SEOUL, South Korea — Until a few years ago, legions of food-loving Americans had never heard of bulgogi or kimchi, those Korean staples that are now available in most cities and towns across the country.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 22, 2015
Just about every corner watering hole whips up dazzling barbecues, stews and pickled vegetables. It’s spicy, and that’s a good thing.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 10, 2015
SEOUL, South Korea — Wearing traditional garb and wielding a 10-inch fruit knife, the assailant stood up and shouted for the unification of the two Koreas before slashing his supposed enemy: the guest of honor, US Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Mar 5, 2015
SEOUL, South Korea — Perched above the shimmering cityscape, in an old stone house with a makeshift aluminum roof, is an elderly shaman who goes by the spiritual name “Lotus Prophet.”
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Nov 6, 2014
SEOUL, South Korea — It’s been a while since horse-galloping YouTube celebrity Psy followed up on his first global hit, “Gangnam Style,” and its less famous successor, “Gentleman.” For a while, it appeared the eccentric Korean rapper would fall into the abyss as a one-hit wonder — all despite the fact that, a little over a week ago, “Gangnam Style” reached two billion views, the most ever for a YouTube video.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Jun 10, 2014
1. You can watch the sun rise and set from the city’s four peaks You can also gaze upon the coolest, most sprawling neon-lit cityscape you’ll ever see.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Jun 10, 2014
SEOUL, South Korea — If you visit South Korea, you’ll probably hear a triumphant refrain about Korean pop, known as “K-pop,” casting a spell over North America and Europe.
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Nov 30, 2013
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Beat down by the sweltering Cambodian sun, a group of teenagers took a rest from peddling pirated books and newspapers to tourists. One merchant switched on his mobile phone, playing the usual hit “Gangnam Style.”
By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World
Jan 14, 2013
What to read next:
Geoffrey Cain on Investigative Journalism, Authoritarian Power, and The Perfect Police State | In a wide-ranging conversation with Jennifer Grossman, CEO of The Atlas Society, investigative journalist Geoffrey Cain reflects on years spent reporting inside some of the world’s most restrictive regimes — and on the research behind his book The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey into China’s Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future.
For years, Tim Cook insisted Apple could change China from the inside. Instead, China changed Apple.
The latest evidence? Apple spent billions developing cutting-edge electric vehicle battery technology with Chinese automaker BYD, only to watch its innovations become the cornerstone of BYD’s rise to global electric vehicle dominance. Apple walked away with nothing. China walked away with everything.
This isn’t just another story about corporate research and development gone wrong. It’s a cautionary tale about how even America’s most valuable company has become trapped in China’s web of technological control — and how that web is about to tighten even further.