Asia - South China Morning Post

South Korea has rejected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s renewed claim to disputed islets in the East Sea, setting off the latest round of diplomatic friction over one of the region’s most enduring territorial disputes.

A senior official at the presidential office in Seoul said on Tuesday there was no ambiguity about who controlled the rocky outcrops – known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan – describing them as “an integral part of Korean territory historically,...

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has revived debate over how the country chooses its regional leaders by using a major gathering of his governing coalition to urge political elites to “be brave” and consider scrapping direct elections.

Prabowo and his supporters argue that shifting to indirect regional elections would cut wasteful spending and curb vote buying, but analysts and activists warn that abandoning direct polls would undercut democratic accountability and risk reversing hard-won...

Malaysian lawyers have accused Melaka police of acting unlawfully after a skirt-wearing mother and daughter were barred from entering a station to report a car accident, reigniting debate over censorious standards applied to how women dress in government buildings.

The pair were involved in a car accident but turned away from a Jasin district police station on Monday as they attempted to make a report.

Melaka state police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar has defended his officer’s action “due to...

South Korea will require advertisers to label their ads made with AI technologies from next year as it seeks to curb a surge of deceptive promotions featuring fabricated experts or deepfake videos and audio of celebrities endorsing food or pharmaceutical products on social media.

Following a policy meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Wednesday, officials said they will ramp up screening and removal of problematic AI-generated ads and impose punitive fines, citing growing risks to...

In a sign that tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have spilled over to other countries, Thais in South Korea have been warned to avoid areas with large Cambodian communities after a bar brawl that left two men injured.

Four Thai men were attacked at a karaoke bar in the Mokpo Daebul district in South Jeolla province when they revealed their nationality to a group of around 15 to 20 Cambodian men, The Nation reported. It is not known when the incident happened.

The Cambodians reportedly...

After more than a decade of false starts, India and the European Union appear closer than ever to clinching a free-trade agreement, buoyed by renewed political will and converging economic interests despite lingering tensions over carbon taxes and Russia.

Analysts say the breakthrough may be near following a fresh round of high-level talks in New Delhi that injected new urgency into negotiations that have been stuck in procedural drift for years. Both sides are seeking to secure supply chains...

Johnson Wen – the man who grabbed singer-actress Ariana Grande at the Asia premiere of Wicked: For Good in Singapore and was subsequently jailed – was kicked out of Lady Gaga’s concert venue in Brisbane, Australia, on Tuesday.

Videos taken by fans at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium show Wen, who also goes by Pyjama Man, being escorted out of the venue before the start of the concert.

It is unclear if the 26-year-old Australian citizen had intended to disrupt Lady Gaga’s concert.

Wen, however, has a...

A faction of BTS member Jungkook’s fans staged a protest truck demonstration in front of Hybe’s headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday, criticising the singer over recent dating speculation involving Aespa member Winter.

According to photos and witness accounts shared online, the truck displayed messages accusing Jungkook of misleading fans and damaging the group’s image.

The LED signs included phrases such as “erase the couple tattoo or step back from BTS activities”, “Are you in your right mind...

When Indonesian farmer Sutiono, 43, saw news footage of the towering inferno at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong on November 26, he immediately called his wife, Siti Khotimah, 40, knowing she worked at the estate.

He had spoken to her just hours earlier on that fateful day. She seemed upbeat and was looking forward to returning home for the first time in seven years. Their daughter’s 11th birthday was only a day away.

Khotimah had come to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper and raise money for her...

The Philippines will move to dismantle the “syndicate” that pilfered public funds while ramping up infrastructure spending early next year to revive the economy, according to a key cabinet official.

The Department of Public Works and Highways will cleanse its ranks to ensure the corruption scandal it is currently embroiled in would not happen again, Secretary Vince Dizon said.

“This syndicate has been here for so long,” Dizon said in an interview on Tuesday. “That’s why it’s very hard to destroy...