Seoul: Former President Yoon sentenced to 30 years over North Korean drones

Today’s headlines: Bangkok announces the death of Princess Bajrakitiyabha; Trump suspends attacks on Iran, saying an agreement has been reached; India and Bangladesh agree on border patrols; China has imposed sanctions on the Philippine defence minister; Kyrgyzstan’s airlines removed from the EU blacklist.

SOUTH KOREA

A court in Seoul has sentenced former President Yoon Suk-yeol to 30 years in prison, finding him guilty of ordering the infiltration of drones into North Korea in an attempt to escalate tensions at the border and lay the groundwork for the declaration of martial law. Yoon is currently in pre-trial detention and is facing numerous trials linked to the events of December 2024, when he attempted to re-establish an authoritarian government.

THAILAND

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha has died aged 47 after being in a coma for over three years. She collapsed in December 2022, with doctors attributing her illness to severe arrhythmia caused by a mycoplasma infection of the heart. The eldest daughter of King Vajiralongkorn, she was considered one of the most capable and influential members of the royal family and could have played an important role in the future succession to the throne. A law graduate, she had obtained two postgraduate degrees from Cornell University and worked at the Thai mission to the UN and subsequently in the offices of the Attorney General in Thailand.

MIDDLE EAST

US President Donald Trump yesterday stated that he had suspended further military strikes against Iran, suggesting that an agreement had been reached. In recent days, US forces have also killed three Indian sailors who were working on oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, violating the blockade imposed on Iranian ports, according to Washington.

INDIA – BANGLADESH

Following a four-day meeting, India and Bangladesh have agreed to cooperate along their shared border by coordinating patrols in an attempt to monitor the movement of people between the two countries. Dhaka accuses the Indian authorities of deporting Bangladeshi migrants without due process, complicating efforts to stabilise relations following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.

CHINA – PHILIPPINES

Manila has described Beijing’s decision to impose sanctions and ban the Philippine Defence Minister, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., from entering China as “a hostile act”. The Chinese government has banned any dealings with Teodoro and his family “in order to safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests”. Teodoro is one of the most vocal critics of Chinese interference in the South China Sea to the detriment of Southeast Asian countries.

MYANMAR

The International Football Federation has come under heavy criticism for its partnership with Mytel, a telecommunications operator owned by the Burmese military, which is subject to US and international sanctions, and which will broadcast the World Cup in Myanmar. Jointly managed by the Burmese army and Viettel, a company controlled by the Vietnamese military, Mytel is one of Myanmar’s four national telecommunications operators.

RUSSIA – UKRAINE

The Chongar Bridge linking Crimea with mainland Ukraine has been completely destroyed by several drone strikes, according to Andriy Kovalenko, director of the Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation, who stated that “the Russian authorities are attempting to conceal the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea”. The Chongar Bridge is the shortest and most convenient route through which Russian troops transported equipment and ammunition from the peninsula to the southern front.

KYRGYZSTAN

The Kyrgyz presidency, together with the State Civil Aviation Agency, has announced Kyrgyzstan’s removal from the European Union’s blacklist for air transport, as confirmed by European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, who stated that “this decision is the result of years of work to improve flight safety and reform the country’s civil aviation system, and it is a historic moment for Kyrgyzstan”.