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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The recently signed mutual defense treaty could be used to justify thewidening of the war in Ukraine, as the U.S. says North Korean and Russian troops are already battling Ukrainian forces. -
So far, South Korea has helped Ukraine by providing arms to the U.S. and other countries. But South Korea's government said that could change with North Korean troops deploying for Russia. -
The Nintendo Museum opens in Kyoto, Japan, today. Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto never expected the company to make the museum, since it has an ethos of letting its games speak for themselves. -
The possibility of a Canadian company buying 7-Eleven is sure to attract the attention of the government, investors and consumers in Japan, where the convenience chain is a staple of everyday life.
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Kishida's surprise resignation comes as he and his party, the governing Liberal Democratic Party, struggle to recover from a series of corruption scandals. -
Japan is facing a leadership change -- and there’s no clear successor in sight. Japan's prime minister announced he would not seek reelection as the head of the ruling party.
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Yoon Seong-ho is a 47-year-old Buddhist, comedian, DJ and rising celebrity. -
Allegations of U.S. military servicemen's sexual assaults against women in Okinawa have been an irritant to the U.S.-Japan alliance. Several cases, which were kept from the public, have come to light.
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As South Korea's population shrinks, foreign migrant workers are joining the country's workforce. But a recent deadly fire exposed the risks some of them are facing.
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Churches, temples and monasteries are closing as people in many countries turn away from organized religions. The problem is especially serious in rapidly aging societies such as South Korea.
