Michelle Ye Hee Lee Profile Banner
Michelle Ye Hee Lee Profile
Michelle Ye Hee Lee

@myhlee

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@WashingtonPost Tokyo/Seoul bureau chief, covering Japan & the Koreas. michelle.lee @washpost .com. . Threads/IG/TikTok: myhlee

Tokyo/Seoul
Joined October 2008
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 months
워싱턴 포스트 @washingtonpost 가 '한국 젠더 시리즈' 영상 인터렉티브 기사로 각기 다른 세대를 살아온 여성들의 인터뷰를 통해 일과 육아를 병행하기 힘든 한국의 현실을 알아봤습니다. 세계 여성의 날을 맞아 한국어와 영어 자막 처리가 된 영상을 YouTube에 올렸습니다:
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
23 days
The best part of South Korean election night: the graphics.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
I am fewer than thrilled about this
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
To all the Asian American and Pacific Islander journalists logging on/showing up to work this morning, feeling shook, horrified, exhausted and invisible, I see you and you’re not alone. 1/
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
How it started How it’s going
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Leaving the restaurant at 8pm per guidelines under Tokyo state of emergency, and yet … still a full house. Some people got seated minutes ago. Most people here are watching the Japan-NZ men’s Olympic soccer quarterfinals.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
Been thinking about young South Koreans the past few days. The generation being shaped by two gruesome national tragedies with horrific death tolls, a pandemic, a housing crisis, widening income inequality — all while growing up in a rising global economy.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
New: The Georgia Secretary of State on Monday said the office would re-certify the state’s election results, which would reaffirm Biden’s victory after a second statewide recount of presidential votes. The presidential ballots in Georgia have now been counted three times.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
Can't overstate how shocking this shooting is -- not only because Abe is very popular and prominent, but also because gun violence is extremely rare incident in Japan, a country with some of the world's strictest gun laws.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Georgia state law does not require the requesting candidate to pay for the recount -- which means Georgia taxpayers will once again finance this machine recount of hand-recounted ballots.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
NEW: Postal Service is experiencing days-long backlogs across the country after a top Trump donor running the agency put in new procedures. Workers warn it could undermine their ability to deliver ballots on time for November. W/⁦ @jacobbogage
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
Harris County, the most populous county in Texas, just set a new record for voter turnout on a single day of early voting -- 109,000 ballots cast, with 2 hours left until polls close for the day, per @HarrisVotes .
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Are you a freelancer in the Atlanta area who speaks Korean and can help cover the news today and beyond? I have multiple national news outlets asking for your help, please DM me.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
Wow: Biden campaign alone entered October with roughly **$180.7M** in cash on hand, compared to Trump campaign's $63M. Story coming shortly.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
What an inspiration. During her acceptance speech Chloé Zhao recalls in Chinese a phrase that's kept her going: "People at birth are inherently good." Zhao is the first woman of color to be named Best Director.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
A reminder to check in on your Asian American and Pacific Islander friends & colleagues. We're exhausted. We're overwhelmed by videos & images of people who could be our parents/grandparents brutally attacked — spat on, shoved to the ground, slashed across the face & more. 1/
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
이태원 압사사고 실종자 접수 방법: 02-2199-8660 02-2199-8664~8678 02-2199-5165~5168 120 다산콜센터(02-120) 서울 용산구 한남동 주민센터 3층(용산구 대사관로 5길 1) 방문 접수 (문의 전화 02-2133-6212) ^for those in Korea, numbers to call to register missing people from Itaewon
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Since the shootings, @AAJA members reported: -being fluent in Korean, knowing ATL, asking to cover but being told they may be too biased -being the only AAPI at work and feeling overwhelmed they have to represent all AAPIs -& more. To their newsrooms:
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
New Itaewon victim figures, which have slight tweaks from this morning: 154 dead, 149 injured (33 with serious injuries) Of those who died: -99 women; 55 men -12 in their teens; 101 in their 20s; 31 in their 30s; 8 in their 40s; 1 in 50s -26 foreigners from 14 countries.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
I rinsed and dried a lightly used ziploc bag and restocked it in the pantry and I am officially my mother 🥴🙃
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
NEW: The life and love of Suncha Kim, one of the least-known victims of last month’s Atlanta shooting. In their first extended interview, her family shared Kim’s life of sacrifice and grit as a 1st generation immigrant. From me:
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
In strongest statement thus far on Russia/sanctions, a South Korean foreign ministry official says “If Russia pushes ahead with an all-out war despite repeated warnings from the international community, our government cannot but join sanctions like export curbs against Russia.”
