When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
North Korea

US Helicopter Crashes Near North Korea Border Amid Rising Tensions

BBC NEWS (UK), UNITED STATES FORCES KOREA, YONHAP (South Korea), REUTERS

Worldcrunch

SEOUL - As tensions mount on the Korean peninsula, a U.S. helicopter crashed Tuesday near South Korea's border with the North while conducting routine flight operations. All 21 people aboard the helicopter survived.

The exact cause of the crash is not yet known, but the incident occurred during ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.

A statement released by the United States Forces Korea described the crash of the Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter as a "hard landing" in Cheorwon county, which touches on the border with North Korea.

Sixteen of the passengers were American soldiers from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okanawa, Japan – the five others were crew members; 15 were released from hospital and six were hospitalized in stable condition.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that North Korea issued new threats against South Korea on Tuesday, vowing "sledge-hammer blows" of retaliation if South Korea did not apologize for anti-North Korean protests the previous day when the North was celebrating the 101st anniversary of the birth of its founding leader, Kim Il-Sung.

Tensions have been high on the Korean Peninsula since North Korea conducted a third nuclear test on February 12, which resulted in sanctions from the UN.

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Washington on 7 May to discuss economic and security issues, BBC News reports. On Monday, speaking in Tokyo, Secretary of State John Kerry said that under certain conditions the United States would be "open to negotiations" with North Korea.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Influencer Union? The Next Labor Rights Battle May Be For Social Media Creators

With the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor.

​photograph of a smartphone on a selfie stick

Smartphone on a selfie stick

Steve Gale/Unsplash
David Craig and Stuart Cunningham

Hollywood writers and actors recently proved that they could go toe-to-toe with powerful media conglomerates. After going on strike in the summer of 2023, they secured better pay, more transparency from streaming services and safeguards from having their work exploited or replaced by artificial intelligence.

But the future of entertainment extends well beyond Hollywood. Social media creators – otherwise known as influencers, YouTubers, TikTokers, vloggers and live streamers – entertain and inform a vast portion of the planet.

✉️ You can receive our Bon Vivant selection of fresh reads on international culture, food & travel directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

For the past decade, we’ve mapped the contours and dimensions of the global social media entertainment industry. Unlike their Hollywood counterparts, these creators struggle to be seen as entertainers worthy of basic labor protections.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest