Shifting Power Dynamics in Asiaactive

An analysis of voting trends shows India’s leader is seeing success at uniting the Hindu majority.

Kim Jong Un is pushing for a modernized naval fleet that challenges Washington and its allies.

A bonfire of red tape to unleash investment and complete stalled projects across Vietnam may drive economic expansion but is unlikely to offset the damage caused by US tariffs and the fuel crisis which have threatened the country’s growth ambitions. Vietnam’s Communist Party General-Secretary and President To Lam, the most powerful leader in a generation, has set an annual growth target of 10 per cent until 2030 to galvanise a nation whose ponderous bureaucracy has snarled private investment and...

Voters eager for change gave the country’s Hindu nationalists a landslide win in a key state where they had never before ruled.

North Korea has removed references to "national reunification" from its constitution and has newly defined its territory as land bordering South Korea, a move that analysts say may signal Pyongyang's intent to avoid direct conflict with Seoul. The constitutional overhaul is widely seen as aligning with North Korea's evolving stance towards Seoul, shifting away from reunification and towards a more formalized state-to-state relationship. Pyongyang took more than two and a half years to revise the...

Revised texts scrub references to original doctrine while defining country’s borders

North Korea has rewritten its constitution to erase any goal of reunification with the South. The move locks in Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Un's shift toward treating Seoul as a permanent adversary.

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- The presiding judge of former first lady Kim Keon Hee's...

North Korea welcomed foreign visitors and firms to a trade fair this week, showcasing domestically produced products, including the latest model of its sleek Jindallae smartphone. Diplomatically isolated and subject to strict sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programs, North Korea has an aging manufacturing base, and analysts doubt its ability to produce high-quality consumer technology. Nevertheless, Pyongyang has promoted the Jindallae – "azalea" in Korean – as a convenient way for citizens to stay connected.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense has dismissed four army officers for their involvement in the short-lived state of emergency declared by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2024, for which he has been sentenced to life imprisonment for "insurrection." Brigadier General Kim Jeong Geun, Colonel An Mu Seong, and Colonel Kim Se Un have been discharged from military service, the most severe disciplinary sanction, which also entails a 50% reduction in their pension, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. Brigadier General Kim and Colonel An are accused of deploying troops to the National Assembly on the night the state of emergency was declared, while Colonel Kim is accused of transporting the troops to the scene. Meanwhile, Colonel Kim Sang Yong, former deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation Command of the Ministry of Defense, has also been discharged from military service, the second most severe disciplinary sanction, for his alleged involvement in forming a team to arrest key politicians and other prominent figures. This sanction does not affect his military pension benefits. These sanctions are part of an internal investigation launched by the Ministry of Defense regarding the events that occurred on December 3, 2024, and involve approximately 860 officers, of whom 180 have been identified for their involvement in what happened that day. The state of emergency...

Modi's BJP won the key state of West Bengal for the first time. But the vote has thrown up questions that won't go away.

India’s opposition parties allege large-scale violations in counting of votes that led to Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide victory in West Bengal, ousting Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

The party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took control of West Bengal for the first time and made gains around the country. Its defeated opponents accused it of cheating.

Indian PM Narendra Modi’s party has secured its first-ever election victory in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. The victory bolsters Modi’s standing as the nation’s most popular leader and expands the BJP's support base across the country. (Source: Bloomberg)

North Korean athletes are set to step onto South Korean soil for the first time in eight years, raising hopes that sports could again help ease bilateral tensions even as Pyongyang continues to define Seoul as a hostile state. Naegohyang Women’s FC of North Korea have confirmed their participation in the 2025–2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League (AWCL). “We have been informed by the AFC that Naegohyang Women’s FC have expressed their intention to participate in the...

Vote counting is underway following polls across key regions in India. West Bengal is emerging as the main battleground and the outcome will test Prime Minister Modi's ability to expand beyond the core BJP base. Bloomberg's Sudhi Ranjan Sen reports. (Source: Bloomberg)

On a quiet March morning at Incheon International Airport, the head of a government agency responsible for administering industrial accident insurance stood before a memorial adorned with flowers and a photo of Nguyen Van Tuan. The 23-year-old Vietnamese worker had died 10 days earlier in a conveyor belt accident at a gravel factory in Icheon, Gyeonggi province. Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (K-Comwel) President Park Jong-kil bowed deeply, offered flowers and placed his hand on...

