Michelle Ye Hee Lee
@myhlee.bsky.social
Covering Asia at The Washington Post. Mom to two needy cats & a rambunctious golden retriever. [email protected]
Pinned
How the few freedoms North Koreans enjoyed have vanished since the pandemic
The city of Hyesan, just over the river from China, once offered a glimpse of a more open North Korea. Now it exemplifies Kim Jong Un’s mounting authoritarianism.
wapo.st
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 Washington Post partnered with Asia Press to reach three residents currently living in Hyesan.
Gift link: wapo.st/4lzqExQ
The Washington Post partnered with Asia Press to reach three residents currently living in Hyesan.
Gift link: wapo.st/4lzqExQ
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
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:
They show how digital life has become yet another layer of government control:
See what it’s like to use a North Korean smartphone under Kim Jong Un
North Koreans are banking, getting makeup tutorials and using period trackers on their phones. But under Kim, these digital comforts are also tools of control.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 27, 2026 at 2:00 AM
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:
They show how digital life has become yet another layer of government control:
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
See what it’s like to use a North Korean smartphone under Kim Jong Un: (gift link)
wapo.st/44QYbfF
July 26, 2026 at 12:44 PM
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
See what it’s like to use a North Korean smartphone under Kim Jong Un: (gift link)
wapo.st/44QYbfF
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
Breaking news: Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, died Saturday night, his office said in a statement.
https://wapo.st/4y8CdCe
https://wapo.st/4y8CdCe
July 12, 2026 at 6:45 AM
Breaking news: Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, died Saturday night, his office said in a statement.
https://wapo.st/4y8CdCe
https://wapo.st/4y8CdCe
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
"The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/b...
Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media
The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”
www.nytimes.com
July 11, 2026 at 2:06 PM
"The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/b...
The 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
Our multimedia story on Japan’s billion-dollar quest to help a sleep-starved nation rest: (gift link) wapo.st/3QBBo3S
Inside Japan’s billion-dollar quest to help a sleep-starved nation rest
From puffer jackets designed for power naps to homes that auto-adjust lighting and temperature, better sleep in Japan is a booming market.
wapo.st
June 23, 2026 at 11:46 AM
The 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
Our multimedia story on Japan’s billion-dollar quest to help a sleep-starved nation rest: (gift link) wapo.st/3QBBo3S
Watch here: www.youtube.com/live/dx2Osd5...
June 17, 2026 at 10:39 AM
Watch here: www.youtube.com/live/dx2Osd5...
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
📺 TOMORROW: What Xi Got in Pyongyang
Xi's recent trip to Pyongyang produced warm readouts, but skipped denuclearization.
What does this signal? @csis.org Mark Lippert discusses with @victordcha.bsky.social, @wsj.com Jonathan Cheng, and @washingtonpost.com @myhlee.bsky.social.
🔗 shorturl.at/cCF9E
Xi's recent trip to Pyongyang produced warm readouts, but skipped denuclearization.
What does this signal? @csis.org Mark Lippert discusses with @victordcha.bsky.social, @wsj.com Jonathan Cheng, and @washingtonpost.com @myhlee.bsky.social.
🔗 shorturl.at/cCF9E
June 15, 2026 at 4:10 PM
📺 TOMORROW: What Xi Got in Pyongyang
Xi's recent trip to Pyongyang produced warm readouts, but skipped denuclearization.
What does this signal? @csis.org Mark Lippert discusses with @victordcha.bsky.social, @wsj.com Jonathan Cheng, and @washingtonpost.com @myhlee.bsky.social.
🔗 shorturl.at/cCF9E
Xi's recent trip to Pyongyang produced warm readouts, but skipped denuclearization.
What does this signal? @csis.org Mark Lippert discusses with @victordcha.bsky.social, @wsj.com Jonathan Cheng, and @washingtonpost.com @myhlee.bsky.social.
🔗 shorturl.at/cCF9E
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
June 15, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Chinese 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
Gift link:
wapo.st/4a1wAeX
Xi to visit North Korea, showing China’s importance to a nuclear-armed neighbor
The summit comes as China positions itself as a global power player projecting stability in contrast to the U.S.'s economically damaging war against Iran and erratic tariff policies.
wapo.st
June 5, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Chinese 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
Gift link:
wapo.st/4a1wAeX
China 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.
June 5, 2026 at 2:25 AM
China 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.
How young Chinese are learning the truth about Tiananmen Square, despite censorship. Important read from our reporter Huiyee Chiew in Taipei:
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
Despite censorship, young Chinese are learning the truth about Tiananmen Square
Authorities have been largely successful at erasing the massacre of protesters who fought for democratic reforms, but the facts are emerging in often unexpected ways.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 4, 2026 at 10:42 AM
How young Chinese are learning the truth about Tiananmen Square, despite censorship. Important read from our reporter Huiyee Chiew in Taipei:
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
Vermeer’s Girl With The Pearl Earring will be shown in Osaka, later this year, and the press conference was as Japanese as you’d expect
#Vermeer
#Vermeer
May 28, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Vermeer’s Girl With The Pearl Earring will be shown in Osaka, later this year, and the press conference was as Japanese as you’d expect
#Vermeer
#Vermeer
As 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
Gift link: wapo.st/3Ppzp2l
U.S. allies in Asia are trying to shield themselves from Trump’s unpredictability
President Donald Trump’s seeming ambivalence about the value of allies has created a sense of urgency among nations with close U.S. ties.
wapo.st
May 26, 2026 at 12:59 PM
As 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
Gift link: wapo.st/3Ppzp2l
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
Sports events have often been used as a vehicle for diplomatic exchanges between the Koreas, which have been separated since a 1953 armistice halted the Korean War and divided the peninsula.
