*Off Beat*

Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation discusses the trial of Jimmy Lai, the media mogul charged with sedition and collusion in violation of Hong Kong's National Security Law, and what the trial means for press freedom in the former British colony.

*Podcast Free Asia*

RFA Multimedia's very own Lauren Kim discusses a kimchi taste test video that she created, and the Insiders participated in, on the occasion of Kimchi Day, which falls on Nov. 22 each year.

*The Rundown*

Western backpackers in Laos die from ingesting drinks made with methanol

A North Korea-backed faction of the International Taekwondo Federation will change the name of its 'tongil' pattern to more closely align with North Korea's shift away from South Korea.

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*Off Beat*

RFA English's State Dept. correspondent Alex Willemyns discusses possible changes in U.S. foreign policy in Asia after Trump's election victory.

*The Rundown*

The Myanmar junta jailed a citizen for criticizing the title of a movie as being discriminatory to religious minorities.

Vietnam builds a new airstrip on an artificial island built atop a reef in the disputed Spratley archipelago.

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RFA Insider #18

DOUBLE LENGTH EPISODE!

*SPECIAL REPORT*

Amy and Eugene visited the Smithsonian National Zoo in late September to get to the bottom of Panda diplomacy and to try to figure out when the new pandas would arrive. While there, they went *Off Beat* by talking to the zoo's director Brandie Smith, who stressed that conservation was the panda program's goal.

*Podcast Free Asia*

North Korea sent troops to Russia, and RFA Korean hosted a conversation about the latest developments. Eugene and Amy provide context, and discuss further.

*The Rundown*

A Chinese milk powder company got into trouble with the "Little Pink" nationalists because it collaborated with a Japanese company to produce infant formula, but this story isn't really about milk, is it? Next, Find out why the city of Shanghai is banning Halloween celebrations and decorations this year.

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Special thanks to Jack Davies for voiceovers in the special report.

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*Off Beat*

Kelis Wong from RFA Cantonese discusses the past 10 years in Hong Kong, and how protests in 2014, known as the Umbrella Movement or Occupy Central, led into subsequent protests in 2019 over an extradition law and then again in 2024 over the passage of Article 23.

*The Rundown*

North Koreans get punished for not saving portraits of their previous leaders as they escaped from their flooded homes.

A museum in France removed the word "Tibet" from exhibitions in favor of the Chinese name of the region, "Xizang."

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This episode of RFA Insider is a practice run in "live to tape" format, indicating that we will in the future do a livestreamed episode.

*The Rundown*

North Korean lectures tell the people that Vladimir Putin loves Kim Jong Un more than others. Meanwhile the people are getting sick of a propaganda song singing his praises

The AFCL checks into Chinese businessman Victor Gao's claim that 10% of Taiwan's population is descended from Japanese who lived there when it was a colony

The Gumball 3,000 supercar rally runs through five Southeast Asian countries, including a leg through Cambodia and Ankor Wat.

Kanye West performs in Hainan, China, which is suprising becaue the Chinese government is not often welcoming to Western artists

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*Off Beat*

Discussing Cambodian strongman Hun Sen with Vuthy Huot and Poly Sam from RFA Khmer

*Podcast Free Asia*

The other RFA Podcast, Master of Deceit, is about Wang Shujun, a New Yorker convicted of spying for China, not about those other three New Yorkers arrested for or convicted of spying for China.

*The Rundown*

Caterpillar fungus trade affected by climate change, over harvesting, and counterfeits

Lao video editors get in trouble for editing videos of roads with potholes

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*How it's Made*

This is part tow of a two part episode featuring a lengthy interview with Seohyun and Hyunseung Lee, who have been described as Pyonghattanites because they were part of North Korea's 1% prior to escaping North Korea.

In part two, the focus is about the issues that North Korean escapees face, including the proper term that we should use when talking about them, and then covers the siblings as they get used to life in New York city

*Podcast Free Asia*

How it’s Made is no longer the right title for our interview segment. So we announce a change for all future episodes.

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*How it's Made*

This is part one of a two part episode featuring a lengthy interview with Seohyun and Hyunseung Lee, who have been described as Pyonghattanites because they were part of North Korea's 1% prior to escaping North Korea.

In part one, the focus is about their decision to escape, their time in South Korea before coming to the United States and their experiences in the Korean-American community.

*Podcast Free Asia*

Listener provides new information regarding the Russian abilities of North Korean singers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.