During her visit to Vietnam, Prime Minister Kaishi met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vo Van Thuong, and they agreed to strengthen cooperation in building a resilient supply chain for critical minerals, including rare earth elements, produced in Vietnam.

Behind Samsung's success lies a dynasty fueled by ambition, wealth, tradition, and rivalries, which shaped both the company and the economy of South Korea.

Author Amitav Ghosh has cultivated a global readership with novels that are grounded in historical research. His latest work is "Ghost-Eye," and it's a deeply personal project, as he discusses with Mishal Husain. (Source: Bloomberg)

Ratna Debnath is a candidate for the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, which is campaigning on women’s safety in a state election.

Last year, the Election Commission of India launched a "Special Intensive Revision", or SIR, describing it as an exercise to eliminate duplicate or deceased voters. So far, 13 states and federally administered territories have completed the task, leading to the deletion of over 55 million voters from the electoral rolls. But this exercise has become a political flashpoint in West Bengal, where 9 million voters have been deleted ahead of a crucial state election.

A South Korean appeals court on Wednesday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to seven years in prison for resisting arrest and evading a legitimate cabinet meeting prior to the brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. The conviction for obstructing justice and other charges adds to the life sentence he already received for charges of rebellion stemming from his bewildering authoritarian push, which triggered the most serious crisis for the country's democracy in decades. Judge Yoon Sung-sik of the Seoul High Court stated that the former conservative president avoided the mandatory full cabinet meeting before declaring martial law, forged documents to conceal the omission, and deployed security agents "like a private army" to resist attempts by law enforcement to arrest him in the weeks following his impeachment. The former president remained silent as the verdict was read and did not make any comments. Yoo Jeong-hwa, one of Yoon's lawyers, described the verdict as "extremely disappointing" and announced that the legal team will appeal to the Supreme Court. Yoon has also appealed his life sentence. In January, a lower court sentenced Yoon to five years in prison, but acquitted him partially of charges of abuse of power related to the cabinet meeting preceding the declaration of martial law, considering that…

Voting began in the last round of elections in West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee's TMC and Narendra Modi's BJP are locked in a high-stakes battle. DW has the latest.

India's major airlines warned of a potential suspension of services unless the government lowered jet fuel prices. "The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and on the verge of closing down or stopping its operations," the Federation of Indian Airlines, representing carriers including IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, said in a letter to India's Civil Aviation Ministry, as seen by Bloomberg. They sought a return to pandemic-era cost caps on aviation turbine fuel and a reduction or...

West Bengal election centres on ‘fearless’ chief minister Mamata Banerjee, analysts say, as millions culled from voter rolls

A college student stranded in the mountains of Vietnam reportedly survived for 37 hours on just Orion Choco Pies. The South Korean snack, already beloved across Vietnam and often exchanged as a gift during the Lunar New Year, is now drawing attention as a survival essential in emergencies. According to Vietnamese news outlet VnExpress, Nguyen Tuan Anh, a 19-year-old student at Dai Nam University, had joined friends for a hike on Tam Dao Mountain north of Hanoi. The group set out from Vinh Ninh...

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Monday reaffirmed his com...

South Korea and Vietnam have expanded cooperation across technology, energy, and infrastructure, signing dozens of agreements during Korean President Lee Jae-Myung's visit to Hanoi, as both countries seek to reinforce supply chain resilience amid global volatility.

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- CJ Cheiljedang Corp. said Monday it has signed a mem...

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating stayed abo...

SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung plans to host a luncheon mee...

SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday called political v...

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Yoon Ina climbed into a tie for third ...

Analysts say that China would likely view India's attempt to expand defense industry cooperation with South Korea in the areas of artillery and anti-aircraft guns as "inevitably sensitive," given Beijing's ongoing border dispute with New Delhi in the Himalayas. Following a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, as part of his three-day visit to India, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced that Seoul and Delhi had agreed to upgrade their economic cooperation, focusing on vital sectors such as...

SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung returned home Friday from hi...

SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung returned home Friday from hi...

India’s state election in West Bengal has emerged as a critical political test for Modi’s BJP as well as opposition parties. The outcome matters especially as the BJP seeks to expand beyond its northern strongholds, while regional parties face a high‑stakes fight for political survival. Political analyst and commentator Arati Jerath joined Haslinda Amin and Menaka Doshi on Insight with Haslinda Amin to assess what is at stake and how the vote could shape India’s political landscape. (Source: Bloomberg)

HANOI, April 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's state visits to India and ...

