Michelle Ye Hee Lee
Washington Post Tokyo/Seoul Bureau Chief, covering Japan, the two Koreas and beyond. Mom to two needy cats & a rambunctious golden retriever. michelle.lee@washpost.com
- Today my Japanese teacher l taught me the word 根比べ (konkurabe), which means a test of one’s patience/endurance and is pronounced the same as the English word conclave (コンクラーベ), and actually, I think that tracks.
- China and the United States have agreed to lower tariffs on goods from each other’s countries for 90 days, offering a temporary reprieve in a trade war that threatens to cause a global recession & deepen a widening rift between the world’s 2 largest economies. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
- So many Kims: South Korean Democratic lawmaker Kim Moon-soo, who has the same name (& Chinese characters) as conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, took down his own banners so as not to inadvertently promote the other Kim. He posted with crying emoji: ㅠㅠ n.news.naver.com/article/025/...
- Bought my parents On shoes, which are my favorite running shoes. My dad said the other day, "I am loving the shoes from QC!" And I was like, ??? then realized the logo....... 😂
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- That's hilarious, I gotta show it to my dad.
- New data underscore an emerging contradiction in the trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies: U.S. importers are buying less from China but Chinese exporters are shipping as much as before. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
- South Korean conservative party, People Power Party, still hasn't reached consensus on its presidential nominee -- 2 days before candidate registration and less than 4 weeks before snap election day. PPP is mired in internecine division while the Democratic nominee is campaigning around the country.
- The latest: PPP's leadership wants its nominee, Kim Moon-soo, and former PM Han Duck-soo, whom party leaders recruited to run, to merge candidacies. Kim is refusing, as the rightfully chosen party nominee. Meanwhile, PPP is conducting a poll to see who'd fare better against the Democratic nominee.
- No resolution on unifying candidacies, but the talks end for now with two hugs and a handshake
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- It's such a great experience. The comments are pretty hilarious too
- Compared to back-door dealings between politicians, this is a fascinating display of leadership negotiations in front of the press and the public. People are heckling/cheering like they're watching a sports game.
- Kim Mun-soo and Han Duck-soo are debating each other outdoors at the National Assembly compound, about whether/how to unify candidacies, as supporters yell out for/against them. It's being aired live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNva...
