42 m. ago Asia week ahead: Key data on China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

Asia week ahead: Key data on China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan  ING THINK economic and financial analysis | ING Think

Politics

4 h. ago Rail life story? Cartoon featuring South Korea’s Yoon returns to comics festival

A controversial cartoon featuring South Korea’s disgraced former first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee is set to be displayed in public again this month, three years after its initial showing was cut short under government pressure. Yoonsukyeolcha by Park Se-eun from Chonnam Arts High School will be included in the annual Bucheon International Comics Festival as part of a retrospective show of prize-winning works from 2021 to 2025, the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency announced on Wednesday,...

Politics

5 h. ago Starbucks China valued at about US$5 billion by bidders, sources say

Most of the bidders seeking to buy a portion of Starbucks’ China operations have submitted offers valuing the business at as much as US$5 billion, said two people with knowledge of the discussions. That would make a potential deal one of the most valuable China unit divestments by a global consumer company in recent years. The offers, which have not been reported previously, would let Starbucks push ahead with the sale in a market where it faces sluggish growth and stiff competition from local...

Economics

16 h. ago China offers summer aquaculture, fisheries training programs, aiming to fill widening soft power gap

China offers summer aquaculture, fisheries training programs, aiming to fill widening soft power gap  SeafoodSource

Politics

3 d. ago ‘It’s in their DNA’: bribery probe convulses South Korea’s Unification Church

South Korea’s Unification Church has forcefully rejected allegations that its leader, Han Hak-ja, bribed the wife of former president Yoon Suk-yeol, even as prosecutors expand a corruption investigation that threatens to expose decades of the church’s political entanglements. In a rare video address released on Sunday, Han – the widow of church founder Sun Myung-moon – denied direct involvement in any irregularities. “False information is being spread that, under my instructions, our church...

Politics

4 d. ago Japan and South Korea face record heat as climate change bites

Japan and South Korea sweltered this year through the hottest summers since records began, their weather agencies said on Monday. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as climate change creates ever more erratic weather patterns. Japan’s average temperature between June and August “was 2.36 degrees Celsius above the standard value, which marked the hottest summer since records began in 1898”, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency did not disclose what the new...

Society

4 d. ago Why South Korea and Japan are turning against foreign homebuyers

Government measures to deter foreign buyers from purchasing residential properties are by no means the preserve of Asian economies. In February 2024, Canada extended a nationwide ban on most foreign buyers until 2027 in an effort to curb speculation and improve affordability. In the US, a growing number of states, including Texas and Florida, have passed laws barring nationals from several countries, notably China and Russia, from acquiring land and property. Yet in the most liveable cities in...

Economics

6 d. ago India won’t ‘bow down’ to crippling 50% US tariff, trade minister says

India will not “bow down” and instead focus on capturing new markets, trade minister Piyush Goyal said in his first public remarks since Washington imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods. The 50 per cent levies on many Indian imports into the United States took effect this week as punishment for New Delhi’s massive purchases of Russian oil, part of US efforts to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine. Since his return to the White House this year, US President Donald Trump has wielded...

Politics

6 d. ago Modi says close ties between India and China are crucial for ‘multipolar Asia’ and the ‘world’

Modi says close ties between India and China are crucial for ‘multipolar Asia’ and the ‘world’  South China Morning Post

Economics

6 d. ago Surge in foreign demand makes dermatology South Korea’s top medical tourism draw

Foreign patients are visiting South Korea’s dermatology clinics in unprecedented numbers, making skin treatments the leading driver of medical tourism and underscoring the global reach of the country’s beauty and wellness industry. According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), 705,044 foreign nationals received dermatology treatments in 2024, a 117-fold surge compared with 2009 when just over 6,000 patients sought such care. Dermatology now accounts for 56.6 per cent of...

Politics

6 d. ago China’s military parade provides reminder of rising stars who fell to earth

China’s military parade next month will offer a rare opportunity for outsiders to observe which generals are valued by the People’s Liberation Army top brass. The PLA does not publish regular updates on its personnel changes, so the identity of those given prominent roles will provide clues about who might be in line for more senior positions. But the absence of certain figures may also offer clues about who has fallen foul of the ongoing anti-corruption campaign within the military, which has...

