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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Privacy advocates warn the government has kept the information from 2015 MERS patients beyond a justified emergency period. -
Both countries eased some of their intensive rules after new cases slowed to a trickle. But clusters have cropped up again this month, and authorities are ramping up testing to try to curb the spread. -
South Korea planned to reopen schools on Wednesday. But with a new spike in cases, the country has had to delay school starting by a week and close down all bars and clubs.
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The sea monster from folklore has emerged in art, food and fashion as a symbol of hope and pop culture mascot. Its first depiction was in 1846, telling people to draw it and "be free from disease." -
While many world leaders have seen their popularity increase during the pandemic, only a few seem to have captured the national mood in a way that has helped them lead their citizens.
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Japan's Prime Minister will announce a state of emergency Tuesday, in Tokyo and six other regions. It's largely symbolic since most people are following government advice already.
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The prime minister confirmed Monday that he would issue the declaration that allows governors of hard-hit prefectures to issue stay-at-home directives. -
As the coronavirus spreads, there is growing public concern over some of the methods being used by governments to enforce containment methods.
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Hopes that Japan had managed to avoid an explosion in COVID-19 cases fade, as the numbers rise and the country teeters on the brink of declaring a national emergency and lockdown.
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A phone call with President Moon was initiated at the "urgent request" of President Trump, according to Seoul. After fast-tracking test kits, South Korea can do 15,000 to 20,000 tests a day.