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
1 year
New: Since the Oct. 29 crowd crush in Seoul, we’ve been tracking down the exact time stamps and locations of the many, many videos filmed from the scene to put together a comprehensive story of what happened. Our main findings: 🧵
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
NEW: We contacted 22 states where state and local agencies paid for security, property repair & legal defense as a result of Trump's lie that the election was stolen. Here's what @ToluseO & I found: (thread)
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
We went to Studio Ghibli’s new theme park in Japan, opening on Nov. 1. It was a total sensory overload, yet peaceful/relaxing at the same time. What to expect and how to plan your trip — from me, @juliaminuma & @shiho_fukada :
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Among the "shocking" pieces of evidence of election misconduct in Michigan provided by Trump campaign: A GOP poll watcher who said she was told by a Democratic poll watcher to “Go back to the suburbs, Karen."
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
Secret Service agents expressed their anger and frustration to colleagues and friends Friday, saying that the president’s actions have repeatedly put them at risk. “He’s never cared about us,” one agent told a confidant.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
BREAKING: Death toll at Itaewon Halloween crush has risen to at least 146 dead, at least 150 injured. Of those who died, 101 died at hospitals, 45 died on scene.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
“Go to hell, IOC,” “go to hell, Olympics” with 30 minutes to go until the opening ceremony
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Chris Christie: “The conduct of the president’s legal team has been a national embarrassment." Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA): “President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania.”
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Olympic protesters have shut down one of the busiest roads in Tokyo, in Harajuku. Police are clearing the road for them and yelling into megaphones asking passersby to make way for protesters
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Another: A GOP poll watcher noticed many military absentee ballots showed votes for Democrats. "I had always been told that military people tended to be conservative, so this stuck out to me," the poll watcher said.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
1 year
My inbox and DMs right now
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Unnecessary font choice
@worldarchery
World Archery
3 years
Korean women have won eight of the last nine @Olympics golds. With three top qualifiers, they’re poised to add another. 🥇 The individual competitions at @Tokyo2020 start today. #ArcheryatTokyo #archery
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
BREAKING: Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot at a campaign event Friday, broadcaster NHK reported, citing Japanese police sources. NHK reported Abe was showing no vital signs. At least two gunshots were heard on-site. More to come.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
just realized the debate was only three days ago 🤯
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has designated a national mourning period in the wake of the Itaewon crowd crush.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
BREAKING: Of the 120+ people who died, 74+ people sent to hospitals; 46+ people died on-site at the Itaewon Halloween crowding crush. The death toll likely will still rise.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
This is such a dramatic sign at the free coffee station in the press filing center. Also not inaccurate
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
Uhhh: "Trump has told people that since leaving office, he has remained in contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un..."
@axios
Axios
2 years
EXCLUSIVE: While Trump was in office, staff in the White House residence periodically discovered wads of printed paper clogging a toilet — and believed the president had flushed pieces of paper, @maggieNYT scoops in her forthcoming book, "Confidence Man."
