East Asia

The year was 1987, but thanks to the tenacity of many young people, South Korea, the land of the "economic miracle”, won a truly democratic constitution, making it a leader in Asia. Yet today, it must contend with deep polarisations that threaten to undermine the common good.

During Prime Minister Rahman’s visit to Bangladesh, the aim is to become a “long-term economic partner”. The focus is on several strategic sectors, including energy, information technology, railways, infrastructure and deep-sea ports.

An initiative of the FABC, bishops and pastoral workers gather in Macao to reflect on how to rise to the challenge set out by Leo XIV in his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas”. They examined the reality of a continent at the forefront of AI but also one that is more exposed to its contradictions. They also proposed some concrete actions for the Churches.

The practice of wearing a costume depicting a character from manga, video games or films is now widespread amongst young Chinese people. And it often happens that they find themselves in front of churches to take their photos. An AsiaNews source living in China describes the reactions of the Christian community.

She was eight months old when the atomic bomb destroyed her city. Ten years later, she met the co-pilot of the Enola Gay and realised she no longer wanted revenge. In Milan, she told her story to over 300 young people from Sant’Egidio: “You must know what happened, so that it never happens again”.

New Delhi’s tug-of-war with Beijing is unfolding amid protests by ethnic Adi opposed to a hydropower project on the Siang River, India’s response to China's Medog mega-dam. Recent protests have also been accompanied by arson attacks and damages, forcing New Delhi to deploy security forces.

Just as North Korea was carrying out another short-range missile launch this morning, it welcomed Swiss Foreign Minister Cassis to its capital for an important diplomatic visit. Bern plays a role in monitoring the 38th parallel but has also been heavily involved in humanitarian cooperation.

Some opinion polls suggest that the outgoing mayor, Chiang Wan-an – long regarded as the rising star of the party closest to Beijing – is struggling. Running against him in the 29 November election is Puma Shen, one of the politicians most hardline towards the People’s Republic. It is a neck-and-neck race that will have repercussions beyond the local government sphere.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the event, the ‘Nagasaki ’45’ pavilion is hosting an exhibition on ‘the legacy’ of Dr Takashi and his wife Midori, a descendant of the hidden Christians who died in the blast. A graphic novel by cartoonist Nathalie Fourmy recounts their story of faith and hope. Paola Marenco: a message that is highly relevant in today’s world.

On 29 October, Seoul will mark the anniversary of the crush that claimed the lives of 159 young people on Halloween. The victims’ families continue to this day to call for clarity regarding who was responsible for the disaster, and demand that the memorial to the victims (currently hidden inside a building in Jongno district) become a proper, dedicated site of remembrance.

At the meeting currently taking place in the city of St Francis, the High Priest of Tendai Buddhism, Sugitani Gijun, recalled how, following the example of the initiative launched by John Paul II 40 years ago, leaders of all faiths have also been gathering annually on Mount Hiei since 1987 to perform the same gesture. “Economic and political globalisation is losing momentum; we are continuing the globalisation of religions for peace.”

Anthropic has documented the use of Claude to track Catholic and Tibetan Buddhist leaders, Christians in Taiwan, and the Falun Gong. A religious affairs intelligence unit that once employed many teams has been reduced to a single office, yet this is enough to produce thousands of investigations per month.