*Off Beat*Jun You from RFA Korean joins the Insiders to discuss South Korea's martial law declaration and reversal, and how the checks and balances present in a developed democracy in South Korea are not present in the North, where the word of the leader is the law of the land.*The Rundown*Tara McKelvey of RFA Investigative talks about the recent spy exchange between the U.S. and China and why spy stories are really stories about what it means to be human. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*Off Beat*Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation discusses the trial of Jimmy Lai, the media mogul charged with sedition and collusion in violation of Hong Kong's National Security Law, and what the trial means for press freedom in the former British colony.*Podcast Free Asia*RFA Multimedia's very own Lauren Kim discusses a kimchi taste test video that she created, and the Insiders participated in, on the occasion of Kimchi Day, which falls on Nov. 22 each year. *The Rundown*Western backpackers in Laos die from ingesting drinks made with methanolA North Korea-backed faction of the International Taekwondo Federation will change the name of its 'tongil' pattern to more closely align with North Korea's shift away from South Korea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*Off Beat*RFA English's State Dept. correspondent Alex Willemyns discusses possible changes in U.S. foreign policy in Asia after Trump's election victory.*The Rundown*The Myanmar junta jailed a citizen for criticizing the title of a movie as being discriminatory to religious minorities.Vietnam builds a new airstrip on an artificial island built atop a reef in the disputed Spratley archipelago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
RFA Insider #18DOUBLE LENGTH EPISODE!*SPECIAL REPORT*Amy and Eugene visited the Smithsonian National Zoo in late September to get to the bottom of Panda diplomacy and to try to figure out when the new pandas would arrive. While there, they went *Off Beat* by talking to the zoo's director Brandie Smith, who stressed that conservation was the panda program's goal.*Podcast Free Asia*North Korea sent troops to Russia, and RFA Korean hosted a conversation about the latest developments. Eugene and Amy provide context, and discuss further.*The Rundown*A Chinese milk powder company got into trouble with the "Little Pink" nationalists because it collaborated with a Japanese company to produce infant formula, but this story isn't really about milk, is it? Next, Find out why the city of Shanghai is banning Halloween celebrations and decorations this year.Please take a moment to like, follow, and subscribe.Special thanks to Jack Davies for voiceovers in the special report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*Off Beat*Kelis Wong from RFA Cantonese discusses the past 10 years in Hong Kong, and how protests in 2014, known as the Umbrella Movement or Occupy Central, led into subsequent protests in 2019 over an extradition law and then again in 2024 over the passage of Article 23.*The Rundown*North Koreans get punished for not saving portraits of their previous leaders as they escaped from their flooded homes.A museum in France removed the word "Tibet" from exhibitions in favor of the Chinese name of the region, "Xizang." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode of RFA Insider is a practice run in "live to tape" format, indicating that we will in the future do a livestreamed episode.*The Rundown*North Korean lectures tell the people that Vladimir Putin loves Kim Jong Un more than others. Meanwhile the people are getting sick of a propaganda song singing his praisesThe AFCL checks into Chinese businessman Victor Gao's claim that 10% of Taiwan's population is descended from Japanese who lived there when it was a colonyThe Gumball 3,000 supercar rally runs through five Southeast Asian countries, including a leg through Cambodia and Ankor Wat.Kanye West performs in Hainan, China, which is suprising becaue the Chinese government is not often welcoming to Western artists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*Off Beat*Discussing Cambodian strongman Hun Sen with Vuthy Huot and Poly Sam from RFA Khmer*Podcast Free Asia*The other RFA Podcast, Master of Deceit, is about Wang Shujun, a New Yorker convicted of spying for China, not about those other three New Yorkers arrested for or convicted of spying for China.*The Rundown*Caterpillar fungus trade affected by climate change, over harvesting, and counterfeitsLao video editors get in trouble for editing videos of roads with potholes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*How it's Made*This is part tow of a two part episode featuring a lengthy interview with Seohyun and Hyunseung Lee, who have been described as Pyonghattanites because they were part of North Korea's 1% prior to escaping North Korea.In part two, the focus is about the issues that North Korean escapees face, including the proper term that we should use when talking about them, and then covers the siblings as they get used to life in New York city*Podcast Free Asia*How it’s Made is no longer the right title for our interview segment. So we announce a change for all future episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*How it's Made*This is part one of a two part episode featuring a lengthy interview with Seohyun and Hyunseung Lee, who have been described as Pyonghattanites because they were part of North Korea's 1% prior to escaping North Korea. In part one, the focus is about their decision to escape, their time in South Korea before coming to the United States and their experiences in the Korean-American community.