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Trade wars
Inside the mind of Kim Jong Un
Mahathir’s unfinished business
MCI(P) 096/08/2017 February
April - May
- MCI(P)
March
2018096/08/2017
2018
INDEPENDENT • INSIDER • INSIGHTS ON ASIA
ASIANS TO
WATCH
They are the new stars in business, in public and social sectors
and the arts and sports; they are changing lives for the better;
they are making their presence felt on the world stage.
And there’s the promise of more to come. These are
the 50 Asians to watch this year, and beyond.
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
People who are
redefining our lives
Dear Readers,
T
he world is changing, and so too are the people who are shaping it. Entrepreneurs,
technopreneurs, and other young business leaders chasing that elusive first million
have been disrupting industries across the world, and reshaping societies and
lives in the process.
Many are new faces; some older ones have reinvented themselves. Similarly, in other
spheres – from sports to the arts to politics – some new players are emerging, seeking
to forge ahead and make a difference, for themselves, as well as their communities.
We asked our correspondents in our bureaus across Asia to identify and profile the
50 people in Asia that you need to know, those you should watch this year, and beyond.
Read about them in our special report this issue, helmed by our Deputy Foreign Editor
Tan Dawn Wei.
Meanwhile, the coming weeks could mark some of the most defining moments of
the year. Pyongyang’s game plan in agreeing to talks with South Korea, and thereafter
with the United States, remains a bit of a mystery. Nor is it clear that its professed
commitment to denuclearisation is more than a ploy.
In Seoul, ST South Korea Correspondent Chang May Choon has been following
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s moves since he began his peace overtures earlier
this year. Through conversations with several observers, she tries to unravel what could
be on his mind as he prepares for his summits with South Korean leader Moon Jae In,
and later, possibly with US President Donald Trump, in her report.
In Malaysia, the long-awaited elections have been called on May 9. Ahead of the
polls, our Executive Editor Sumiko Tan met Malaysia’s former prime minister and current
opposition chief Mahathir Mohamad over lunch. Read her interview on what drives
him, and how he retains his youthful vigour, and follow our coverage of the upcoming
elections on straitstimes.com.
Closer to home, one of the most significant developments has been regional company
Grab taking over American rival Uber’s South-east Asian business. ST Transport
Correspondent Christopher Tan shares his view on the upcoming disruption.
Also, an eight-day public hearing by the Select Committee on deliberate online
falsehoods drew to a close in Singapore, after hearing from around 70 speakers. Read our
report on highlights of the discussions and likely recommendations that could emerge.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the ST Asia Report, which showcases some of the best
work of our growing network of seasoned correspondents around Asia and the world.
Our aim is to give you independent, insider insights into the news from Asia, which we
have been covering from Singapore since 1845.
To enjoy more ST premium content, do sign up for a two-week free trial at readsph.
com/starweekly.
Best regards
Warren Fernandez
Editor-in-Chief
The Straits Times
& SPH’s English, Malay and Tamil Media Group
1
Trade wars
Inside the mind of Kim Jong Un
Mahathir’s unfinished business
MCI(P) 096/08/2017 February
April - May
- MCI(P)
March
2018096/08/2017
2018
Contents
INDEPENDENT • INSIDER • INSIGHTS ON ASIA
ASIANS TO
WATCH
3
They are the new stars in business, in public and social sectors
Asia’s rising stars
and the arts and sports; they are changing lives for the better;
they are making their presence felt on the world stage.
And there’s the promise of more to come. These are
the 50 Asians to watch this year, and beyond.
Asia Report 10 Kim Jong Un – a master chess player in diplomacy?
April – May 2018
11 Men to Watch
Warren Fernandez
Editor-in-Chief, The Straits Times 13 Grab-Uber: A deal which will disrupt more than the ride-hailing
& SPH’s English, Malay and Tamil industry
Media (EMTM) Group
Sumiko Tan 15 Stage set for prolonged US-China battle on trade
Managing Editor, EMTM & Executive
Editor, The Straits Times
18 All the President’s men
Tan Ooi Boon
Senior Vice-President
(Business Development), EMTM 20 Helping citizens to keep it real online &
Gambits threaten rule-based order
Paul Jacob
Associate Editor, The Straits Times
Eugene Leow 21 Keeping it real in Singapore
Head, Digital Strategy, EMTM
Irene Ngoo 24 Should tech companies be more tightly regulated?
