Seoul, south korea — South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said on Friday the best way to restore order in the country is to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, a day ahead of a planned parliamentary vote over Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law. 

Yoon’s move to impose military rule on December 3 was rescinded within six hours, but it plunged the country into a constitutional crisis and there were widespread calls for him to step down for breaking the law. 

Yoon on Thursday vowed to “fight to the end,” blaming the opposition party for paralyzing the government and claiming a North Korean hack into the election commission made his party’s crushing defeat in an April parliamentary election questionable. 

Democratic Party leader Lee called Yoon’s remarks “a declaration of war” against the people. “It proved that impeachment is the fastest and the most effective way to end the confusion,” he said. 

Yoon survived the first attempt to impeach him last Saturday, when most of his ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote. Since then, some PPP members have publicly supported a vote to impeach him. 

Opposition parties, which control the single-chamber parliament, have introduced another impeachment bill and plan to hold a vote on Saturday. They need at least eight PPP members to join to pass the bill with the two-thirds majority required.
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WASHINGTON — As the deadline approaches for ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the United States, the Chinese company made an appeal Monday to U.S. courts to extend the date of the ultimatum until after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The current deadline requires ByteDance to divest from TikTok by Jan. 19, 2025, a day before Trump is sworn into office.

Despite an unsuccessful attempt in his first term to ban the social media platform, Trump promised during his recent presidential campaign to save the video-hosting service –– a promise that ByteDance is willing to bet on as it seeks to extend the “divest or ban” deadline.

In April, Congress addressed the perceived national security concerns posed by TikTok. The decision to ban or divest the platform was unanimously upheld as constitutional by the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals on December 6.

“The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” the court, in an opinion written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg, said Friday. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.”

TikTok has over 170 million users in the United States. A September survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 17% of American adults regularly get news from the platform.

Trump, once a staunch opponent of the app, now stands to become its savior, pending the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to grant ByteDance an extension on the deadline.

During his first term, Trump signed an executive order banning TikTok. In the order, which was ultimately blocked by a federal judge, Trump expressed concerns over data privacy and the threat TikTok could pose to U.S. national security.

Last June, Trump created a TikTok account which has since amassed nearly 15 million followers and 106 million likes. In a video posted on Truth Social in September, he appealed to voters.

“For all of those that want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump,” he said.

Analysts argue that Trump’s change in tone could be attributed to his personal relationship with the platform and its potential use in negotiations with China.

“Trump became familiar with TikTok during the campaign and saw how it helped him reach a massive following in the U.S.,” said Anupam Chander, a law professor at Georgetown University who focuses on global new technology regulation.

“He also still blames TikTok’s main rival, Facebook, for his election loss in 2020 because of what he sees as censorship by Facebook,” Chander told VOA.

Beyond his connection to the app, Trump could benefit from using the uncertain fate of the social media app as leverage against the Chinese government as part of “his transactional approach to politics,” said Emile Dirks, a researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab.

“Trump has threatened to impose further tariffs on Chinese goods in response to alleged Chinese inaction on fentanyl shipments to the United States. He may treat the looming ban or forced sale of the social networking service as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Beijing,” Dirks told VOA by email.

Chander also said that TikTok holds geopolitical importance and highlighted that the platform could even be used to ease strained U.S.-China relations.

“While much of the attention has been focused on Trump’s tariff strategy, the TikTok ban is part of what some are calling the ‘tech Cold War’ between the two countries,” he said.

“If Trump can save TikTok in the United States, it would help ease tensions between the two countries,” Chander added.

The president-elect’s promise to “save TikTok” might not be as simple as his words suggest. Within the pool of his proposed Cabinet members is a discordant stance on the validity and necessity of a TikTok ban.

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence, has over a million followers on TikTok, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his choice for secretary of Health and Human Services, has more than 3 million followers. Both have publicly criticized legislation that would force the sale of TikTok or impose a ban.

But Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, has previously called for a complete ban on TikTok, describing it as a “spyware” tool for China. Brendan Carr, Trump’s nominee for Federal Communications Commission chairman, told Time magazine in November 2022 that he “can’t see a path forward without a ban” and that TikTok poses a “huge national security risk.”

The variance in Republican attitudes toward TikTok reflects a broader trend within the Republican stance toward China that will color the foreign policy pursuits of the new administration, according to Dirks.

“While some Republicans are foreign policy hawks who see Beijing as the paramount threat facing the United States, others are America First nationalists with little appetite for leveraging U.S. power to support East Asian democracies like Taiwan. These two sides will jockey for Trump’s support under his second presidency, much as they did under his first term in office,” he told VOA.

Still, despite the Biden administration’s imperative to change American policy on TikTok, and Trump’s own attempts to ban the platform and internal division, Chander said that Trump will most likely hold true to his word to protect the social media platform.

“President Trump will not want to begin his term breaking his promise to save TikTok. He will try to obtain some additional concessions from TikTok about how they manage their algorithm and the data of U.S. residents,” he said.

