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's westernmost island lies in sight of Taiwan, less than 70 miles away. On Thursday, a Chinese missile landed near Yonaguni. Japan has been strengthening defenses across its southwest islands. -
Both the U.S. and China stepped up military activity in the region ahead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit. Here's what is different now from crises in the Taiwan Strait decades ago. -
The assassination, allegedly motivated by a grudge Abe's suspected killer held against the Unification Church, has put the relationship between Japan and the church under a new spotlight. -
The influential prime minister worked to revive the economy with his trademark "Abenomics" and rebuild Japan's role on the global stage. His assassination stunned a nation where gun violence is rare. -
After saying there were no cases, officials on May 12 announced an outbreak. But without an adequate supply of tests, some say North Korea is "flying blind." And it still doesn't have vaccines. -
A White House official said Biden's comments did not reflect a policy shift, even though the U.S. traditionally has avoided making such an explicit security guarantee to Taiwan. -
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. -
Experts say the North's fast pace in testing activity shows its dual goal of advancing its weaponry and applying pressure on Washington over a deepening freeze in nuclear negotiations. -
The politically inexperienced Yoon Suk Yeol's pledge to get tough on North Korea could mark a sharp break with the outgoing liberal administration's policies. -
South Koreans in their 20s and 30s make up a third of voters, and candidates want to win them over. Many young voters are over the folks in power, a lot of whom are from an older activist generation.
