mistaken

Stephen Low, 48, was celebrating the end of his first year teaching English in South Korea when he decided to go on a hike near the North-South border – but he got more than he bargained for

A British man found himself at the business end of a South Korean guard’s gun during an innocent hike.

Stephen Low had just finished his first year teaching English at a school near the infamous DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between North and South Korea. He had no idea then that his language teaching abilities were ultimately what would rescue him when facing the barrel of a gun.

The now 48-year-old decided to walk down a well-known trail near the North-South border. There, sniper posts and echoes of conflict provided a spine-chilling reminder of the hostilities across the divide.

Stephen knew the area was no place to mess around. In fact, one of his friends found themselves in hot water after they hopped on a military bus by mistake and “ended up in the military side of the DMZ.”

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“I just went hiking up to a hiking trail,” Stephen said.

As he approached the peak, the temperature dropped dramatically, and so Stephen sought refuge in one of the shelters scattered around the mountainside. He warmed himself by igniting a small fire, using a copy of the vampire fantasy novel Twilight as tinder.

Unfortunately, much like the romance in the Stephenie Meyer book, the fire burned too hot.

“As the fire burned, lots of thick smoke began wafting out from the hut. Suddenly, I heard shouting and as I emerged coughing and spluttering from the smoke-filled sniper hole, a ton of soldiers came down the mountain; they must have thought they were under attack,” Stephen continued.

Happily the teacher managed to slip away from the fire and the approaching soldiers, only to come face-to-face with a beekeeper, surrounded by bees.

“The bees swarmed me and got inside my clothing. I basically tore everything off to avoid being stung and ended up in just my boots, beanie, and boxers, which just so happened to be Union Jack boxers. That beekeeper must have thought I looked crazy…patriotic, but crazy,” he continued.

The misadventure wasn’t to end there however. Stephen rushed back towards the town where he was staying, only to stumble into a soldier. Despite Stephen’s best efforts to explain in Korean that he was simply lost, the guard remained deeply suspicious.

And as he stared at the guard’s M16 machine gun with its grenade launcher attachment, Stephen realized he needed to be far more persuasive. In a desperate bid to prove his innocence, Stephen called a former Korean student of his, who was now serving as the personal doctor to the South Korean president.

Handing the phone to the guard, Stephen pleaded, “Hangook chingu, Hangook chingu!”, translating to “Korean friend, Korean friend!”.

Despite initial fears that the guard was trigger-happy, he took the call instead. The ex-student managed to convince the soldier to escort Stephen safely through the base.

Stephen recounted, “It was hard to believe the guard actually thought I was a spy. But it’s exactly what my friend later told me the guard was accusing me of being. Back then, South Koreans were very wary of North Korean espionage; you even had options on your mobile emergency list for reporting spies!”.

“The guard was prepared for a North Korean around the corner, not a semi-naked hiker from the UK. South Korean guards have emergency numbers on speed dial that let them report a spy.”

While having a gun waved in your face is an experience best avoided if possible, the whole escapade has taught Stephen a valuable lesson.

“The lesson learnt is don’t set fire to things in public places,” he concluded.

Tourists have been raving about a picturesque UK village that could make you believe you are in Italy. It boasts colourful buildings, secret gardens and so much more

People have been wowed by this beautiful village said to be “like walking though a storybook” which is often mistaken for Italy – but it’s in the UK. While travelling abroad is amazing, it can be expensive, especially in popular tourists spots in Italy. However, just a train ride away or short flight is the peaceful village of Portmeirion in Gwynedd, north Wales, that looks like Lake Como.

The amazing spot, which has been inundated with five star reviews on Tripadvisor, boasts breathtaking scenery, sub-tropical gardens and adorable cottages as well as plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants – and even an authentic Italian-style gelato shop.

The hidden gem boasts colourful buildings, palm trees, and plenty of outdoor seating and hospitality spots overlooking the beautiful seafront.

Tripadvisor describes the spot as a “dreamlike world, full of surprises” full of rich history. The picturesque location has been used as a backdrop for a number of films and TV shows.

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A couple, who call themselves Cez and Gaz and love travelling, shared a viral video of the spot and their review on TikTok recently. Cez said: “Would you believe me if I told you this isn’t an Italian village but it’s actually somewhere in the UK.”

She added: “This dreamy village was designed in the 1920s by a Welsh architect to bring a touch of the Mediterranean to Britain and it took nearly 50 years to build. It’s tucked away on the coast, it’s full of colourful buildings, secret gardens, sandy beaches and even a giant chessboard.”

She added: “It honestly feels like walking through a storybook. It’s the perfect spot for summer photos, getting your steps in or enjoying some delicious food.”

“My mum got married here, it was so special,” added one. “How have I never heard of this?” commented one other. “No way, really I can’t believe this,” added another.

One other said: “I had a mini holiday there last year and I stayed in the castle upon entry.” Another shared: “Well worth the entry price. We got there early and it wasn’t too busy. If it looks familiar it was the backdrop for the show The Prisoner in the ’60s.”

You have to pay to visit the village. It is priced at £20 per day for adults, £17.50 for students and visitors over 60. Children between ages five and 15 can visit for £15, while children under five can visit for free. Visitors can also get family tickets. All tickets can be purchased from the Portmeirion website.

How to get there

If you are travelling from England, a train from London will take you a minimum of five hours and 50 minutes. From Manchester it takes around five hours, and generally about four hours and 45 minutes from Birmingham on a train. Many people opt to drive or travel by coach when holidaying to Wales.

