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Internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Cao Fei’s first retrospective in Australia, My City is Yours at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, sets out to disorient and overstimulate the senses. In the exhibition introduction, Cao describes “a show that’s boisterous like the mall or the market”. It bombards you with documentaries and sci-fi films, virtual reality (VR) games and vintage arcade machines, neon lights contrasting industrial metal scaffolds, electronica jamming hip-hop music. Yet, this city-scape of an exhibition has been designed with care. You could take these all in: sitting in a vintage cinema chair by some beach sand, perhaps submerged in sponge blocks; lounging on a sofa in a family living room; hunching on a bunk bed in a factory; resting on the vinyl padded chrome chair of a Cantonese yum-cha restaurant. Cao embraces this mix of pleasure, convenience, banality, challenge and alienation condensed into the nostalgic, dazzling yet future-craving contemporary life. Retro-perspective The entrance of the show replicates the reception of the now demolished Hongxia Theatre in Beijing, built in 1957 for workers employed to build China’s first computers, with the aid of the Soviet Union. The gilt Chinese inscriptions on the scarlet signboard — “Splendid Galaxy” and “Human World Motion Pictures” — set the retro-futuristic tone that permeates the exhibition. Through the doors, the gallery space transforms into offices and a cinema furnished with Hongxia Theatre’s chairs, desks and chandeliers. Behind a curtain of a retro wardrobe flashes portraits of current residents. Cao rented the theatre as a studio between 2015 and 2021. Her time roaming the once cultural hotspot for China’s early techno-optimists results in installations, two documentaries and a sci-fi film, as well as VR work. Through this range of media, the ambitious project connects past and future, as the exhibition section title, Enter the Wormhole, suggests. The documentary Postscript of Hongxia (2023) captures the memories and fights of the residents and the buildings being brutally bulldozed. Another video work, An Elegy to Hongxia (2023), plays the overly optimistic folk music The Morning Sun at Eight and Nine O’clock (composed by Chinese contemporary indie musician Xiongxiong Homework). The music takes its title from a famous quote by Chairman Mao stressing young people’s vigour, yet the accordion player performs this elegy amid the ruins of the cinema, farewelling a lost socialist dream. This lost dream and accordion music rebirth in Cao’s 2019 sci-fi film NOVA. In this imagined town Nova, a Chinese computer scientist and a Soviet expert fall in love, dancing to Soviet folk and propaganda music, Katyusha. But this collective dream ends again in tragedy. Their love child dissolves into a digital soul trapped in a virtual realm. He is trekking China’s past, present and future socialisms, perhaps forever. Factory disco and Canto-humour Moving toward the Factory Zone, the doubt on techno progression in NOVA is replaced by a disco frenzy in the film Asia One (2018). This story sets in the world’s first fully automated storage and distribution centre in Kunshan, outskirt of Shanghai. Workers dressed in Maoist period style dance in the empty gigantic warehouse. A red banner in yellow Chinese characters reads “Humans and machines, hand in hand creating miracles”. The rebellious spirit and optimism in Asia One on one hand evoke connection to China’s recent revolution, on another hand suggest some hope of a future collaborating with machines. This retro fantasy could be Cao’s iconic Canto-humour, influenced by 1990s Hong Kong films such as Stephen Chow’s mo lei tau (nonsense) comedies. Such films were once screened in the Harbour City Cinema, in Sydney’s Chinatown, and Cao has selected movie posters to exhibit alongside the Hongxia project. The same kind of absurdist Cantonese humour can be found in her earliest DV video work Imbalance 257 (1999). Youngsters from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts act out scenes in the studio, toilet, dormitory and video game arcade. This is the work that caught the attention of the art world, bringing Cao to a global audience two decades ago. This video work, together with other early DV videos like Rabid Dog (2002) and San Yuan Li (2003, with Ou Ning) are played on retro CRT TVs. You could watch these DVs on the tables surrounding dim-sum trolleys salvaged from the old Haymarket Marigold restaurant. Chinatown hip hop shuffle Sydney’s Asian-Australian community is celebrated in the newly commissioned work, Hip Hop: Sydney. It is part of Cao’s ongoing series featuring amateur locals dancing on the streets of Guangzhou, New York, Fukuoka and now Sydney. For this iteration, cosplayers dance in dress-up photo booths; tour guides dance in front of the Haymarket Chinatown ceremonial archway; 90-year-old George Wing Kee dances in front of the Sydney sensation Emperor’s Garden Cakes & Bakery; shoppers dance between aisles of Asian food in Market City’s Thai Kee supermarket; writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law cameos as a waiter. He dances in front of the famous Chinatown Chinese Noodle Restaurant while its boss, Xiaotang Qin, plays Jingle Bells on his violin. Exiting the exhibition with this seasonal number still ringing in your ears, you walk fittingly into the gift shop. It appropriately decks out in an assortment of Chinese-cyber-sci-fi-inspired gifts, seemingly mirroring the boisterous market. Yet, beyond the alluring frantic façade, Cao grapples with questions of techno-optimism, social and urban transformation, virtual identities and their commidifcation. In other words, this is an exhibition about this brave new human condition we are each coming to terms with. Cao Fei: My City is Yours 曹斐: 欢迎登陆 is at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until April 13 2025.
