asia

The South Korean government's response to China's forced repatriation of North Korean escapees has seemed somewhat subdued, amid desperate efforts to maintain the cautious improvement of bilateral ties between Seoul and Beijing and eventually pave the way for a long-delayed three-way summit including Japan, anticipated later this month.

Mission accomplished: Given China's ambitions, this was probably the dominant feeling in the Chinese presidential plane as it took off from Budapest on Friday, May 10, at the end of Xi Jinping's first tour of Europe in five years. The trip, which took the Chinese president to France, then Serbia and Hungary, principally enabled him to display the commercial and geopolitical objectives of Chinese power, without offering any concessions to the leaders of the European Union.

An MP from a party allied with Prime Minister Modi’s BJP in Karnataka state has been accused of sexually abusing multiple women, sparking a controversy amid a national election.

The incoming head of Korea's leading doctors' lobby group reiterated on Sunday the call for the government to scrap the planned medical school quota hike to initiate dialogue with the medical community.

Two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopters crashed during a drill in the Pacific late Saturday, leaving at least one of the eight crew members dead, with the other seven still missing, Japan's defense minister said.

Criticism is mounting over President Yoon Suk Yeol's style of delivering messages, particularly in light of recent instances where he conveyed uncompromising and self-justifying statements during televised addresses. Subsequently, his aides have sought to mitigate public backlash by offering contradictory interpretations.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DPK) retained a majority in the National Assembly in Wednesday's general elections in another major setback for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Cherry blossoms bloomed Friday across Japan including Tokyo and Kyoto, coming slightly later than usual following relatively low temperatures seen in many areas through March, the weather agency said.

Cheap Chinese goods are flooding into Korea amid the growing presence of Chinese e-commerce platforms, creating both favorable and unfavorable circumstances for the Korean economy as it tries to lessen reliance on China, according to scholars and consumer groups, Friday.

People from all walks of life in Pakistan have strongly condemned the terrorist attack that killed five Chinese nationals and one Pakistani, saying the country will take all necessary measures to hunt down the perpetrators of the heinous act.