Taiwan changes Korea’s name in ARCs in latest move in spat

Taiwan changes Korea’s name in ARCs in latest move in spat

2026-03-18

Last year, South Korea launched an electronic arrival card system for people traveling to the country. Though hailed as a more convenient alternative to the paper format, the new system has met with protests in Taiwan. That’s because the card labels travelers from Taiwan, as being from "China (Taiwan)". Requests for change from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have gone unanswered, so Taiwan has take counter measures, which for now mainly affect South Korean immigrants. Since March 1, resident cards no longer list "Republic of Korea" on its own as a country, now they read "South Korea." The government says that if South Korea doesn’t offer a positive response by March 31, it will also implement the same change on Taiwan’s electronic arrival forms. Let’s hear more.

Voice of Hsiao Kuang-wei
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
In accordance with the principle of bilateral reciprocity, on March 1, we changed the designation of the Republic of Korea to South Korea on alien residence certificates. We urge South Korea to respond to us by March 31. If there is no positive response by then, we will take further action and implement the name change on electronic immigration registration forms as well, to demonstrate our firm stance of upholding our national dignity on the principle of reciprocity.

Voice of South Korean in Taiwan
(Voice altered)
In Korea, nobody says South Korea. In the end, it’s all ultimately hindering diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Taiwan’s protests over South Korea’s designation have not been taken into account by the South Korean Government. Now Taiwan is offering an ultimatum, urging South Korea to uphold the principles of mutual respect and equality by correcting Taiwan’s designation.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#taiwan #korea #asia #names #travel #immigration

被矮化稱"中國台灣" 外交部:外僑居留證"韓國"改"南韓"

2026-03-18

韓國電子入境卡去年上路後，就把台灣標示為「中國台灣」，外交部多次抗議都沒收到回應，決定祭出反制，3/1起，先將「外僑居留證」上的「韓國」改成「南韓」，如果韓國3/31前，沒有正面回應，還會把台灣電子入國登錄表上也改成南韓。

[[聲源:外交部發言人蕭光偉]]
“我方從今年3月1日起，依雙邊對等原則，將我國外僑居留證中，原列韓國之名稱調整為南韓。已要求韓方於3月31日前回覆我方，如果屆時未獲得正面回應，我方將在我國，台灣電子入國登錄表相關欄位，對韓國的標示採取相應作為，以展現維護國家尊嚴，與對等原則的堅定立場。”

[[聲源: 在台韓國人(變音)]]
“在韓國是沒有人在講南韓這種單字的，說到底是不利於兩國的這種外交上的關係的。”

台灣多次抗議，韓國官方都沒有調整，外交部呼籲韓方，應秉持相互尊重與對等原則，正視台灣訴求，儘速完成更正。

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Sea turtles usually lay eggs in the summer, but one decided to lay her clutch last December on the off-shore island of Xiaoliuqiu, with about 70 baby sea turtles hatching recently. Experts say that temperature is important in determining the sex of the hatchlings. In the past, warm temperatures averaging above 31°C have produced more females, but this time, the average temperature was around 25°C, so most of the hatchlings have turned out to be male.

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These adorable baby turtles slowly but surely climb out from their nest. Sea turtles usually nest in the summer, but this time the mother laid her clutch in the winter. What’s more, of the 94 eggs laid, an astounding 70 hatched.

Lai Yun-ju
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If the temperature by the nest averages around 28°C, it will produce male hatchlings. If the average temperature is above 31°C, we can be fairly certain that most of the hatchlings will be female.

Since this turtle laid in winter, the average temperature was even lower at 25.2°C, so it’s likely that most of the hatchlings were male. This sea turtle laid eggs on Xiaoliuqiu once before in 2023. Three years later she came back, but in a different season.

Lee Tsung-hsien
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Sea turtles rarely lay eggs in the winter, making this case very valuable for research. But this could be a sign that climate change and rising global temperatures are continuing to alter the marine environment. Sea turtles could lay their eggs in either winter or summer, so look out for turtle nests and be sure not to disturb them.

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Military orchestra members write and perform original songs during off hours

Every year on National Day and New Year’s Day, the military’s Symphony Orchestra performs alongside the tri-service marching band, as their sharp uniforms and disciplined performance dazzle their audience. But did you know that there’s a band within the band? It’s called RG, which is short for "Real Good." The private group rents a practice room outside of work hours to work on their original music. Let’s give it a listen.

Jazz drums, saxophone, electric guitar—every musician does their part to flush out the melody.

