Top Asian News 3:32 a.m. GMT

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo reinstated as acting president after impeachment overturned

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating the nation’s No. 2 official as acting leader Monday while not yet ruling on the separate impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his shocking imposition of martial law in December. Many observers said the 7-1 ruling in Han’s case did not signal much about the upcoming verdict on Yoon, as Han wasn’t a key figure in imposing martial law. But the ruling could still embolden Yoon’s staunch supporters and ramp up their political offensive on the opposition. Speaking with reporters following his reinstatement, Han thanked the court for what he called “a wise decision” and promised to focus on tackling “urgent matters,” including a fast-changing global trade environment, in an apparent reference to the Trump administration’s aggressive tariffs policy.

What to know about the reinstatement of South Korea’s No. 2 leader and the Yoon ruling to come

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In the latest twist in South Korea’s ongoing political crisis, the country’s Constitutional Court reinstated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting leader, overturning his impeachment by opposition lawmakers three months ago. The court’s ruling on Monday marks just one front in the deepening turmoil as it simultaneously weighs the far more consequential case of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose December impeachment over his brief but stunning martial law decree has left the country’s leadership in limbo for months. Here’s a look at the court’s decision and what’s ahead: The prime minister typically holds limited authority as the country’s second-highest official.

Thai officials secretly planned to deport Uyghurs while making repeated public denials

BANGKOK (AP) — In late February, representatives of a Thai Muslim organization brought a reassuring message to 40 Uyghur men terrified they were going to be sent back to China: The government had no immediate plans to deport them. Less than 72 hours later, the men were on a plane bound for China’s far west Xinjiang region, where U.N. experts say they could face torture or other punishment. Thailand decided to deport the men more than a month earlier, while denying plans to do so to the public, lawmakers and Muslim religious leaders until almost the very end, according to testimony from parliamentary inquiries, interviews, meeting notes and voice messages.

Thailand’s prime minister faces a no-confidence vote over alleged influence by her father

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Monday faced a no-confidence motion in parliament as the opposition alleged she was being unduly influenced by her father, a former prime minister, and is mismanaging the country. Paetongtarn, who took office last year, is expected to survive her first no-confidence vote on Wednesday with the backing of her ruling coalition that makes up the majority of the House of Representatives. The head of the opposition in parliament, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, said Paetongtarn had failed to address many of the country’s chronic problems including the slumping economy, air pollution, crimes and corruption. He said her administration was serving the interests of her family and her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a popular but highly controversial political figure.

Han Jong-Hee, who elevated Samsung’s television business, dies

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Han Jong-Hee, a senior Samsung Electronics executive credited with elevating the company’s television business, died Tuesday, the company said. He was 63. Han, a co-chief executive who oversaw the company’s consumer electronics and mobile devices businesses, died at a hospital after being treated for cardiac arrest, Samsung said. Han joined Samsung in 1988 and spent most of his career in TV-related divisions, during which the company became the world’s leading TV manufacturer. He was appointed co-vice chairman and CEO in 2022. Samsung, one of the world’s largest technology companies, has dual strengths in components and finished consumer products.

Comedian’s jokes about an Indian state leader are being investigated as potential defamation

NEW DELHI (AP) — A comedian popular for his biting political humor is being investigated for possible defamation over jokes made about an Indian state leader who is an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in yet another case raising questions over freedom of speech in the country. Police in the western city of Mumbai opened the investigation Monday against Kunal Kamra over a comedy skit referring to Eknath Shinde, the second highest elected leader of Maharashtra state, following a complaint filed by a politician from Shinde’s Shiv Sena party. Kamra had made the remarks in a comedy skit, but it was unclear when the performance took place.

Japan’s cherry blossom season begins as first blooms appear in Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — Japan ‘s official cherry blossom spotters on Monday confirmed the first blooming of the country’s favorite flower, declaring the official start of the festive season in the Japanese capital. An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency carefully examined the specimen tree of Somei Yoshino variety at Tokyo’s Yasukuni shrine and announced that more than five blossoms — the minimum required for the announcement — were flowering on it. The opening matched the average year and was five days earlier than last year, according to the JMA. Cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” are Japan’s favorite flower and usually reach their peak in late March to early April, just as the country celebrates the start of a new school and business year.

Philippine defense chief calls China’s claims in the South China Sea ‘the biggest fiction and lie’

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine defense chief on Monday called China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea “the biggest fiction and lie” that no Southeast Asian country would accept and said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aggressive policies have undermined international goodwill fostered by his predecessors. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro fired off his latest tirade against China’s increasingly assertive actions in the region on the same day that the Philippine coast guard separately reported new incidents involving Chinese forces in the Scarborough Shoal, a hotly disputed fishing atoll in the disputed waterway. A Chinese military helicopter appeared to have tailed, but didn’t closely approach, a Philippine lightplane undertaking a routine patrol Monday over Scarborough.

A mix of science and tradition helps restore relics in China’s Forbidden City

BEIJING (AP) — It’s highly technical work in what looks more like a lab than a museum: A fragment of a glazed roof tile from Beijing’s Forbidden City is analyzed in a state-of-the-art X-ray diffraction machine that produces images, which are then projected onto computer screens. The fragment being examined has a dark area on its surface that restorers want to understand. Their objective is to better preserve the artifacts at the sprawling imperial palace, the former home of China’s emperors and its seat of power for hundreds of years. “We want to learn what the black material is,” said Kang Baoqiang, one of the restorers at the complex, today a museum that attracts tourists from all over the world.

A vehicle barrels into pedestrian space in central Japan, killing a schoolgirl

TOKYO (AP) — A vehicle struck four children riding bicycles on a street in central Japan on Monday, killing one and injuring the others, one seriously. The 78-year-old driver was arrested, officials said. The crash occurred in the city of Hamamatsu. Officials said the two other children suffered no life-threatening injuries. The Hamamatsu fire department said the children were elementary schoolgirls, aged under 10. Police arrested the driver of a white mini truck, a farmer, for alleged negligence. Television footage showed the bicycles, with one crushed and mangled near the truck that apparently barreled into pedestrian space on the one-lane street and hit the children from behind.