TOM PLATE WRITES — Change will come, it has to. But America’s hyper-confident commentariat has convinced itself that China-U.S. policy Democrat Joseph Biden, on track to become the 46th president of the United States, will be stuck in the cement of the New Coldness and would differ little from Trump’s.…
Full Article BIDEN AND CHINA: ‘SLEEPY’ … OR POSITIVELY RESTLESS?
Project Bridge was established in 1993 after the Los Angeles Riots (SAIGU) took place by the Los Angeles based Pacific Century Institute in conjunction with New York based the Korea Society. The cross-cultural program selects 16 students (eight from Los Angeles and eight from New York) each year to participate…
Full Article REFLECTIONS ON BEING KOREAN-AMERICAN: A MASTERCLASS
This following is a special and important interview with South Korea’s special presidential advisor Moon Ching-in that appeared in the Korea Times on November 01, 2018 – By Kim Bo-eun, Kim Yoo-chul Differences between South Korea and the United States on how to push North Korea’s denuclearization are standing out…
Full Article KOREAN PENINSULA: THERE MAY BE NO WAY OUT
ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES — The latest Lowy Institute 2018 poll of attitudes of Australians is not good for Americans who care about the perception of their country with one of our closest allies. The ‘confidence level’ for the U.S., according to the highly respected poll release 30 June, is…
Full Article SYDNEY: LOWRY INSTITUTE POLL SHOWS DECLINING CONFIDENCE IN U.S.LEADERSHIP
ASIA MEDIA WRITES – Two recent graduates of Loyola Marymount University’s Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts have been designated as assistant managing editors of Asia Media International, and assume their new positions immediately, announced founder and editor in chief Tom Plate, LMU’s Distinguished Scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies and…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: NEW EDITORS FOR ASIA MEDIA INTERNATIONAL
TOM PLATE WRITES – Thanks to an inspiring visit by the National Committee on North Korea, a handful of staffers – not to mention their prof – may have learned more about the intricacies of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and its regional relationships in two hours than in…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON NORTH KOREA VISITS LMU AND GIFTS STUDENTS WITH SUPER-SUMMIT INSIGHTS
TOM PLATE WRITES — America is now more confused than ever about North Korea. And it’s not all Mr Trump’s fault. Neither can America fairly say it’s all China’s fault. For as long as I have been writing about Asia, North Korea has been the black hole of American foreign…
Full Article KOREAN CRISIS: IS THE KILLER PROBLEM AMERICA’S OWN DOMESTIC DIVISION AND INTELLIGENCE FAILURE??
ASIA MEDIA WRITES – Two of America’s most gifted diplomats were honored here on the evening of 22 February at the 2018 Annual Award Dinner at the splashy InterContinental Hotel in Century City. In front of an animated and enthusiastic audience of more than 200 friends, supporters and members of…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: HONORING TWO GIANTS OF US DIPLOMACY
FROM AMERICA’S PUBLIC BROADCASTING SYSTEM – North Korea has long rallied its people with bombastic threats against the U.S., but lately the evolving war of words has escalated between the two countries. Nick Schifrin speaks with Kathleen Stephens of Stanford University and Balbina Hwang of Georgetown University about President Trump’s…
Full Article KOREA CLASH: TWO VIEWS ON THE DEBATABLE UTILITY OF ORAL BOMBAST DURING A TENSE CRISIS
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR SPENCER H. KIM WRITES — I was in Washington, DC last week during President Moon Jae-in’s recent visit. I had the good luck to be invited to two of his dinner events, one before the summit with President Donald Trump and one after. My impression, both from seeing…
Full Article ONE OP-ED VIEW: A NEW VITALITY IN U.S.-SOUTH KOREAN RELATIONS
TOM PLATE WRITES – There is not the slightest doubt that the emotional mentality of the West Coast versus the East Coast of the U.S. on a vital East-West issue such as the China relationship is different. The reason for bringing this up has to do with our currently besieged…
Full Article A COLUMNIST’S TAKE: TRUMP AND HIS MAR-A-LAGO
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – Asia Media International staff joined the Pacific Century Institute Feb 23 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles to honor global citizens Dr. Charles Morrison and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon. The theme of the evening was “Building Bridges Between Countries…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN COUNTRIES AND PEOPLE
Los Angeles – His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General for the last ten years (2007-2016), and the esteemed East-West Center in Hawaii, founded in 1960, will be honored at the annual gala awards dinner of the Pacific Century Institute later this month in Los Angeles. Ban, who stepped down…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: PCI TO HONOR FORMER UN SECRETARY GENERAL AND EAST-WEST CENTER
ERISA TAKEDA WRITES – It was quite a familial setting – he sat at the head of the table over lunch as he recounted episodes in his 83 years of life in a calm but assured manner. No, this was not my grandfather, but renowned Japanese journalist, Fumio Matsuo. There…
Full Article JAPAN: JOURNALIST FORETELLS
ASIA MEDIA INTERNATIONAL WRITES — A visit by the UN Secretary General is always a big event in Los Angeles. Arriving after world-wind visits to various international trouble spots, Mr and Mrs Ban Ki-moon made appearances at the home of TV legend Normal Lear (lunch Wednesday, 10 Aug.) and producer-director Brett…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: UNSG BAN AND WIFE SOON-TAEK VISIT WITH ASIA MEDIA EDITOR AND WIFETHIS ESSAY BY L.A.-BASED BUSINESSMAN AND PHILANTHROPIST SPENCER H. KIM IS REPRINTED FROM THE INFLUENTIAL SEOUL-BASED NEWSPAPER JOON-GANG DAILY, WITH PERMISSION: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – I couldn’t figure out why, but it really bothered me. Why are there so many cars in Korea with dark windshields? The occupants drive around…
Full Article SEOUL: WHAT THE UNNERVING DARK CAR-WINDOW SYNDROME REVEALS