Vice-President (Editorial Projects
Unit) EMTM
26 My relationship with Facebook: It’s complicated
Zakir Hussain
Foreign Editor
Shefali Rekhi
28 Asia’s growth hubs
Asia News Network Editor,
The Straits Times & 31 Mahathir’s unfinished business
Editor, ST Asia Report
34 Yen for daikou
Copy Desk
Jack Hee
Chief Sub-editor, The Straits Times
36 Asean’s philanthropists
Design
Peter Williams
Head, Visual, EMTM &
Art Editor, The Straits Times
Chng Choon Hiong
Cover photo illustration
Marlone Rubio
Executive Artist
Anil Kumar
Graphic Artist
Circulation
Eric Ng
Head, Circulation Marketing
Tommy Ong
Senior Manager (Circulation) We welcome your feedback and views
Letters can be sent to
Reach out to us: stasiareport@sph.com.sg
For advertising enquiries:
Sharon Lim Ling
Published by
Senior Manager
The Straits Times, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH)
(Business Development)
limls@sph.com.sg Printed by
Circulation & subscription: Markono Print Media Pte Ltd
Delia Gan
Executive All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or
deliagan@sph.com.sg in part without written permission from the publisher.
2
Asia’s
rising
stars
the Japanese government clerk who beat Faye, with the help of her parents to
Tan Dawn the rain, winds and defending champion combat child trafficking and sexual
Wei Kenyan Geoffrey Kirui to win the exploitation.
Deputy Foreign Boston Marathon on April 16 this year. In the last five years, the teen activist
Editor With no sponsor and no coach to has grown her non-profit organisation,
back him up, the 31-year-old amateur opening its first shelter for girls her age
runner became the first Asian to win in 2016 and launching rehabilitation and
Across the continent, the coveted race since South Korea’s vocational training programmes.
Lee Bong Ju in 2001. Her efforts earned her a spot in the
disruptors and Disrupting order on this side of the top 3 of the International Children’s
entrepreneurs are world is Anthony Tan, the 34-year-old Peace Prize final last November.
redefining the way co-founder of Grab. The ride-hailing
application company was the brainchild
While all eyes will now be on what
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will
we live of this Malaysian scion of the Tan Chong do and say at the upcoming talks with
motoring empire. US President Donald Trump, Mr Kim’s
T
Acting on the complaints of a friend younger sister Yo Jong should take some
he number set was 50, but about the unpleasant experiences of credit for getting the two foes to the
arriving at this list of Asians riding taxis in Malaysia, Mr Tan decided negotiating table.
to watch was no easy task. to develop a taxi-booking mobile app The elusive 30-year-old was
Across the continent, as his Harvard Business School project. dispatched as a crucial envoy by her
there is certainly no In 2012, he launched the My Teksi brother to the Pyeongchang Winter
shortage of disruptors and entrepreneurs app in Malaysia, which, in the six years Olympics, where she was warmly
redefining the way we pay, buy or since, has grown into a US$6 billion welcomed, bearing a message of
travel; nor sportsmen and sportswomen (S$7.8 billion) business renamed Grab, reconciliation.
defying pundits, gaining upset wins and serving more than 150 cities in eight North Korean watchers say she is
setting records. countries in the region. now the most powerful woman in the
On the political scene, fresh faces In March, it took over Uber’s South- secretive state, and will no doubt shape
have emerged on the world stage, as east Asia operations, expanding into the significant policies of her country in
have old hands given greater power. food delivery, mobile payments and the critical days to come.
Social activism thrives in the region other forms of transport. There’s no question that the world
despite iron-fisted authorities. At 15, Indonesian Faye Simanjuntak will be hearing more of Ms Kim and
Innovation, derring-do and conviction is already battling issues that many the rest of the Asians on this list, as they
are characteristics that streak across shudder to think about. When she was take their endeavours to greater heights.
these 50 names, such as Yuki Kawauchi, 11, she started a help group, Rumah Watch this space.
3
Cover Story
BUSINESS four days by sea to Jakarta as he could
not afford a plane ticket.
