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July
Anger in South Korea as court rejects removing minister over Halloween crush
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea's top court on Tuesday ruled against a parliamentary vote to impeach the interior minister over what critics said was a botched response to a deadly Halloween crush in Seoul last year, provoking anger and dismay among victims' relatives.
Some relatives at the hearing broke down in tears after the Constitutional Court ruling, with two mothers collapsing and taken away by an ambulance, according to a Reuters witness. There was a heavy police presence at the court.
Lawmakers in February voted to impeach minister Lee Sang-min, urging him to take responsibility for the failure of the response to a crowd surge that killed 159 people, most of them young people celebrating Halloween, in Seoul's Itaewon nightlife district.
"This disastrous incident was not caused and exacerbated by a single cause or person," Lee Jong-seok, a justice at the court said, adding that different government agencies were not able to respond in a coordinated way to big disasters.
While the court found the minister had made inappropriate remarks about how the disaster unfolded, it said in a statement the comments did not amount to grounds for impeachment and ruled he had not neglected his duties. The decision was unanimous, the court said.
Lee, who did not attend the hearing, said later in a statement issued by his ministry that it was time to unite and stop "wasteful political strife" over the disaster.
Dozens of relatives and their supporters gathered in front of the court chanting "condemn the constitutional court that gave immunity to Lee Sang-min".
Choi Sun-mi, the mother of victim Park Ga-young, said the ruling as "truly devastating".
"Our children, young people, are living in a place that isn't safe to even walk in," said Choi, whose hands were shaking as she choked back tears.
President Yoon Suk Yeol had rejected an opposition demand that he sack Lee.
The president's office and the ruling party denounced their rival Democrats and accused the party of abusing its majority in parliament to push the impeachment.
Before the ruling, dozens of members of right-wing groups rallied outside the court, calling on it to dismiss the impeachment and branding it an opposition ploy.
In June, the opposition-led National Assembly decided to fast-track a bill aimed at an independent investigation of the crowd crush.
The Itaewon district is known as a place of fun and freedom but its narrow, steep streets and limited access points proved a lethal mixture for the partygoers who became trapped and crushed. (Reuters)
July
North Korea fires two missiles after US submarine arrives in South
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast late on Monday, South Korea's military said, hours after a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrived in a naval base in the South.
Japan's defence ministry also reported the launch of what it said were two ballistic missiles by North Korea, both of which fell outside its exclusive economic zone.
The launches come amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula as South Korea and the United States take steps to increase their military readiness against North Korea's weapons programme with the deployment of U.S. strategic military assets.
North Korea has reacted angrily, saying such a deployment could meet the criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.
The United States said it was consulting closely with its allies about the North Korean missile launches, which it described as being destabilising.
In a statement on Monday, the U.S. military added the launches posed no immediate threat to U.S. personnel and territory or to U.S. allies.
Earlier on Monday, a nuclear-powered U.S. submarine entered a naval base in South Korea's southern island of Jeju to load military supplies while on an unspecified operational mission, the South Korean navy said.
Over the weekend, the North fired a barrage of cruise missiles into the sea off its west coast.
Last week, North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests after a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine arrived at a South Korean port for the first time since the 1980s. (Reuters)
July
China, Taiwan prepare for their most powerful typhoon this year
Written by Nur Yasmin
China urged fishing boats to seek shelter and farmers to speed up their harvest while Taiwan suspended annual military drills as Super Typhoon Doksuri spiralled closer to East Asia, potentially reaching deep into China.
Doksuri is likely to be the most powerful typhoon to land in China so far in the storm season this year. China narrowly escaped from Typhoon Mawar, one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record for the month of May, which was headed for China but later swung north towards Japan before dissipating.
Nearly 1,000 km (620 miles) in diameter, Doksuri is expected to sweep past lightly populated islands off the northern tip of the Philippines by mid-week while fierce winds and heavy rain lash Taiwan to the north.
Philippine authorities have already raised storm warning levels in the capital region and dozens of northern provinces, and have begun evacuating some coastal communities in the path of the storm.
Currently packing top wind speeds of 138 miles per hour (223 kph), Doksuri will make landfall on the Chinese mainland somewhere between Fujian and Guangdong provinces on Friday, China's National Meteorological Center said on Tuesday.
While Doksuri is expected to lose some power and land as either a typhoon or severe typhoon, it will still hammer Chinese cities with torrential rain and strong winds.
Fujian has ordered all offshore fishing boats to find refuge at the nearest port by Wednesday noon and told farmers to harvest their rice and other crops that have matured.
Hong Kong will suspend some high-speed rail services from Wednesday to Friday between the former British colony and coastal cities on the mainland including Fujian's Xiamen.
