TOKYO/CHONGQING – South Korea’s East Asian neighbours Japan and China on June 4 quickly congratulated President Lee Jae-myung on his resounding election win, even as both countries watch closely for clues to how the liberal leader will approach bilateral relations. This scrutiny stems from perceptions that South Korean diplomacy oscillates wildly, depending on the ruling party of the day. Liberals are judged to be hostile towards Japan and friendly towards China and North Korea, while conservatives hold an opposite view. Ties between Tokyo and Seoul plunged into a deep freeze under the previous liberal president Moon Jae-in, only to thaw…
Author: Asia News Network
Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday kicked off his term as president of South Korea at 6:21 a.m., after the National Election Commission confirmed his win in Tuesday’s presidential election. The liberal leader took over from acting President Lee Ju-ho, without the transition period usually given to a president-elect. In Tuesday’s early election, conducted two years ahead of schedule due to his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, Lee won 49.42 percent of the vote. His 17.28 million votes were the highest tally for a president-elect since direct presidential elections were implemented in 1987, although Park Geun-hye in 2012 still holds the record…
SEOUL – South Korea has the second-highest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers in the world, behind only the US. But that headline, announced by OpenAI on Monday during a press event in Seoul, may not mean exactly what it seems at first glance. The statement came from Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer, who was in town to announce the company’s new Seoul office, which is its third major base in Asia after Tokyo and Singapore. According to Kwon, Korea is now a top-five country for ChatGPT business users and ranks in the global top ten for both overall usage…
ULAANBAATAR – On the evening of June 2, the Mongolian Parliament convened to discuss a vote of confidence submitted by Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene. The session, which began at 6:00 PM and resumed at 1:30 AM after a break, involved secret ballot voting. Although around 70 members were initially expected to vote, the final count showed that 82 members participated, prompting the preparation of additional ballots. The vote results were presented by the head of the counting committee, MP M.Narantuya-Nara. Out of the 82 votes cast, 44 members supported the Prime Minister, amounting to 53.6%, while 38 voted against. However, a…
BEIJING – The United States’ repeated and unpredictable policy shifts have not only enhanced the risk of deepening its economic and trade frictions with China, but have also weakened its credibility in the international market, analysts and exporters said on Monday. These policy shifts are undermining the confidence of global businesses and investors in US policies, market conditions and assets, they added. Their remarks came after the Ministry of Commerce urged the US to promptly rectify its wrongful actions. In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry said the US has seriously undermined the consensus reached during the China-US economic…
IPOH – The man whose lorry crashed into a baby elephant last month has spoken out about his anguish over the tragedy that broke the heart of a nation. “It weighs heavily on me. Each time I pass by the road, my heart aches,” said the lorry driver, who only wants to be known as Azhar. He was behind the wheel in the early hours of May 11 when the crash happened along the Gerik-Jeli road. The male calf ended up pinned underneath the lorry. Its mother then charged at the lorry to try and free the calf. Eventually, it…
NEW DELHI – Trade tensions and a decline in consumer confidence amid political and economic uncertainty have dented otherwise strong projected demand for air travel. While airlines are expected to carry a record 4.99 billion travellers in 2025 – 4 per cent more than in 2024 – the latest forecast is lower than the 5.22 billion projected by the International Air Transport Association (Iata) in December 2024. Still, airlines are expected to turn in higher profits despite the headwinds. Iata, a global trade body representing 350 carriers, said on June 2 that airline net profits are projected to be US$36…
SEOUL – Exactly six months after the tense night of martial law on Dec. 3, South Koreans head to the polls today to elect a new president. Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. across the country and will close two hours later than usual at 8 p.m. due to the extraordinary nature of today’s vote. The by-election was triggered by the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol after his attempt to invoke emergency military rule — an extraordinary measure last used in 1980 — led to the conservative leader’s downfall. As of 9 a.m., voter turnout was 9.2 percent,…
TOKYO – Satellites orbiting the Earth are essential for weather forecasting, broadcasting and even for locating people. The “eyes” that view the planet from space now have such high resolution that they can boast tremendous capabilities in aiding efficient management of dairy farms and post-disaster recovery and restoration. GRAPHICS: THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN Japan’s first satellite was Ohsumi. It was launched in 1970 by a team from a research institute at the University of Tokyo. A little over half a century later, many types of satellite are indispensable in our daily lives, including earth observation satellites for weather forecasting; communications and…
MANILA – The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that vaccine-preventable diseases are seeing a “dangerous comeback” in countries in the East Asia and Pacific, including the Philippines, with measles cases reaching its peak in the region since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The WHO Western Pacific reported on Wednesday that countries, such as the Philippines, Cambodia, Mongolia and Vietnam have reported a sharp rise in measles cases compared with the same period last year, signalling that far too many children are missing out on life-saving vaccines. Measles cases across the region are now at their highest level since…