Budi Gunadi Sadikin, 53
Indonesian Pres-
Anthony Tan, 36 To cover the cost of his study, he ident Joko Widodo
He is the co-found- worked long hours at an Internet cafe. recently appointed
er and CEO of Grab, He later worked as a game developer Mr Budi as chief
and the grandson of executive of state
and software developer, before starting
the founder of Tan mining holding com-
Tokopedia in 2009. The start-up was an
Chong Motor, one of pany Inalum - which
online marketplace that allowed small
Malaysia’s largest au- owns coal, nickel
tomobile distributors. retailers and large brands to sell to local
consumers. mines and aluminium
He started a taxi- mines - and set him on major acquisi-
hailing app called In 2014, it received a US$100 million
investment from Softbank and Sequoia tion drives.
MyTeksi in Kuala Lumpur which evolved The ex-banker has held various senior
into Grab. It moved to Singapore in 2014 Capital. Last year, it got a US$1.1
positions in foreign and domestic banks.
after receiving US$10 million (S$13.2 billion injection from Alibaba, the first
He was CEO of Bank Mandiri, which was
million) in funding from Vertex Ventures. Indonesian start-up investment by Mr
then the country’s largest bank.
It also expanded to other countries such Jack Ma.
Mr Budi is now negotiating to acquire
as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia a majority stake in Freeport Indonesia,
and Vietnam. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, 47 which operates the Grasberg mine, the
Last year, he secured US$2.5 billion She is South-east world’s largest gold mine. If he succeeds,
from Softbank, Didi Chuxing and Asia’s first self-made his company will be South-east Asia’s
Toyota, the largest venture fund raising female billionaire. largest mining company.
in South-east Asia. Grab is valued at She traded in com-
over US$6 billion, and has over 3.5 modities and invest- Robbie Antonio, 41
million daily rides. ed in real estate be- In less than two
fore setting up Vietjet years, Mr Antonio
Raja Hamzah Abidin, 31; Jo Jo Air, the country’s steered a company
Kong, 27; Rachel Lau, 32; and first budget airline, into becoming the
Lionel Leong, 31 in 2011. It is known for its publicity Philippines’ first
stunts using bikini-clad flight attendants. “unicorn” - a term
Vietjet, which went public in February for start-ups valued
last year, is venturing further across Asia at more than US$1
and beyond. Its first flights to India will billion.
start in July and it plans to head to He is CEO of Revolution Precrafted,
California to cater to the Vietnamese a provider of prefabricated homes which
population there. She reportedly intends was set up in December 2015. Today, it
to turn 60 per cent of the carrier’s flights has US$2.1 billion worth of projects in
into international routes. the pipeline.
The four Malaysian scions founded It recently inked a US$3.2 billion
two-year-old venture capital firm RHL Nadiem Makarim, 33 deal to provide Dubai-based property
Ventures. Mr Makarim’s developer Seven Tides with high-end,
Ms Lau is the daughter of the late bane turned out to prefabricated condominium apartments
Lau Boon Ann, non-executive director be a boon when he and hotel villas.
of Top Glove, while Mr Leong is the son returned to Jakarta Revolution plans to open 20 offices,
of the founder of real estate developer after graduating from mostly in South-east Asia.
Mah Sing Group. Mr Raja Hamzah’s Harvard Business
father is prominent politician Raja Nong School and found the Sophie Kim, 35
Chik Raja Zainal Abidin. Ms Kong is city’s motorcycle-taxi She set up food
the daughter of Mr Kong Hon Kong, delivery start-up
service somewhat
founder of bereavement care provider Market Kurly, which
haphazard.
Nirvana Asia. has revolutionalised
He saw an opportunity to develop
RHL Ventures has invested in big the way organic
an app for the booking of two-wheeled
start-ups including popular dating produce is sold and
cabs or “ojeks”. The Go-Jek app was delivered in South
app Coffee Meets Bagel, and has
launched in January 2015. It later Korea - by 7am if
a partnership with South Korean
expanded into food delivery, and ordered before 11pm
conglomerate Hanwha Investment.
provided house-cleaning and massage the previous day.
William services. The e-commerce platform raked in 50
Tanuwijaya, 36 The money soon came in - US$550 billion won (S$61.5 million) in sales last
After graduating million in 2016; US$1.2 billion from year - up from 17.3 billion won in 2016.
from high school in Tencent Holdings last year; US$1.2 Ms Kim, a Wellesley College graduate,
North Sumatra in billion from Google, Temasek Holdings had worked in the United States, Hong
1999, Mr Tanuwijaya and China’s Meituan-Dianping this year. Kong and Singapore (Temasek Holdings)
moved to Jakarta to He aims to take his start-up public before returning to Seoul to start The
study. He travelled in the next few years. Farmers in 2015.