If you would prefer to fly, you can catch a plane to Anglesey Airport – 30 miles from Portmeirion. The hub hosts twice daily flights from Cardiff Airport on weekdays.

The nearest major international airports to Portmeirion are Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport, both approximately two hours away by road.

The journey from Manchester airport and Liverpool airport is around 100 miles, and takes about two hours. So if you live down south, it might be a good idea to fly up to northern England first if long car or train journey are not for you.

Do you have a travel-related story? Get in touch at [email protected].

Coronation Street fans have been mistaking Mikey North, who plays Gary Windass, for his former co-star for 15 years – and he’s yet to correct any of them

Gary Windass (Mikey North) has been on the cobbles since 2008, but fans still get him mixed up with another Coronation Street star. Mikey was the latest soap star in Kevin and Liz Fletcher’s Off Script podcast, where he spilled all the tea.

Since he’s been in the show so long, Liz was curious to know what Corrie fans call Gary when they see him on the street. “Is it Gary or Windass?” she asked. However, to Liz’s shock, it was neither.

“It’s Chesney,” he laughed – explaining that he gets mistaken for Chesney actor Sam Aston. “It’s followed me around all these years. It’s funny.

“It’s an in-joke at work that my name is Chesney. I guess people who dip in and out who watched it when Chesney was really young, and then tune in years later and see me, they think that Chesney grew up to be me, if that makes sense?”

Mickey then went on to reveal how himself and Chesney shared a dressing room at the studio for 15 years. “It’s sort of like they were congregating the gingers,” he laughed.

However, Mickey doesn’t bother to correct fans, as he told the hosts he “just goes along with it” when people ask him how Chesney’s late dog Schmeichel is.

Sam Aston first joined the soap in 2003, five years before Mickey. At the time of joining, he was just 10 years old.

Last month, Corrie fans were left stunned when ‘missing’ Gary Windass arrived back on the cobbles after months away from the soap. Prior to this, the character hadn’t been seen on screen since January, leaving fans puzzled by his sudden disappearance.

There had been no mention of where he’d gone, and not a single storyline to explain his absence, leaving fans confused. During his return, Gary told Maria he was planning to sell his shop and buy the builder’s yard in an attempt at a fresh start. However, Maria wasn’t convinced that was a good idea.

Things then became worse for the couple when Maria found out Gary had offered Mick a job at the yard. However, .the position didn’t last long, after Gary discovered that Mick had locked his step-son Liam in a cabinet for hours. Mick was then sacked and the pair ended up having a brawl in broad daylight.

Elsewhere in his podcast episode, Mickey said that he hopes to share the screen with Jeff Hordley‘s character Cain Dingle, when the soaps take part in the historic crossover episode next year.

Asked which Emmerdale characters he wants to be mixing with, the actor replied: “It’s got to be Cain, hasn’t it?” “A Windass and a Dingle, that would be brilliant,” said Kelvin, to which Mikey laughed: “Windass V Dingle.”

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

ANAL cancer rates have been rising globally – and now scientists have identified a group of people most at risk.

Since the early 1990s, anal cancer incidence rates have increased by more than three-quarters (77 per cent) in the UK, with about 1,500 people diagnosed with it each year.

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A similar trend had been seen in the US, with researchers noting the biggest rise among older women

Lead author Ashley Robinson, a second-year internal medicine resident at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, explained: “Rates of anal cancer are rising fastest among white and Hispanic women over 65 — groups not traditionally considered high risk

“While the exact reasons behind this trend remain unclear, most older women were beyond the recommended age for human papillomavirus vaccination when it first became widely available.”

Human papillomavirus, known as HPV, causes 90 per cent of anal cancers.

As part of the study, the researchers analysed data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2917 to 2021.

They found anal cancer increased by 2.9 per cent for women and 1.6 per cent for men.

Anal cancers increased fastest among white women over 65, who saw 4.3 per cent increase during the five-year study period, reaching 11.4 cases per 100,000 in 2021.

If the trend were to continue, the researchers said the incidence of anal cancer in women over age 65 would double in less than 17 years.

Hispanic women over age 65 had the second-highest rate of anal cancer, with 7.5 cases per 100,000 people in 2021 and a slower annual increase of 1.7 per cent.

“It’s crucial that we promote HPV vaccination as a key tool for preventing anal cancer, while also keeping health care providers informed as screening guidelines evolve,” Dr. Robinson said.

“These findings highlight specific patient groups who may benefit from targeted screening for anal HPV and anal cancer.”

Anal cancer is considered rare, making up around 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent of gastrointestinal cancers.

Approximately 90 per cent of cases are linked to HPV infections, making it the most significant risk factor.

There’s no national screening programme for anal cancer in the UK because the cancer is rare.

While most cases of anal cancer are linked to HPV, there isn’t currently a reliable test to check for HPV in the anus.

Anal cancer symptoms

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One of the best things to do is to look out for symptoms.

Anal cancer symptoms can be difficult to spot, as they often mimic more common and less serious conditions like hemorrhoids or anal fissures. 

Some individuals may experience no symptoms at all in the early stages. 

The NHS says to watch out for the following six signs:

• bleeding from your bottom
• itching and pain around your anus
• small lumps around and inside your bottom
• a discharge of mucus from your bottom
• having problems controlling when you poo (bowel incontinence)
• needing to poo often with looser, runnier poos

You may be more likely to get anal cancer if you:

• have anal sex
• are over the age of 75
• smoke
• have had cervical, vaginal or vulval cancer
• have a weakened immune system, such as from HIV or an organ transplant

Find out how you can reduce your risk below…