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How China chokes its neighbors

FUKUOKA, Japan — When the Chinese smog arrives, the medical masks come in fashion. Every few months, this city of 1.5 million people in southern Japan, not far from mainland China, gets a dose of lung clogging courtesy of its neighbor.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

May 20, 2013

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Is North Korea evil and clownish?

SEOUL, South Korea — You’ll learn far more about what’s going on in North Korea when you leave the country, several former residents of the country have told GlobalPost.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

May 17, 2013

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The Real North Korea

For a glimpse into life in North Korea, take a peek into the country’s math textbooks. “During the Fatherland Liberation War [North Korea’s official name for the Korean War] the brave uncles of Korean People’s Army killed 265 American Imperial bastards in the first battle,” reads one question.

By Geoffrey Cain
The Christian Science Monitor

May 10, 2013

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Japan’s yakuza gang wars

KITAKYUSHU, Japan — Visibly nervous, the chairman of a local construction company asks that we lower our voices at the lunch table, and that his name be withheld from publication.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

May 7, 2013

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Gulags? Missiles? Not to fear, Choco Pies are here

SEOUL, South Korea — In the classic Korean mystery film JSA: Joint Security Area (2000), a South Korean soldier strays north of the demilitarized zone at the border between North and South Korea and unexpectedly befriends a handful of North Korean enemies.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

May 3, 2013

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Why was an American jailed in North Korea?

Editor’s update: The US government on Monday urged North Korea to free US citizen Kenneth Bae on “humanitarian grounds” as it sought to pin down the charges against him.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 29, 2013

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K-pop’s dirty secret

SEOUL, South Korea — This week, a famous K-pop star in South Korea got all teary-eyed  on television, talking about the 11 years she spent preparing for her career.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 25, 2013

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Can you solve North Korean math?

SEOUL, South Korea — I’m now reading an advance copy of Andrei Lankov’s upcoming book, “The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia,” due out from Oxford University Press on May 8.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 24, 2013

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Samsung workers go on strike

About 20% of the National Samsung Electronics Union walked off the job, protesting for higher pay and better working conditions. It’s the first time Samsung workers have gone on strike. The World’s host Carolyn Beeler talks about the strike and its significance with Geoffrey Cain.

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