East Asia

The row between South Korea and Ukraine over the transfer of two North Korean soldiers captured in January 2025 is intensifying. For Seoul confidentiality was breached, which Kyiv strongly denies. In the background, Seoul is trying to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

Grappling with collapsing real estate revenues, local governments are delaying payments to businesses, which is reverberating along the supply chain to small suppliers. Beijing is trying to contain the problem but, without new resources, there is a risk of simply shifting losses from one entity to another.

For this year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV focused on the situation of migrant children. A South Korean Catholic weekly heeded the call, focusing on the issue of children unregistered at birth because they are foreign, consequently deprived of essential rights like healthcare and education.

Putting aside the rhetoric and panda diplomacy, the only outcome of the visit is the extension of the tariff truce until 10 January. Between now and then, the APEC summit will be held in Shenzhen and the G20 in Miami. Regarding Taiwan, China is asking the United States to oppose independence. Japan is unhappy about references to the wartime anti-Japanese unity.

While Xi Jinping visits Washington (where the issue of human rights remains taboo), Chinese authorities informed the family of Shi Tingfu that he had died in prison from a “heart attack”.  The long-time activist had been detained in 2024 for reporting on protests by a group of farmers. For the CHRD, the denial of medical care constitutes a form of torture in China today.

With the Bothekoshi Valley impassable, the only open trade route with China now runs through the Korala Pass at an altitude of 4,650 metres. Beijing is pushing for major infrastructure projects there as well. Until now, Kathmandu has preserved the environment and identity of the plateau, a region some identify with the mythical Shangri-La.

In 2026 – for the first time – the United States did not admit a single asylum seeker from countries at risk of persecution. From Iran to Myanmar to China, violence against Christians continues: according to Open Doors, 4,849 have been killed, whilst more than 224,000 have been forced to flee their homes.

Qin Weizhong, 55, had led the metropolis, a symbol of China's tech race, since 2021. His surprise departure comes just weeks before the APEC summit in Shenzhen. The expulsion of two high-ranking military officials from the Party has also been confirmed. The Central Committee is set to meet on 26–29 October to discuss strict self-governance.

The incident was reported this morning south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). One of the soldiers is said to be in serious conditions. Currently, no official information regarding the cause has been released. Incidents involving landmine explosions have previously been a source of tensions between South and North Korea.

The American bishop, a pioneer of television preaching who is to be beatified on 24 September, visited China in 1948, where he also met Chiang Kai-shek. He often cited ‘young Li’ as a model of devotion to the Eucharist. Through the magazine *Worldmission*, he recounted the communist persecutions but, even more so, the great faith of Chinese Catholics.

In a new book, Swiss aid worker Kathi Zellweger recounts her unique experience of 25 years of travelling to and staying in Pyongyang, which began in 1995 when she delivered humanitarian aid with Caritas Hong Kong during the famine. ‘The resilience I have seen amongst the most vulnerable gives me hope even in the face of today’s new restrictions’.

The second preparatory meeting, attended by delegates from 100 countries, has recently taken place in the South Korean capital. The registration system and the structure of the programme in the dioceses were outlined. Archbishop Chung said: “Do not simply gather participants; invite a young person to encounter the Lord”.