S.Korea media denied permission to cover n-site closure
Seoul, May 22: North Korean authorities on Tuesday morning denied permission to South Korean journalists to attend the dismantling of their nuclear base scheduled to take place between May 23-25.
Pyongyang had originally invited the South Korean media along with those from Russia, the US, the UK, and China, but the South Korean journalists' list was rejected on Tuesday, Efe news reported quoting Seoul's Ministry of Unification.
Members of a news agency and a South Korean television network had travelled to Beijing to fly to North Korea from there on Tuesday to attend the dismantling ceremony.
The Ministry in a statement said it regretted Pyongyang's decision but despite the setback, it will continue working towards cooperating with Pyongyang and improving US-North Korea ties.
The announcement of the closure of the Punggye-ri base came during the inter-Korean summit, when Pyongyang pledged to work towards total denuclearisation, after claiming that it would stop its weapons tests.
Pyongyang, which announced that it wanted the closure to be made public with the presence of foreign journalists, has conducted six underground nuclear tests, including the last and most powerful in September 2017.
The latest cancellation is a new setback after last week when Pyongyang abruptly suspended a high-level meeting with Seoul after accusing it of holding joint military exercises with the US.
Kim Jong-un's regime also said that holding the summit with US President Donald Trump would be uncertain due to the pressure from the White House on the denuclearisation model that it wants to impose on North Korea.
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Mangaluru man duped of Rs 10.55 lakh in Instagram ‘digital gold’ investment scam
Mangaluru: A 57-year-old man has allegedly been cheated of Rs 10.55 lakh by online fraudsters who lured him into investing in a so-called digital gold trading platform through Instagram, Deccan Herald reported on Tuesday.
According to the complaint, the victim was browsing Instagram at his residence on November 12, 2025, when he received a message from an account named “Suhani Patel.” The accused initiated a friendly conversation and later persuaded him to invest in the “digital gold market,” promising high returns.
The accused subsequently shared a mobile number and sent a link via WhatsApp, asking the complainant to install an application called “Kanak Daam Exchange.” Following the instructions, the victim downloaded the app and registered.
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The accused told the complainant that all transactions would be handled through the app’s customer service. Following their instructions, the complainant contacted the customer service through the app and sent a message requesting US dollars in exchange for Indian rupees. He was then directed to transfer money to specific bank accounts provided by the accused.
Trusting the claims, the complainant transferred Rs 1,50,000, Rs 3,45,000 and Rs 5,60,000 in multiple transactions, amounting to a total of Rs 10,55,000.
Subsequently, the app displayed that his total investment had grown to Rs 60 lakh. However, when he attempted to withdraw the amount due to personal financial needs, the request was denied. On contacting customer service, he was informed that he would have to pay 30 per cent of the total amount as “tax” before any withdrawal could be processed.
Growing suspicious, the complainant reportedly consulted officials at Canara Bank, who advised him that it was a fraud and warned him not to transfer any more money. When he confronted the accused, the amount displayed in the app was allegedly reduced to zero, and he was blocked from further communication.
Despite further attempts to contact “Suhani Patel,” the accused allegedly continued to assure him that the lost money would be returned, before eventually blocking him.
The complainant stated that he was cheated between November 12, 2025 and February 27, 2026, and has urged police to take action against the fraudsters.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
