SCMP Asia·Wednesday, January 14, 2026

SCMP Asia - Wednesday, January 14, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

KPop Demon Hunters leads to record exports of Korean instant noodles in 2025

South Korea’s exports of food and agriculture-related products, referred to as “K-food Plus”, hit a record annual high of US$13.62 billion in 2025. The country’s Agriculture Ministry also reported on Monday that Korean ramyeon or instant noodles posted the largest export gains, surpassing US$1.5 billion. The surge came amid the runaway success of KPop Demon Hunters, which ended 2025 as the most-watched film ever for the Netflix streaming platform.

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Man fined US$2,200 in Malaysia for masking Singapore number plate to buy subsidised fuel

The man who was caught on video pumping subsidised RON95 fuel into his Singapore-registered car in Johor was on Wednesday fined 9,000 ringgit (US$2,217) for obstructing the registration number of his vehicle. Malaysian Long Sa Kow, who is a Singapore permanent resident, was charged under Section 108 (3) (E) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for allegedly exhibiting an altered or tampered vehicle registration number. The offence carries a fine of between 5,000 ringgit and 20,000 ringgit, a prison...

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Crane collapses on moving train in Thailand, killing at least 22

A crane at a China-backed high-speed railway project in Thailand collapsed onto and derailed a passenger train on Wednesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring scores, local authorities said. Footage from the scene showed the crane’s broken structure resting on giant concrete pillars, with smoke rising from the wreckage of the train below. Rescuers worked to extract passengers from the tilted carriages in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of the capital, Bangkok. “At around 9am, I heard

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New Zealand central bank chief told to ‘stay in her lane’ after backing US Fed’s Powell

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters rebuked the country’s new Reserve Bank governor, Anna Breman, for wading into US domestic politics after she signed a statement with other global central bankers backing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. “The RBNZ has no role, nor should it involve itself, in US domestic politics. We remind the governor to stay in her New Zealand lane and stick to domestic monetary policy,” Peters wrote on social media. He added that the Ministry of Foreign.

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South Korea’s Yoon could become ‘martyr’ if given death penalty: observers

When prosecutors in South Korea demanded the death penalty for ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, he shook his head in disbelief and let out a contemptuous laugh – a moment that encapsulated his defiant posture throughout nine months of hearings. Yoon stands accused of being the “ringleader” of an insurrection stemming from his failed martial law bid in 2024 that plunged the country into political chaos. The public gallery, packed with Yoon’s supporters, erupted into protests, forcing the presiding...

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Can Singapore’s farming future grow in Malaysia’s US$123 million agriculture hub?

Vincent Wei led fellow Singaporean farmers around an empty Malaysian plot, laying out plans for a greenhouse and rows of leafy vegetables. What he pitched was not just space for crops but a lifeline for growers struggling to make ends meet in a city state with high prices and little vacant land. The to-be agriculture hub is part of a joint special economic zone launched last year by the two neighbours, expected to cost US$123 million and produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually. It is...

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India proposes reopening government bidding to Chinese firms as ties thaw

India plans to lift long-standing restrictions on Chinese companies bidding for government contracts, a move officials say is aimed at easing shortages and project delays as relations with Beijing show tentative signs of stabilising. The proposal, first reported by Reuters, would roll back curbs, imposed after the two countries’ deadly 2020 border clash in the Galwan Valley, that effectively shut Chinese firms out of a vast segment of India’s public procurement market. In October 2024, India and

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Japan’s Takaichi, South Korea’s Lee unwind with drumming, K-pop after summit

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung played drums together on Tuesday after their summit talks in Nara, the capital of her home prefecture, in a surprise event showcasing their amicable personal relationship. The leaders played two K-pop songs – “Dynamite”, a hit tune by world-famous boy band BTS, and “Golden” from the US Golden Globes-winning animated film Kpop Demon Hunters. Takaichi led the session by showing Lee how to play the drums, according to..

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Japan’s ‘love hotel’ mayor stages comeback, shattering political taboos

A former mayor who quit her job amid a scandal over an alleged affair with a married subordinate has staged a political comeback in Japan, in a result analysts say shows how attitudes towards women in public life are shifting. Akira Ogawa, 43, was re-elected as mayor of Maebashi, the capital of Gunma prefecture, on Monday, mere months after resigning under intense public pressure. Running as an independent, Ogawa secured nearly 63,000 votes – around 10,000 more than her closest challenger –...

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Not ‘Trump-compatible’? China expert Rudd exits Australia’s US ambassador role

Australia’s former prime minister and a prominent China scholar, Kevin Rudd, will step down as ambassador to the United States a year ahead of schedule, a move some analysts say underscores a fundamental shift in how Canberra must navigate a Washington increasingly centred on the personal rapport with US President Donald Trump. The resignation follows a period of heightened friction between Rudd and Trump, punctuated by the “America first” leader’s blunt public declaration in October 2025 that..

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