Korean tourist body found

THE body of a second South Korean tourist who died after the golf buggy he was riding fell into a river in northern Thailand has been discovered.

Jun Yong Sung, 68, was found after Jaseoong Ha, 76, was discovered the night before, governor Pipat Ekpapan confirmed.

One of the victims’ wives was also hurt and is recovering in a local hospital. WORKING in digital journalism is fast-paced, exciting and rewarding and, after a busy first year with the Evening Times, I was only too happy to take up my new role as senior digital reporter in my second year.

I’ve covered a range of topics online – from funny and shareable to serious and topical – many of which have been widely read and shared. These are my top picks of 2018’s crop:

Listening to the radio on the way into work one freezing January morning, a story of a Tollcross woman captured my attention. Grieving Andrena McInnes was taking on her local housing association as she battled to be allowed to move into her late mother’s home – which was just next door, something housing bosses were reluctant to allow.

I tracked Andrena down on social media and called her to get more details to see if there was anything I could do to help. Her story was heartbreaking as she broke down while recalling the sudden loss of her mum.

As expected, the housing association members were difficult to speak to and didn’t comment. Her story caught the attention of the newspaper editor and it ended up making the front page, which was great to see. It was the most-read online that day and the most-commented-on.

Sadly, a large majority of readers said they weren’t happy with Andrena picking and choosing where she wanted to live when others looking for housing were taking what they were given. In the end, she lost her case, but was grateful for the Evening Times’ help.

In February, popular Glasgow woman Danielle Hosie, who had been battling a rare form of cancer and documenting it on Facebook, lost her fight at the age of just 27. The Evening Times was first to spot the devastating news online and report it. Tens of thousands of readers read the article and thousands more expressed their condolences to the family.

I reached out to Danielle’s sister on Facebook to express our sympathy and to discuss a tribute. The family was happy for this to go ahead. I wish I’d been able to see the tribute through, but I was heading abroad for a week on holiday and so the task was passed onto my colleague Caroline Wilson. Caroline did a wonderful job and the family was pleased.

Two major stories took place in March. Victoria’s nightclub on Sauchiehall Street went up in flames. Several reporters rushed to the scene as thick smoke and debris enveloped the Times offices. I worked to piece together all the updates coming in and to present them, well-packed, online. My adrenaline was pumping as the devastating event shut town a large section of the city centre.

Several of our colleagues in the building were sent home as fears arose about asbestos in the air. The Evening Times team, though, stayed back to keep readers updated with all they needed to know. Thankfully, everyone made it home safely and there were no injuries.

Then, Coatbridge woman Denise Ferrie practically sent our site into meltdown mode with her unique rendition of My Boy Lollipop which she sang at the funeral of her mum. The video had readers talking for weeks and went on to become our most-watched clip that month across our company.

In April, it was another heartbreaking story as missing Kilmarnock man Donald Keir White was found dead in the area. The Evening Times was first to report on the 24-year-old’s identity which emerged after his girlfriend paid tribute to “my handsome boy” on Twitter. As always in these sad circumstances, Evening Times readers quickly rallied around Donald’s loved ones to extend their thoughts and sympathies.

In May, I spoke to staff at Rangers pub The Louden Tavern, on Copland Road, after they showed up to work to find “RANGERS SCUM” in red spray paint on the walls. Stories in Glasgow like this one always get football supporters debating online. One staff members aimed to put the whole situation to bed when he claimed the vandalism was a direct a result of Steven Gerrard’s signing to the Ibrox club. He told me: “A lot of people have panicked, but it won’t put us off.”

Readers wrote in to us in their droves both supporting and slamming the claim.

The most powerful couple in music, Beyonce and Jay-Z, hit Hampden for a massive gig in June, something the city had been looking forward to for months. The Evening Times landed another exclusive piece of video, which, again, went onto become the mostviewed company-wide, when I reported on how a fight broke out in the crowd between two women.

Despite a heavy police and steward presence in and around the stadium, for days after, readers debated whether the response in breaking up the fight could have been faster or not.

Regardless of this, it was a shame that an amazing concert was ruined for a small number of people as five arrests were made. Come on, Glasgow – we’re better than this.

With a jam-packed lineup of top, international artists coming in 2019, I hope giggoers will be able to enjoy themselves without unnecessary drama.

The following month, more than 80,000 people signed a petition to ban the Orange Walk in Glasgow. July typically tends to be a busy month for the website as the controversial march generates a lot of debate from those who support it and