Concerned about autumn grain crops, China's ministry of agriculture and rural affairs warned on Monday that Doksuri could go deep inland after landing, affecting high-stalk crops such as corn and even rice in rural areas.
After the storm has passed, plots without broken stalks should be straightened quickly and waterlogged fields should be drained in time, with fast-acting fertilisers applied to hasten the recovery of plants, the ministry said.
SOME DRILLS CANCELLED
Taiwan cancelled some of its annual military drills on Tuesday for safety reasons as authorities stepped up preparations for what they say could be the most damaging typhoon to hit the island in nearly four years.
It was not clear how the typhoon could further impact the five-day Han Kuang exercise, set to take place throughout the island this week with a focus on defending the island's main international airport and how to keep sea lanes open in the event of a Chinese blockade.
Beijing has never renounced using force to bring the democratically governed island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and has vowed to defend its freedom and democracy.
Taiwan's weather bureau issued sea and land warnings for southern Pingtun county and urged communities to brace for heavy rains and strong winds.
In the southern port city of Kaohsiung, authorities were rushing to collect hundreds of containers drifting in the sea after container ship Angel sank off Taiwan's southwestern coast last week.
"Taiwan has not seen any typhoon making landfall in more than 1,400 days, and that's why I urge all government ministries that they must gear up and make preparations," Premier Chen Chien-jen said in a post on Facebook.
"I'd like to remind citizens not to underestimate typhoon threats." (Reuters)
July
Chinese citizen injured in Auckland shooting - state media
Written by Nur Yasmin
A Chinese citizen was injured on Thursday in the shooting in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland, state media said citing the Chinese Consulate General in Auckland.
The person is currently in stable condition, the media report said on Friday. (Reuters)
July
US Treasury's Yellen sees Vietnam as key partner in 'friendshoring' supply chains
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States sees Vietnam as a key partner in expanding green energy sources and building more resilient supply chains, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a speech to be delivered in the country's capital of Hanoi on Friday.
Yellen, continuing her travels in Asia, told the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council that trade between the two countries had been growing at nearly 25% a year for the past two decades, and reached a record high last year.
"There is no sign that this momentum is slowing," Yellen said in a text of her prepared remarks released late on Thursday in Washington, noting that investment in Vietnam's semiconductor sector was also accelerating.
Yellen's visit is part of a push by the United States to upgrade its formal ties with Vietnam as it works to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains by expanding manufacturing at home and boosting trade with trusted partners. But its efforts have met some resistance in Hanoi, over what experts see as concerns that China could view the move as hostile.
The United States and Vietnam normalized relations in 1995, two decades after the end of the Vietnam War, and signed a bilateral trade agreement five years later.
Yellen noted that Vietnam had become a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain, and cited big investments made by U.S. companies in Vietnam, including Arizona-based Amkor (AMKR.O) and Intel (INTC.O), which has its largest assembly and testing facility in the world in Saigon.
Yellen's speech did not mention China, which she visited earlier this month. She underscored that Washington's "friendshoring" drive was not meant for "an exclusive club of countries. It is open and inclusive of advanced economies, emerging markets and developing countries alike."
She said Washington was looking to strengthen ties with emerging markets and developing countries, including through the Group of Seven's pledge to mobilize $600 billion in infrastructure investments, which experts see as a deliberate counterweight to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
The United States is also working to help countries address the worsening climate crisis, Yellen said, citing U.S. support for Vietnam's Just Energy Transition Partnership that is working to mobilize $15 billion in public and private funds to help Vietnam transition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050
"Now, it is vital to intensify our cooperation to build momentum for these efforts in Vietnam, evaluate project opportunities with the multilateral development banks, and deliver a Resource Mobilization Plan that provides a roadmap for implementation," she said. (Reuters)
July
Mounting US worries over Private Travis King after silence from North Korea
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States on Thursday voiced mounting concern over Army Private Travis King, who dashed into North Korea two days ago, saying Pyongyang had a history of mistreating captured Americans.
U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, in her first public comments on the case, said Washington was fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang, including through United Nations communications channels.
But North Korea had yet to offer any response, officials said.
"I worry about him, frankly," Wormuth told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. She cited the case of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. college student who was imprisoned in North Korea for 17 months before dying shortly after he was returned to the United States in a coma in 2017.
"I worry about how they may treat him. So, (we) want to get him back."
At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also expressed concern: "This is not a country that is known for humane treatment of Americans - or frankly anybody else for that matter."
American officials remained stumped about why King ran across the border into North Korea. But Wormuth acknowledged he was likely worried about facing further disciplinary action from the Army upon his return home to the United States.
