Over the recent Easter long weekend in South Australia, three domestic cats fell victim to illegal steel-jaw traps, leaving one euthanized due to catastrophic injuries and sparking a urgent public warning from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) SA about the inherent danger of these banned devices. The first incident occurred in Nairne, where a black and white domestic cat was discovered caught in a triggered steel-jaw trap. The damage to the animal’s body was so extensive that humane euthanasia carried out by RSPCA animal welfare officers became the only possible option to end its suffering. In two separate cases across the same weekend, a second adult cat was recovered from a trap in Birdwood, while a young kitten was found snared in Port Augusta. Though both survived and did not require euthanasia, each suffered serious, permanent damage to their legs, leaving them with lasting harm. Andrea Lewis, head of animal welfare at RSPCA SA, emphasized that the ban on steel-jaw traps is rooted in profound humanitarian concern. Describing the devices as inherently barbaric, Lewis noted that they do not only target domestic cats—wild native species and other animals are equally at risk. Common victims include foxes and possums, and the organization has recently responded to reports of a young magpie that suffered a trapped leg. Several years prior, an echidna was also found stuck in one of the traps on the Fleurieu Peninsula. For animals that are not discovered quickly by rescue teams, Lewis explained, the outcome is a prolonged, agonizing death from untreated injury, dehydration or starvation. The RSPCA SA is reminding the public that setting steel-jaw traps carries serious legal consequences, pointing to a high-profile 2025 case as a clear precedent. In March of that year, a cat named Lunar endured two hours of unrelenting pain after being caught in a trap set in Rosewater. The man responsible was later convicted, and ordered to pay more than $4,000 to cover the cat’s veterinary treatment costs. Under South Australia’s current Animal Welfare Act, anyone caught setting an illegal steel-jaw trap faces an immediate fine of $2,500. If the case proceeds to prosecution, offenders can face maximum penalties of up to $20,000 in fines or two years of prison time. The RSPCA is urging members of the public who spot any suspicious traps to report the location to authorities immediately, to prevent further unnecessary animal deaths and suffering.
作者： admin
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Airline adding bunk beds for economy travelers but bans snacks, smells and cuddling
For millions of air travelers, catching uninterrupted, restful sleep while crammed into an economy seat on a 16+ hour long-haul flight has long been nothing more than a distant dream. Now, New Zealand’s flag carrier Air New Zealand is preparing to turn that dream into a accessible reality with the upcoming launch of Skynest, the world’s first purpose-built lie-flat sleep pods designed exclusively for budget economy passengers.Starting this November, the triple-tier bunk bed-style pods will be available exclusively to economy and premium economy passengers flying on Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft operating the high-demand Auckland to New York route — one of the planet’s longest commercial air routes, where passengers are forced to remain seated upright for a grueling 16 to 18 hours straight.
Travelers can pre-book a private, four-hour block of time in one of the curtained berths, with pricing starting at 495 New Zealand dollars (equivalent to roughly $291 USD), charged as an add-on separate from the base economy ticket price. The carrier has installed six Skynest pods on each of the route’s Dreamliners, arranged in a stacked triple-bunk configuration between standard passenger cabins. Due to the tight shared space arrangement, Air New Zealand has released a clear set of etiquette and usage rules for pod users.
The rules prohibit children from using the pods, ban outside visitors, outlaw snacking inside the enclosed space to avoid crumbs and pest risks, and restrict each booking to a single passenger only. “That means solo snoozes only please, no musical nests or tag-teaming,” the company explains on its official website. Travelers must also change into special disposable socks provided by the airline before entering the pod, and are forbidden from wearing heavily scented perfumes or body products to avoid disturbing nearby sleepers. To address passenger concerns around hygiene, Air New Zealand confirms that all pillows, blankets and fitted sheets are completely replaced and refreshed between every four-hour booking. At the end of the pre-booked block, users are woken first by a gradual adjustment in cabin lighting, with flight attendants on hand to give a more firm wake-up call for any travelers who sleep through the soft alert.
In terms of dimensions, each berth matches the length of a standard twin mattress at 80 inches (203 centimeters), but the compact design means there is no headroom for sitting upright. Accessing the pod requires users to bend, kneel, crawl or climb into the space, and the width tapers from 25 inches (64 centimeters) at shoulder height down to just 16 inches (41 centimeters) at the foot of the bunk. The airline also anticipates that snoring will be a common occurrence in the shared pod space, so complimentary earplugs are provided for all users. “Statistically, someone’s going to do it. It might be you,” the website notes dryly.