The band rocking out on stage as lights flicker over the audience is RG, comprised entirely of members from the military’s symphony orchestra.

When they hear about the military orchestra, most people think about their performances during major national events such as Double Ten National Day or the New Year’s Day celebration. But you can also see them perform at the National Concert Hall or Liberty Square.

Brought together by a common aspiration, they formed a band to perform their own original music. They rent a practice room during their off time to work on their songs. But where does the name RG come from?

Voice of Sergeant Lee
RG lead singer
It stands for Real Good. Back when we chose the name, we didn’t want anything too trendy or intense. The group’s been around for 15 or 16 years already. I’m sure everyone remembers the music software from back then called Real Player. So I said, let’s just call ourselves Real Good. It’s simple and common. Everyone will remember it.

RG has been around for over 15 years, but they don’t know how much longer they’ll be able to stay together. Their newest song, “If This is the Last Time,” crystalized from the heartbreak of thinking about the end.

Voice of Sergeant Lee
RG lead singer
Our core members have all been serving for 20 years already. We don’t know how much longer we can stay together or how many shows we’ll have left. So I decided to write a song about it. If this is our last time, let’s give it our all.

Corporal Han
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When we were discussing it, we said we could actually hold a concert of all original songs. We can perform all the songs our members have written before or are currently working on. When we listened to everyone’s songs, we figured it’s like our memorandum. We all have these to-do lists, things we’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t had the time for yet, or things that are very important to us.

By continuing to write and perform their original songs, RG shows off the best of what the military’s musicians have to offer.

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A bizarre bike swap scheme backfired in Taichung after a man tried to get out of paying for his YouBike rental. The incident took place last week, when a high school student left his YouBike parked outside a hot pot restaurant while he was having dinner inside. It was then that another YouBike rider surreptitiously swapped out his YouBike for the student’s, in an attempt to pay a lower rental fee. The student didn’t see the swap and unknowingly returned the perpetrator’s bike to the dock. But he realized something was up when he later received a notification telling him that he had yet to return his bike, and that his rental fee was NT$1,700. That’s when he got the police involved.

A man rolls up on a YouBike. He gets off and pushes his own YouBike next to another one parked on the side of the road. He pulls out his bag from the basket and rummages inside for a bit, before putting it back. Here’s the weird part. He doesn’t put the bag in his own YouBike’s basket, but on the one parked next to it. Even stranger, he hops on the wrong bike and rides away. What is going on?

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This student had rented a bike near Taichung’s Yizhong Market and rode to a hot pot restaurant on Yucai North Road, where he parked his bike while he was having a meal inside. He didn’t notice the switch up at all, and got on the perpetrator’s bike and returned it to the docking station thinking it was his. He realised something was wrong when he received a text warning him that the YouBike he had rented had not yet been returned. Fearing a fee of NT$15,000 for lost bikes, he went to the police.

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Red lines, red lines everywhere! It can be nearly impossible to find a parking spot. That’s why many choose to park in lots like these, compromising cost for convenience.

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If you’re taking the Taipei MRT without an EasyCard or using electronic payment on your phone, you’ll have to purchase a single-journey ticket from a vending machine. Then, you’ll get this blue token upon purchase. But in the future, the vending machine will instead, give you a paper receipt with a QR code.

Taipei Metro’s new Transit QR Code has officially rolled out. But before July, ticket vending machines may still give you a physical token. However, starting in July, you’ll only be able to get this blue token if you purchase a single-journey ticket or discounted ticket from the service desk.

- Paper gets damaged easily. It’s a bit of a nuisance.

- I think the tokens are more environmentally friendly than physical receipts. I suppose it’ll be a bit troublesome for elders, because they’re used to using the token.

According to Taipei Metro, around 30,000 to 35,000 single-journey tokens are used every day, accounting for 2% of the total passenger volume. They’re usually bought by travelers from outside the metropolitan region. But what happens if you damage the paper?

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The QR code itself has a certain margin of error. If the damage is only slight, then the Transit code would still be approved at the fare gate. If it can’t be read, travelers could still go to our service desks and ask for a reprint.

If travelers are still concerned about damage, Taipei Metro says they could take a picture of the QR code, which is still readable by the sensors. They’re phasing out the tokens because cleaning is labor-intensive.

Every week, used tokens are collected to be cleaned, which takes disinfecting and multiple rinsings, as well as reformatting with a new serial code, before they’re reallocated to individual stations. That’s why they’re now being replaced with the QR code.

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