Top Asian News 4:42 a.m. GMT

South Korean court rejects petition to release impeached president detained over martial law

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lawyers for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol failed in their court effort to secure his release on Thursday, a day after he was detained at his residence for questioning over rebellion allegations linked to his martial law declaration last month. Yoon was sent to a detention center near the country’s capital, Seoul, after undergoing more than 10 hours of questioning on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, during which he exercised his right to remain silent. Yoon refused further questioning by the anti-corruption officials on Thursday as his lawyers maintained that the investigation was illegal.

YouTube election fraud conspiracy theories fuel impeached South Korean president and his supporters

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands have braved the frigid January weather in Seoul protests, waving South Korean and American flags and shouting vows to protect their embattled conservative hero, the impeached South Korean president facing imprisonment over potential rebellion charges. The swelling crowds in South Korea’s capital are inspired by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s defiance, but also by the growing power of right-wing YouTubers who portray Yoon as a victim of a leftist, North Korea-sympathizing opposition that has rigged elections to gain a legislative majority and is now plotting to remove a patriotic leader. “Out with fraudulent elections and a fake National Assembly!” read one sign, brandished by an angry man in a fur hat during a recent protest near Yoon’s presidential residence, the site of a massive law enforcement operation Wednesday that made Yoon the country’s first sitting president to be detained in a criminal investigation.

AP PHOTOS: Papua’s noken bag, the knotted legacy of resilience and identity

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — The woman carries bananas, yams and vegetables in a knotted bag on her head as she wanders through a market in a suburban area of Jayapura in eastern Indonesia. Even in the Papua capital and bigger cities of the province, a noken bag where people carry their daily essentials is a common sight. The distinctive bag, handcrafted from natural fibers like tree bark or leaves, is woven and knotted with threads of Papuan heritage. The U.N. cultural agency UNESCO recognized the traditional bag as needing urgent safeguarding in 2012 because there are fewer crafters making noken and more competition from factory-made bags.

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.

More countries, including China, are grappling with shrinking and aging populations

BEIJING (AP) — A growing number of countries are confronting the dual challenges of population decline and aging, as younger generations opt to have fewer children and advances in healthcare extend life expectancy. China said Friday that its population fell for the third straight year in 2024, falling by almost 1.4 million to 1.408 billion. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s population has been falling for 15 years, while South Korea’s growth turned negative in 2021. In Italy, the number of births has fallen below 400,000 for the first time since the 19th century. The population has peaked in 63 countries and territories, about half in Europe, the United Nations says.

China’s population falls for a third straight year, posing challenges for its government and economy

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s population fell last year for the third straight year, its government said Friday, pointing to further demographic challenges for the world’s second most populous nation, which is now facing both an aging population and an emerging shortage of working age people. China’s population stood at 1.408 billion at the end of 2024, a decline of 1.39 million from the previous year. The figures announced by the government in Beijing follow trends worldwide, but especially in East Asia, where Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and other nations have seen their birth rates plummet. China three years ago joined Japan and most of Eastern Europe among other nations whose population is falling.

Japan launches independent mission to NATO as tensions with Russia, China and North Korea rise

TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Thursday formally inaugurated an independent mission to the NATO military alliance as Tokyo and NATO seek to bolster cooperation amid escalating tension from Russia, China and North Korea. Previously, the Japanese embassy in Belgium also covered NATO. The new mission is led by Osamu Izawa, who takes over the role currently filled by the ambassador to Belgium, Masahiro Mikami. In Tokyo on Thursday, Japan and NATO held high-level consultations to discuss regional security issues in East Asia and Europe, according to the Foreign Ministry. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and closer ties between Moscow and Beijing, NATO has deepened its links with Japan and three other Indo-Pacific partners, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, though not as part of the military alliance.

2 Cambodian experts were killed as they attempted to remove an anti-tank mine from a rice field

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Two Cambodian deminers were killed Thursday as they attempted to remove an anti-tank mine left over from the country’s nearly three decades of war and disorder, authorities said. The Cambodian Mines Action Center, the agency that oversees demining operations, said the two men had been working to clear mines from a farmer’s rice field in northwestern Oddar Meanchey province, which was an area of heavy fighting between the government and insurgent Khmer Rouge forces in the 1980s. The two, identified as Pov Nepin and Ouen Channara, died at the scene after the mine they were working on removing exploded, the agency said.

China’s economy expands 5% in 2024, hitting target helped by strong exports, stimulus measures

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in 2024, slower than the year before but in line with Beijing’s target of “around 5%” growth, helped by strong exports and recent stimulus measures. In quarterly terms, the economy grew 5.4% in October-December, the government reported Friday. Exports accelerated as companies and consumers rushed to beat potential tariff hikes incoming President-elect Donald Trump may impose on Chinese goods. “The national economy was generally stable with steady progress and new achievements were made in high-quality development,” according to the report by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday. “Particularly, with a package of incremental policies being timely rolled out, the social confidence was effectively bolstered and the economy recovered remarkably,” it said.