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.
-
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. -
Kishida's surprise resignation comes as he and his party, the governing Liberal Democratic Party, struggle to recover from a series of corruption scandals. -
Yoon Seong-ho is a 47-year-old Buddhist, comedian, DJ and rising celebrity. -
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a treaty upgrading their relationship and pledging military assistance if either one is attacked, drawing criticism from NATO, South Korea and other countries. -
Leaders of East Asia's top powers, China, Japan and South Korea, are holding their first summit in 4 years. All have different motivations for keeping tensions among them in check.
-
President-elect Prabowo Subianto was once banned by the U.S. for rights violations. But the U.S. earlier gave him military training. How will both countries deal with each other once he takes office? -
Plaintiffs including 17-month-old boy nicknamed Woodpecker bring landmark climate litigation in South Korea, the first in Asia to get a public hearing. -
Hawaiian-born Akebono was the first foreigner to win the highest ranking in Japan's national sport, sumo wrestling. He died in Tokyo this month, age 54.