HANOI, April 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung and Vietnam's top leader To ...

Unions at Samsung are threatening a weekslong strike if demands are not met. A production halt at one of the world's largest memory chipmakers could disrupt global chip supplies.

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung and Vietnam's top leader To ...

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's policy chief on Thursday e...

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday underscored the ...

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- First lady Kim Hea Kyung and Ngo Phuong Ly, the wife...

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung and Vietnam's top leader To ...

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung met with Vietnamese Prime Mi...

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung met with Vietnamese Prime Mi...

HANOI, April 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set to meet Vietnamese P...

SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung has discussed exp...

HANOI, April 22 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set Wednesday to hold a ...

NEW DELHI, April 21 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Hanoi on Tues...

NEW DELHI, April 21 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung wrapped up his three-day...

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong took a widely shared selfie in New Delhi on Monday, highlighting the concept of "selfie diplomacy" at a Korea-India summit. The photo was taken during a state lunch using Samsung's latest foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip7. The image quickly went viral online on social media and was picked up by multiple media outlets. The moment comes months after Lee...

The state visit of South Korea President Lee Jae-Myung to India on April 20, 2026, marked a broad effort by both countries to expand cooperation across trade, technology, and strategic sectors. He was hosted in New Delhi by Droupadi Murmu, who welcomed him at Rashtrapati Bhavan and later hosted a banquet in his honor.

SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- HD Hyundai Co., South Korea's leading shipbuilding c...

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said he and Indian Prime...

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Monday took selfies w...

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said he and Indian Prime...

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung held summit talks with I...

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Monday paid tribute a...

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set to attend a busi...

SEOUL, April 20 (Yonhap) -- Space authorities of South Korea and India held a jo...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts South Korean President Lee Jae Myung this week as both countries target $50 billion in trade by 2030.

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung stressed the need for So...

Bolstering strategic partnerships and economic ties will be high on the agenda during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s six-day trip to India and Vietnam, as Seoul seeks to expand cooperation with the Global South amid the Middle East turmoil. Lee, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, business leaders and Korean expatriates before concluding the visit on Tuesday. National security adviser Wi Sung-rak said South Korea will “comprehensively...

NEW DELHI, April 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set to hold a bilate...

NEW DELHI, April 19 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung pledged on Sunday to dee...

NEW DELHI, April 19 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung arrived in New Delhi on ...

Worker protests broke out in mid-April across the Noida–Greater Noida industrial belt, a major center for smartphone and electronics manufacturing, disrupting factory operations and prompting a government response. The demonstrations were concentrated in industrial zones such as Phase-2 and Sector 60, where thousands of workers gathered to demand higher wages and improved working conditions.

India’s government is pushing to expand parliament and advance seat redistribution, prompting opposition from southern states that fear losing political influence to the more populous north. The debate centres on delimitation, women’s reservation and federal balance, with implications for future elections. Yamini Aiyar, Senior Visiting Fellow at Brown University, joined Haslinda Amin and Menaka Doshi on Insight with Haslinda Amin to explain why the timing and process are contentious. (Source: Bloomberg)

India's Modi government is eyeing a passage of key bills that could overhaul Parliament seats and pave the way for a women's quota. The opposition has reservations, casting doubt on the intentions behind the push.

Also in this newsletter: On-demand househelp services are gaining popularity.

A Dalit officer says discrimination now operates through subtle workplace practices. Meanwhile, Trump calls up Modi over the Middle East conflict. DW has more.

Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Harshita Arora started coding at 13 and dropped out of school at 15.

The new international airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, which will service New Delhi, will see up to 70 million passengers a year once fully operational. DW has the latest information.

The new international airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, which will service New Delhi, will see up to 70 million passengers a year once fully operational. DW has the latest information.

A digital creator shared a Pakistani man's opinion about the hugely popular song, Dhurandhar.

Three of the world's four most polluted cities are in India, IQAir says. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has called Modi's foreign policy "a joke" as Pakistan positions itself as a Middle East mediator. DW has the latest.

Loni in Uttar Pradesh has the dubious distinction of being the world's most polluted city in 2025, according to a report by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir. DW has the latest.

India is home to the world's most polluted city, according to IQAir's newly released World Air Quality Report.