The East-West Center announces the appointment of Jean H. Lee as the Center’s inaugural Presidential Chair.
Jean speaks to Juana Summers, host of NPR’s All Things Considered, to discuss latest developments in South Korea’s ongoing political crisis.
Jean joins Katie Phang on MSNBC to discuss the political turmoil in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law.
Jean speaks to BBC’s Newshour program after South Korea’s president reverses course after declaring martial law in a tumultuous night of political upheaval in Seoul.
Jean speaks to the New York Times about the political upheaval in Seoul after President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law.
Jean is quoted in a Nov. 4, 2024, Wall Street Journal story featuring analysis of Kim Jong Un’s risky embrace of Russia.
Jean joins Julie Mason on The Julie Mason Show on SiriusXM to discuss what to make of reports that North Korea is sending troops to Ukraine to fight with Russia.
Jean joins Julian Worricker on BBC Radio4’s The World Tonight radio show on Oct. 23, 2024, to discuss reports that Washington has seen evidence 3,000 North Korean troops are training in Russia and may be sent to fight in Ukraine.
Jean joins the BBC World Service’s Newshour program on Oct. 23, 2024, to discuss news that the US and South Korea have said that about 3,000 troops from North Korea are in Russia, raising concerns that they may fight in Russia war in Ukraine.
Jean speaks to Rob Schmitz on NPR’s All Things Considered about the relationship between Russia and North Korea.
From Hollywood hacks to billion-dollar heists, North Korea is rewriting the rules of cyber warfare. Learn all about the regime's elite hackers with Jean Lee.
Jean joins CNN’s Erin Burnett and investigative journalist Christo Grozev for CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront to discuss President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Pyongyang.
The war in Ukraine has shifted the balance of power between Moscow, Pyongyang, and Beijing. As the geopolitical landscape evolves, new alliances and meetings come into focus. After Vladimir Putin's visit to China in May, there are now reports of an imminent meeting between the Russian President and Kim Jong Un. The North Korean leader has recently hailed his country's ties with Russia, saying the two nations are "invincible comrades-in-arms."
Katya speaks to the host of the BBC’s Lazarus Heist podcast, Jean Lee, and the Financial Times’ Seoul bureau chief, Christian Davies. They discuss what North Korea's end game is and how worried the rest of the world should be.
She's probably the most powerful woman in North Korea: Kim Yo Jong, the dictator’s younger sister. She’s viewed as an emotionless and shrewd strategist for her brother, the North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un. But just who is the "Red Princess"?
In his first trip outside of North Korea since the pandemic, Kim Jong Un met Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss whether they each had something the other wants.
The East-West Center announces the appointment of Jean H. Lee as the Center’s inaugural Presidential Chair.
Jean speaks to Juana Summers, host of NPR’s All Things Considered, to discuss latest developments in South Korea’s ongoing political crisis.
Jean joins Katie Phang on MSNBC to discuss the political turmoil in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law.
Jean speaks to BBC’s Newshour program after South Korea’s president reverses course after declaring martial law in a tumultuous night of political upheaval in Seoul.
Jean speaks to the New York Times about the political upheaval in Seoul after President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law.
Jean is quoted in a Nov. 4, 2024, Wall Street Journal story featuring analysis of Kim Jong Un’s risky embrace of Russia.
Jean joins Julie Mason on The Julie Mason Show on SiriusXM to discuss what to make of reports that North Korea is sending troops to Ukraine to fight with Russia.
Jean joins Julian Worricker on BBC Radio4’s The World Tonight radio show on Oct. 23, 2024, to discuss reports that Washington has seen evidence 3,000 North Korean troops are training in Russia and may be sent to fight in Ukraine.
Jean joins the BBC World Service’s Newshour program on Oct. 23, 2024, to discuss news that the US and South Korea have said that about 3,000 troops from North Korea are in Russia, raising concerns that they may fight in Russia war in Ukraine.
Jean speaks to Rob Schmitz on NPR’s All Things Considered about the relationship between Russia and North Korea.
The North’s participation in these Games signalled a “remarkable” return to the international fold, suggested Jean H Lee, a former Associated Press journalist who opened the US news agency’s first bureau in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
From Hollywood hacks to billion-dollar heists, North Korea is rewriting the rules of cyber warfare. Learn all about the regime's elite hackers with Jean Lee.
Jean joins CNN’s Erin Burnett and investigative journalist Christo Grozev for CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront to discuss President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Pyongyang.
The war in Ukraine has shifted the balance of power between Moscow, Pyongyang, and Beijing. As the geopolitical landscape evolves, new alliances and meetings come into focus. After Vladimir Putin's visit to China in May, there are now reports of an imminent meeting between the Russian President and Kim Jong Un. The North Korean leader has recently hailed his country's ties with Russia, saying the two nations are "invincible comrades-in-arms."
Katya speaks to the host of the BBC’s Lazarus Heist podcast, Jean Lee, and the Financial Times’ Seoul bureau chief, Christian Davies. They discuss what North Korea's end game is and how worried the rest of the world should be.
Jean speaks to William Gallo of the Voice of America about North Korea’s campaign to send balloons filled with garbage across the DMZ to South Korea.
“The statements and policy changes are part of a broader strategy to destabilize and create anxiety,” said Jean H. Lee, a fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu.
Others caution that the latest shift is likely part of a familiar playbook for North Korea. “Given the political landscape, North Korea is looking for new and novel ways to ramp up tensions,” said Jean H. Lee, a visiting fellow at the East-West Center, a Honolulu-based think tank. “Calling South Korea Enemy No. 1 is a tactic Kim Jong Un may hope will spark some anxiety in the region and unease among South Koreans.”
She's probably the most powerful woman in North Korea: Kim Yo Jong, the dictator’s younger sister. She’s viewed as an emotionless and shrewd strategist for her brother, the North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un. But just who is the "Red Princess"?
News Release
Feb 26, 2025
HONOLULU (Feb. 26, 2025) – The East-West Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Jean H. Lee as the Center’s inaugural Presidential Chair. This prestigious position is funded through the Charles Morrison Endowed Fund, made possible by a private donor in recognition of former EWC President Charles E. Morrison’s exceptional service to the Center.
Read the full press release here.