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Syria rebel leader discusses 'transfer of power' after Assad's fallVALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Valparaiso hired longtime Marietta coach Andy Waddle as its new football coach, athletic director Laurel Hosmer announced Monday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Valparaiso hired longtime Marietta coach Andy Waddle as its new football coach, athletic director Laurel Hosmer announced Monday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Valparaiso hired longtime Marietta coach Andy Waddle as its new football coach, athletic director Laurel Hosmer announced Monday. Waddle is scheduled to be formally introduced on campus Wednesday. He spent the last 12 seasons turning around the Division III program located in Southeastern Ohio. There, he went 55-61 after inheriting a winless team. He led the Pioneers to their first 8-0 start last season and matched the 1920 squad’s school record with a 13-game winning streak that started in 2023. In 2024, Marietta made its first postseason appearance since 1973. Waddle went 16-5 over the past two seasons and produced seven winning records over the last eight seasons. The Pioneers had only two winning seasons in the previous 20 years. “I think there is a great group of young men on the (Valparaiso) roster, and we’re excited to invest in those student-athletes and continue to add more high-quality people and football players to the program,” Waddle said of the program located in Indiana’s northwest corner. “I think Valpo is not only an outstanding fit for me professionally, but also an outstanding fit for me and my family.” Waddle spent eight seasons working with the defense as an assistant for his alma mater, Wittenberg, where he was an all-conference defensive back. He also has coached at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania and at Maryville College in Tennessee. “His experience building success and winning culture as a head coach, passion for developing student-athletes on and off the field and high character made it clear he was the right leader for our football program,” Hosmer said in a statement. The move comes two weeks after Hosmer announced the school would not give Landon Fox a contract extension after his deal expired. Fox was 21-42 in six seasons at Valparaiso. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football AdvertisementNEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the end of the settlement date of November 29, 2024, short interest in 3,065 Nasdaq Global Market SM securities totaled 11,857,580,215 shares compared with 11,973,515,318 shares in 3,070 Global Market issues reported for the prior settlement date of November 15, 2024. The end-of-November short interest represents 2.36 days compared with 2.25 days for the prior reporting period. Short interest in 1,665 securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market SM totaled 2,052,759,872 shares at the end of the settlement date of November 29, 2024, compared with 2,044,997,906 shares in 1,668 securities for the previous reporting period. This represents a 1.00 day average daily volume; the previous reporting period's figure was 1.00. In summary, short interest in all 4,730 Nasdaq ® securities totaled 13,910,340,087 shares at the November 29, 2024 settlement date, compared with 4,738 issues and 14,018,513,224 shares at the end of the previous reporting period. This is 1.78 days average daily volume, compared with an average of 1.83 days for the prior reporting period. The open short interest positions reported for each Nasdaq security reflect the total number of shares sold short by all broker/dealers regardless of their exchange affiliations. A short sale is generally understood to mean the sale of a security that the seller does not own or any sale that is consummated by the delivery of a security borrowed by or for the account of the seller. For more information on Nasdaq Short interest positions, including publication dates, visit http://www.nasdaq.com/quotes/short-interest.aspx or http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/asp/short_interest.asp . About Nasdaq: Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a leading global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions, and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn , on X @Nasdaq , or at www.nasdaq.com . Media Contact: Jennifer Lawson [email protected] A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f4354fcd-38a7-4213-9609-bcd369b043be NDAQO
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California to consider requiring mental health warnings on social media sitesTrump brushes off Ontario threat to pull U.S. energy plug as booze ban ponderedNEW YORK (AP) — The man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not a client of the medical insurer and may have targeted it because of its size and influence, a senior police official said Thursday. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York in an interview Thursday that investigators have uncovered evidence that Luigi Mangione had prior knowledge UnitedHealthcare was holding its annual investor conference in New York City. Mangione also mentioned the company in a note found in his possession when he was detained by police in Pennsylvania. “We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America. So that’s possibly why he targeted that company,” said Kenny. UnitedHealthcare is in the top 20 largest U.S. companies by market capitalization but is not the fifth largest. It is the largest U.S. health insurer. Mangione remains jailed without bail in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald's in the city of Altoona, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City. His lawyer there, Thomas Dickey, has said Mangione intends to plead not guilty. Dickey also said he has yet to see evidence decisively linking his client to the crime. Mangione's arrest came five days after the caught-on-camera killing of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. Police say the shooter waited outside the hotel, where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, early on the morning of Dec. 4. He approached Thompson from behind and shot him before fleeing on a bicycle through Central Park. Mangione is fighting attempts to extradite him back to New York so that he can face a murder charge in Thompson's killing. A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 30. The 26-year-old, who police say was found with a “ ghost gun ” matching shell casings found at the site of the shooting, is charged in Pennsylvania with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Mangione is an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family. In posts on social media, Mangione wrote about experiencing severe chronic back pain before undergoing a spinal fusion surgery in 2023. Afterward, he posted that the operation had been a success and that his pain had improved and mobility returned. He urged others to consider the same type of surgery. On Wednesday, police said investigators are looking at his writings about his health problems and his criticism of corporate America and the U.S. health care system . Kenny said in the NBC interview that Mangione's family reported him missing to San Francisco authorities in November.