In a recent match-up, players from North Korea remained stone-faced — until they won.
In a recent match-up, players from North Korea remained stone-faced — until they won.
In rare clash, North Korea defeats South Korea … on the soccer field
In an inter-peninsula match-up between women's teams that showed the limits of sports diplomacy, players from North Korea remained stone-faced — until they won.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 21, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Sports events have often been used as a vehicle for diplomatic exchanges between the Koreas, which have been separated since a 1953 armistice halted the Korean War and divided the peninsula.
In a recent match-up, players from North Korea remained stone-faced — until they won.
In a recent match-up, players from North Korea remained stone-faced — until they won.
A 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
But with inter-Korean relations at a low point, the North's message was clear: They're not interested.
Gift link: wapo.st/4wGH2lF
In rare clash, North Korea defeats South Korea … on the soccer field
In an inter-peninsula match-up between women's teams that showed the limits of sports diplomacy, players from North Korea remained stone-faced — until they won.
wapo.st
May 21, 2026 at 11:05 AM
A 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
But with inter-Korean relations at a low point, the North's message was clear: They're not interested.
Gift link: wapo.st/4wGH2lF
Thanks 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.
May 21, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Thanks 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.
There 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
Gift link to our story on a victorious summit for Xi, who projected stability and conceded nothing:
wapo.st/42Hv8dv
Xi, in summit victory, projected stability and conceded nothing to Trump
There were no big breakthroughs but also no blunders, and the summit positioned Xi Jinping as a leader at the height of his power seeking global stability.
wapo.st
May 17, 2026 at 1:06 PM
There 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
Gift link to our story on a victorious summit for Xi, who projected stability and conceded nothing:
wapo.st/42Hv8dv
Team Asia reunion in Taipei for the Trump-Xi summit, and other scenes 🇹🇼
May 16, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Team Asia reunion in Taipei for the Trump-Xi summit, and other scenes 🇹🇼
In 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
Gift link to our story from the final day of Trump-Xi summit
wapo.st/4dp3R4h
In pageantry and politics, China summit yields Xi’s goal — equal footing with U.S.
The image of peer superpowers during President Trump’s visit displayed a dynamic that analysts say the Chinese have long sought and Americans had resisted.
wapo.st
May 15, 2026 at 3:14 PM
In 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
Gift link to our story from the final day of Trump-Xi summit
wapo.st/4dp3R4h
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a fierce China critic, was banned in 2020 from entering the country.
Chinese officials, however, are using a different transliteration of Rubio’s name, perhaps to allow him to visit without lifting the ban.
Chinese officials, however, are using a different transliteration of Rubio’s name, perhaps to allow him to visit without lifting the ban.
Officially, Marco Rubio is still banned from China. So how is he in Beijing?
Chinese officials are using a different transliterated character for the secretary of state's name, perhaps to allow him to visit without lifting a 2020 ban.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a fierce China critic, was banned in 2020 from entering the country.
Chinese officials, however, are using a different transliteration of Rubio’s name, perhaps to allow him to visit without lifting the ban.
Chinese officials, however, are using a different transliteration of Rubio’s name, perhaps to allow him to visit without lifting the ban.
Chinese 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
Xi warns Trump that mishandling Taiwan could spark ‘conflicts’
China’s leader made clear his top priority is the fate of the contested island and its U.S. military support, a striking move given President Donald Trump’s effort to mend ties and deliver trade deals...
wapo.st
May 14, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Chinese 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
A 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
wapo.st/4fl3FFO
Officially, Marco Rubio is still banned from China. So how is he in Beijing?
Chinese officials are using a different transliterated character for the secretary of state's name, perhaps to allow him to visit without lifting a 2020 ban.
wapo.st
May 14, 2026 at 10:18 AM
A 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
wapo.st/4fl3FFO
“It’s a simple proposition: Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/o...
Opinion | The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians
www.nytimes.com
May 12, 2026 at 11:36 AM
“It’s a simple proposition: Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/o...
Reposted by Michelle Ye Hee Lee
President Trump will return to China this week for the first time since 2017.
Beijing 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.
Beijing 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.
Confident in China’s power, Xi is ready to host an unpredictable Trump
Holding no illusions about making lasting deals at this week’s summit, China’s leader looks to project Beijing as an alternative to U.S. volatility on the world stage.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM
President Trump will return to China this week for the first time since 2017.
Beijing 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.
Beijing 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.
Trump 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
Gift link: wapo.st/4nmmdYs
Confident in China’s power, Xi is ready to host an unpredictable Trump
Holding no illusions about making lasting deals at this week’s summit, China’s leader looks to project Beijing as an alternative to U.S. volatility on the world stage.
wapo.st
May 11, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Trump 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
Gift link: wapo.st/4nmmdYs