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
1 year
Regarding questions of translation error, I cross-checked with audio again, here it is word-for-word:
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
New: South Korea’s collective trauma is only just beginning. In online forums, Koreans have begun anonymously posting about physical manifestations of trauma. But mental illness and psychiatry still carry taboos here. From me @bybryanpietsch @KasulisK
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
1 year
워싱턴포스트(WP)의 이태원 참사에 대한 단독 분석 기사가 영문으로 게재된 후 한국 독자들의 많은 관심에 힘입어 한국어로 번역되어 나왔습니다. "이태원 참사: 반복된 실수와 지연된 구조"
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Youn Yuh-jung thanks her two sons and holds up her OSCAR for Best Supporting Actress, and says: "This is the result, because mommy work so hard." 😭
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
NEW: Georgia presidential hand-recount of the roughly 5 million votes cast affirms Biden's lead over Trump. The Secretary of State is set to certify the final result tomorrow.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Families of those who died of covid do not have massive Twitter or TV attention like Trump. So they’re buying obituaries in local newspapers, sometimes for hundreds of dollars, as pleas to take the virus seriously. Great read by ⁦ @ChrisMegerian
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Bottom line: The financial impact to the American taxpayers of Trump’s refusal to concede the election is probably much higher than the $519 million that we've documented thus far. In fact, the true costs may never be known.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
The world watched with dismay as a surreal scene at the U.S. Capitol unfolded on Wednesday. Many foreign observers reacted with alarm and even grief, especially in allied countries that have looked to U.S. democracy for inspiration.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
We’re troubleshooting @AAJA website, which is crashing from the traffic after we released guidance on covering the Atlanta shooting. It’ll be back up shortly, but please share these screenshots in the meantime.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
Asked to condemn white supremacy, President Trump responded: "Proud Boys -- stand back and stand by.”
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is giving an emotional news conference, in tears. He said Abe is in critical condition and doctors are working to save Abe. Kishida declined to describe the motive of the shooter, saying there was not enough information to share.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Another: A GOP poll watcher complained that poll workers were wearing Black Lives Matter gear. She thought one of them — a “man of intimidating size” — had followed her too closely.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
In July 2020: RNC raised $55.3 million DNC raised $16.3 million RNC entered August with $109.9 million DNC entered August with $33.2 million (has $1.5 million in debt)
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Many historic records broken by Kamala Harris, who becomes the first woman, first Black woman, first Asian American woman, first South Asian woman and first Indian American woman elected vice president of the United States.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Happy Father’s Day to the world’s best dad, who at 39 emigrated from Seoul to Guam for new opportunities. You toiled away for months until mom and I could join you, so that we could live in a home with a kitchen table. Thank you for your sacrifice, more than I’ll ever know.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
That light show was cool but it was made for TV. We didn’t see it inside the stadium, Pandemic Games and all
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
So, today was the first day that @AAJA 's website crashed in 9 years (when we issued media guidance on the ESPN/Jeremy Lin headline). Really grateful for the journalists determined to get news coverage right, and for those who turned to AAJA for our expertise.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
This is a park sequence of the ceremony where they have performers jumping rope, doing yoga, hanging out. The athletes are in the grassy area and it’s meant to feel like they’re at a Tokyo park, since they couldn’t explore around the city due to covid restrictions.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Trump is peppering supporters by email and text with solicitations for ‘election defense’ donations -- but a closer look at the fine print shows 60% of their donations go toward financing his new leadership PAC.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, will leave his private law practice with the firm DLA Piper to focus on his role as spouse to the future vice president
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
Hey journalists in Seoul, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to take a break. To walk away for a bit. You’re not failing the story by taking time for yourself. DMs open if anyone needs an ear. Not sure who needs to hear this but putting it out there in case someone does. ❤️
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
1 year
Writing a story and there are four people with the surname Kim 🥲 the second references are a disaster
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary is giving a briefing on the Abe shooting. Threading here: At around 11:30am Abe was shot in Nara, his latest condition is unclear at the moment.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
You’re processing the news while putting on your game face to do your job. Maybe none of your managers or colleagues are checking in on you today. Or maybe they ARE checking in and you worry about seeming weak or biased.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Election officials across Georgia have worked nonstop, including on weekends, from November > December special election > two statewide recounts > the runoff. All while facing death threats and harassment and debunking misinformation from viral online videos to the president.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
South Korea has experienced so much change in the past 70 years - where generations who lived thru war, dictatorship, democratization, industrialization, globalization coexist, sometimes in one household. What does it mean for the 20somethings who will one day run this place?
