On August 21, 2026, the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong delivered a verdict in the case of three former leaders of the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China who were charged with "inciting subversion of state power".
On August 21, the Hong Kong High Court ruled that the dissolved Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, along with its former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice-chairman Chow Hang-tung, were guilty of "inciting subversion of state power." The two could face up to 10 years in prison, with the specific sentences yet to be determined.
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (HKASPDMC) was founded in 1989. Since 1990, the HKASPDMC has held an annual candlelight vigil at Victoria Park to commemorate June 4th, a practice that continued until 2019. In 2020, police banned the June 4th rally citing public health reasons. On June 30 of the same year, the Hong Kong National Security Law was implemented.
In September 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (HKASPDMC), along with Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung, were charged with "inciting subversion of state power." On September 25, the HKASPDMC voted to dissolve.
The trial began in January of this year. Albert Ho pleaded guilty, while Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung pleaded not guilty. On August 21, the court found the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (HKASPDMC) and Lee and Chow guilty.
A core point of contention in this case is the Hong Kong Alliance's long-standing call to "end one-party rule."
The court held that after the implementation of the National Security Law, the Hong Kong Alliance and its leaders continued to promote this goal and incited others to carry out acts of subversion of state power by illegal means.
Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung pleaded not guilty. During the trial, they argued that "ending one-party rule" was about promoting democratic transition and did not equate to demanding an end to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, while also arguing that related political expressions were protected by freedom of speech in Hong Kong. However, the court did not accept this defense.
The Hong Kong Police National Security Department stated that the court's ruling was in line with their view of the case. The police also noted that the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (HKASPDMC) continued to hold rallies, exhibitions, street campaigns, and online memorial activities after the implementation of the National Security Law.
Wang Dan, a student leader who led the June 4th movement, believes that the verdict is intended to further reduce the space for public commemoration of June 4th in Hong Kong.
"The authorities clearly want to use this verdict to erase all traces of history and prevent Hong Kong people from having any memory of June 4th. But I think the authorities cannot do that. Silent commemoration is also a form of commemoration, and some memories in the hearts of the people will not be completely destroyed by such barbaric violence."
The sentences for Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung will be decided later.
From the Victoria Park candlelight vigil that lasted for more than 30 years to the disbandment of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China (HKASPDMC) and today's conviction for "inciting subversion," this case has once again brought the legal boundaries of political expression under the Hong Kong National Security Law into the spotlight.
The number of South Koreans over 100 years old triples in a decade
Official data released on Saturday showed that the number of South Koreans aged 100 or older has nearly tripled in the past 10 years, driven by improvements in medical care and living standards.
According to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of centenarians reached 8,604 people as of November 1, 2025, compared to 3,159 people in 2015.
The number of centenarians per 100,000 people rose to 17.3 in 2025, compared to 10.9 a decade earlier. Men made up 16.6% of the total number of centenarians, amounting to 1,428 people. At the regional level, Gyeonggi Province topped the list, with 2,052 centenarians residing there, followed by the capital Seoul with 1,268, and then North Gyeongsang Province with 559.
The latest data also showed that one in five people aged 100 or over lives alone.