4
Cover Story
The firm, which attracted 17 billion its China operations. DJI is now the
won in investments for Market Kurly in After gaining a firm foothold in benchmark in both
2016, is seeking fresh funds to go public China, Ms Liu is taking aggressive steps consumer and profes-
and expand overseas. to expand Didi’s business globally. Last sional drones and has
year, it joined hands with Softbank, a 70 per cent share
Kim Bom, 39 a Japanese telecom and Internet of the global market.
Mr Kim found- conglomerate, to inject US$2 billion It is credited with
ed Coupang, South into Grab. pushing drone-flying
Korea’s answer to - once a complicated,
Amazon, promising Wang Wei, 47 DIY hobby - into the mainstream with
personalised service Shunfeng, or fa- machines that can be flown out of the
and 24-hour deliver- vourable winds in box.
ies.The Harvard Busi- English, has proven Mr Wang was No. 76 on Forbes’
ness School dropout to be a talismanic Richest People in Tech List last year with
is also the youngest person on Forbes’ name for the logis- a net worth of about US$3.2 billion.
South Korea’s 50 Richest list, with a net tics firm started by This also makes him Asia’s youngest
worth of US$950 million. Mr Wang .
tech billionaire.
He started Coupang in 2010 and From a one-van
since then, it has become the fastest- outfit started in 1993,
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, 39
growing e-commerce site in the country, SF Express has become China’s largest
Mr Sharma invest-
with a valuation of more than US$5 private logistics firm.
ed US$2 million to
billion. Although still operating at a loss, Despite the industry’s commodity
launch mobile wallet
it has managed to secure over US$1.8 nature and slim margins, Mr Wang’s
Paytm in 2011.
billion in investments from around the business smarts - such as identifying
world, including Goldman Sachs and the country’s e-commerce boom early When Indian
Japan’s Softbank. - have kept SF Express ahead of the Prime Minister Nar-
competition. endra Modi demone-
Lee Seung Gun, 36 Today, it runs a cargo airline with tised high-value cur-
Since Mr Lee 41 aircraft, and plans to build Asia’s rency notes in 2016,
introduced mon- first freight airport in Hubei province. Paytm was the biggest beneficiary. The
ey-transfer app Toss It is also China’s first firm to receive a lack of cash in the system saw people
in South Korea in domestic drone operator licence, which turning to digital payment methods.
2015, it has become allows it to conduct drone deliveries in Paytm, with its full-page newspaper
a hit for simplifying pilot zones nationwide. advertisements at the time, was the
the tedious process most visible.
of transferring mon- Steven Lam Hoi-Yuen, 31 The company, which has over 250
ey online from five Mr Lam founded million electronic wallets, went from
passwords and 37 clicks to just three Hong Kong-based recording 2.5 million transactions a day
steps. start-up GoGoVan in before demonetisation, to over seven
It now has 12 million users and hit 2013 with Mr Nick million transactions a day.
US$12 billion worth of transactions Tang and Mr Reeve The company is now valued at
last year. Mr Lee, who was a dentist Kwan, with an initial US$9.4 billion.
before founding fintech start-up Viva capital of HK$20,000
Republica, is now eyeing expansion into (S$3,300). Ritesh Agarwal, 24
South-east Asia. It is the first Hong Mr Agarwal
Last year, the company managed to Kong start-up to be valued at more dropped out of col-
raise US$48 million from Paypal and than US$1 billion. This follows a rare lege at 17 and trav-
other Silicon Valley venture capital firms. cross-border merger with 58 Suyun, the elled across India. He
freight business of mainland Chinese realised there was a
Jean Liu, 40 online classifieds giant 58 Home. This dearth of affordable
Ms Liu, the daugh- created Asia’s biggest online platform good-quality hotels.
ter of Lenovo found- in the intra-city logistics and freight The son of a
er Liu Chuanzhi, business. businessman father
joined China’s largest GoGoVan operates in markets
and a housewife started Oyo Rooms
ride-hailing platform including Singapore, China, Taiwan,
in 2013 at 19, with a single hotel in
Didi Chuxing in July South Korea and India. It plans to
Gurgaon, Delhi’s satellite city. Oyo
2014 after a 12-year expand further into China and South-
career as an invest- east Asia, with a Hong Kong listing in Rooms gives branding to budget hotels
ment banker with the next one to two years. and provides amenities such as toiletries
Goldman Sachs. in exchange for a percentage of the
By February 2015, she successfully Frank Wang Tao, 37 revenue.
engineered a takeover of one of its Inspired by a childhood comic book Within two years, Oyo Rooms had
biggest rivals Kuaidi Dache and became of a red helicopter that could trail its expanded to over 200 cities, offering
president of the start-up. owner, Mr Wang enrolled in a helicopter 70,000 rooms in its network. It now has
The following year, she forced Uber flight control course in Hong Kong and a booking value of US$100 million in
out of the Chinese market and took over later set-up Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI). the quarter ended June 2017.
