Briefly

MYANMAR

Pro-military party wins first phase of elections

Myanmar's pro-military party claimed an overwhelming victory in the first phase of the elections, a senior party official told Agence France-Presse. "We won 82 lower house seats in townships which have finished counting, out of the total of 102," a senior member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party told AFP. The figure implies that the party took more than 80 percent of the lower house seats that were put to the vote on Sunday. It won all eight townships in the capital Nay Pyi Daw, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the results. Official results have yet to be posted by Myanmar's Union Election Commission and two more phases are scheduled for Jan 11 and 25.

SOUTH KOREA

President Lee returns to presidential palace

South Korea's President Lee Jaemyung on Monday commuted to Cheong Wa Dae, meaning "Blue House", the country's traditional presidential palace, for the first time since taking office in June, more than three years after his predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol moved the presidential office to the Defense Ministry compound. It was the first time a president had commuted to Cheong Wa Dae since May 9, 2022, the final day of former president Moon Jae-in's term, before Yoon began his presidency working out of a converted Defense Ministry building. Following the relocation, Yoon opened parts of Cheong Wa Dae to the public as a tourist site, which drew millions of visitors.

Agencies Via Xinhua