Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, was taking questions from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) when she challenged him to share his knowledge about even just one member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

A senator told Hegseth: "I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations."

From the arrest of South Korea’s Yoon to a Japanese pop star’s sex scandal, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

During his confirmation hearing, Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee couldn’t name a single member of the Southeast Asian bloc.

In a heated Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth grilled the proposed defense secretary over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, asking him if he could name one member and how many countries were in the bloc.

Pete Hegseth's lawyer said he "performed superbly" in his appearance before senators amid criticism after he appeared not to know what the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is.

Pete Hegseth flunked a pop quiz from a Senate Democrat during his confirmation hearing. The U.S. Army vet and former Fox News commentator was quizzed by Tammy Duckworth, herself a veteran, about how many countries are in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and “what type of agreement we have with at least one of those nations?

Sen. Tammy Duckworth put Pete Hegseth’s foreign policy chops to the test during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday as President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon. The Illinois Democrat asked Hegseth to name one country in ASEAN,

Only a few days later, Hegseth was nominated by Donald Trump to serve as defense secretary, and he has since tried to backtrack on that statement. Presumably, Trump did not have a problem with his views when he announced the nomination, having been a fan of Hegseth’s for many years.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be secretary of defense.

Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he couldn’t tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.) with Australia.”

In a heated Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth grilled ... but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the ...