5
Cover Story
Bhavish Aggarwal, 32 and set about building a water purifier that and sings on TV and on stage. He rides
Ankit Bhati, 31 uses solar energy, and later set up Saora his bicycle across Manila’s streets and
The college mates Industries, which produces solar-pow- invites the homeless to his dinner table.
co-founded OlaCabs ered water filtration devices. His inno- A native of Manila and a banker’s
in India in December vation and social activism have won him son, with Chinese forebears on his
2010. awards and recognition, including from mother’s side, Cardinal Tagle initially
Despite competi- Prime Minister Najib Razak. planned a career in medicine before
tion from Uber, Ola being recruited to religious vocation
has built a presence Faye Simanjuntak, 15 by a Jesuit friend.
in over 110 cities “Being a kid is His relative youth perhaps dimin-
with one million my super power,” ished his chances to become Pope.
driver partners. The Indian taxi aggre- Faye would often say,
gator offers a host of services, including according to people Kris Aquino, 47, and
Wi-Fi and music, and clocks as many as who know her. Imee Marcos, 62
a billion rides annually. Indeed, she has
In March this year, the two partners never let her youth,
decided to launch Ola in Australia in their nor her familial
first overseas expansion. Speculation of ties - she is the
a merger between Uber and Ola has grand-daughter of senior Indonesian
been rife in the Indian media. Both have minister Luhut Pandjaitan - stop her
backing by investor SoftBank. from doing what she feels convicted
to do.
Tan Min-Liang, 40 Ms Faye started a non-profit organ-
As the chief exec- isation, Rumah Faye, in 2013, when The Aquino and Marcos families have
utive and founder of she was just 11, to prevent, rescue and had a bitter political feud that spans
Razer, Mr Tan heads rehabilitate victims of trafficking. Last decades in the Philippines. Their duel
one of the most suc- November, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for political supremacy had cost former
cessful gaming pe- Desmond Tutu named Faye as one of the senator Benigno Aquino his life, and the
ripheral brands in the top three finalists for the International late strongman Ferdinand Marcos the
world. His products Children’s Peace Prize for her efforts. presidency. Now, their heirs are con-
like mice, keyboards tinuing that battle.
and headphones are Leni Robredo, 52 Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos,
used by everyday gamers and profes- As head of the 62, has said she will run for senator next
sionals with millions at stake. main opposition par- year, to regain the seat vacated by her
In recent years, Razer has bought ty in the Philippines, brother, Mr Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
over famed audio-visual firm THX, and Vice-President Leni Ms Kris Aquino, 47, Mr Aquino’s
launched its first smartphone, the Razer Robredo is vying to youngest daughter, has eschewed poli-
Phone. It went public in Hong Kong last replace President tics, but the celebrity has used her fame
November, raising $688 million. Rodrigo Duterte to sway voters into supporting her fam-
He also wants to set up a unified when he steps down ily’s political vehicle, the Liberal Party.
e-payment system for Singapore. His in 2022.
next focus lies in growing the company But she must first overcome a chal- Min Min, 29
lenge from her rival, former senator Fer- Tensions can run
within South-East Asia, after spending
dinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of high around foreign
years expanding it in the United States
the late dictator, who is contesting her journalists in Myan-
and Europe.
election as vice-president via a manual mar’s Rakhine state.