TikTok denies being controlled by or sharing data with the Chinese government.
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s top court upheld on Thursday a two-year jail term for an opposition lawmaker on charges including bribery and academic fraud in a scandal that has deepened the political divide in the country and disenchanted many young voters.

The verdict stripped Cho Kuk, a former justice minister and President Yoon Suk Yeol’s adversary, who now runs the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, of his seat in parliament and his right to run for office for the next five years.

It could also undermine the opposition camp’s all-out efforts to impeach Yoon over his martial law attempt in a vote scheduled for Saturday, even though another member will inherit Cho’s seat — among the party’s 12 in the single-chamber, 300-seat assembly.

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Cho early last year of falsifying documents to send his children to prestigious high schools and universities, taking 6 million won ($4,200) in bribery in the form of their scholarships, and peddling influence to hamper a corruption investigation involving a confidant to then President Moon Jae-in.

The Supreme Court confirmed the lower court’s ruling that sentenced him to two years in prison and a fine of 6 million won, saying in a statement that there was no error in that decision.

It was unclear when Cho will be imprisoned. He has denied wrongdoing and said after the verdict that he would accept it with a “heavy heart” and his party would continue activities.

“I have a lot to say, but I won’t,” he told a news conference. “But it doesn’t mean that our party is backing down.”

His party earlier said in a statement that it respects the verdict but expressed regret, adding that Yoon had ordered a “brutal” investigation against Cho when he was prosecutor-general.

“His role is crucial in resolving the mess that Yoon’s gang has made. Why now?” the party said in a statement.

Once a star law professor, Cho was a key aide to Moon and briefly served as justice minister before resigning and being indicted in late 2019.

Cho’s scandal divided the already polarized country and frustrated many young voters, dealing a crushing blow to Moon’s progressive Democratic Party and making way for Yoon’s foray into politics and eventual election victory in 2022.
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday lashed out at his political opponents as “anti-state forces,” said North Korea has hacked the country’s elections and defended his short-lived martial law order as a legal move to protect democracy. 

His comments on Thursday came as the leader of Yoon’s own party said the president had shown no signs of resigning and must be impeached. 

He faces a second impeachment vote in parliament expected on Saturday, a week after the first one failed because most of the ruling party boycotted the vote. 

“I will fight to the end,” he said near the end of a lengthy address broadcast on television. 

Yoon is under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection over the botched December 3 martial law declaration, which sparked the biggest political crisis in South Korea in decades. 

Lawmakers broke through a police cordon, some by scaling the fence, to enter parliament and demand that Yoon rescind martial law within hours of the declaration. 

In comments that echoed his justification for declaring emergency rule in the first place, he said the “criminal groups” that have paralyzed state affairs and disrupted the rule of law must be stopped at all cost from taking over government. 

Yoon said the country’s National Election Commission was hacked by North Korea last year, but the independent agency refused to cooperate in an investigation and inspection of its system to safeguard integrity. 

He said the refusal was enough to raise questions about the integrity of the April 2024 election and led him to declare martial law. 

Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) suffered a crushing defeat in the April election, allowing the Democratic Party overwhelming control of the single-chamber assembly. Even so, the opposition needs eight members of the PPP to vote with them for the president to be impeached. 

Just before Yoon’s televised address, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Yoon had to be stripped of power and the only way to accomplish that is for the party to back the impeachment bill. 

Earlier this week, Yoon’s former defense minister was arrested on allegations of playing a key role in a rebellion and committing abuse of power. He became the first person formally arrested in connection with the martial law decree.  

Kim Yong Hyun, one of Yoon’s close associates, has been accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Enough lawmakers eventually managed to enter a parliament chamber and they unanimously rejected Yoon’s decree, forcing the Cabinet to lift it before daybreak on December 4. 

Some material for this report came from The Associated Press. 
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Melbourne, Australia — Global mining giants BHP Group and Rio Tinto are facing class actions alleging widespread and systemic sexual harassment at Australian mine sites, law firm JGA Saddler said on Wednesday.

JGA Saddler said women who spoke out about the harassment were allegedly discriminated against by the miners and that it expects “thousands of female workers” at the two companies to join the class actions.

BHP issued a statement on Wednesday saying it apologized to anyone who has ever experienced any form of harassment at BHP.

“Sexual harassment has no place in our workplaces or indeed anywhere. We are committed to providing a safe and respectful workplace for everyone,” said BHP.

A Rio Tinto spokesman said the miner was aware that a claim had been filed in the Federal Court on Wednesday.

“We treat all such claims with the utmost seriousness. We do not tolerate any form of sexual harassment or sex-based harassment. We take all concerns about workplace safety, culture and breaches of our values, or our code of conduct extremely seriously,” the spokesman said.

In 2022, a Western Australia state government review into abuse at mining sites found unsafe working conditions for women in the industry, who had to frequently deal with sexual harassment and sexual assault.

“BHP and Rio Tinto have sent female staff to these sites knowing there was a high risk of personal danger, and then punished them with demotion, dismissal or discrimination when they reported it,” JGA Saddler lawyer Joshua Aylward said in a statement.

