Top Asian News 4:09 p.m. GMT

South Korea’s liberal leader Lee wins party nomination to run for president

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung, a liberal who wants greater economic parity in South Korea and warmer ties with North Korea, became the main opposition party’s presidential candidate Sunday, solidifying his position as front-runner to succeed recently ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol. The former Democratic Party chief had led the opposition-controlled parliament’s impeachment of Yoon over the imposition of martial law in December. The country’s Constitutional Court formally dismissed Yoon earlier this month, prompting an early presidential election on June 3 to find a new president. In a nationally televised announcement, the Democratic Party announced that Lee won its presidential nomination with nearly 90% of the votes cast during the primary that ended Sunday, defeating two competitors.

Pakistani troops kill 54 militants attempting to sneak into Pakistan from Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces overnight killed 54 militants who attempted to cross into the country from Afghanistan, the military said Sunday, marking one of the deadliest such killings in recent years. The military said in a statement that intelligence reports indicated that the killed militants were “Khwarij” — a phrase the government uses for the Pakistani Taliban. Without directly blaming anyone, the military said that the slain insurgents had been sent by their “foreign masters” to carry out high-profile attacks inside Pakistan. The insurgents were spotted and killed near the former stronghold of Pakistan Taliban near North Waziristan, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border.

US forces deploy anti-ship missiles in Philippines and stage live-fire drills near China hotspots

BATAN ISLAND, Philippines (AP) — The U.S. military has deployed an anti-ship missile launcher for the first time on Batan Island in the Philippines, as Marines unloaded the high-precision weapon on the northern tip of the archipelago, just a sea border away from Taiwan. U.S. and Philippine forces separately unleashed a barrage of missile and artillery fire that shot down several drones acting as hostile aircraft in live-fire drills on Sunday in Zambales province facing the disputed South China Sea. The mock battle scenarios over the weekend in the annual Balikatan exercises between the U.S. and its oldest treaty ally in Asia, the Philippines, not only simulated real-life war.

9 killed as a vehicle plows into a Filipino street festival crowd in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A man drove a vehicle into a crowd at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 20 others, in what authorities described as a car ramming attack that shook the country ahead of federal elections. The vehicle entered the street at 8:14 p.m. Saturday and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, the Vancouver Police Department said in a social media post. A Vancouver man was arrested and authorities are still investigating the motive, but police said that initially they are confident it’s not an act of terrorism.

Here’s why a flare-up between India and Pakistan over Kashmir matters

NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Pakistan have intensified their hostilities over the hotly contested Kashmir region following a massacre of 26 mostly Indian tourists, which New Delhi linked to Pakistan. Pakistan denies it was behind Tuesday’s attack by gunmen on a group of tourists in Kashmir. Both sides have since escalated the tensions by exchanging diplomatic and trade sanctions against each other and raising fears of a military conflict. Here are five reasons why a flare-up between India and Pakistan matters: Under intense domestic pressure, India has hinted at the possibility of a limited military strike on Pakistan in response to what it called the “terror attack” with “cross-border links.” Pakistan made it clear that it will respond militarily to an attack.

AP PHOTOS: Thousands of Buddhists participate in Lotus Lantern Festival in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands of Buddhist believers and festival-goers filled downtown Seoul for Yeon Deung Hoe, or the Lotus Lantern Festival. Participants, some dressed in traditional Korean Hanbok clothing, carried lotus lanterns of different shapes and colors. The festival was originally a celebration rooted in Buddhism but has evolved into an annual cultural event, drawing a large number of participants and spectators each year. With a history spanning over 1,200 years, the festival is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as well as Korea’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The festival aims to spread the enlightenment of the founder of Buddhism across the world.

Indian military says Pakistani troops fired at positions along the border in disputed Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Pakistani soldiers fired at Indian posts along the highly militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir for a second consecutive night, the Indian military said Saturday, as tensions flared between the nuclear-armed rivals following a deadly attack on tourists last week. India described the massacre, in which gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, as a “terror attack” and accused Pakistan of backing it. Pakistan denies the charge. The assault, near the resort town of Pahalgam in India-controlled Kashmir, was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance. It was the restive region’s worst assault targeting civilians in years.

Virginia Giuffre, who accused Britain’s Prince Andrew in Epstein sex trafficking scandal, has died

Virginia Giuffre, who accused Britain’s Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager trafficked by financier Jeffrey Epstein, has died. She was 41. Giuffre died by suicide Friday at her farm in Western Australia, her publicist confirmed. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors,” her family said in a statement. “Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure.” Her publicist Dini von Mueffling described Giuffre as “deeply loving, wise and funny.” “She adored her children and many animals.

North Korean leader Kim touts new naval destroyer, blames US for tensions

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled a new naval destroyer, claiming it as a significant advancement toward his goal of expanding the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military, state media said Saturday. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim attended the launching ceremony for the 5,000-ton warship on Friday at the western port of Nampo. Kim framed the arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the United States and its allies in Asia, who have been expanding joint military exercises amid rising tensions over the North’s nuclear program.

A Pakistani who wounded ex-Prime Minister Khan in 2022 attack is sentenced to life

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani man who shot and wounded former Prime Minister Imran Khan and killed one of his supporters in 2022 was convicted and sentenced Saturday to life in prison, his lawyer said. The attacker, Naveed Ahmad, was arrested shortly after he opened fire on Khan in Wazirabad, a city in Punjab province, wounding him in the leg. Khan was traveling in a convoy of vehicles on his way to a rally in Islamabad in November 2022, after he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April that year. He is currently serving prison sentences for corruption, revealing official secrets and violating marriage laws.