Covering Northeast Asia at @WashingtonPost. [email protected]. Not here much anymore. Find me at https://xitter.cf/t.co/q02Z9kaJIr

Tokyo/Seoul
Joined October 2008
New: Our deep-dive into life in Hyesan, a North Korean border city close to China, to learn how the few freedoms North Koreans enjoyed have vanished since the pandemic. The Post partnered with @API_official @ishimarujiro to reach three Hyesan residents. washingtonpost.com/world/202…
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
Fascinating glimpse into how North Korea is changing 🇰🇵 👇 I was surprised to see that North Koreans can watch movies like Aladdin, Frozen, or Moana in state-run smartphone apps
North Koreans are banking, getting makeup tutorials and using period trackers on their smartphones. But these digital comforts are also tools of control by the regime. See what it’s like to use a North Korean smartphone under Kim Jong Un: (gift link) wapo.st/44QYbfF
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The Post gained access to two of North Korea’s latest smartphones, which offer a remarkable window into daily life in one of the most reclusive countries. They show how digital life has become yet another layer of government control: wapo.st/4x7u0Nx
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North Koreans are banking, getting makeup tutorials and using period trackers on their smartphones. But these digital comforts are also tools of control by the regime. See what it’s like to use a North Korean smartphone under Kim Jong Un: (gift link) wapo.st/44QYbfF
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
Why is it ‘cancelled’ in the U.K. but ‘canceled’ in the U.S.? Because we gave them that L in 1776.
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Ouch: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s lengthy post on the World Cup team’s failure to advance to the round of 32 calls the team leadership (i.e., coach) “incompetent,” blames mismanagement, calls on the government to investigate and push for sports administration reform.
최휘영 장관님과 관련 공무원 여러분 애쓰셨습니다. 저도 전임 명예 프로축구단장이자 심정적 붉은악마로서 예상밖 결과에 당황을 넘어 황당함을 느낍니다. 결국 인사가 만사임이 다시 한번 증명됐습니다. 능력보다 네편내편을 더 중시해 무능한 사람을 지휘관으로 선발하면 결과는 불보듯 뻔합니다. 공사구별을 못하고 공익보다 사익을 앞세우는 엉터리 인사가 가능한 것은 인사권자에 대한 감시 견제 문책이 불가능하거나 어렵기 때문입니다. 결국 모든 조직은 민주적 구성과 통제, 권한과 책임의 일치가 중요합니다. 민간 영역의 민주적 지도력 구성과 객관적 감시견제 체제 확립은 이 정부의 주요 국정과제입니다. 농협 임원구성을 조합원 직선제로 바꾸는 것처럼 대한체육회나 축구협회등 체육단체는 최협의의 대의원에 의한 소수 간접선거제가 아니라 관련 체육인 모두에 의한 직선제를 도입하도록 행정지도를 하시도록 지시했는데 잘 이행중인 것으로 압니다. 운영의 투명성, 공정성, 객관성을 위해 엄격한 감시견제 시스템을 구축하고, 행위와 결과에 대해 상응하는 책임을 지게하는 것도 중요한 과제입니다. 국민들을 허탈하게 한 이번 월드컵 본선진출 실패는 조직과 인사의 실패에 의한 것으로 보입니다. 월드컵 출전에도 많은 국민 혈세와 국가적 지원역량이 투입되는 만큼 문체부에서 이번 사태의 정확한 상황, 원인 분석, 재발방지와 개선을 위한 대책을 꼼꼼하게 챙겨 주시기 바랍니다. 어처구니 없는 일로 국민들께 깊은 실망을 안겨드린 점 매우 송구합니다. 다시 이런 일이 재발하지 않도록 체육행정 개혁을 신속하게 추진하겠습니다.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
China and Russia sent bombers and fighter jets for a "joint strategic air patrol" in airspace over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and western Pacific on Saturday, the Defense Ministry in Beijing said. 👉 ebx.sh/CLsfVx
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
Trump ripped up the walkway between the West Wing and the mansion to replace it with polished African granite carved in Italy. "Paid for by me," he claimed. Except that's not true. Taxpayers paid $689,232, per documents obtained by @michaelscherer theatlantic.com/politics/202…
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The Japanese get the least sleep of all major countries, so much so that there’s a thriving market to help people fall asleep faster & stay asleep longer. Our multimedia story on Japan’s billion-dollar quest to help a sleep-starved nation rest: (gift link) wapo.st/3QBBo3S
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From puffer jackets designed for power naps to homes that auto-adjust lighting and temperature, better sleep in Japan is a booming market. We take you inside the latest Japanese innovations and gadgets to see how they work. wapo.st/3QBBo3S
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
@myhlee says that on denuclearization, the North Korean message could not be clearer. Kim visited a uranium enrichment facility and released the photo just before Xi arrived.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
On CRINK, @myhlee says directly that North Korea is "really, truly the biggest beneficiary." It's given a lot to Russia but gotten a lot back, and is now drawing economic support from China again.
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@myhlee: "if I'm Kim Jong-un, I'm feeling pretty good about myself nowadays," and have been for a while. Hosting Xi on his first 2026 trip is yet another data point in Kim's emboldened, confident posture.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
📺 LIVE NOW: What Xi Got in Pyongyang Xi Jinping's first trip to Pyongyang since 2019 produced warm readouts on trade, agriculture, health and tech—but skipped denuclearization entirely. What does this omission signal, and what did Kim Jong-un get? On the Capital Cable #136, @CSIS host @mwlippert joins @VictorDCha, @WSJ @JChengWSJ and @washingtonpost @myhlee to discuss. 🔗 csis.org/events/what-xi-got-…
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
This is Japanese culture 🇯🇵 Via: insta: taiyojr.10
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Video: Japanese fans celebrated their 2-2 tie against the Netherlands early this morning at Shibuya Crossing. After police started blowing whistles demanding that they stop blocking the road, they dispersed.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
VIDEO: Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping attended a special cultural performance in Pyongyang on Monday evening, capping the first day of Xi's state visit to North Korea. The two leaders hailed the countries' "invincible" friendship at a banquet earlier in the day, following wide-ranging talks on expanding economic ties.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee retweeted
Much has previously been said about how South Korean President Lee and Japanese PM Takaichi have pursued pragmatic diplomacy, despite Takaichi's well-known alignment with Japan's historical revisionists. Now Lee has stated he expects more genuine historical apologies from Japan:
‘Attacker would need to say sorry’: South Korea’s Lee rejects Japan defence ties sc.mp/tqxpo?utm_source=twitt… via @scmpnews
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