The class actions are being funded by litigation financier Omni Bridgeway.

The lead applicant in the class action against Rio Tinto, who JGA Saddler said has requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, alleged she suffered sexual harassment on a weekly basis while working as a security guard on Rio Tinto’s Australian sites.

“I was sent unsolicited sexually explicit messages, videos and pictures from a colleague including pictures and videos of him masturbating in his on-site room. Rio Tinto allowed him to resign but after my complaint I was overlooked for opportunities to upskill,” she said in a statement detailing her allegations.

The lead BHP applicant, who requested anonymity for the same reason, listed incidents of harassment in a statement and said she was often afraid to report the abuse.

“There have been times I haven’t reported an incident for fear of what might happen to my career, my job and my personal safety,” she said.

The class actions were previously reported by the country’s national broadcaster, the ABC.
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WASHINGTON — International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan has warned that if violations of international law continue to escalate in northern Rakhine, a region in western Myanmar bordering Bangladesh, those responsible could face prosecution by the ICC. 

The ICC investigation primarily focuses on past violations committed by Myanmar’s military, particularly the crimes against the Rohingya population during the 2016-2017 crackdown.

However, Khan emphasized that the ICC’s mandate also extends to addressing ongoing violations. The Arakan Army’s current activities in Rakhine may not fall under the ICC’s jurisdiction unless they are linked to international crimes within the court’s scope.

In an exclusive interview with VOA via Zoom on Monday, Khan confirmed additional applications because he had already applied for an arrest warrant against Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on November 27.

While the current investigation focuses on crimes against the Rohingya, primarily in Rakhine, Khan’s reference to additional applications indicates the ICC may also address other crimes.

Khan pointed out that while Myanmar is not a state party to the Rome Statute, the ICC has jurisdiction in the Rakhine cases because many victims have sought refuge in Bangladesh, which is a state party.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority, endured decades of persecution in Myanmar, with a military crackdown in 2017 forcing over 700,000 to flee to Bangladesh. Myanmar’s military was already under investigation for war crimes prior to the 2017 crackdown. The ongoing investigation by the ICC focuses on alleged crimes committed during that period, including atrocities against the Rohingya. Since 2019, the ICC has been investigating crimes against humanity, focusing on the 2016-2017 violence against the Rohingya.

The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: This arrest warrant for Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is the first to be sought for a high-ranking Myanmar official. How significant is this step in addressing impunity in Myanmar? 

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan: I think it’s very important that the victims, the Rohingya people, and many Burmese throughout Myanmar want justice and accountability. This is an issue the office has been examining since 2019. It’s the first time my office has applied for arrest warrants in Southeast Asia, and the first warrant in the Myanmar-Bangladesh situation.

I believe this demonstrates our commitment to doing the best we can, with the resources available, to treat every human life equally. It doesn’t matter the color of someone’s skin, their religion, nationality or where they are from. We are doing our best to apply the law equally and ensure accountability for those responsible for the enormous suffering the victims have endured, and continue to endure, due to the very serious crimes we allege took place.

VOA: Are further actions expected to be taken against others?

ICC Prosecutor Khan: Yes, absolutely. When I announced the application for arrest warrants, I also informed the Rohingya community and stated more broadly that additional applications would follow. I believe this is necessary because the scale of the alleged criminality is vast. Many individuals may be involved, and we need to send a clear message that we follow the evidence.

In relation to ongoing violations, people have a choice: they can either comply with the law or continue ignoring the rights of individuals and the principles of international law. If they choose the latter, we have the International Criminal Court, and we have jurisdiction because Bangladesh is a state party.

VOA: How does the ICC address jurisdictional challenges, given that Min Aung Hlaing has rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction, citing Myanmar’s non-membership and opposing the application?

ICC Prosecutor Khan: That’s a great question. As you mentioned, Myanmar is not a state party to the Rome Statute and has not signed up. This means our jurisdiction is limited. However, our jurisdiction arises because its neighboring country, Bangladesh, is a state party. The judges of the International Criminal Court determined that when one of the elements of an offense takes place on the territory of a state party — like Bangladesh — we have jurisdiction.

In this case, we have jurisdiction because Bangladesh is a state party, and we are alleging the crimes of persecution and deportation. Deportation involves the crossing of international borders into the territory of another state, in this case, Bangladesh. This is what gives rise to our jurisdiction in this case.

VOA: You also highlighted the role of evidence from the Rohingya community and international partners. So how does this collaboration enhance your case’s credibility?

ICC Prosecutor Khan: Well, that relationship is basic and fundamental. The Rohingya community has endured so much for many years — from 1978 to 1991, in 1992, and, of course, during the events of 2016 and 2017. We have done as much as we can to build and strengthen bonds with the Rohingya community, both in Bangladesh and around the world. The Rohingya have been displaced and have fled to many other parts of the globe, so we’ve worked to build strong partnerships with states, state parties, non-state actors and civil society organizations.

