The Korea Times, a major daily newspaper in South Korea, has been publishing less than favorable articles regarding Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. After being denied access to Locklear’s April 17th press meeting, the paper has released several “sensationalized” articles, such as “USFK Commander Too Media…
Category: East Asia
NORTH KOREA: Should This Country Be Put on Trial?
“Dire” along with “absence of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights” are the words used by Marzuki Darusman, the current United Nations special rapporteur for North Korea, to describe this bleak facsimile of a real normal country. This was in a report Darusman gave to the General Assembly ‘s…
CHINA: A Whole Lot of Shaking Going on
No wonder China appears to be undergoing so many changes all at once. Technology ventures of all sorts are bursting out everywhere. Consider entrepreneur Joseph Chen, who would very much like to come China’s version of Mark Zuckerberg: He is is the founder of Renren.com, a social networking site that…
SOUTH KOREA: Whiffs of the Old Authoritarianism?
An unfolding political surveillance scandal is rocking South Korea. And it is beginning to raise doubts about whether South Korea’s democracy is all that vigorous. A few years ago, the government was exposed for conducting illegal surveillance of a businessman critical of President Lee Myung-bak. But that was nothing compared…
CHINA: Press Shocked, But Not Overly So
The recent early-morning slaying of two University of Southern California students made headlines in newspapers across Asia, of course. USC boasts the largest international student population in the U.S. – and many are from China, as were the murdered Ying Wu and Ming Qu in what may have been a…
GOOD JOURNALISM ALERT: On China — ‘My Country Is Not Good Enough’
The fact of the matter is neither is the U.S.! Much less Britain (or for that matter almost any other country). Even so, the ‘Lunch with the Financial Times’ conversation between Chinese novelist Han Han (Triple Door) and FT ‘s Asia editor and columnist David Pilling is suitably entertaining and…
VIETNAM: Dramatically Reaching Out to Japan’s Kyodo News
Vietnam has had a tortured relationship at best with once-aggressive Japan, as it has had with the United States. But one thing both Tokyo and Washington have learned about this large, thinly vertical, well-populated and exceptionally feisty Southeast Asia country: Invading, occupying or even trying to “save Vietnam from communism”…
HONG KONG: No Next Step for ‘Next Media’
Next Media, publisher of Next Magazine and the scandal-crazy Apple Daily, was reported by Forbes on April 7th to be considering selling its operations in Taiwan for a low $500 million. The Hong Kong based company founded by Jimmy Lai, known for his blistering critiques of Beijing, has become one of the largest Chinese language media companies in…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Scandal, Crackdown and Coverup!
Backtrack to the dismissal of Bo Xilai, a top Chinese leader. A few months ago, scandals surrounding Bo began to surface and subsequently led to an explosion of discussion within the Chinese blogging community. The central government attempted to censor these posts one by one, but Netizens proved more than…
NORTH KOREA: Despite International Push to Cancel Launch, North Korea Presses On
North Korea has reaffirmed its plans to continue with an announced rocket launch to put a satellite into orbit, despite facing widespread opposition from the international community. The launch is widely speculated to be a cover for testing missile technology and therefore a violation of a UN Security Council Resolution.…
SOUTH KOREA: A Brief Look at the Nuclear Security Summit
In what is being called the largest diplomatic gathering in history, the nuclear security summit held in Seoul this past Monday and Tuesday, with leaders of nearly 60 nations and international organizations in attendance, has led to the release of a sweeping agreement known as the “Seoul Communique.” Initially the…
CHINA: Blogging Community Reaches Out, But Too Late
Wang Shanshan, a senior student at Nanjing Technology College hanged herself in her dorm on March 17. A frequent blogger on China’s popular Sina Weibo site, Shanshan left a suicide note on her blog that automatically uploaded 12 hours after her death. It stated: “I have depression, so I want to…
PAKISTAN: Obama and Gilani at Nuclear Security Summit — Easing Tension
On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in South Korea to discuss relations between their respective countries. How Pakistani citizens view such a meeting however, has been entirely dependent on its presentation in the media.…
CHINA MEDIA: The Mad Scramble to Arrest a Key Keyword!
Opinionated Chinese Netizens have long blogged and slogged Chinese leaders for being corrupt. But last week’s sacking of Bo Xilai, a top Chinese Leader, ignited an explosion of blogging activity about official corruption that topped anything anyone has ever seen. At first, perhaps surprisingly, the Chinese government allowed the eruption…
CHINA: Not “Lovin’ It”
In another major McDonald story: Chinese media outlets have pounced on a major McDonald’s slip-up. On March 16, a Chinese television station revealed that a branch of McDonald’s restaurants had been selling expired food products. The nation’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) “invited” executives of McDonald’s China to a “discussion”…
NORTH KOREA: Japanese Journalist Gets Inside Look— Military More Independent than Expected
In a meeting with South Korean reporters, Japanese journalist, Yoji Gomi, a staff writer for Japan daily newspaper Tokyo Shimbun, claims that the late North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, did not have full control of his military. He further speculates that the military is probably behind the recent rocket launch plans…