SEOUL: An apparent North Korean claim to have uncovered a “unicorn’s lair” that created an Internet storm was partly the result of mistranslation by Pyongyang’s much-mocked propaganda machine.
In a report carried on its English service last week, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited archaeologists who “reconfirmed” the discovery of “a lair of the unicorn” ridden by King Tongmyong.
Tongmyong is a quasi-mythical figure — similar to the legend of King Arthur — credited with founding Kokuryo, one of the three ancient kingdoms of Korea, in 37BC.
The KCNA item was reported by sections of the foreign media as a claim by North Korea to have proved the existence of unicorns.
But the original Korean text of the report suggests the archaeologists were trumpeting the discovery of a site associated with the Tongmyong legend — not proving its factual base in history.
In Korean, the site is known as Kiringul. The Kirin is a mythical chimerical creature depicted in various forms and sometimes with large antlers — a characteristic that may have prompted the “unicorn” translation.
“Gul” simply means cave.
“An ancient poem says that is the place where King Tongmyong’s unicorn lived and where the king is said to have ascended to the heaven on the unicorn’s back,” said Noh Tae-Don, a history professor at Seoul National University.
“What they are saying is that they have found a site associated with this legend,” Noh said.
North Korea’s state media is renowned for making bold claims, especially when it comes to embellishing the personality cults of the ruling Kim dynasty.
The late Kim Jong-Il, who died a year ago, reportedly carded a 38-under par in his maiden round of golf, striking between five and 11 holes-in-one depending on various accounts of the feat.
When Kim died, state radio and newspapers reported a series of “natural” phenomena, including owls that flew through condolence venues, a Manchurian crane that bowed its head in grief, and a “thunderous” cracking of ice around Kim’s supposed birthplace at the revered Mount Paekdu.
Like others before it, the KCNA “unicorn” report served a distinct propaganda purpose.
The discovery of the site, it concluded, “proves that Pyongyang was a capital city of ancient Korea.”
North Korea has always argued that Pyongyang, and not South Korea’s Seoul, is the true historical capital of Korea and cradle of Korean civilization.
In 1993, the regime claimed to have excavated — near Pyongyang — the remains of Tangun, the legendary founder of the first Korean kingdom in 2333BC.
N. Korean ‘unicorn’ claim lost in translation
N. Korean ‘unicorn’ claim lost in translation
Russian teen Andreeva eases into French Open last 16, to meet Kasatkina
- She next plays Australian Daria Kasatkina, ranked 17, for a place in the quarter-finals
- She has climbed to a career-high ranking of sixth this season and became the youngest ever winner of a WTA 1000 title in Dubai in February
PARIS: Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva eased into the last 16 at the French Open on Saturday with a straight-sets win over Kazakh Yulia Putintseva.
The 18-year-old, seeded sixth at Roland Garros, sealed a 6-3, 6-1 win in 78 minutes on her first match point.
She next plays Australian Daria Kasatkina, ranked 17, for a place in the quarter-finals.
Kasatkina got past Spanish 10th seed Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-5 in their third round match which lasted one hour 33 minutes.
“I knew she’s a very tricky player, she plays very interesting and makes it a little uncomfortable for me so I struggled in the beginning,” said Andreeva of her first meeting with world number 31 Putintseva.
“I practice against her so knew what to expect. I’m happy with the way I played today.”
Andreeva converted five of her eight break point chances, being broken once with 18 unforced errors to 16 for her rival.
Andreeva, who reached the semifinals last year, is hoping to become the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam title since her compatriot Maria Sharapova’s famous 2004 Wimbledon triumph.
She was still having to do school work during her run in 2024, which included a shock quarter-final win over Aryna Sabalenka.
She has climbed to a career-high ranking of sixth this season and became the youngest ever winner of a WTA 1000 title in Dubai in February, before securing another at Indian Wells.
Andreeva is hoping for another strong performance at Roland Garros, with both Sabalenka and reigning champion Iga Swiatek in the other half of the draw.
Kasatkina, 28, competing in Roland Garros for the tenth time, reached the semifinals in 2022.
Kingdom arrests 12,129 illegals in one week
RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 12,129 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
A total of 7,127 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 3,441 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 1,561 for labor-related issues.