There have been tremendous hurdles because, despite their experiences and suffering, the Rohingya believe that the ICC can help bring justice and vindicate their rights. They have actively engaged in the International Court of Justice case brought by The Gambia and the OIC, and they’ve been very active in working with my team here at the Office of the Prosecutor.

It’s important to remember their stamina, their determination, and their belief that justice is their birthright — it’s key to everything we do. What was very touching when I visited the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar was that the women I spoke with gave me a bag, and I shared a short video when I made the announcement. What they said was simple but profoundly deep: ‘We belong to Myanmar. We, the Rohingya, belong to Myanmar. We want justice.’

These hand-sewn letters with such powerful words send an important message, one that we amplify in our applications for arrest warrants, which we’ve now submitted to the independent judges of the International Criminal Court. We ask the Rohingya community to continue engaging with us and to remain patient, as they have. We still have a long way to go, but an important step has been taken by making these applications public. Now, we must wait and see what the judges do, while we continue our work on other matters.

VOA: What message does this collaboration send to victims of atrocities around the world?

ICC Prosecutor Khan: I think the main message is that the law exists, and it doesn’t belong to prosecutors like me, judges of the court, or lawyers. Justice is the birthright of every baby, every woman and every man around the world. Justice is the birthright of the Rohingya, just as it is for people in Latin America, other parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East or Europe. It flows from being a member of the human race.

This is a message to people with power, with guns, with weapons, and the ability to cause great harm: you don’t have a license to do whatever you want. You have an obligation to comply with minimum standards of behavior — standards that prohibit genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

This is not only a message to the alleged perpetrators of the crimes we are investigating or applying warrants for. It’s a message to people in different parts of the world right now. If you think you are above the law because you have power, guns, men, resources, or civilians under your control, think again. The law is in force. The law must apply to all.

We will do our part, along with our partners, to make the law stronger, more effective, and more comprehensive. We’ll do our best to ensure that it is applied more equally than it has been in the past. Achieving this requires a community of action. It requires partnerships and everyone — including your viewers and listeners — to realize that we cannot be mere spectators.

Don’t leave it to the Office of the Prosecutor. Don’t leave it to the International Criminal Court alone. Raise your own voice and be defenders of humanity. If we all feel that we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper — that we are citizens of this beautiful planet — we can make a difference.

But if we succumb to despair and despondency, we will witness more and more catastrophes around the world. The relevance of the law is clear as we see so many situations unraveling and worsening globally. This is an important message for your viewers: to join hands with people they may never meet, who are suffering from these blights of inhumanity in far too many places to count.
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Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense spokesperson said on Tuesday that the current naval deployment by China in the region extending from Japan’s southern islands to the South China Sea is the largest since the military exercises surrounding Taiwan prior to the 1996 Taiwanese presidential election.   

“This poses a significant threat to us,” the spokesman said. Notably, the Chinese military has not yet provided public explanations about this deployment. 

See full story here.

 
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TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Defense officials in Taiwan say China has deployed nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels in waters stretching from islands in the south of Japan to the South China Sea. The deployment is the largest to regional waters in almost three decades, Taiwanese officials say, and part of what appears to be a military exercise.

China has not yet commented on the movements or confirmed it is conducting exercises.

Speaking at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Taiwanese defense officials said Beijing’s operation is not only targeting Taipei but aimed at demonstrating its ability to prevent regional countries, including Japan and the Philippines, from coming to the island’s defense.

“The current scale is the largest compared to the previous four [Chinese war games],” Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told journalists at the press conference. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to achieve its goal of reunification. There is little to no support for unification with authoritarian China in Taiwan.

Sun said the exercises were the largest since war games were held around the island in response to its first presidential elections in 1996.

In recent days, Taiwan’s defense ministry said it has detected 21 Chinese vessels and 47 Chinese military aircraft operating in the immediate vicinity of the island.

Hsieh Jih-sheng, a senior intelligence officer at Taiwan’s defense ministry, told journalists at the same press conference that China’s broader maritime deployment is aimed at blocking forces from Japan and the Philippines from coming to Taiwan’s aid in a potential Chinese military attack against the island.

In addition to honing its capabilities to deny access to a broad swath around the island, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said China is also forming two “walls” in the western Pacific, deploying large numbers of vessels to the eastern end of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone and an area further out in the Pacific.

Air defense identification zones are unilaterally established by a country’s air defense forces and are not underpinned by international treaty or law.

“With these two walls, they are sending a clear message: The Taiwan Strait is their internal waters, and cross-strait issues should be handled by the People’s Liberation Army [PLA] and the People’s Republic of China,” Taiwanese defense official Hsieh told journalists.

Taiwan has been preparing for a potential Chinese military exercise around the island since President Lai Ching-te set off on his first overseas trip to the Pacific region, which included stopovers in the U.S. territory of Guam and state of Hawaii, on November 30.

Throughout the trip, Taipei repeatedly warned about China potentially launching a new round of military drills near the island and urged Beijing not to “send the wrong signals.”

When asked about the movements of Chinese vessels on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not provide additional details.

“The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair. China will firmly defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said during the regular press conference.