recount of votes. That will not be settled Mr Min Min, an eth-
PUBLIC AND SOCIAL for another six months. nic Rakhine, has been
SECTORS Mr Duterte has refused to appoint Ms
Robredo to a Cabinet post, a courtesy
targeted by such vitri-
ol too. He co-found-
Ganesh Muren, 26 traditionally accorded the vice-presi- ed Root Investigative Agency, which has
The Malaysia dent. He has accused her of conniving helped shine a light on local corruption,
based social entre- with his critics to unseat him. drug trafficking and religious bigotry. In
prenueur’s journey 2016, a bomb exploded outside his home
into his current Cardinal Luis Tagle, 60 and office in Sittwe. Root, a donor-fund-
work started on a The lead con- ed agency which runs a website and pub-
visit to India, when tender from Asia for lishes a monthly magazine, now runs on
he saw how people the papacy in 2013, a staff of about 10 headed by him. But
had no choice but Manila’s social me- the most difficult thing about his job, he
to drink dirty water. dia-savvy and char- tells The Straits Times, is recruiting good
He looked closer to home and found, ismatic archbishop journalists.
to his surprise, a community of about is considered a “rock
100 Orang Asli families with no proper star” in the College Netiwit Chotipatpaisal, 21
water supply in their village, near Kuala of Cardinals. A speaker at the upcoming Oslo
Lumpur. He delivers inspiring, light-hearted Freedom Forum, Mr Netiwit Chotipat-
The mechanical engineering student liturgies on Facebook, and preaches paisal’s path to activism stretches back
6
Cover Story
to his high school for gender equality in the country, given Ms Yoshida is today outspoken about
years when he first her strong career track record. the challenges that women continue to
called for reform in face in the workplace.
Thai education. Last Kim Yo Jong, 31 She told a news conference last year:
year, the 21-year- She was North “The issues of maternity or sexual har-
old caused a stir, by Korean leader Kim rassment, long hours of work, all these
publicly denouncing Jong Un’s secret are not codified. It is the office culture
an act of prostration weapon, unleashed that dictates what can or cannot be
during a university upon the world at the done. Empowerment must come from
ceremony. As a result, he was discharged Pyeongchang Winter the heart of the leadership, the leaders
from the prestigious presidency of the Olympics in February, must set the tone.”
student council at Chulalongkorn Uni- where she successful-
versity, where he was studying politi- ly softened the war- Liu He, 66
cal science. For his speech at the Oslo mongering posture of her country. Economic master-
forum, an annual conference devoted The younger sister of the Supreme mind Liu He is the
to human rights advocacy, Mr Netiwit Leader stole the limelight during her architect of Chinese
will touch on democracy, education and three-day charm offensive at the recent President Xi Jin-
military conscription. Games, as the media went into overdrive. ping’s supply-side
At home, Ms Kim runs the state prop- structural reform
Parit Wacharasindhu, 25 aganda machine. to reduce industrial
and Thanathorn Already considered one of the most over-capacity and
Juangroongruangkit, 39 powerful women in the reclusive state, she move from debt-driven investment and
will help shape the upcoming crucial talks export-led growth to slower but bet-
with South Korea and the United States. ter-quality, consumption-driven growth.
He did this while just a member of the
Shinjiro Koizumi, 37 Chinese Communist Party’s Central
The son of for- Committee and a vice-minister in the
mer prime minister National Development and Reform
Junichiro Koizumi Commission.
entered politics only He joined the powerful 25-member
in 2009, but has cast Politburo and was made vice-premier.
This well-connected duo is considered himself as a political Mr Liu will now drive China’s eco-
to be among the freshest faces to emerge reformer with inter- nomic reform from the front as the
in Thai politics since the May 2014 coup. est in such bread- country tackles challenges like an ageing
Both have political aspirations and come and-butter issues as population and growing trade friction
from wealthy and influential families. Mr childcare and agriculture. with the West.
Parit, the nephew of Thailand’s former He was the key flagbearer for the ruling
prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, went to
Liberal Democratic Party in rallies for a Wang Qishan, 69
the prestigious Eton College and Oxford
snap election last year, receiving rock star China’s new Vice-
University and graduated in Philosophy,
treatment from Hokkaido to Okinawa. President is best
Politics and Economics. Mr Thanathorn,
He told the Sankei Shimbun last year: known for the effec-
heir to the auto-making giant Thai Sum-
“I want to be a politician whom people tive anti-corruption
mit Group, rallied over land rights during
can rely on and trust. I want people to campaign that he ran
his university years. Now, both are push-
want to participate in the creation of the in the past five years .
ing ahead with their liberal agendas of
future that I envision for this country.” But before that, as
reform and look ready to stand in next
Vice-Premier, he had
year’s general election.
