Japan’s ‘Abenomics’ — sugar high or national revival?

Jul 12, 2013 | Writing

KYOTO, Japan — Natsuki Ohshima, 24, has found a gem. Straight out of college, he has scored a professional job as a corporate recruiter. His generation, born in the 1980s, has grown up in the midst of economic stagnation lasting two decades. So even he admits that...

Prop Art: The best of weird North Korean art

Jul 11, 2013 | Writing

SEOUL, South Korea — On Tuesday, a Chinese artist made headlines when he offered North Korea its very own wax figure of the deceased dictator, Kim Jong Il. It’s a nod to the hermit state’s ruling family. The Dear Leader, as he’s called, is the father of the current...

China’s love affair with South Korea

Jun 28, 2013 | Writing

SEOUL — There’s no question that China and South Korea are uneasy neighbors. Over the years, relations have been tense over issues like North Korea’s nuclear program, and illegal Chinese fishing in South Korean waters, to name a few. But despite the loggerheads, this...

Red threat: Kim Jong Un makes the Koreas’ best beer

Jun 27, 2013 | Writing

SEOUL, South Korea — If there’s one key art form where North Korea beats the South, it’s beer-making. Pyongyang is home to Taedonggang, a government-made, full-bodied lager that The New York Times called one of the finest beers on the Korean peninsula. The beverage is...

Telling Kim Jong Un’s ‘secrets’

Jun 21, 2013 | Writing

SEOUL, South Korea — If North Korea’s government had its way, the world would know nothing about what really happens within the country’s borders. Journalism is essentially forbidden. Those who dare ask hard questions do so at the risk of torture and...