While lie-flat convertible seats and beds have been a standard premium offering for first and business class travelers for decades, Air New Zealand’s Skynest marks the first time a major carrier has offered purpose-built lie-flat sleeping accommodation for economy passengers. The new product is part of a broader industry trend among global airlines, which are increasingly offering paid add-ons and upgrades to economy passengers to boost ancillary revenue beyond base ticket sales. Air New Zealand first publicly announced the Skynest concept was in development back in 2020.
The launch comes at a challenging time for the carrier, which has had to adjust its operations amid ongoing global fuel price volatility tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In response to spiking jet fuel costs, Air New Zealand has raised base fares, cut underperforming domestic routes, and suspended its official earnings outlook back in March, warning that further route adjustments could be necessary in coming months. Even with these headwinds, the carrier is betting that its innovative sleep pod offering will fill a long-unmet need for passengers enduring ultra-long-haul budget travel, making the long trip between New Zealand and the United States far more comfortable.
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Wayne Bennett launches passionate defence of six again rule, explains why Latrell won’t play fullback
The National Rugby League’s contentious six again rule has sparked a heated divide between two of the code’s most long-serving and respected coaches, with legendary South Sydney Rabbitohs mentor Wayne Bennett doubling down on his support for the controversial regulation, arguing it has rescued the sport from more than a decade of slow, grapple-heavy stagnation.
Bennett’s outspoken defense of the rule, which replaces traditional penalties for ruck infringements and offside offences beyond the 20-metre line with fresh set restarts, comes just 24 hours after Canberra Raiders head coach Ricky Stuart delivered a scathing rebuke of the policy, claiming it has eroded the core identity of rugby league. While the rule change has drawn widespread criticism from fans online, who argue its frenetic pace and frequent set changes have stripped the game of its traditional fabric, Bennett says the current format is a dramatic improvement over the slow, wrestling-dominated play that bogged matches down for 10 years.
“There’s no doubt it’s a game-changer,” Bennett told reporters this week. “We’ve got a game that’s full of entertainment right now, some wonderful tries being scored, some great ball movement. Do we go back to when we had wrestle and we had all the other terms for different types of tackles that were making the whole game bog down? I don’t want to go back to that. We suffered for over a decade with that and I don’t want to go back there. If we find an answer for not having the six again then I’d be happy, but the reality of it is the onus is back on the players. The players are always playing on the edge with the rules and this is one they really can’t play on the edge with because it really hurts your team.”
Beyond the rule debate, Bennett is facing a string of injury challenges ahead of his side’s Saturday night clash against the winless St. George Illawarra Dragons, and has made a surprising selection call to bring dynamic fullback Matt Dufty back for his first NRL outing in four years. Dufty, who most recently played in the UK’s Super League for Warrington Wolves, returned to Australia earlier than planned and linked up with the Rabbitohs, earning an unexpected call-up after starting fullback Jye Gray was sidelined for two to three weeks with an AC joint injury.
Many fans and analysts expected Bennett would shift star back Latrell Mitchell from his current position at left centre back to fullback, a role Mitchell has played extensively throughout his career. But Bennett opted against a major reshuffle of his backline, noting Gray’s absence is only short-term, and that the team already has an injury gap on the left edge after second-rower David Fifita was ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury. “That was based on the fact that Jye will be back in a couple of weeks, probably two to three weeks max, so do I change one position or do I change four positions to put Latrell back at fullback?” Bennett explained. “That really wasn’t an option for me with only two or three weeks. If Jye had been out for a lot longer I might have made a different decision, but next couple of weeks I think we can get the job done there and it makes us more stable in our backline because these guys are playing together each week, and I think any coach in the game wants his players to play together as much as they possibly can.”
Bennett added that Mitchell’s permanent shift to centre this season was already a deliberate choice made in the best interest of the club, and a short-term injury did not justify upending the entire unit. “I don’t see a world where he won’t go back to fullback eventually,” he said. “It was only a decision we made this year because we believed it was in the best interest of the club, and we made this decision again because I believe it’s in the best interest of the team that we have one new guy coming in rather than moving the whole backline around.”