*Podcast Free Asia*Listener provides new information regarding the Russian abilities of North Korean singers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*How its' Made*RFA Uyghur's Shahrezad Ghayrat unpacks a TikTok video filmed by young Uyghur activists, then discusses the situation in the Uyghur region.*The Rundown*Unofficial new "down the rabbit hole" segment begins with talk of anthems played at the olympics then takes a turn to North Korea presenting Vladimir Putin with the Russian anthem during a state visit.China wins gold-silver in women's singles table tennis, but fans of silver medalist Sun Yingsha threw shade at gold medalist Chen Meng even though both players are representing the same country. China is so strong at table tennis, that many Chinese-born players end up representing other countries, including 61-year old Ni Xia Lian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*How it's Made*We discus mass student protests in Bangladesh that have claimed over 200 lives and seen more than 10,000 arrested with BenarNews' Mahbub Leelen.*Podcast Free Asia*Astronomy and astrology are not the same, and all our zodiac signs are wrong*The Rundown*AFCL debunks reports that the BBC reported that China's Chang'e-6 mission to the Moon harmed lunar aliens, then they debunk reports that South Korea is changing its name in Chinese to more reflect how the country is called in English. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*How it's Made*BenarNews' Mem Satitpanyapan discusses the latest developments in the case of six Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans who were discovered by police dead in their hotel room*Podcast Free Asia*We explain our format shift and we record some promos.*The rundown*YouTubers in Vietnam slapped with a fine for posting video of a rock and saying it looks like Thich Minh Tue, the unofficial monk that's has gone viral despite the government's efforts to prevent that.The AFCL debunks five claims by Chinese netizens that the 1969 Lunar Landing was faked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode, China sees a sharp drop in marriages; The road to the FIFA World Cup for North Korea (and China and South Korea) becomes more clear after the AFC's 3rd round draw. *How it's made* Truong Son from RFA Vietnamese discusses Thich Minh Tue, the unofficial monk who's gone viral for his barefoot pilgrimage across the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is part two of a two-part pride-themed episode with a panel discussing LGBTQIA+ experiences and issues in Asian settings or in the field of journalism.Our panel consists of three RFA journalists who happen to be gay:Wilson (pseudonym), social media editorPhoe Khwar, journalist, Burmese ServiceGreg Barber, head of digital operations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is part one of a two-part pride-themed episode with a panel discussing LGBTQIA+ experiences and issues in Asian settings or in the field of journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode of RFA Insider: *Podcast Free Asia*A primer for the discussion on language standardization*The Rundown*The insiders discuss different standardization processes by governments in the Chinese and Korean linguistic areas, and how adherence to one standard may or may not be political.*How it's Made*Max Avary from RFA's Lao Service explains the difference between traditional Lao and modern Lao and why RFA recently decided to shift to modern Lao to better serve its audience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Continuing with the second half of our AANHPI Heritage Month episode with guests Boer Deng and Charlie Dharapak.*How it's Made*The panel discusses their journey to becoming journalists and navigating expectations from their parents to adhere to traditional markers of success.The conversation then shifts to how Asian Americans are making an impact in journalism today, and what we would like to see done better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode of RFA Insider:May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so in the rundown, a four person panel of RFA staffers discuss Asian representation in U.S. media over the years.Recording went on longer than expected so we stopped at the end of the rundown and How it's made will appear in the second half. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode of RFA Insider:*The Rundown*V-pop singer Dam Vinh Hung gets in trouble for wearing military costume with medals that look South VietnameseNorth Korea releases a song that praises Kim Jong Un and displays expensive instruments, a possible violation of sanctions.*How It's Made*Discussing the espionage case of Wang Shujun, a Chinese-American pro-democracy activist accused of spying for Beijing, with Jane Tang and Tara McKelvey from RFA Investigative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this episode of RFA Insider:*The Rundown*China's Douyin removes 700 'micro dramas' from its platform for showing too much family drama.Coffee culture spreads in North Korea despite being associated with capitalists.*How it's made*Kyaw Min Htun from RFA Burmese joins the insiders to discuss the situation in Myawaddy, on the border between Myanmar and Thailand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.