One Chinese analyst, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, told VOA that it is hard to say why Beijing hasn’t publicly announced any maritime operations around Taiwan.

J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based senior fellow with the Global Taiwan Institute, said Beijing may want to “keep the Taiwanese side guessing” by not announcing its planned military operations.

“Telegraphing one’s intentions only goes so far. Beijing may want to be more flexible and less predictable than it has been in the past,” he told VOA in written response.

Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics and international studies at Tokyo’s International Christian University, said maintaining ambiguity makes it difficult for Taiwan and regional countries to respond to Chinese military operations in the region.

“Ambiguity creates challenges for Taiwan and neighboring stakeholders, such as Japan, the United States and the Philippines, to know what the Chinese are doing and what’s the best way to respond,” he told VOA in a phone interview.

Despite the lack of clarity from Beijing, Cole in Taipei said the Taiwanese government’s efforts to “proactively” disclose Chinese military activities in the region help to bring more international attention to the threats and pressure that democratically ruled Taiwan faces from China.

“Such public diplomacy makes the threat more palpable and turns an abstract concept into something that is real and that people can relate to,” he told VOA.

On Monday, Taiwan launched a series of war-preparedness drills at strategic locations across the island and publicized information about the unannounced Chinese military operations. Those moves, Taiwanese experts say, have helped Taipei create an intelligence deterrence against Beijing.

“By swiftly disclosing Chinese military operations in the region and initiating its own countermeasures, Taiwan is trying to deter China from further escalating its military activities around the island,” Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told VOA by phone.

While Taiwan has adopted some countermeasures, some analysts say Beijing is also “routinizing” its coercion against Taipei by maintaining a constant military presence across the region.

“The People’s Liberation [Army] and Chinese coast guard are so big that they can maintain a constant presence near Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan at the same time,” said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and a former Pentagon official.

“Military operators may have a difficult time discerning when an attack is actually coming when every day looks like an attack,” he told VOA by phone.

Nagy in Japan said as the United States prepares for a change in administrations over the next few weeks, he expects China to ramp up pressure against Taiwan.
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WASHINGTON — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s uncertain political future from his martial law backlash could imperil the next Trump administration’s trilateral coordination with the country and Japan in countering China, analysts say.

Yoon faces an investigation for treason after declaring martial law and rescinding it hours later last week. Although he survived an impeachment vote on Saturday, the main opposition Democratic Party said the following day it would seek an impeachment vote again.

Uncertainty surrounds Yoon’s leadership and the future leadership of South Korea amid rapidly evolving political disarray and confusion.

Key government officials have resigned over the martial law controversy, and the head of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), Han Dong-hun, said Sunday that Yoon would resign soon and would no longer be involved in conducting state affairs. In the meantime, the Defense Ministry said Monday that Yoon still had the control of the South Korean military.

The South Korean political crisis poses risks to the security of the region, where countries such as North Korea, China and Russia lie in wait to take advantage of the situation, analysts say.

“The resulting political turmoil raises uncertainty over the future direction of the country’s policies and ability to implement them,” said Bruce Klingner, the senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation.

“The incoming U.S. administration will be focused on countering the multifaceted Chinese threat to the region and urging allies and partners to assume larger roles,” he said. “Yoon’s actions will trigger doubts as to the viability of Seoul’s roles and contributions.”

“Coupled with the Japanese leadership change and loss of legislative majority by the LDP [Liberal Democratic Party], the United States now has two weakened allies in Northeast Asia,” Klingner said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba assumed office in October. The same month, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in parliament. 

On Monday, Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, met with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts to discuss regional security, underscoring the importance of maintaining close trilateral cooperation.

The trilateral ties were consolidated after Yoon extended an olive branch to then- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after years of frayed relations between the two countries over colonial wartime issues.

The two countries’ mending of bilateral ties and their subsequent trilateral summit with the U.S. at Camp David in August 2023, viewed as historic in Washington, is frowned upon by South Korea’s main opposition party, which is considered anti-Japan and pro-China.

If the Democratic Party files another impeachment motion and manages to get two-thirds of the 300-seat National Assembly and six of nine constitutional court judges to vote in favor, the country will hold a special election to choose a new president.

If Yoon resigns or impeachment votes by the parliament and court pass, the main opposition party has a shot at the country’s next leadership.

However, how the process will unfold is uncertain as the PPP boycotted the first impeachment vote and the constitutional court has three vacancies.

Terence Roehrig, a Korea expert and professor of national security at the U.S. Naval War College, said, “If Yoon leaves office, either through impeachment or resignation, the special election that follows will undoubtedly select a Democratic Party president.”

He continued: “As a result, there is likely to be a shift in South Korean policy toward China and in maintaining trilateral ties with Japan and the United States. Much has been done in the past two years to institutionalize trilateral relations, but these efforts will be tested with Yoon’s departure along with the incoming Trump administration.”

The PPP criticized Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung for what it described as his “subservient” attitude toward China when he met with then-Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming in March.

Lee said at the meeting that South Korea should not be involved in the cross-strait issue involving Taiwan. China considers the independent island nation as its own sovereign territory.

