Anthony Kuhn
Anthony Kuhn is NPR's correspondent based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and the great diversity of Asia's countries and cultures. Before moving to Seoul in 2018, he traveled to the region to cover major stories including the North Korean nuclear crisis and the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster.
Kuhn previously served two five-year stints in Beijing, China, for NPR, during which he covered major stories such as the Beijing Olympics, geopolitical jousting in the South China Sea, and the lives of Tibetans, Uighurs, and other minorities in China's borderlands.
He took a particular interest in China's rich traditional culture and its impact on the current day. He has recorded the sonic calling cards of itinerant merchants in Beijing's back alleys, and the descendants of court musicians of the Tang Dynasty. He has profiled petitioners and rights lawyers struggling for justice, and educational reformers striving to change the way Chinese think.
From 2010-2013, Kuhn was NPR's Southeast Asia correspondent, based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Among other stories, he explored Borneo and Sumatra, and witnessed the fight to preserve the biodiversity of the world's oldest forests. He also followed Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, as she rose from political prisoner to head of state.
Kuhn served as NPR's correspondent in London from 2004-2005, covering stories including the London subway bombings and the marriage of the Prince of Wales to the Duchess of Cornwall.
Besides his major postings, Kuhn's journalistic horizons have been expanded by various short-term assignments. These produced stories including wartime black humor in Iraq, musical diplomacy by the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang, North Korea, a kerfuffle over the plumbing in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Pakistani artists' struggle with religious extremism in Lahore, and the Syrian civil war's spillover into neighboring Lebanon.
Prior to joining NPR, Kuhn wrote for the Far Eastern Economic Review and freelanced for various news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek. He majored in French literature as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, and later did graduate work at the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American studies in Nanjing.
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Japan is sweltering amid a heatwave not seen in decades. As the country deals with an energy crunch, businesses are trying to save energy by turning lights down and thermostats up.
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Japan is sweltering amid a blistering heatwave not seen in decades. As the country deals with an energy crunch, Japanese businesses are trying to save energy by turning lights down and thermostats up.
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A Japanese court dealt a blow to LGBTQ rights when it upheld a ban on same-sex marriage. Japan is only member of the Group of Seven major industrial nations that does not recognize same-sex unions.
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Some fans say they can relate to the artists' need to pause. For Korean stars, "in exchange for a chance at worldwide fame, they give up a lot of control over their own life," a K-pop expert says. -
President Biden said that the U.S. is committed to defend Taiwan in case of an attack by mainland China. China claims the island as its own, and has threatened to invade if it declares independence.
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President Biden met his South Korean counterpart at the start of a tour of Asia. The two leaders discussed taking a tougher line with North Korea and increased economic competition and security.
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President Biden is on his first trip to Asia since taking office. In South Korea and Japan, he'll try to coordinate more closely with them on priorities including strategic competition with China.
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Pyongyang has conducted 16 missile test launches this year. Seoul and Washington are on alert for a possible new test launch, timed to coincide with President Biden's visit starting Friday.
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Before last Thursday, North Korea claimed to have not a single case of COVID-19. Now it's battling what it claims is its first outbreak.
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North Korea this year scrapped a five-year moratorium on testing ballistic missiles. So far, it has not resumed testing nuclear bombs. But it is believed to be about to do that very soon.
