KOREA THREAD. I've been writing about Korea since the late 1970s. But in 2017, due to the election of a progressive president in South Korea and rising tensions between the US and the DPRK, I chronicled an entire year in ways I've never done before. Here's the highlights.
I spent the spring in Gwangju, South Korea, where hundreds died in 1980 in an uprising against a US-backed military junta. As Moon Jae-in began his run for president, I wrote about how South Koreans were far more worried about Trump than Kim Jong Un. thenation.com/article/in-sou…
In May, I focused on how South Korea is often left out of the American discussion about North Korea - a trend that continues, particularly in the US media. As Moon made clear, the South has a strong voice and must not be ignored: it's their country. thenation.com/article/the-un…
On May 7, two days before his historic election, I interviewed Moon Jae-in at a rail station in Gwangju. I was only one of two US journalists to get an interview with him, and he traced his certain victory to the democratic movement from 1960 to 2017. thenation.com/article/south-…
Back in DC in June, I covered Moon Jae-in's summit meeting with President Trump with a preview in @thenation thenation.com/article/south-… and an in-depth story for @newstapa (The Korea Center for Investigative Reporting): news.kcij.org/13
As Trump began escalating his threats against North Korea over the summer, I wrote about the dangers of war thenation.com/article/is-tru… and looked at a possible diplomatic solution: a "dual freeze." thenation.com/article/the-on…
In August, I interviewed former US diplomats involved in the 1994 Agreed Framework in which North Korea froze its nuclear program for 12 years, and published this investigation that unravelled the "official story" of US-NK negotiations. A favorite: thenation.com/article/diplom…
In September, I wrote about the deep influence Japan's rightist prime minister Shinzo Abe had on Trump. This is an important trend that has largely been missed in the US media. thenation.com/article/is-tru…
Over the fall, I chronicled the dangerous drift towards war between the US and North Korea thenation.com/article/the-un… and how South Koreans received Trump during his state visit to Seoul. thenation.com/article/korean…
My last @thenation article of the year focused on two Americans - a former Pentagon chief and a “dialogue practitioner” - who have offered smart and creative solutions to resolve the US-North Korea impasse through diplomacy and negotiations. thenation.com/article/amid-t…
In 2018, I will continue to report on Korea for @thenation, @newstapa and @lobelog. Watch my Twitter feed and look out soon for my crowd-funding posts at @patreon and Korea's Daum dot net, which I hope will allow me to keep up my journalism. Here's to Peace in the New Year!
Follow this thread for a chronological listing of all my reporting about Korea, North and South, for the Year 2017. Happy New Year to all!
