Oil spill reaches scenic beaches

South Korea’s largest oil spill reached part of the country’s scenic and environmentally sensitive western shore today, as the Coast Guard battled high waves and strong winds to keep more oil from washing up on beaches.

Hundreds of troops, police and residents used buckets to remove dense crude from Mallipo – one of South Korea’s best-known beaches – as dark sea water crashed ashore. The odour of oil could be smelled a half a mile away.