China Central Television’s Pyongyang reporter gets an exclusive look inside North Korea’s Central Television news studio while interviewing the country’s most recognizable star, anchorwoman Ri Chun Hui, according to the Korea Realtime of the Wall Street Journal Asia. According to NorthKoreaTech.org, a site dedicated to reporting North Korean news, Ri,…
Category: East Asia
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Leaked Tweets on Tibet
Various media outlets around the world have carried reports about the tragic January 23 incident when Chinese security forces opened fire on Tibetan protesters in Northern Sichuan . But no such headline was to be seen in the mainland Chinese news media. According to New York Times, the official Xinhua…
NORTH KOREA: Sibling Resentment Or a Clear-Eyed Assessment?
Not everyone appears thrilled that North Korea’s new beloved leader is second-son Kim Jong-un, reported to be all of 28 years old. Case in point: His elder brother, Kim Jong-Nam.
TAIWAN: Reporter Bares Pain of Election Results
There is no doubt that the recent elections in Taiwan have sparked a fire of controversy in the days following, as media personnel dispute the influence of both China and the U.S. on the election results.
CHINA: Bashing Won’t Solve Problems…but It May Get You Elected
China Daily recently published a seemingly heartfelt article titled “Blaming China won’t solve US problems.” It began the piece with the consoling fact that “blaming China will not solve problems in the United States or help presidential candidates win more votes”.
SOUTH KOREA: Reporters Want the Public to Know the True Story
After months of public criticism and a majority vote, news reporters at Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), one of South Korea’s major broadcasting firms, will suspend their work for MBC in a collective action to urge journalistic reform
CHINA: 28,000 die of HIV/AIDS in China 2011
China’s Ministry of Health, along with United Nation’s Program on HIV and Aids and the World Health Organization, reports a total of 28,000 people died of HIV/AIDS in China in 2011. This not-so-small number of deaths is minuscule compared to the 48,000 people in China who were reported to be…
NORTH KOREA: The Associated Press is Now in Full Operation in Pyongyang
It finally has happened! After all these many years, a major U.S. news organization is opening shop in North Korea. It’s the Associated Press, fittingly enough, which after months of negotiations is receiving a permit from North Korean authorities to open a media bureau in Pyongyang. According to Yonhap News…
CHINA: Blog Blotter #6 – Buzzing About Taiwan’s Presidential Election
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-Jeou’s re-election for his second term in office on January 14th, 2012 was the big story last week. Chinese Netizens across the Taiwan Strait, of course, are not hardly out of touch. Despite Beijing’s ban on the topic, Weibo (China’s version of Twitter) is buzzing with tweets…
CHINA: Scoffing at U.S. Stumbles Over Efforts to Stop Iran’s Nuclearization
It comes as no surprise that many countries are unwilling to aid the United States in their attempt to stop Iran’s nuclear program if such efforts hurt their pockets. But even when their intentions are apparently sincere, methods can prove ineffective. That was the point of a recent article in…
JAPAN: Please Wake Up, Don’t Leave It To China!
The inevitable and historic shifting of global power from the West to the East is the famous central theme of Kishore Mahbubani. Currently dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, Mahbubani has put forth another view of important consequence. It’s that…
SINGAPORE: In Search of Forgiveness … from Mao?!
Political criticism encompasses one of the most censored topics in China. Mediums through which people express such views range from the ubiquitous blog to artistic pieces. Regarding the latter, the works of Chinese brothers Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang are among the most critical with their condemnation towards Mao Zedong.…
SOUTH KOREA: Static Blurs the Nation’s TV picture
After months of failed negotiations, Korea’s cable television system operators (SOs) are taking a stand against the three major Korean TV Companies – KBS, MBC, and SBS – for charging high prices to broadcast their programs, according to The Korea Times, an English-language daily newspaper.
CHINA: The Ridiculous Republican Hunt for “Red” Huntsman
As Republican presidential candidates continue to use China as a topic for gaining voter approval in the current Republican Primaries, it shouldn’t go unnoticed that the “bad mouthing” is being heard beyond our own shores. The English-language Chinese newspaper “China Daily” recently published an article highlighting the election’s topic fixation.…
JAPAN: The Publisher Who Kept on Going
The March 11 natural disasters that ravaged the Tohoku region of Japan early last year forced most local industries to cease operations. Despite the difficulties, Masashi Hijikata, the owner of the Araemishi publishing company, continued producing his quarterly magazine, the Sendaigaku, or Study of Sendai. According to The Mainichi Daily…
SOUTH KOREA: Buddhism Goes Bilingual
The book titled, “Open the Mind, See the Light,” by widely acknowledged Seon Zen master Ven. Jinje has been translated into English, according to The Korea Times, a huge-circulation newspaper based in Seoul. Ven. Jinje is a leading monk of the Joyge Order of Korean Buddhism and one of the…