She said she was not aware of any information demonstrating the 23-year-old was a North Korea sympathizer, and the Pentagon played down suggestions he might present an intelligence liability.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the U.S. Army's counter-intelligence office and U.S. forces in South Korea were carrying out an investigation into what drove King to make such a puzzling decision.
STILL ALIVE?
Singh declined to directly respond to a question about whether the Pentagon believed King was still alive. She said the U.S. military could not offer any information at all about King's status.
"We don't know his condition. We don't know where he's being held. We don't know the status of his health," Singh said, describing his formal status in the military as "AWOL," or absent without leave.
North Korea has remained silent about King and U.S. officials say Pyongyang has not responded to communication from the American military about the soldier. North Korea's state media, which has in the past reported on the detention of U.S. nationals, has not commented on the incident so far.
Speaking in Japan, U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim said the United States was "working very hard" to determine King's status and well-being and is actively engaged in ensuring his safety and return. Kim did not provide any details.
King was on a civilian tour of the Panmunjom truce village on Tuesday when he dashed across the Military Demarcation Line that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War ended with an armistice in 1953.
King had been fined for assault while stationed in South Korea and had been detained for more than a month before being escorted to Incheon International Airport by the U.S. military for a commercial flight to Dallas, Texas, according to U.S. officials.
Once past security checks, he told airline staff at the departure gate he had lost his passport and returned to the terminal, an airport official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Wormuth said King "may not have been thinking clearly, frankly."
"He had assaulted an individual in South Korea and had been in custody of the South Korean government and was going to come back to the United States and face the consequences in the Army," she said. "I'm sure that he was grappling with that."
North Korea and the United States have no formal diplomatic ties following years of international sanctions imposed on the reclusive state for its nuclear arms and missile programs that have drawn frequent U.N. condemnation.
Asked whether King might have sympathized with North Korea, Wormuth said: "I don't think we have any information that points to that clearly."
The Pentagon said it was not aware of any changes to freedom of movement to roughly 28,500 U.S. forces in South Korea.
Tensions are heightened on the Korean peninsula. The North has been conducting ballistic missile tests, the latest coinciding with the arrival in South Korea of a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine for the first time since the 1980s.
Last week, North Korea launched its newest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which it said had the longest flight time ever.
On Monday, North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un and a powerful ruling party official, said the United States should stop its "foolish act" of provoking North Korea and said it was putting its security at risk.
She made her comments after White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington remained concerned that North Korea would carry out another ICBM test. (Reuters)
July
Japan's inflation may have peaked, no imminent change seen to BOJ policy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan's core inflation stayed above the central bank's 2% target in June for the 15th straight month but an index stripping away the effect of energy costs slowed, data showed, suggesting the prolonged commodity-driven price pressures may have peaked.
Yet, with services price growth also slowing last month, policymakers will feel that wage pressures have yet to build up enough to warrant an imminent tweak to the ultra-loose monetary stance.
Services prices, closely watched by policymakers on whether inflation is becoming driven more by higher labour costs, rose 1.6% in June from a year earlier after a 1.7% gain in May.
The data comes ahead of the BOJ's closely-watched policy meeting on July 27-28, when the board will release fresh quarterly projections and discuss how much progress Japan is making towards sustainably achieving its 2% inflation target.
Core inflation in Japan's capital, set for release hours before the BOJ's policy announcement on July 28, also likely slowed sharply in July, according to a Reuters poll.
With inflation having exceeded the BOJ's target for more than a year, markets are simmering with speculation the BOJ could soon phase out its controversial yield curve control (YCC) policy as early as next week.
BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda has stressed the need to keep policy ultra-loose until the recent cost-push inflation shifts into one driven by robust domestic demand and higher wage growth.
The key would be whether companies will continue offering higher pay next year, similar to this year, and start translating the rise in labour costs to services prices.
"If more firms hike wages and pass on the cost, services prices could overshoot," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.
"Inflation excluding food and energy will likely moderate ahead, but the pace of slowdown could be gradual."
Under YCC, the BOJ guides short-term interest rates at -0.1% and buys huge amounts of government bonds to cap the 10-year bond yield around 0% as part of efforts to fire up inflation to its 2% target. (Reuters)
July
Japan and UAE agree innovation, climate change cooperation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan and the United Arab Emirates agreed to cooperate on technology and climate change during Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit, his second stop in the region focused on securing energy supplies and promoting green technology.
Kishida met with Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Monday, during which they agreed to a new Japan-UAE innovation partnership, Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The partnership would include a new scheme to accelerate energy security, as well as a framework for the UAE to cooperate with and invest in Japan on chip and battery technology, according to the statement issued late on Monday.