Events

7 d. ago 4 men face trial in Malaysia over shocking child rape charges of girl under 12

Four men in Seremban, Malaysia pleaded not guilty to charges of raping a girl who was three months shy of her 12th birthday. The accused – K Kumar, 39; M. Thineshvaran, 30; Sayrran Kumar, 21; and G. Niressh Pillai, 20 – were all charged with rape under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping. According to the charges, Sayrran Kumar allegedly raped the victim in June and again in August. The three other suspects were charged with raping the same...

Events

7 d. ago China mum offers flat as reward to find son; fulfil late dad’s wish to see grandson

A mother in Shanghai is offering a flat she owns in the city as a reward for information that helps her find her long-lost son who was abducted at the age of 4. Tang Weihua, 55, and her husband, Wang Jie, have been looking for their only son, Wang Lei, for 26 years following his abduction in 1999. Tang has announced on social media, where she has 1.2 million followers, that she would offer the flat as a bounty for effective clues that help find Wang Lei. Property in Shanghai is expensive, with...

Events

8 d. ago Trump aide slams ‘arrogant’ India over Russian oil, dubs Ukraine ‘Modi’s war’

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro sought to raise pressure on India to halt purchases of Russian energy after the US imposed crippling new tariffs on New Delhi, casting the conflict in Ukraine as “Modi’s war”. “I mean Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” Navarro said on Wednesday, referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. US President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods took effect earlier on Wednesday, a bid to punish the country for...

Politics

8 d. ago China offers South Asia a choice between swords and ploughshares

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi didn’t just tour South Asia earlier this month; he redrew the region’s strategic map. In three stops – India, Afghanistan and Pakistan – Beijing offered a tactical reset, a warning and a lifeline. The choreography was deliberate; the message was unmistakable: China is shaping the region’s future, one handshake at a time. The stops were not random. They were sequenced with intent, each one revealing something about China’s ambitions, South Asia’s anxieties and the...

Politics

8 d. ago Opinion | China offers South Asia a choice between swords and ploughshares

Opinion | China offers South Asia a choice between swords and ploughshares  South China Morning Post

Politics

8 d. ago From India to Vietnam, Lego bets on Asia’s booming toy market

After posting record half-year sales figures on Wednesday, Lego said it would sustain its momentum by doubling down on the market in Asia. The Danish toymaker announced 34.6 billion kroner (US$5.4 billion) in revenue for the first half of 2025 – higher than those of rivals Mattel and Hasbro, and up from US$4.8 billion for the first half of last year. Consumer sales also increased by 13 per cent. While the toymaker expanded its market share in every major geography, Chief Executive Officer Niels...

Politics

8 d. ago South Korea bans smartphones in schools to curb social media addiction

South Korea passed a bill on Wednesday to ban the use of mobile phones and other digital devices in school classrooms nationwide, as concern grows about the effect of heavy social media use among the youth. The ban, which will take effect from March next year, makes South Korea the latest country to restrict the use of smartphones and social media among minors. Australia recently widened its pioneering ban on social media for teenagers. A ban on mobile phones in Dutch schools has improved focus...

Politics

9 d. ago India’s exporters face ‘strategic shock’ as US tariffs over Russian oil kick in

Steep US tariffs on a range of Indian products took effect on Wednesday, threatening a severe blow to India’s overseas trade in its largest export market. US President Donald Trump had initially announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods. But earlier this month, he signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff due to India’s purchases of Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the US on its ally to 50 per cent. The Indian government estimates the tariffs...

Events

9 d. ago Air chief urges caution over India’s military reforms inspired by US, China

India’s top air commander has advised caution about an ongoing military overhaul that is the largest in seven decades, in a show of scepticism over a plan Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is embracing. “Disrupting everything and making one structure now at this time” may not be the best way forward, India’s Chief of Air Staff A.P. Singh said on Tuesday at a seminar to discuss new technologies and warfare. India should not pick up “theatre commands” from any other country, Singh said at...

Events