Covering Asia at The Washington Post. Mom to two needy cats & a rambunctious golden retriever. michelle.lee@washpost.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mrkfv5ft7222North 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/44QYbfF26 Jul 2026 12:44 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrkfv5ft7222https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3moxdcdqnt22vThe Japanese get the least sleep of all major countries, so much so that there’s a thriving "sleep tech" market to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Our multimedia story on Japan’s billion-dollar quest to help a sleep-starved nation rest: (gift link) wapo.st/3QBBo3S https://wapo.st/3QBBo3S23 Jun 2026 11:46 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3moxdcdqnt22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3moi4r53dhk2fWatch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/dx2Osd5vKPI?si=9-WTcRrwWC4Aerkn [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Jun 2026 10:39 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3moi4r53dhk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mnkbuekej22yChinese leader Xi Jinping will make a rare trip to North Korea next week to meet with Kim Jong Un, Xi’s first such trip in seven years and a major opportunity for Kim to show Washington that he has powerful friends, even if he is shunned by the West. Gift link: wapo.st/4a1wAeX https://wapo.st/4a1wAeX05 Jun 2026 13:51 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnkbuekej22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mnj3j6rog226China and North Korea have both announced Xi Jinping will visit Pyongyang on June 8-9. It would be Xi’s first trip there since 2019. And a big deal for Kim Jong Un as he flexes his diplomatic muscles to show he has powerful friends even without engaging the U.S.05 Jun 2026 02:25 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnj3j6rog226https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mnhgtjuuxs22How young Chinese are learning the truth about Tiananmen Square, despite censorship. Important read from our reporter Huiyee Chiew in Taipei: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/06/04/despite-censorship-young-chinese-are-learning-truth-about-tiananmen-square/04 Jun 2026 10:42 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnhgtjuuxs22https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mmr2c2nudc2eAs China shows greater willingness to strong-arm its neighbors & President Trump injects waves of unpredictability into global affairs, Japan and South Korea are banding together as smaller nations redraw the geostrategic balance in Asia despite their complicated history. Gift link: wapo.st/3Ppzp2l https://wapo.st/3Ppzp2l26 May 2026 12:59 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmr2c2nudc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mmebm6bn4c2mA North Korean women's club soccer team visited the South for the 1st time this week, raising hopes for a powerful moment of inter-Korean sports diplomacy. But with inter-Korean relations at a low point, the North's message was clear: They're not interested. Gift link: wapo.st/4wGH2lF https://wapo.st/4wGH2lF21 May 2026 11:05 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmebm6bn4c2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mmd7tdgjhs2pThanks to Chosun ALC, RAND and @korea.csis.org for having me as a moderator again this year for two meaty discussions with some of the best thinkers on Korean issues - on alliance modernization and the challenges facing diplomacy with North Korea.21 May 2026 01:01 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmd7tdgjhs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mm2gilyv2k2kThere were no big breakthroughs but also no blunders, and the summit positioned China's Xi Jinping as a leader at the height of his power seeking global stability. Gift link to our story on a victorious summit for Xi, who projected stability and conceded nothing: wapo.st/42Hv8dv https://wapo.st/42Hv8dv17 May 2026 13:06 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm2gilyv2k2khttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mlyxeyn52c2bTeam Asia reunion in Taipei for the Trump-Xi summit, and other scenes 🇹🇼16 May 2026 23:03 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlyxeyn52c2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mlvmpxc2kc26In pageantry and politics, China summit yields Xi Jinping’s goal — equal footing with U.S. Gift link to our story from the final day of Trump-Xi summit wapo.st/4dp3R4h https://wapo.st/4dp3R4h15 May 2026 15:14 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlvmpxc2kc26https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mlsm6altq22rChinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump on Thursday that “conflicts” could emerge if the two powers mishandle Taiwan, declaring that Beijing’s top priority in talks with the United States is the fate of the contested island long supported militarily by Washington. wapo.st/3P2fCpv https://wapo.st/3P2fCpv14 May 2026 10:26 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlsm6altq22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mlslpchr6s2rA name change in Chinese characters may have allowed Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- a fierce China critic who was banned in 2020 from entering the country -- to visit China as part of President Donald Trump’s entourage. wapo.st/4fl3FFO https://wapo.st/4fl3FFO14 May 2026 10:18 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlslpchr6s2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mlnp47vmzc24“It’s a simple proposition: Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/opinion/israel-palestinians-sexual-violence.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share12 May 2026 11:35 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlnp47vmzc24https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mllbn2a3es24Trump will return to a Beijing that is a far more powerful, confident seat of global power than a decade ago — with a seasoned leader, Xi Jinping, who now understands Trump weaponizes unpredictability and holds no illusions about making lasting deals with the U.S. leader. Gift link: wapo.st/4nmmdYs https://wapo.st/4nmmdYs11 May 2026 12:29 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllbn2a3es24https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mkypkdz7nc22Stereotypically Jeju weekend: cloudy weather, horses, delicious fish, aged black pork. Also ate lots of tangerines of course.04 May 2026 03:17 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkypkdz7nc22https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3mjz6xwmfds24Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday announced her country will begin selling lethal weapons abroad, a major shift from a post-World War II pacifist commitment during a time of heightened security concerns in the region. wapo.st/48YduWc https://wapo.st/48YduWc21 Apr 2026 14:28 +0000at://did:plc:vbr73gm46jdeyfn2rxwmicdw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjz6xwmfds24