The two leaders also adopted a joint statement on climate action, which said that both remain committed to the goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and acknowledged "the role of clean hydrogen and derivatives including ammonia in accelerating the energy transition".
State news agency WAM also said the two leaders discussed a comprehensive strategic partnership between the UAE and Japan. They signed several agreements covering different sectors, WAM added.
Kishida is expected to attend a UAE-Japan business forum later before travelling to major gas-producer Qatar on Tuesday, officials said.
Japan is actively developing greener and renewable energy technologies and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. Kishida will also try to promote Japanese know-how as energy-producing countries have pledged to achieve a net zero transition, especially ahead of the COP28 climate summit to be held in Dubai in November.
His UAE visit follows a stop in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in which Riyadh said it remained committed to securing oil supplies for Japan and would continue cooperating with Tokyo on clean hydrogen, ammonia and recycled carbon fuels.
Kishida and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, agreed to launch "Manar" initiative, which will help countries around the world achieve their net zero transitions, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Monday.
Tokyo and Riyadh are also set to start a new strategic dialogue at the foreign minister level - a move both leaders welcomed in their summit meeting, according to a statement released by the Japanese foreign ministry on Monday.
"Both leaders agreed to further energise exchanges, which cover politics, diplomacy, and security, between the two countries," the statement said.
Japan and the six-country Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will in 2024 resume talks on a free trade agreement, said Hikariko Ono, press secretary for Japan's foreign ministry. The GCC is a six-nation regional union that comprises Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
"We don't really have any target year to complete a negotiation," she said on Monday, adding that previous trade talks with the GCC were suspended in 2009.
State oil giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has previously said that Japan imports approximately 25% of its crude oil from the UAE, making it ADNOC's largest international importer of oil and gas products.
"The secure energy supply from the UAE has supported Japan's economic growth for many years," Kishida wrote in a piece published by UAE state news agency WAM on Sunday.
A senior official at Japan's foreign ministry told reporters this week that Kishida planned to discuss energy markets during his trip, while also aiming to offer Japanese technologies for net zero transition. (Reuters)
July
Taiwan says looking to buy NASAMS air defence system from US
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan is looking to buy National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, from the United States to upgrade its air defence capabilities having seen how well they work in Ukraine, the island's defence minister said on Tuesday.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military and political pressure over the past three years to try to force the democratically governed island to accept Beijing's rule.
NASAMS have been provided by the United States for use in Ukraine, with U.S. officials saying they have had a 100% success rate in intercepting Russian missiles.
The system, developed and built by Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) and Norway's Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG.OL) is a short- to medium-range ground-based air defence system that protects against drone, missile, and aircraft attack, which both Canada and Lithuania have also bought, or are buying for Ukraine.
Asked on the sidelines of parliament about Taiwan buying NASAMS, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said "certainly" there was a proposal to get them.
"This work must be done in accordance with the enemy situation," he said. "We have seen from the Russia-Ukraine war that these weapons definitely have good performance."
However, Taiwan has not received any official notification from the U.S. that they will sell NASAMS to Taipei, Chiu said.
"But we need this work to be done as soon as possible."
The U.S., Taiwan's main foreign source of weapons, formally makes notifications to the island about the arms Washington is willing to sell.
The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite a lack of formal diplomatic relations. China routinely denounces such arms sales.
Taiwan's military has been paying close attention to the war in Ukraine for lessons on defending against a much larger opponent, for example by the use of drones. (Reuters)
July
Malaysia charges opposition leader with sedition over remarks on royalty
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysia on Tuesday charged opposition leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor with sedition for allegedly insulting the country's revered sultans, state media Bernama reported.
Muhammad Sanusi, a popular politician with the Islamist party PAS and the chief minister of Kedah state, has pleaded not guilty, according to the report, which said he was charged with two counts of sedition over remarks made in a political speech this month.
Malaysia's sultans play a largely ceremonial role, including acting as custodians of Islam in the Muslim-majority country, and are held in deep respect.
Negative remarks about its royalty can be prosecuted under a colonial-era Sedition Act, which has been used against people who criticise the sultans on social media.
It is similar to Thailand, which has a strict lese majeste law prohibiting insults against its monarchy. However, sedition charges against Malaysian politicians have been rare in recent years.
The charges come as political tensions rise in Malaysia ahead of next month's regional polls in which the opposition alliance - which includes PAS - is expected to pose a strong challenge to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling alliance.
Kedah is one of the six states that will elect a new government on Aug. 12.
Muhammad Sanusi's remarks, according to other media reports, questioned decisions taken by the royalty regarding the formation of government in the federal and state level.
If found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison and a maximum penalty of 5,000 ringgit ($1,102.54). (Reuters)