The report showed that among the 1,197 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 63 percent were Ethiopian, 34 percent Yemeni, and 3 percent were of other nationalities.
A further 90 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and 18 were held for involvement in transporting and harboring violators, the SPA reported.
The Ministry of Interior said that anyone found to be facilitating illegal entry to the Kingdom, including providing transportation and shelter, could face imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, a fine of up to SR1 million ($260,000), as well as confiscation of vehicles and property.
Suspected violations can be reported on the toll-free number 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.
Pakistan voices concern over rise in Islamophobic incidents in India
- The reports of increasing attacks against Muslims in India emerged after an April 22 attack on Hindu tourists in disputed Kashmir
- Pakistan’s foreign office urges the Indian government to uphold the rights and safety of all its citizens, regardless of their faith
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expresses grave concern over a rise in Islamophobic incidents across India, the Pakistani foreign office said on Saturday, following reports of attacks against Muslims.
The reports of increasing attacks against Muslims and Kashmiris in India emerged after an April 22 attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town that killed 26 people.
New Delhi blamed the assault on Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. The attack triggered a four-day standoff between the neighbors this month that killed 70 people on both sides before a truce was announced on May 10.
At least 184 anti-Muslim hate incidents, including murders, assaults, threats and vandalism, have been recorded countrywide in India, Indian media outlets quoted New Delhi-based Association for Protection of Civil Rights as saying this month.
“Pakistan calls upon the Government of India to uphold the rights and safety of all its citizens, regardless of faith,” Pakistani foreign office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said, adding that such incidents violate international human rights obligations and vitiate the prospects for communal harmony and regional stability.
Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part.
While a conflict between the neighbors feeding minority hatred on either side is not a new phenomenon, critics and rights bodies say Hindu right-wing groups have become emboldened in recent years due to a “culture of impunity.”
“Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi likes to boast of India’s democratic traditions, but it’s become increasingly hard for him to hide his government’s deepening crackdown on minorities and critics,” Meenakshi Ganguly, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in January this year.
“A decade of discriminatory policies and repression has weakened the rule of law and has restricted the economic and social rights of marginalized communities.”
Saudi FM heads high-level economic delegation on visit to Damascus
- Prince Faisal is scheduled to meet with President of the Syrian Republic Ahmad Al-Sharaa
- The high-level economic delegation includes Saudi officials from the ministries of finance and investment
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Damascus on Saturday as he embarked on an official visit to the Syrian capital.
Prince Faisal heads a high-level economic delegation from the Kingdom and is scheduled to meet with President of the Syrian Republic Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The high-level economic delegation, which includes Saudi officials from the ministries of finance and investment, will also hold a consultation session with their counterparts from the Syrian side.
Syria and Saudi Arabia had previously discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations in the financial sectors.
France’s prison population reaches all-time high
- Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, who has called the overcrowding crisis “unacceptable,” has suggested building new facilities to accommodate the growing prison population
PARIS: France’s prison population hit a record high on May 1, with 83,681 inmates held in facilities that have a capacity of just 62,570, justice ministry data showed on Saturday.
Over the past year, France’s prison population grew by 6,000 inmates, taking the occupancy rate to 133.7 percent.
The record overcrowding has even seen 23 out of France’s 186 detention facilities operating at more than twice their capacity.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, who has called the overcrowding crisis “unacceptable,” has suggested building new facilities to accommodate the growing prison population.
The hard-line minister announced in mid-May a plan to build a high-security prison in French Guiana — an overseas territory situated north of Brazil — for the most “dangerous” criminals, including drug kingpins.
Prison overcrowding is “bad for absolutely everyone,” said Darmanin in late April, citing the “appalling conditions” for prisoners and “the insecurity and violence” faced by prison officers.
A series of coordinated attacks on French prisons in April saw assailants torching cars, spraying the entrance of one prison with automatic gunfire, and leaving mysterious inscriptions.
The assaults embarrassed the right-leaning government, whose tough-talking ministers — Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau — have vowed to step up the fight against narcotics.
And in late April, lawmakers approved a major new bill to combat drug-related crime, with some of France’s most dangerous drug traffickers facing detention in high-security prison units in the coming months.
France ranks among the worst countries in Europe for prison overcrowding, placing third behind Cyprus and Romania, according to a Council of Europe study published in June 2024.