Xing in 2023 accused Yoon’s government of tilting too much toward the U.S. and damaging South Korea’s relations with China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday that she will “not comment on the ROK’s internal affairs,” referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

Andrew Yeo, the SK-Korea foundation chair in Korea Studies at the Brookings Institution, said it would not be surprising for China “to hope for a DP to come back in office,” as during the previous Moon Jae-in government before Yoon, because the main opposition party is “more open to engaging China.”

Yeo said that based on President-elect Donald Trump’s key Cabinet position picks, such as Representative Mike Waltz for national security adviser and Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state, both viewed as China hawks, countering China will be a key focus, and good ties between Seoul and Tokyo would be “desirable.”

At the same time, Trump’s preference to deal bilaterally rather than with alliances, makes the future of the trilateral ties a bit uncertain, Yeo said.

“I don’t think the Trump administration may be as active as the Biden administration was in trying to orchestrate and encourage alliances to work together,” he said.
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TAIPEI, TAIWAN — FILE – A recruiter talks with an applicant at a booth at a job fair at a shopping center in Beijing, on June 9, 2023. A record of more than one in five young Chinese are out of work, their career ambitions at least temporarily derailed by a depressed job market as the economy struggles to regain momentum after its long bout with COVID-19

Melody Xie thought 2024 would be the year for her to start the next chapter of her life as an adult in China: finding a job, getting married and eventually having children.

But after sending out hundreds of resumes and failing to pass two civil service exams, the 24-year-old college graduate remains unemployed and has had no choice but to move back in with her parents who live in the southern city of Guangzhou.

“It’s been a year since I graduated from university but I have no income, no savings and no social life,” she told VOA in a written response on November 28.

Like Xie, hundreds of thousands of young people in China have struggled to find ideal full-time jobs throughout 2024. While the Chinese government has introduced some fiscal measures to boost the sluggish economy in October, China’s youth unemployment remains high.

Since July, China’s unemployment rate for youth between 16 and 24 has remained above 17%. While some Chinese state media outlets claim the youth unemployment rate has improved since October, the economic downturn has been exacerbating China’s unemployment problem for several years, said Dali Yang, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of Chicago.

“There is a backlog of youths who were supposed to be joining the labor force over the last two to three years, but they didn’t do very well in the job market,” he told VOA by phone.

“As a new cohort of youth graduating from college each year, that makes the job market very tough for the college graduates,” he added.

In addition to the large number of unemployed college graduates in the job market, Li Qiang, executive director of China Labor Watch, told VOA that poor working conditions in the country are also discouraging many educated young people in China from looking for full-time jobs.

“Many Chinese businesses will ask employees to work 12 to 16 hours a day, and they expect employees to work six or seven days a week,” Li said.

“Most young people in China are not willing to accept these jobs with tough working conditions, so that has also led to an increase in youth unemployment rate,” he told VOA by phone.

Linda Liu, a 25-year-old former project manager at a tech company in China’s Guangxi province, said jobs in some rural towns in China often offer very poor pay and almost no benefits.

“After being laid off from my job at a tech company in Guangzhou at the beginning of 2023, I moved back to my hometown in Guangxi province and soon found a job there,” she told VOA in a written response.

“But since the pay was very low and I can only take four days off each month, I quit after less than six months,” Liu added.

While some young Chinese are still looking for jobs, others have decided to “lie flat” or quit without backup plans.

“After being laid off in 2021, I left Beijing and moved to the southwestern Yunnan province for two years,” Celine Liu, a 26-year-old former law firm clerk, told VOA in a recorded response.

“At the time, I wanted to pull myself away from the hectic lifestyle in the big city and figure out what I wanted to pursue in my life. But after moving back to Beijing earlier this year, I realized I could no longer adapt to life in the big city, and that has also affected my ability to do well in job interviews,” she added.

The idea of “lying flat” also denotes a laid-back lifestyle that rejects intense competition and societal expectations. In recent years, many young Chinese people have chosen to “retire” to rural parts of the country with a lower cost of living to cope with the ongoing unemployment challenges. Some of them turn to e-commerce as a source of income.

Others see quitting without a backup plan as an opportunity for them to slow down and enjoy life.

“Many young people in China, including myself, follow the typical pattern of entering college, finding a job after graduation, getting married and having children, but we often don’t know what kind of future we want,” said Victor Wang, a 26-year-old former engineer in the Chinese city of Zhejiang.

“After quitting without a backup plan, I finally have a chance to take care of my physical and mental health, and it finally feels like I’m in control of my life,” he told VOA in a written response.

As the youth unemployment rate remains high in China, Ye Liu, an expert on international development at King’s College London, told VOA, young people in China might “diversify” their work patterns.

“More young people [will engage] in freelancing, part-time employment and [work] multiple jobs,” she said.

China will host an annual economic work conference this week and youth unemployment is expected to be one of several topics discussed by top Chinese officials during the event.

Discussion of the topic remains sensitive on the internet in China and social media platforms.