The Rabbitohs are already stretched thin in their forward pack, with five forwards currently sidelined in rehab. Prop Keaon Koloamatangi will play through a painful knee injury this weekend, after Bennett ruled out resting him, with the club awaiting the return of Junior Tatola next week to ease their forward depth crisis. “He’s a bit restricted as well. We probably need a week off for him, but we just can’t do it at the moment,” Bennett said. “We’ve got five forwards sitting in rehab at the moment with injuries and won’t be back for a couple of weeks, we’ll probably get Junior Tatola back next week, so we just need a bit of relief there and have to hang on a little bit longer for Keaon.” Dufty, a former Dragons player, will make his Rabbitohs debut against his old club this weekend, with Bennett saying the club is excited to welcome him to the squad. Assistant coach Ben Hornby has a long history of coaching Dufty, giving the South Sydney staff confidence he will fit in both on and off the pitch, Bennett added.
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Major refinery fire won’t lead to fuel rationing, Australian PM says
A devastating 13-hour blaze triggered by equipment failure has disrupted output at one of Australia’s only two operating oil refineries, deepening existing strain on the nation’s fuel market that has already been roiled by global supply shocks tied to the ongoing Iran conflict. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved quickly to reassure the public, confirming that strict fuel rationing will not be introduced despite the production cuts.
The fire broke out at Viva Energy’s Corio Refinery, located just outside the regional Victorian city of Geelong, shortly before midnight on Wednesday. When extinguishing operations concluded 13 hours later, the facility faced significant output reductions. As one of just two domestic refineries still operating in Australia, the Corio site plays an outsize role in national fuel supply: it meets half of Victoria’s fuel demand and roughly 10 percent of the entire country’s total requirements.
During an on-site visit Friday — which required Albanese to cut short a Southeast Asian diplomatic tour focused on shoring up alternative fuel supplies — the prime Minister outlined the current production status. According to official assessments, 80 percent of the refinery’s usual diesel and aviation fuel output remains online, while 60 percent of petrol production is still operational. Albanese noted that both the government and Viva Energy expect production volumes to gradually ramp up in the coming days and weeks as repairs progress.
Australia currently operates at level two of a four-stage national fuel security framework that was finalized by federal, state and territory leaders just one month ago. The third tier of this plan introduces binding restrictions on fuel consumption, including formal rationing. Albanese confirmed that the damage from the fire does not warrant an escalation to this higher alert level, and urged Australian motorways and businesses to avoid panic buying or unnecessary stockpiling.
While ruling out immediate rationing, the government has acknowledged that the refinery damage will likely put additional upward pressure on already elevated fuel prices and tighten domestic reserves. Australia has long been heavily dependent on imported refined fuel, making it particularly vulnerable to global supply disruptions. Earlier this week, ahead of his interrupted tour, Albanese announced that the government had secured an additional 100 million liters of diesel from suppliers in Brunei and South Korea to offset existing gaps. Speaking to reporters after his site visit, the prime Minister also affirmed that Australia needed to expand domestic refining capacity to reduce its exposure to international market volatility moving forward.
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Escaped wolf in South Korea recaptured, returned to zoo
After nine days of evading hundreds of search personnel, roaming through wooded and urban areas of South Korea’s Daejeon, and triggering a series of public disruptions and official missteps, a young escaped gray wolf named Neukgu has been safely recaptured and returned to his home zoo, local authorities confirmed Friday.
The 2-year-old male wolf, weighing 30 kilograms, first broke free from his Daejeon zoo enclosure on April 8 by digging an escape tunnel under his compound fence and breaking through an outer boundary. What followed was one of the most high-profile fugitive searches in the region in recent years: local officials mobilized a joint team of hundreds of police officers, firefighters, and military troops, deploying drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras and encouraging residents to report any potential sightings to authorities. But for nearly a week and a half, the young wolf repeatedly avoided capture, slipping out of search cordons even after multiple confirmed sightings across the city.
The search concluded in the early hours of Friday, after officials received a credible citizen tip that the wolf had been spotted resting in a local Daejeon park, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. Search teams moved in quickly, firing a tranquilizer dart to subdue the animal without injury, taking him into custody alive.
