant to be an anti-war message.
Missiles & music: For Kim Jong Un, they go together
TOKYO (AP) — North Korea’s successful intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) launch is now music to its leader’s ears — quite literally. Kim Jong Un
was feted at a concert replete with pop music and thunderous applause marking
the successful launch of his country’s first ICBM. Among the numbers
performed were “Song of Hwasong Rocket” and “Make Others Envy Us,” the
North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported. Leading the bill at the
concert was the Moranbong Band, an all-female ensemble that was handpicked
by Kim and serves as something of the “soft” face of his regime. Pyongyang has
been the scene of a slew of special events to mark the July 4 launch of
Hwasong-14, which is believed to be capable of reaching most of Alaska and
possibly farther. The launch is being treated as a major national milestone in
North Korea, with the government and media touting it as a technological
breakthrough few other nations have achieved. The concert, which took place
before a packed crowd, many in uniform, also featured dancing. Clips of the
concert shown on North Korean television showed the crowd repeatedly
cheering and applauding for Kim. Along with the Moranbong Band, the concert
had North Korea’s other top headliners — a similar pop ensemble called the
Chongbong Band, the uniformed State Merited Chorus, and the Wangjaesan
Art Troupe.
TRAVELLER’S AID. Kim Hyoungrock, the chief research engineer at LG Electronics who oversaw the development
of Troika, a self-driving robot, puts a boarding pass into Troika at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea.
Robots will start roaming South Korea’s largest airport, helping travellers find their boarding gates and keeping the airport’s
floors clean, as the country prepares for its first Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Robots aid tourists, clean
floors at South Korean airport
By Youkyung Lee
AP Technology Writer
NCHEON, South Korea — Robots will
start roaming South Korea’s largest
airport this summer, helping travellers
find their boarding gates and keep its floors
clean as the country prepares for its first
Winter Olympics game.
Troika, a self-driving robot made by LG
Electronics, will rove the Incheon Inter-
national Airport, telling travellers how long it
takes to get to boarding gates and escorting
them to their flights. A jumbo cleaning robot
will help cleaning staff swab the wide
expanses of floors in the airport west of Seoul.
Troika, about the size of a young teen, is
equipped with a rectangular display on its
front that looks like a giant smartphone screen
and can show flight information, an airport
map, and weather data. Its partly rounded
head has a flat touchscreen face that displays
blinking or smiling eyes or information.
The guiding bot responds to its name.
Travellers can insert their tickets into its
scanner to get flight information, and Troika
will then ask if they want to be escorted to their
gates, warning laggards to “Please stay closer
so I can see you.”
Troika’s debut piqued the interest of many
in the airport. Heads swivelled and children
approached with curiosity as the 4’6” robot
with its white body and black screens glided
through the terminal.
Robotics is gaining ground in South Korea,
where many big businesses are automating
factory production lines. South Korean re-
searchers have won awards in international
I
robot competitions.
In 2015, South Korea’s Team KAIST beat
the U.S. and Japan to win the DARPA Robotics
Challenge with a humanoid that completed
tasks without losing balance. But South Korea
has been slow to introduce human-like robots
or interactive robots in public places like
hotels or stores, unlike its neighbor, Japan,
where Softbank’s humanoid Pepper is no
stranger.
Incheon International Airport Corp.
believes it is the first to introduce such service-
oriented robots in a South Korean public
space. Another state-owned airport operator,
Korea Airports Corp., which operates 15
international airports in South Korea but not
Incheon airport, also has teamed up with local
companies to introduce air-purifying robots to
measure air quality and clean terminals.
Incheon International Airport Corp. said in
a statement that it does not expect the robots
to replace human workers, but just to help,
especially with overnight shifts and physically
demanding tasks.
Future plans include deploying robots to
advise travellers about items that are banned
on flights, serve food in airport lounges, and
carry cargo.
South Korea expects the robots to burnish
its reputation as a technology leader when the
country hosts the 2018 Winter Olympics in
Pyeongchang.
But its maker, LG, is still working out the
kinks.
Troika can recognize its location inside the
airport terminal and navigate around passers-
by and obstacles, said Kim Hyoungrock, the
Continued on page 4
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81.358
4088.5
6.7753
2.0453
7.8039
64.448
13339
32622
112.53
8267.4
4.2922
103.14
105.19
3.2737
50.586
59.013
3.7503
1.3719
1133.4
153.54
30.409
33.752
22629