ASIANOMICS

🇦🇺🇰🇷 AI data centers face market pressure Asian data center operators are facing sharper public-market scrutiny as stalled IPOs and weak equity performance challenge AI infrastructure valuations. Nikkei Asia reports that setbacks in Australia and South Korea h…

🇰🇵 North Korea Internet Hit by DDoS North Korea’s internet suffered intermittent outages over 32 hours from Oct 20, with US network monitoring firm Kentik assessing that a likely distributed denial-of-service attack disrupted multiple state-managed websites. K…

🇰🇵🇰🇷 North Korea Expands DMZ Mining South Korea’s military told the National Assembly that North Korea has planted about 960,000 land mines in the DMZ since 2024, part of a wider border fortification drive. Pyongyang has also cleared vegetation, built barriers…

🇹🇼🇨🇳 TSMC Seeks Rare Earth Alternatives TSMC is reportedly evaluating alternative factory equipment to reduce reliance on mainland Chinese rare earths, according to three sources cited by the report. The effort focuses on suppliers whose automated systems use…

🇺🇸🇨🇳 US Eyes Biotech Investment Curbs The Trump administration is moving to restrict US investment in Chinese biotech companies on national security grounds. The US Treasury on Oct. 22 proposed adding biotech to its sensitive technology list, which would requi…

🇨🇳 China Tightens Outbound Investment Rules China’s National Development and Reform Commission has issued revised rules on outbound investment, requiring investors to report major adverse developments more diligently, including foreign demands to hand over tec…

🇰🇷 Publishers Flag Suspected AI Book Buys South Korean publishers are raising copyright concerns after approaching bookstores for bulk purchases suspected to be tied to AI training. Kyobo Book Centre said 10 overseas companies, including firms in the US and UK…

🇭🇰🇨🇳 Hong Kong Stocks Slide on Stimulus Doubts Hong Kong equities fell sharply on Thursday as expectations for stronger support from Beijing weakened after recent economic data suggested China’s annual growth target remained achievable. The Hang Seng Index dro…