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
New: New Trump PAC raised $31.5 million in the weeks after Election Day thru fundraising appeals purporting to fight election fraud and help Republicans maintain Senate majority. As of Jan. 1, the PAC had spent no money on either endeavor. w/ @anu_narayan
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
Story: Biden’s campaign committee entered October with nearly triple the cash haul of Trump’s campaign, new filings show. From me & @anu_narayan
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Maybe you're the only AAPI in your newsroom, or maybe there are no AAPI managers there. You may be the only one pitching the shooting story today, even if it's not your beat. There are hundreds of AAPI journalists across the country feeling the way you do today.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
Postal Service employees are so frustrated with mail backlogs under the new postmaster general Louis DeJoy’s changes that some have dubbed him “Louie DeLay” in private, several workers said.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
The perception of South Korea from the outside is evolving quickly, in ways Koreans themselves can’t always keep up with. Yet these fundamental questions of a life with dignity and life of hope remain unanswered in deeply destabilizing ways for many Koreans in their 20s.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
This is how rare gun violence is in Japan. In 2021, there were 10 shootings and 8 of them were yakuza-related. There was 1 gun death, 4 injuries. In 2020, there were 17 shootings, 14 yakuza-related, 4 deaths, 5 injuries. @juliaminuma compiled this data from the police:
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
“You’ve got a ballistic vest. You know what the kids have? Crayons. You are duty-bound to do something. If someone is telling you to stay outside, you disobey that order.”
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
This is how rare gun violence is in Japan:
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Korean American community leaders in Atlanta called for a thorough investigation, specifically raising concerns about initial police statements that the suspect “had a really bad day.”
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
The most Korean mom anecdote, from son of Yong A. Yue, 63, who was killed: "If you stopped by her house, she’d sit you down, ask if you’d eaten, and then insist on a trip to H Mart grocery store so she could make a meal. ... She feeds all my friends.”
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
Yonsan police official declining to answer any questions on the police presence at Itaewon or whether the narrow street near Hamilton Hotel was a known crowding hazard.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
EXCLUSIVE: @washingtonpost obtained audio recording of Trump pressuring Georgia secretary of state to overturn his defeat: "I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state," Trump said. Scoop by @AmyEGardner :
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
The legacy of Trump’s summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is complicated. Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the summitry “produced nothing,” and the U.S. under Trump was “not traditional for what America’s role has been in the world.”
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
4 years
NEW: The Postal Service is experiencing days-long backlogs of mail across the country after a top Trump donor running the agency put in place new procedures described as cost-cutting efforts, raising alarms for November election. From me & @jacobbogage :
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
1 year
Japanese PM Kishida gets the TIME cover treatment
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
And we will also have two licensed therapists on standby this evening to facilitate an off-the-record mental health conversation for @AAJA members working in newsrooms. There’s still room to register:
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
3pm Georgia update: -13,012 provisional ballots left statewide. Counties are verifying those to figure out which ones can be counted, and will start scanning them as early as today. -up to 8,410 military/overseas ballots that may return by end of day today, when they're due.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
At least two Americans died in the Itaewon crowd surge. One of them was Steven Blesi, a 20-year-old student, who was in Seoul for his ‘first big adventure,’ his father said.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Korean American church is holding its Sunday service in front of one of the sites where the Korean women were killed. It’s a Korean language service for the Korean community in Atlanta. They prayed for the victims and for an end to anti-Asian violence.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
We wanted to make sure to show our work. Here's a line-by-line receipt of costs we tallied from each state. There are other receipts in the story. If your government agency has incurred similar costs and you're not included here, please let us know.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Thank your local/state election workers. And subscribe or donate to your local/state news outlets.
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
2 years
The new Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida’s vice ministers 👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻👩🏻
@_SuzukiTakako_
衆議院議員 鈴木貴子/SUZUKI Takako
2 years
昨晩、皇居にて認証式。 天皇陛下より「重任ご苦労に思います」とのお言葉を賜りました。 感謝と緊張感を持って、全身全霊で任にあたる所存です。
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
One was a newlywed bride getting a massage with her husband. Another was an immigrant from China who proudly built her business from nothing. The youngest was 33. The oldest was 74. What we know about the victims of the Atlanta shootings so far:
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
1 year
Yonhap reports that a Yongsan police intelligence official who was suspended after allegedly destructing documents related to Halloween safety issues was found dead in his home this afternoon.
@yonhaptweet
연합뉴스
1 year
[2보] 용산경찰서 정보계장 숨진 채 발견
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@myhlee
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
3 years
Trump set to be first president since 1932 to lose reelection, the House and the Senate. By @AaronBlake
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