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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Officials from Japan and South Korea are in Washington this week for trade negotiations. NPR looks at how South Korea, a U.S. ally and export powerhouse, is coping with Trump's tariffs.
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From the Philippines to South Korea, Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88, is being remembered in many parts of Asia for his intensive engagement with the region.
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South Korea's highest court has removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office just months after parliament voted to impeach him over a brief -- but shocking -- declaration of martial law.
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South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled Friday to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. He was impeached in December for imposing martial law.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Japan over the weekend, attempting to ease concerns that the Trump administration's "America First" policy might result in the U.S. abandoning its key ally.
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President Trump's critics say his actions are creating a leadership vacuum around the world. But some political observers in China are skeptic about their country stepping into that void.
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China's economy is growing, but consumer spending is down. The government is attempting to jumpstart the country's numbers by reassuring private entrepreneurs that they have its support.
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The meeting came days after Iran rebuffed President Trump's proposal for nuclear talks. Trump sent a letter calling for Iran to either enter into negotiations or face possible military action. -
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with President Trump Friday. He faces a challenge in overcoming Trump's long-held skepticism about the usefulness of alliances.
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Japan's century-old Mingei, or folk art, movement celebrates the everyday work of anonymous artists. It stands in contrast to both fine arts and industrially mass-produced goods. And it's having a yet another revival.
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South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained for questioning by police over insurrection charges
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South Korea's political crisis began a month ago with the brief declaration of martial law. It's a recent example of power grabs in established democracies that holds lessons for other nations.
