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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With elections coming in Japan, the threat of U.S. tariffs is forcing its prime minister to start talking tougher, and is getting people to rethink long-held assumptions about relations with the U.S.
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The Dalai Lama celebrated his 90th birthday today. Per Buddhist beliefs, the Tibetan Buddhist religion says he'll be reincarnated, but China says it has final say on who the next Dalai Lama will be.
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The Dalai Lama said he will be reincarnated after he dies, and no one can interfere with the matter of succession. The Chinese government, however, claims authority over the his succession. -
The historic La Scala opera house in Italy has announced that renowned South Korean conductor Chung Myung-Whun will take over in 2027 and serve as music director until 2030.
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South Koreans head to the polls on Tuesday to pick a new president. The election comes nearly two months after President Yoon was removed from office after he was impeached for declaring martial law.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is in Asia, where he spoke at a defense summit in Singapore over the weekend. And he gave a stark warning about China's threat to the status quo in the region.
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At an international forum in Singapore, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is refocusing its strength and policies on deterring China, and coaxed China's neighbors and U.S. allies to help. -
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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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.