Last week, a commentary about China’s weak consumption, unemployment and “dispirited” youth by Gao Shanwen, chief economist of China’s state-owned SDIC Securities, was removed by China’s internet censors.

Additionally, access to Chinese economist Fu Peng’s video social media account was blocked after he commented on China’s weaker consumption at a conference in September.

The Chinese government has introduced some measures to boost employment opportunities for college graduates, including rolling out campus recruitment activities and increasing job placement rates for unemployed youth. China’s state news outlet, People’s Daily Online, reported more than 1,000 employers from around the country “are expected to offer more than 30,000 education-related positions.”

However, Li at China Labor Watch said unless the Chinese authorities try to fundamentally improve working conditions and strengthen protection for workers’ benefits, China’s youth unemployment problem is unlikely to improve within the next five years.
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BANGKOK, THAILAND — A recent altercation between fishermen from Thailand and the Myanmar navy has publicized the long-running dispute between the two countries about overlapping fishing rights, experts say. 

In the early hours of November 30, Myanmar patrol boats fired on 15 Thai fishing vessels off Ranong province in southern Thailand. One Thai national was killed while four Thai crew members were detained along with 27 Myanmar nationals. One Thai fishing vessel, the Sor Charoenchai 8, was also seized. 

Thailand authorities have since been trying to negotiate with Myanmar over the release of the Thai sailors. 

Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters in Bangkok Friday that the four men were being taken to the town of Koh Song on the Thailand-Myanmar border. “At this moment, the Thai township border committee is coordinating the relevant measures required to send the four crew members back to Thailand,” he said. “It’s being discussed and aim to finalize this process as soon as possible. I sincerely hope there will be good news soon.” 

But as of Monday, the four still remained in Myanmar’s custody. 

Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai confirmed the Thai national who died in the altercation had drowned after jumping into the sea when the Myanmar navy opened fire. The deceased was a 24-year-old who was on his first expedition, reports say. 

Phumtham told reporters on Monday that Thailand was still waiting for a reply from the Myanmar military government, and now is unsure of a timeline as to when the four remaining Thais will be freed. 

He previously said the firing of shots was an “overreaction” from the Myanmar navy. But Myanmar’s military government maintained it acted correctly because boats were invading its waters. 

The regime, which is currently fighting a brutal conflict with pro-democracy resistance groups throughout the country, said it was also investigating materials found on the fishing trawler relating to Myanmar’s revolutionary groups.

Thailand and Myanmar share land borders of more than 2,400 kilometers in Southeast Asia. They also share a maritime boundary of 263 kilometers in the Andaman Sea, which was officially established in 1980 through a bilateral agreement. 

But Thai trawlers have often crossed those maritime lines. 

Phil Robertson, director at Asia Human Rights Labour Advocates, says the Thai fishermen were illegally fishing. 

“The Thai fishing fleets were up to their old lawless ways, conducting fishing in Myanmar’s territorial waters, and this time they got caught by the rights-abusing [Myanmar] navy that shoots first and asks questions later. This latest incident is really a repeat of previous practices on both sides,” he told VOA. 

Myanmar’s waters are attractive to Thai fishermen because of the rich fishing stocks available. Thailand’s fishery sector contributed to more than 2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2023.  

Dominic Thomson, regional director of Southeast Asia for the Environmental Justice Foundation, says fishing disputes between the two countries have been going on for decades, but this incident is a first. 

“Thailand and Myanmar have yet to fully resolve their maritime boundary in the Andaman Sea, leading to overlapping claims. “The tensions over fishing rights dates back to the 1980s when Thailand massively expanded its fishing fleet due to high domestic demand for seafood, coinciding with a sharp decline in fish stocks within Thai waters. Overfishing in Thai waters therefore drove Thai fishing vessels into Myanmar’s Exclusive Economic Zone, often without permits,” he told VOA via email. 

Thailand was given a yellow card warning by the European Union in 2015 over its failure to combat illegal, underreported and unregulated, or IUU, fishing. 

The mechanism is the first step used by the EU to warn trade partners over their inaction over reducing illegal fishing. If a red card is shown to a country, it means that nation hasn’t made enough progress and its fishing exports to the EU will be banned.   

Later that year, Thailand introduced new regulations that said Thai fishing vessels must have monitoring technology installed to warn them when they encroach on maritime border lines. 

It is not clear whether these warning systems were ignored, or not active when the vessels were fired at on November 30. 

“There have been no reports of similar incidents since at least 2015. The nature of the incident, coupled with the detention of the fishing vessels and crew is unprecedented,” Thomson said. 

Robertson says questions remain over how this happened. 

“Reliable sources report that there were many more Thai fishing boats engaged in this illegal fishing activity than reported, raising questions about why Thai marine regulatory agencies are failing to ensure their fishing fleets respect Burmese waters. The Thai fishermen look like victims here, but they are the core problem as well,” Robertson added. 

Thomson said Thailand must look at its monitoring systems to prevent a repeat incident. 