In a celebratory post on the social platform X shortly after the capture, the Daejeon Metropolitan City government wrote: “Welcome back, #Neukgu!” The city also released official footage and photos of the capture, showing search teams carrying a sedated, sleepy Neukgu in a canvas sack before moving him into a secure transport crate. Subsequent images released by the city showed the shaggy-furred wolf sedated and resting on a veterinary examination table, fitted with a soft muzzle to protect medical staff.
Preliminary veterinary checks completed after the capture confirmed Neukgu is in good condition, with normal pulse and body temperature readings, the city government added in an official statement. “We would like to thank everyone who offered their support to ensure Neukgu’s safe and healthy return. We also apologise to the public for the anxiety and concern this incident has caused,” the statement read.
Neukgu’s escape sparked immediate public safety concerns across Daejeon, prompting a local elementary school to suspend in-person classes for at least one day out of caution. The incident also drew embarrassment for city officials after a fake AI-generated image, purporting to show Neukgu trotting across a busy Daejeon intersection, was widely shared by the city government and multiple major South Korean and international media outlets, including AFP, which later withdrew the image after an AFP analysis confirmed it was inauthentic.
Now that Neukgu has been returned to the zoo, South Korean animal welfare advocates are calling for sweeping reforms to captive animal safety standards, pointing to a 2018 escape from the exact same Daejeon facility that ended in tragedy. In that earlier incident, a puma named Bborong escaped the zoo and was shot and killed by responding authorities.
“The fact that Neukgu has returned to his cage at the zoo does not signify a ‘happy ending’ to the incident,” the Korean Animal Welfare Association said in a statement following the recapture, arguing that repeated escape incidents point to systemic failures in enclosure safety and captive animal care at the facility.
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Vietnam’s president arrives in Guangxi by high-speed train
In a continuation of his official visit to China, Vietnam’s top leader To Lam, who holds both the positions of President of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, has arrived in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region following a cross-country high-speed train trip.
To Lam departed from Beijing on Thursday, according to official updates from China Daily. The journey spanned approximately 2,400 kilometers and took nearly 10 hours before the train pulled into Nanning East Railway Station, the main high-speed rail hub serving Guangxi’s capital city Nanning. A photo from China Daily photojournalist Zou Hong documents the arrival.
This leg of To Lam’s trip comes after earlier engagements in Beijing, and Guangxi holds unique strategic importance for China-Vietnam relations as a major border province that shares a long land and maritime boundary with Vietnam. The high-speed rail journey itself also highlights the connected transportation infrastructure that supports growing people-to-people and economic ties between the two neighboring countries.
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France makes reusable period products free for young women
In a landmark step to address the growing crisis of period poverty across the country, the French government announced Thursday that it will fully reimburse the cost of reusable menstrual products, including menstrual cups and reusable period underwear, for two vulnerable groups of women: those under the age of 26, and low-income women of all ages experiencing financial hardship.
The policy, which is set to take effect at the start of the 2024 autumn academic year, is projected to benefit approximately 6.7 million people — a figure that equals nearly one-tenth of France’s total population of 69 million. To access the reimbursement, eligible individuals need only present their state-issued French health insurance card when purchasing items at a registered pharmacy, with costs returned directly to their accounts after purchase.
The measure was originally approved by French parliament as a key component of the country’s 2024 social security budget, but a months-long delay in issuing the formal executive decree required to put the policy into practice sparked widespread frustration from both feminist advocacy organizations and manufacturers of sustainable sanitary products, who had pushed for the reform to launch on schedule.
Data from the French anti-poverty charity Dons Solidaires underscores the urgent need for this intervention. A November 2023 survey of 4,000 French women conducted by the organization found that 1 in 10 respondents have been forced to use makeshift alternatives to commercial period products — including ripped up clothing — because they cannot afford standard sanitary items.
This new policy is the latest in a series of progressive reforms France has rolled out to improve menstrual equity over the past decade. Back in 2016, the country cut the sales tax on period products from 20 percent to 5.5 percent, reducing the financial burden for all women purchasing menstrual supplies. France is not alone in its push for global menstrual equity: in 2020, Scotland made history as the first nation in the world to pass legislation guaranteeing free universal access to period products in all public buildings, setting a benchmark for other countries to follow.