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Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in Silgan Holdings Inc. ( NYSE:SLGN – Free Report ) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,640 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,000. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Silgan by 256.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Silgan by 2,838.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,146 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Silgan by 109.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 613 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Silgan in the second quarter worth approximately $70,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Silgan during the second quarter valued at approximately $104,000. 70.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SLGN shares. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective (up from $56.00) on shares of Silgan in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Silgan from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Silgan from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup raised their price target on Silgan from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut Silgan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.43. Silgan Stock Up 1.7 % Shares of NYSE:SLGN opened at $56.53 on Friday. Silgan Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.88 and a 1 year high of $56.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $52.29 and its 200 day moving average is $48.91. The company has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.67. Silgan ( NYSE:SLGN – Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Silgan had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 18.76%. Silgan’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Silgan Holdings Inc. will post 3.6 EPS for the current year. Silgan Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Silgan’s payout ratio is 27.54%. Silgan Profile ( Free Report ) Silgan Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells rigid packaging solutions for consumer goods products in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Dispensing and Specialty Closures, Metal Containers, and Custom Containers. The Dispensing and Specialty Closures segment offers a range of metal and plastic closures, and dispensing systems for food, beverage, health care, garden, home, personal care, beauty products, and hard surface cleaning products, as well as capping/sealing equipment and detection systems. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SLGN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Silgan Holdings Inc. ( NYSE:SLGN – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Silgan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Silgan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .A "lazy cut and paste job" demonstrates the disrespect shown by state governments to the Border community and its push for a new hospital, an Albury councillor says. or signup to continue reading Geoff Hudson was referring to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park and Health Infrastructure NSW acting chief executive Emma Skulander Speaking at the council meeting on Monday, December 9, Cr Hudson said the two letters were "a lazy cut and paste job" that showed they believed repeating lines would change the situation and their disrespect for the region. "They just refuse to acknowledge the concerns put forward by clinicians, put forward by the community groups and put forward frankly by just about every council in the region now," Cr Hudson said. "To quote our friends at - 'two letters sent in response to intelligent, transparent lobbying from Albury Council have shown-up this woeful attitude'. "It is absolutely woeful, but let us not settle for inadequate solutions, our community deserves world-class healthcare." Cr Hudson said the report presented to Monday night's council meeting listing four potential sites for a greenfield hospital in Albury underlined the city's determination. "This demonstrates that Albury Council is serious in its advocacy efforts for a new hospital on a new site," he said. Deputy mayor Jess Kellahan said: "It's time for Health Infrastructure NSW to get their head out of the sand and really look at these options and move forward on them". However, councillor Alice Glachan voted against the report being received and using the location information to lobby for a new hospital in conjunction with Wodonga hospital. She said the NSW and Victorian governments had already committed to upgrading the existing Albury hospital but suggested the four sites might be worth considering in decades to come. "I am of the understanding that the state governments have determined they will rebuild the existing site, however into the future at some stage we will be requiring [land], so I'm talking 30, 40, 50 years into the future we will be in need of possibly a new site, a new larger site for a hospital," Cr Glachan said. "Medical intervention in the future may be completely different and we may actually be looking for smaller sites for hospitals, goodness only knows." The remaining seven councillors in attendance supported the motion. Cr Mack said he was looking forward to Wodonga Council flagging potential sites for a hospital when it meets on Monday, December 16. "I'm very, very proud to say we are doing what we need to do and we wait with bated breath for response to , if we don't have that meeting, well, we'll be sitting on their doorstep waiting for an answer," Cr Mack said. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. 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Detroit Red Wings (8-10-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (8-8-5, in the Metropolitan Division) Elmont, New York; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders host the Detroit Red Wings after Kyle Palmieri scored two goals in the Islanders' 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues. New York has an 8-8-5 record overall and a 3-3-2 record in home games. The Islanders have a 2-3-1 record when they commit more penalties than their opponent. Detroit is 8-10-2 overall and 4-5-1 on the road. The Red Wings have gone 3-3-2 in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes. The teams meet Monday for the third time this season. The Red Wings won the last meeting 2-1. TOP PERFORMERS: Bo Horvat has five goals and nine assists for the Islanders. Maxim Tsyplakov has over the last 10 games. Alex DeBrincat has eight goals and nine assists for the Red Wings. Albert Johansson has over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 4-3-3, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.7 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. Red Wings: 4-5-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.5 assists, 2.2 penalties and 4.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game. INJURIES: Islanders: None listed. Red Wings: None listed. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Healey admin plan limits family shelter stays to six months, phase out hotelsNutanix Announces Proposed $750 Million Convertible Senior Notes OfferingBUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian lawmakers on Monday voted narrowly in favor of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania's 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the center-right National Liberal Party, PNL, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a Dec. 1 parliamentary election , a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement Monday. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis," he said. "It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romani's 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It's widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it's entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns.” Romania was plunged into turmoil after Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the Dec. 8 runoff, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race . “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organize the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighboring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists ... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all lawmakers from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute. Stephen McGrath reported from Warwick, England.
