Top Asian News 4:43 a.m. GMT

Lawyers of detained South Korean president say he will reject questioning by investigators

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lawyers representing South Korea’s impeached president said Thursday he will refuse further questioning after being detained by anti-corruption officials over his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month, maintaining that the investigation is illegal. President Yoon Suk Yeol exercised his right to remain silent as he underwent more than 10 hours of questioning on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, following a massive law enforcement operation to detain him at his official residence in Seoul. Investigators are expected to move to place him under arrest in the coming days. The anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the military over whether Yoon’s martial law declaration amounted to attempted rebellion, has 48 hours either to request a court order for his formal arrest or to release him.

What to know about the detention of impeached South Korean President Yoon

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After weeks of being holed up in a heavily guarded compound, impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained by hundreds of police and anti-corruption officials for questioning over his imposition of martial law last month. Scuffles occurred during an earlier attempt to detain him on Jan. 3, when dozens of investigators were stopped from entering the compound by presidential security forces, military personnel and vehicle barricades. This time, however, after negotiations between Yoon’s lawyers and officials, the president was whisked away on Wednesday for questioning by the country’s anti-corruption agency. The spectacle at the compound follows Yoon’s astonishing decision last month to impose martial law during a seemingly routine impasse with the opposition, which dominates the National Assembly.

A look at the events that led up to the detention of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained on Wednesday after a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound that ended a weeks-long stand-off between his bodyguards and the country’s anti-corruption agency. He is wanted for questioning about his Dec. 3 decision to impose martial law on the country. The National Assembly voided his short-lived declaration just hours after it was announced. At the time, Yoon claimed he took the action because the liberal opposition, which has a legislative majority, was obstructing his agendas and even the approval of his budget. He described the opposition as North Korea-sympathizing, “anti-state forces” responsible for “wreaking havoc and are the main culprits of our nation’s downfall.” Here is a timeline of events: Anti-corruption investigators and police raid the presidential compound and detain Yoon, more than six weeks after his ill-fated power grab.

Japan and Philippines plan to convey to Trump the need for US engagement in Asia

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Japan and the Philippines will convey to President-elect Donald Trump the urgent need for the U.S. to remain committed to help uphold the rule of law in an Asian region where security concerns have become “increasingly severe,” Japan’s top diplomat said Wednesday. The U.S., Japan and the Philippines have been building an alliance under outgoing President Joe Biden since last year to deal with China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea. Trump’s “America First” foreign policy thrust has triggered concerns about the scale and depth of U.S. commitment to the region under his new term.

Man gets 2 years in US prison for aiding pushy effort to get ex-official to return to China

NEW YORK (AP) — A man convicted in the first trial highlighting U.S. claims that China harasses its critics overseas was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for his role in a creepy campaign to get a former official to return to his homeland. Zhu Yong, a Chinese retiree who faces likely deportation from the U.S. after his prison term, expressed regret while suggesting he didn’t initially think through the implications of what he was doing. “I also plead to the nation, the victims and every American citizen for their forgiveness,” he told a court through a Mandarin-language interpreter. He begged a judge for “a chance to renew myself” and to see his grandchild grow up in the U.S.

Russia says it will help Vietnam become a ‘partner country’ in the BRICS bloc of developing nations

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Russia will facilitate Vietnam’s participation in the BRICS bloc of developing economies as a “partner country,” the countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday after Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s two-day visit to Hanoi. “The Russian side welcomed Vietnam’s active participation in BRICS events in 2024 and expressed its readiness to create favorable conditions if Vietnam joins BRICS as a partner country,” the statement said. BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa added in 2010, as a counterweight to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations. Last year, the bloc added Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

Question on ASEAN stumped Hegseth at Senate hearing. What is it and why is it important?

BANGKOK (AP) — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, grilling President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary over whether he had the “breadth and depth of knowledge” needed to lead international negotiations, asked Pete Hegseth if could name one member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, describe what type of agreement the U.S. had with the countries and how many nations were in the bloc. Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he couldn’t tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.) with Australia.”

UK says a deal on the Chagos Islands won’t be finalized until Trump is consulted

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government confirmed Wednesday that it will not finalize a deal to hand over sovereignty of the contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius until President-elect Donald Trump’s administration is consulted. The governments of Britain and Mauritius have been negotiating in recent months to complete an agreement to settle the future of the disputed Indian Ocean archipelago, which is home to a strategically important U.K.-U.S. naval and bomber base. But the agreement was opposed by Trump and his supporters. The president-elect’s pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, warned last year that the deal posed “a serious threat” to U.S.

The leader of Sri Lanka navigates the China-India rivalry on a visit to Beijing

BEIJING (AP) — Sri Lanka and China signed a series of cooperation agreements on Wednesday following talks between their leaders, one month after Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made India his first overseas trip since winning election last September. The support of the two regional powerhouses — and rivals — is crucial for Sri Lanka to emerge from its worst economic crisis in decades, which led to political upheaval and paved the way for Dissanayake to come to power. China was once seen as having the upper hand in Sri Lanka through its huge loans and infrastructure investments. While China remains the country’s largest bilateral lender, Sri Lanka’s economic collapse provided an opening for India, which stepped in with massive financial and material assistance including food, fuel and medicines.

Pakistan’s premier welcomes World Bank’s 10-year funding plan of $20 billion

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister on Wednesday welcomed the first-of-its-kind agreement with the World Bank under which Islamabad will get $20 billion in funding in 10 years to invest in renewable energy, education, and social sectors. In a post on the X platform, Shehbaz Sharif said the agreement, called the Country Partnership Framework for Pakistan or CPF “reflects the World Bank’s confidence in Pakistan’s economic resilience and potential.” Pakistan in 2023 nearly defaulted on the payment of foreign debts when International Monetary Fund rescued it by agreeing to a $3 billion bailout to Pakistan. Last year, Pakistan secured a new $7 billion loan deal from IMF.