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. -
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With Asian baseball's global influence growing, young female fans help give South Korea's pro league a banner year.
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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 U.S. said that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations. That raises the potential for the North Koreans to join Russian forces in Ukraine.
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Japan is the only nation where married couples must use the same surname. Critics say it violates women’s rights and, unless the rule is scrapped, all Japanese could be surnamed Sato in 500 years.
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Japanese prosecutors said they will not appeal the acquittal of an 88-year-old former boxer, who was the world’s longest-serving inmate sentenced to death until his release in 2014.
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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. -
Japan's leading video company Nintendo is about to open a museum -- an unusual step for a company that rarely explains itself. The museum opens Wednesday in Kyoto, the company's hometown.
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Japan’s ruling party has elected a new leader: former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba. He promises continuity, but has also proposed striking changes to the country's dealings with the United States.