The Latest: UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect contests his extradition back to New YorkPolice say suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing wasn't a client of the insurerLaw enforcement officials raid an office operating Agitoon websites, which have been illegally sharing copyrighted content from web comics and novels, Aug. 27. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ‘Stronger punishment is key to prevention’ By Ko Dong-hwan Korea’s major web comic distributors are engaged in a legal battle against unauthorized platforms, filing a petition with the court against website operators who have been sharing web comic and novel content without the original distributors’ consent. Seven companies that formed an antipiracy association against operators of Agitoon and Agitoon Novel submitted a petition on Tuesday to the Daejeon Provincial Court. The court held a trial on Thursday regarding the allegations against the Agitoon websites. The plaintiffs in the petition demanded the accused suspects receive a maximum penalty so that the consequence would deter further crimes from occurring in the future. Kakao Entertainment, Naver Webtoon, Kidari Studio, and other members of the association stated in their petition that Agitoon websites have been engaging in unlawful activities since 2021, including the unauthorized copying and distribution of copyrighted digital content. Agitoon has become the largest pirated content distributor for web comics and novels in Korea. According to the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, which has been investigating the case, Agitoon websites stole 750,000 episodes of web comics and 2.5 million episodes of web novels. The plaintiffs said a copyright violation crime “seriously damages the country’s K-content industry.” In the petition, Kakao Entertainment criticized Korean courts for imposing “only puny” punishments on perpetrators of such crimes, arguing that these penalties fail to reflect the severity of the financial damage incurred. “Given the number of infringing posts, the volume of online traffic they generated, and the number of visitors they attracted, the financial and psychological harm suffered by the original content creators should be estimated in the billions of won or even beyond quantifiable measures,” the company said. “The pirated content, once posted on Agitoon, is subsequently disseminated across social media platforms, causing additional harm. This situation demands stringent legal penalties severe enough to deter similar criminal activities.” Illegally shared web comics are listed on one of Agitoon's websites / Screen capture from Agitoon Naver Webtoon, the operator of the world’s largest web comic portal, said the unauthorized distribution of digital content has escalated in tandem with the industry's growth. It emphasized its “substantial efforts and ambitious commitment to safeguarding the nation’s creative content ecosystem.” “Unauthorized distribution is a serious offense that not only infringes on creators’ rights but also hinders the industry's development,” a Naver Webtoon official said. “We hope the court delivers a ruling that serves as a strong deterrent.” Companies face significant limitations in safeguarding their digital intellectual properties (IPs) against piracy, as predicting when and how their IPs might be stolen is nearly impossible, a Kakao Entertainment official explained. She emphasized the need for central government intervention to help deter such crimes. “We cannot determine, from a technical standpoint, how our IPs are being stolen. Currently, our only option is to identify websites hosting our pirated IPs and shut them down,” the official said. “We also reject criticism that we have failed to protect our IPs, as there is a limit to what we can reasonably do.” Because the illegal sharing platforms host their servers overseas, tracking them down requires support from Interpol. However, the official said these requests are often delayed due to the organization’s higher-priority cases. “There were times when people freely downloaded content through P2P (peer-to-peer) platforms. However, years of social campaigns, such as Good Download, eventually raised awareness and stopped such practices,” the official said. “Minister of Culture Yu In-chon has already acknowledged the illegality of sharing unauthorized digital IPs. We urge the authorities to enforce stronger punishments than before, to send a clear warning.” The ministry and prosecutors in Daejeon arrested a man in August who was responsible for operating the Agitoon websites. During their operation, the Agitoon websites constantly changed their names to evade detection.