Asia News Wrap: South Korea to ban mobile phones in schools and more

Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

South Korean schools to ban digital devices in classrooms

South Korea passed a bill on Wednesday to ban the use of mobile phones and other digital devices in school classrooms nationwide, amid growing concerns about the impact of heavy social media use among young people. The ban, which will take effect in March next year, makes South Korea the latest country to restrict smartphone and social media use among minors.

"Our youth's addiction to social media is at a serious level now," said Cho Jung-hun, a lawmaker from the opposition People Power Party and a sponsor of the bill. About 37 percent of middle- and high-school students say social media affects their daily lives, while 22 percent feel anxious if they cannot access their accounts, according to a survey by the Education Ministry last year.

Many schools in South Korea already have their own restrictions on smartphone use, which the bill now formalizes. Digital devices will still be allowed for students with disabilities or for educational purposes.

China sets record heating tungsten alloy in space experiment

On Monday, China's space station set a new record by heating tungsten alloy to over 3,100 degrees Celsius – the highest temperature achieved in space material science experiments. The experiment took place in a container-free science laboratory inside the Tianhe core module. Operating for the past four years, this laboratory has conducted experiments on heat-resistant materials capable of withstanding the flames of rocket engines, such as tungsten alloy, niobium alloy and other new materials. This time, it heated tungsten alloy to over 3,100 degrees Celsius, nearly half the temperature of the sun's surface.

Maldives lifts decades-old ban on shark fishing

The Maldives, a luxury holiday destination and top diving spot in the Indian Ocean, will lift a decades-old ban on shark fishing, the President's Office announced on Wednesday. Sharks used to be the second most important catch for the Maldives, after tuna, which remains the country's main export. However, authorities banned shark fishing after revenue from divers visiting the archipelago proved higher than earnings from shark oil, according to media reports at the time. The Maldives imposed a complete ban on shark fishing in March 2010, following severe restrictions that had been in place since 1998.

Typhoon Kajiki wreaks havoc in Southeast Asia and south China

Typhoon Kajiki and the flooding it caused killed eight people, including one in Thailand and seven in Vietnam, authorities said on Wednesday. Heavy rains have triggered floods and landslides in eight provinces in Thailand, affecting more than 180 households. The storm also lashed southern China's island province of Hainan late on Sunday. Public transportation services, which had been suspended, were restored throughout the week in Hainan and parts of Guangdong.

(Cover: FILE – South Korean students wait to take the annual College Scholastic Ability Test at a school in Seoul, South Korea, November 14, 2024. /Reuters)