Top Asian News 8:51 a.m. GMT

NKorea destroys inter-Korean liaison office as tensions rise

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has confirmed it destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office on Tuesday, as it continued to dial up pressure against rival South Korea amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said the North destroyed the office to correspond with the “mindset of the enraged people to surely force human scum and those, who have sheltered the scum, to pay dearly for their crimes,” apparently referring to North Korean defectors who for years have floated anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. The news agency did not detail how the destruction of the office was carried out, but said it was “tragically ruined with a terrific explosion.” The North, which has a long track record of pressuring South Korea when it fails to extract concessions from the United States, has repeatedly bashed the South in recent weeks over declining bilateral relations and its inability to stop leafleting by defectors and activists.

India says 3 soldiers killed in standoff with Chinese troops

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — At least three Indian soldiers, including a senior army officer, were killed in a confrontation with Chinese troops along their disputed frontier high in the Himalayas where thousands of soldiers on both sides have been facing off for over a month, the Indian army said Tuesday. The incident is the first confrontation between the two Asian giants in which soldiers have died since 1975. The Indian army said in a statement that a “violent faceoff” took place in Galwan valley in the Ladakh region on Monday night “with casualties on both sides.” “The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers,” the statement said.

Beijing expands lockdowns as cases top 100 in new outbreak

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities locked down a third neighborhood in Beijing on Tuesday as they rushed to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 100 people in a country that appeared to have largely contained the virus. The resurgence in China highlighted public health expert calls for vigilance as many nations move forward with easing virus restrictions to revive their economies. New Zealand, which hadn’t seen a new case in three weeks, said it is investigating a case in which two women who flew in from London to see a dying parent were allowed to leave quarantine and drive halfway across the country before they were tested and found to be positive.

Hong Kong leader wants people to not 'demonize' security law

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday said she hoped that the opposition would not “demonize and stigmatize” the new national security law as doing do would mean pitting themselves against the people of Hong Kong. “The people of Hong Kong want to see stability again, they want a safe environment where they can work and live,” Lam told reporters. Lam said people were “sick and tired” of violence in Hong Kong and intervention by foreign forces in the city. China’s ceremonial parliament in May approved the decision to enact a national security law in Hong Kong, aimed at curbing subversive, secessionist, terrorist and foreign intervention activities in the city following months of anti-government protests last year.

Asia Today: More controls used in Beijing as outbreak grows

BEIJING (AP) — China increased testing and lockdown measures in parts of the capital Tuesday to control what appeared to be its largest coronavirus outbreak in more than two months. The 40 new cases reported Tuesday included 27 in Beijing, bringing the city's total to 106 since Friday. Many of the recent cases have been linked to Beijing’s Xinfadi wholesale market and authorities have been testing market workers, anyone who visited the market in the past two weeks and anyone who came into contact with either group. Fresh meat and seafood in the city and elsewhere in China was also being inspected on the unlikely chance that was how the virus spread.

Black Lives Matter banner removed at US Embassy in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A large Black Lives Matter banner was quietly removed from the U.S. Embassy building in South Korea's capital three days after it was raised there in solidarity with demonstrators protesting against racial inequality back home. The official explanation from the embassy, which didn't mention an LGBT pride flag that was also removed from the building, was that the Black Lives Matter banner was removed to avoid any perception that it was meant “to support or encourage donations to any specific organization.” The decision drew criticism from some activists in Seoul — and speculation that President Donald Trump may have been responsible.

China delays launch to complete GPS-like Beidou network

BEIJING (AP) — Citing technical reasons, China has delayed the launch of the final satellite to complete its Beidou Navigation Satellite System constellation that emulates the U.S. Global Positioning System. The official Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday’s mission aboard a Long March-3 rocket from the southwestern satellite launch base of Xicheng was scrubbed after pre-launch checks discovered “product technical problems.” No details or a new launch date were immediately announced. China’s space program has developed rapidly over the past two decades as the government devotes major resources toward developing independent high-tech capabilities — and even dominating in fields such as 5G data processing.

Pakistan briefly detains 2 Indian Embassy employees

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police briefly detained two employees of the Indian Embassy in Islamabad after their car hit and injured a pedestrian the previous day, officials said Tuesday. According to two Pakistani security officials, the two men were detained as they tried to flee after the road incident. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Police said the two employees of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan did not have diplomatic status, which would protect them from arrest and prosecution. The two, both Indian nationals, were later released and there was no comment from Pakistan or India over the incident.

Black smoke billowing from cruise ship docked near Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — Black smoke was billowing Tuesday from a cruise ship docked at a port near Tokyo as crewmembers and dozens of firefighters and coast guard personnel battled to control it. The cause of the smoke was not immediately known, and the coast guard reported no injuries. The local coast guard branch said the smoke was coming from the top deck of the Asuka II, one of Japan's largest cruise ships. No passengers were on the ship, its operator NYK Line said. The company said 153 crew members were on board for essential duty and were fighting the fire. The cruise ship has been docked in Yokohama Port, west of Tokyo, since early April after returning from Singapore where it had undergone maintenance.

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