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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

World in brief: Ships dispatch to clean up spill


Presidential candidate Chung Dong-young, left, and a party member carry away crude oil removed from Mallipo beach. Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
The Spokesman-Review

South Korea’s Coast Guard mobilized thousands of people today to clean up a disastrous oil spill polluting a swath of the country’s scenic and environmentally rich western coast.

About 100 ships, including Coast Guard, navy and private fishing boats, will help contain and clean up South Korea’s worst spill, said Coast Guard official Kim Young-hwan. About 6,000 people, including government personnel, local residents and volunteers, were expected to participate, nearly triple the number on Saturday.

“This will be difficult work,” he said. “We are just in the initial stage.”

The oil started hitting beaches on Saturday, a day after a Hong Kong-registered supertanker was slammed by a South Korean-owned barge that came unmoored from its tugboat in rough seas about seven miles off Mallipo, one of South Korea’s best-known beaches. The area also includes a national maritime park.

Nearly 2.8 million gallons of crude gushed into the ocean, more than twice as much as in South Korea’s worst previous spill in 1995.

Tokyo

Crown princess turns 44

Japan’s crown princess celebrated her 44th birthday today, still suffering from a stress disorder that has kept her from most official duties and public appearances since 2003.

Officials say Crown Princess Masako is gradually recovering from “adjustment disorder,” a stress-induced illness, and needs rest and quiet.

She has been seen occasionally at family events, particularly with her daughter, Princess Aiko, who is now in kindergarten. Masako is taking medication for her illness and sees a counselor.

Masako, a former diplomat and graduate of Harvard and Oxford, married Crown Prince Naruhito, heir to the throne, in 1993.

She was under intense pressure to bear a son and suffered a miscarriage in 1999. Her daughter was born in 2001.