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Embattled LIV Golf to make ‘surprise’ changes: CEO
Embattled breakaway golf circuit LIV Golf is set to implement unexpected structural adjustments as it navigates swirling speculation that its primary backer, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, is preparing to end its massive financial support, chief executive Scott O’Neil confirmed Thursday.
Recent reports from multiple international media outlets have claimed that the Saudi fund, which has poured billions into luring top-tier golf talent away from the established PGA Tour and DP World Tour since LIV launched in 2022, will imminently halt its funding commitments for the divisive league. Despite the uncertainty, LIV has insisted its ongoing 2024 season will proceed without interruption. This week’s tournament in Mexico City kicked off as scheduled Thursday, though broadcast coverage was disrupted for an extended period by local power outages that caused a blackout.
In an on-air interview during the Mexico City event, O’Neil addressed the growing speculation head-on. “I talked about some structural changes. They’re coming,” he said, referencing a plan he had already presented to roughly 50 stakeholders during last weekend’s Masters tournament at Augusta. “We have one, and it is… It might surprise some people.”
Since its debut in 2022, the Saudi-backed league has upended the global golf landscape, pitting the new circuit against traditional golf governing bodies. Built around a format of shorter, faster events with team-based competition and a geographically diverse tournament schedule, LIV has attracted some of the sport’s biggest names, including major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, while drawing large crowds to stops in emerging markets such as Australia and South Africa. However, the circuit has struggled to secure the lucrative multi-year media rights deals that are a core revenue stream for established major sports leagues.
Industry estimates peg the Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s total spending on LIV Golf at roughly $5 billion to date. During a recent five-year strategy presentation, the fund signaled a shift to prioritize “increasing the efficiency of investments,” fueling rumors of an imminent pullback from the golf project.
O’Neil acknowledged Thursday that LIV will “probably” need to secure new external capital to sustain operations, pointing to the league’s long-stated strategy of selling ownership stakes in its 12 existing team franchises. The circuit’s long-term business model is modeled after motorsport’s Formula 1, which relies on independently owned and operated team franchises. “I had two calls this morning” about stake sales, O’Neil confirmed. Prior to this week’s funding rumors, LIV had already been exploring the sale of minority or even controlling stakes in two teams to outside wealthy investors or corporations, and in January Bloomberg reported the league was targeting valuations as high as $300 million per team. No public valuation of the franchises has been released to date.
O’Neil also pushed back against recent sensationalized media coverage of the league’s turmoil, specifically calling out a report from Britain’s *Telegraph* that claimed LIV executives had been called to an emergency emergency meeting in New York. “It’s a lot of reaching and grabbing for headlines and clickbait and stories,” he said. While he rejected claims of an imminent collapse, he did confirm that operational shifts are on the horizon. “Will there be a change in how we operate? Of course,” he added.
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Singer D4vd arrested in connection to death of runaway teen
A rising American music artist and viral TikTok personality known professionally as d4vd has been taken into custody by Los Angeles law enforcement, linked to the fatal killing of a teenage girl who disappeared last year, officials confirmed this week. The 21-year-old performer, whose legal full name is David Anthony Burke, was named as the target of an ongoing grand jury investigation centered on the murder of 19-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Human remains belonging to Hernandez were discovered inside the entertainer’s personal Tesla vehicle back in September 2024, a key discovery that advanced the investigation that had begun after the teen was reported missing.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday that Burke is currently being held in custody without the option of bail ahead of his first formal court processing. Per department protocol, the full case file will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office next Monday for prosecutors to review and decide on formal criminal charges to be filed against the singer.
To date, Burke has not made any public statement addressing the allegations against him. Prior to his arrest, representatives for the artist confirmed that he was actively cooperating with law enforcement authorities as they carried out their investigative work into the teen’s death. The case has sent shockwaves through the global online music community, where d4vd built a massive fanbase through his viral hit tracks released via the TikTok platform in recent years.
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After a paralyzing stroke, a South Korean pianist recreates himself as a one-handed performer
Twelve years ago, a devastating stroke upended the life and career of South Korean pianist Lee Hun, leaving him paralyzed on his right side and uncertain he would ever regain the ability to walk, let alone return to the instrument he devoted his life to. Today, the 54-year-old artist stands on the cusp of his biggest milestone since his life-altering injury: making his first debut with a full orchestra at next month’s Icheon Young-Artist International Music Festival, a performance that represents far more than a new artistic challenge for the nation’s only professional left-hand-only pianist.
