· June, 2013

Stories about East Asia from June, 2013

Hundreds Banned from Hong Kong Website

  24 June 2013

HKGolden, a forum of great cultural and political influence in Hong Kong recently has banned more than 300 user accounts. While the website administrator explained that the move was in reaction to defamatory charge, some believe that it is a political purge as many of removed account users like to...

South Koreans Protest Electioneering

  21 June 2013

College students and civic groups took action against the National Intelligence Service (NIS)'s illegal interference with the lastest presidential election. Major universities in South Korea have released statements condemning the secret agency, the ruling party and the police. Net users have gathered 95 thousand signatures in the second round [ko] of online petition. Several protests are...

China's Undercover ‘Street Vender’ Sting Exposed

  21 June 2013

Urban management officers, also known as Chengguan, have been under much media scrutiny lately. A recent story of a Chengguan going undercover as a street vendor at night went viral online. The seeming PR campaign drew wide skepticism among netizens. Offbeat China explains.

China Announces Campaign to Weed Out Party Corruption

  21 June 2013

The Chinese Communist Party is launching a year-long campaign to clean up the party to do away with corrupt elements in its organization. But many Chinese netizens have expressed skepticism toward the campaign, arguing that democracy with the open participation of the people, and not a closed internal process, is the best way to get rid of corruption.

Malaysia Launches Dengue Web Portal

  20 June 2013

To fight dengue, Malaysia's Ministry of Health launched a GIS-based web portal called I-Dengue, “which aims to provide the public with the latest information on dengue hotspots and preventive measures on how citizens can avoid getting the disease.” Dengue is a tropical virus with no known cure that is carried...

China Shoots Down Accusations that Edward Snowden is a Spy

  19 June 2013

Edward Snowden, the whistleblower behind the revelations of the United States massive Internet spying program, turned to the Guardian newspaper once again, this time for an online Q&A, shortly after China broke its silence over the leaking scandal and said Snowden was not a spy for the country. Despite a cautious response from the government, China's online world has been abuzz with chatter surrounding the case.

Analysis on North Korea's Nuclear Talk

  19 June 2013

North Korea has recently tried to open discussion with South Korea and the United States on the denuclearization issue. 38 North project site posted a detailed analysis on current inter-Korean dynamics and future prospects. 

Defeat Has China's Soccer Fans Up in Arms

  18 June 2013

Chinese national football has long been mocked by fans in China for its poor performance and corruption allegations. Offbeat weighed in on a recent defeat from the national football team that has galvanized many avid soccer fans.

Support Snowden Rally in Hong Kong

  18 June 2013

HongWrong has collected a large number of media reports on the rally to support Edward Snowden in Hong Kong on 15 of June, 2013. Hundreds rallied in the rain demanding the U.S government to stop its spying activities and Hong Kong government to protect Snowden.

Chinese Football Team Defeated Again

  18 June 2013

Barry van Wyk from DANWEI blogs about Chinese media and football fans’ reactions to the recent humiliating defeat of 5-1 at home for China’s football team against an under-strength team of youngsters from tiny Thailand.

China's “Leftover” Women

  18 June 2013

In China, if a young woman does not marry by age twenty-eight, she is widely considered “leftover”. If she is single by age thirty, she is made to feel she has truly expired. Melissa Schneider, a couples counselor living in Shenzhen, believes that the so-called “leftover women” problem has been...

Japan's WordPress Communities Celebrate 10 Years

  18 June 2013

WordPress communities in Japan celebrated the 10th anniversary of the open source blogging platform. Events were held in Sapporo, Kagawa, Tokyo, Chiba and Osaka. There are 40 local WordBench [ja] groups, Japan's WordPress local community directory is powered by BuddyPress. Naoko Takano blogs more about the events in Japan.

Burmese Blogger Calls for Religious Tolerance

  17 June 2013

dawn_1o9, a young Burmese blogger, expresses her disappointment over the reported cases of violence between Buddhists and Muslims in some parts of Myanmar: I'm a Buddhist. I'm a Burmese living in Myanmar. But I just don't have anything against the Muslims living in Myanmar….what makes me a true Buddhist is...

Investigative Journalism in Indonesia

  17 June 2013

Akhlis Purnomo laments the state of investigative journalism in Indonesia. …there has not been much of investigative journalism in Indonesia. Most of them are not even investigative, but more like reportage on everyday issues….These are then labelled as investigative by producers and TV stations.

Rupert's divorce creates buzz in China

  16 June 2013

The media mogul Rupert Murdoch has filed for divorce from his Chinese-born wife Wendi Deng. Deng is his third wife and they have two daughters. The divorce has prompted a wave of speculation online that she married Americans with ulterior motives of climbing the social letter and getting richer. ChinaSmack...

Anger Over Attacks Against Myanmar Migrants in Malaysia

  14 June 2013

The ethnic violence in Myanmar seems to be spreading in nearby countries. Some Myanmar Buddhist migrants in Malaysia have been attacked in recent weeks which many people believe are related to the ongoing ethnic and religious tension in Myanmar. The initial response of the Myanmar government to deny the issue angered many netizens

Pastor for South Korea's Biggest Church Charged with Financial Crimes

  14 June 2013

The largest Pentecostal Christian congregation in South Korea, and the world, Yoido Full Gospel church went under fire as its founder and senior pastor Cho Yong-gi await trial along with his two sons. They have been indicted on charges of breach of duty, embezzlement and tax evasion involving tremendous amount of money, a sensational event involving an iconic, mega-church in the country.

About our East Asia coverage

Oiwan Lam
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Mong Palatino
Mong Palatino is the South East Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.