Moon eclipsed, AstraZeneca uncertainty

Wednesday’s landslide defeat for President Moon’s Democratic Party (DP) in key mayoral elections in Korea suggest that it faces an uphill battle to retain the presidency in next year’s vote. Defeat next year would have implications for economic policy and Korea’s relationship with China. Doubts about the safety of the AstraZeneca jab present a further challenge to Asia’s already-slow vaccine rollout. AstraZeneca accounts for the bulk of vaccine orders made by Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.