In August 2012, when the stroke struck, Lee was a doctorate candidate in music at the University of Cincinnati, building the career he had spent decades working toward. He collapsed suddenly at his home, and while emergency life-saving surgery saved his life, the stroke damaged roughly 60 percent of his brain’s left hemisphere. The damage left him unable to move his right arm and leg, and he also experienced temporary aphasia that robbed him of the ability to communicate clearly. He was transported back to his home country of South Korea in a wheelchair, and his father — legendary South Korean baseball player Lee Hae Chang — later recalled that his own son could not recognize him when he arrived home.
In the immediate aftermath of the stroke, Lee’s priorities were drastically different from the musical ambitions that once defined his life. “After the stroke, I didn’t even imagine playing the piano. I only thought about whether I could stand on my feet again,” Lee shared in a recent interview with the Associated Press at his Seoul home. The road to recovery was grueling not just for Lee, but for his family, who stepped in to provide daily care. His mother, Poong Ok Hee, recalled frequent conflicts sparked by Lee’s intense mood swings as he adjusted to his new reality, with Lee often pushing back against her offers of help and guidance.
The turning point came in 2013, when Lee shared a meal with his former piano mentor, Chun Yung Hae, a former dean of the College of Music at Seoul’s Kyung Hee University. Chun shared a life-changing piece of information that rekindled Lee’s dormant passion for performance: there are more than 1,000 published compositions written exclusively for the left hand. That night, Lee sat back at the piano bench for the first time since his stroke and began to practice.
After years of relentless, exhaustive training, Lee made his formal debut as a one-handed pianist in 2016 at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, the same facility where he had completed his stroke rehabilitation and treatment. His program included Camille Saint-Saëns’ iconic *6 Etudes for the Left Hand Alone*, followed by a duet of *Amazing Grace* with Chun — Lee playing the melody with his left hand, Chun accompanying with her right. At least one attendee was moved to tears by the performance. Chun, who encouraged Lee to return to music to pull him out of his deep despair, never imagined he would reach such heights so quickly. “He is a pianist so he must play the piano. He was completely hopeless and in despair, so I tried to give him some hope. But I didn’t expect him to play as well as this,” the former educator said.
In the years since his debut, Lee has steadily built a career as a working concert artist, giving solo recitals across the country, appearing on national television programs, and even publishing a memoir chronicling his recovery. Through years of physical therapy and determination, he has regained the ability to walk unassisted and communicate clearly in Korean, a milestone many never expected he would reach. Local media outlets have dubbed him “Korea’s Paul Wittgenstein,” a nod to the iconic Austrian pianist who pioneered left-hand solo piano repertoire after losing his right arm in World War I. It was Wittgenstein who commissioned Maurice Ravel’s famous *Piano Concerto for the Left Hand* — the very piece Lee will perform with the festival orchestra on May 2.
Speaking about the upcoming performance, Lee admitted he is overwhelmed by nerves: “I’m so, so nervous I could die. It’s just one concerto but working with an orchestra has its own difficulties.” Even so, the challenging composition has been a long-held dream for Lee, according to Chung Eun-hyon, head of his management agency Tool Music. “He has told me it’s his dream to play the concerto,” Chung said. “I feel deeply emotional as I help make his dream come true.”
Lee Eungkwang, head of the cultural foundation that organizes the Icheon festival, says Lee’s music resonates with audiences in a way that transcends technical skill. “Before becoming a one-handed pianist, Lee said he focused on how to perfect skills to wow audiences. Now, he agonizes over how to convey his emotions and interpretation of music to people,” he explained. “He plays a sort of music that truly touches the heart of people and it’s not about finger dexterity.”
For Lee, the milestone of performing Ravel’s concerto is not the end of his journey. He still holds onto the hope of one day making a full two-handed comeback to performance, a goal he got a glimmer of hope for when he successfully pressed a single piano key with his right hand during a concert in November 2024. Medically, his doctor Koo Jaseong of Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital says the odds of a full recovery are extremely low, but that does not diminish what Lee has already achieved. “I still would like to give him a round of applause for his efforts. Though rare, there have been reports of miraculous recoveries too,” Koo said. When asked about his dream of returning to two-handed performance, Lee simply said, “I’m really curious what it was like when he played with both hands.”