“Thailand should ensure that its monitoring and control systems are adequately staffed, trained and resourced to ensure that Thai fishing vessels that stray into other countries’ waters are told to turn back as soon as possible. It is vital that there are appropriate sanctioning powers in place and consistent enforcement of these powers to deter similar intrusions in the future,” he added. 

Thailand is set to welcome Myanmar and other ASEAN nation members to Bangkok in a ministerial meeting on December 20.
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Bangkok — Experts tell VOA that Thailand’s deportation last month of six Cambodian activists back to Cambodia shows Bangkok continues to participate in “transnational repression” — coordination among governments targeting dissidents outside their countries.    

Authorities deported Pen Chan Sangkream, Hong An, Mean Chanthon, Yin Chanthou, Soeung Khunthea and Vorn Chanratchana last month.   

The four women and two men have since been charged by Cambodia with treason for posting social media statements criticizing Cambodian policies over the 20-year-old Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area, or CLV-DTA, agreement, which is aimed at easing trade and migration among the three countries, The Associated Press reports.  

They are now being held in separate facilities in pre-trial detention in Cambodia, and will face trial for their charges, that could see them sentenced to lengthy time in prison, according to Radio Free Asia. 

The six activists are supporters of the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party and had left Cambodia for Thailand in 2022.  

Tiy Chung, a regional spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, confirmed to VOA by email that the six have been deported and “are people of concern.” 

UNHCR, he said, is “deeply concerned” by the deportation, which included a child, he said, and which goes against Thailand’s obligation to ensure that no one is expelled or returned to someplace where their life or freedom could be at risk. 

“We are seeking urgent clarification from the Thai authorities on the circumstances surrounding this deportation and urge them to honour Thai law and their international obligations to prevent such actions in the future,” he wrote.   

In recent years the Cambodian government has cracked down critics in and out of the country.    

Planned protests against the CLV-DTA agreement saw September arrests of at least 100 activists, who accused Phnom Penh of ceding Cambodian territory, although the same month saw Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announce Cambodia would pull out of the decades-old deal.     

In February, three other Cambodian activists, recognized as persons of concern by the UNHCR, and their families, were arrested in Thailand before they had planned to protest Manet’s visit to Thailand.  

The practice of transnational repression is not new.    

Freedom House said in 2022 that since 2014, over 150 people in Thailand had been victims of the practice.  

Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights Labor Advocates, said Thailand is not safe for Cambodian refugees.     

“The message here to all Cambodian refugees sheltering in Thailand is you’re not safe because the friendship between the Hun and Shinawatra families trumps any obligations Thailand is supposed to uphold under international human rights law,” he said.  

Cambodia has been ruled by the Cambodian People’s Party for 45 years, with critics saying in recent years the regime has stepped up efforts to target dissidents, opposition parties and independent media who pose threats to its reputation or rule. Hun Manet took power in 2023, succeeding his father, Hun Sen, who led Cambodia for nearly four decades.   

Thailand and Cambodia have endured an up-and-down relationship over the years, with border and cultural conflicts periodically being divisive.    

Those relations appear currently to be close, in part because of family ties. Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met Manet in Laos in October. But it is the relationship between their fathers and predecessors, Thaksin Shinawatra and Hun Sen, that has cemented strong ties between the two families.    

Thailand’s ruling Pheu Thai party has vowed to work together on transnational crime with Manet.    

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst in Thailand, told VOA the family links are likely key in this deportation case.    

“The close personal relations and even family ties between the two families make this deportation suspect. It will be difficult not to conclude that these intimate links facilitated it. The deportation is an ill-considered move for the Paetongtarn leadership and government that claims democratic legitimacy despite coming second in the May 2023 election,” he told VOA.    

The purported treasonous crimes that six Cambodians allegedly committed fall under Article 453 of Cambodia’s criminal code. If found guilty, the criticism of the Cambodian regime and its policies toward neighbors Vietnam and Laos could land them a decade in prison.    

Thailand has its own strict laws it implements for those who are critical of its monarchy. Under Article 112 of its criminal code, it is illegal to criticize the Thai monarchy, carrying sentences of 15 years in prison for each offense.    

In January, a 30-year-old man was sentenced to 50 years in jail after being ruled to have defamed the monarchy.   

Prem Singh Gill, visiting fellow in Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia, says the Thai and Cambodian governments share similar interests when it comes to prohibiting dissent.    

“This collaborative approach is not coincidental but strategically designed. Both countries share similar authoritarian impulses, with royal institutions and political elites working in concert to maintain their grip on power. By harmonizing their approach to dissent, Thailand and Cambodia create a more comprehensive mechanism of controlling political discourse,” Gill told VOA via email.   

“Transnational repression becomes a sophisticated tool of regional authoritarianism, where activists find themselves trapped in a network of legal and extra-legal threats. Governments collaborate through informal channels, sharing intelligence, coordinating deportations, and creating an environment of constant vulnerability for political dissidents,” he added.   

Thailand recently was elected to a seat at the U.N. Human Rights Council and is expected to begin its duties in January 2025.    

VOA contacted Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment but received no response. 
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