Haruno Yoshida, 52 a strong role in the
Ms Haruno Yoshi- financial and economic policy-making
Kang Kyung Wha, 62
South Korea’s da is a rarity in pa- of the world’s second-largest economy.
first woman foreign triarchal Japan – a Crucially, he has led China’s trade
minister Kang Kyung woman who has shat- talks with the United States under then
Wha stands out as tered glass ceilings. President Hu Jintao.
an alpha female in The chief execu- A trusted ally with experience dealing
a male-dominated tive officer of British with the US is what President Xi Jinping
society, building an telecommunications needs as he faces the threat of a trade
illustrious career giant BT Japan is also war with the US.
carving out many the first female exec-
firsts. The former utive to be appointed to the board of Asad Raza, 24
broadcast journalist-turned-national the powerful Keidanren business lobby Pakistani Asad
assembly interpreter is one of a rare in 2015, breaking a history of 70 years Raza always knew he
few deemed capable enough to enter the as an all-boys club. wanted to become a
Foreign Ministry mid-career, working Last year, she was the only Japanese researcher one day
her way up to become the first South to be named on Fortune Magazine’s list and do something
Korean woman to assume a senior po- of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. good for the world.
sition at the United Nations, dealing The single mother, who overcame For his final-year
with human rights and humanitarian a serious bout of illness in her 20s, project at university,
issues. There are hopes that the working climbed the corporate ladder by cutting he decided to focus
mother of three can break new ground her teeth at foreign firms. on Parkinson’s disease, developing a
7
Cover Story
data-driven management system that sive CV, with stints Cambodian architect
would delay the onset of the crippling in Singapore’s Les Hun Chansan.
disease. Amis and Den- But this is the
That endeavour eventually led him to mark’s Noma, named beginning, he adds.
create a healthcare start-up, Neurostic, World’s Best Restau- “How it ends, de-
which has since branched into creating rant four times. Yet, pends on me, the new
low-cost prosthetics for amputees in his he ended up settling generation.”
home country of Pakistan, as well as in Kolej Damansara His seven-year-old
Afghanistan, Iran and Syria. Utama, teaching mo- firm, Re-Edge Archi-
With healthcare under-resourced in lecular gastronomy. tecture + Design, has been dotting the
South Asia, Mr Asad wants to be a mar- So impressed were the college owners capital with notable landmarks like
ket leader in providing wearable and that they decided to give him his own Noro Mall and Lumiere Hotel.
restaurant, Dewakan, in 2015. Since
implantable medical devices in the de- He was named Cambodia Real Estate
then, the chef has subtly re-educated
veloping world, as well as provide sound Personality of the Year at the Cambodia
tastebuds and turned his fellow Malay-
diagnosis, monitoring and rehabilitation Property Awards in March.
sians into locavores.
of those with Parkinson’s Disease.
Joey Alexander, 14 Mattie Do, 37
Rakitha Malewana, 22 Born in Bali, Horror films can
When he was 15, Alexandar was the also educate audi-
Mr Malewana started youngest jazz musi- ences about class
getting into medical cian to be nominat- and gender divides,
and molecular biol- ed at the Grammy something Ms Mattie
ogy, and his research Awards when his Do has done as Laos’
would later lead him 2015 debut album first woman feature
to develop a revolu- My Favorite Things film director.
tionary nano-vaccine garnered two nomi- Born in Los Ange-
for HIV in 2015. nations. les, she went to Vientiane in 2010 to
The young Sri Lankan scientist first He was also a Grammy nominee last take care of her retired father. While
year, and is the first Indonesian musician there, the former make-up artist pro-
started working with people living with
to be listed on Billboard, the weekly duced two horror movies with strong
HIV or AIDS in 2011, when he began
chart of 200 top-selling albums in the female leads – a rarity in the local scene.
visiting slums to teach maths, science
United States. She is working on her third, a science
and English to the children of people fiction thriller.
who were HIV-positive. At six, he learnt to play the piano
with the help of a mini electronic key- “I think the best thing about making
In 2012, the young scientist started films in Laos is that I get to define and
a non-profit organisation, Hamzter Id- board given to him by his father.
Come June, he will be headlining the create our very own Lao style,” she says.
eanerd Sri Lanka, which aims to foster
innovation among school children and en- Rochester International Jazz Festival,
one of the world’s largest. Jerwin Ancajas, 26
courage them to pursue scientific research. He has been
Brian Imanuel, 18 hailed as “the next
ARTS, CULTURE Better known by Manny Pacquiao”,
AND SPORTS his rapper moniker a comparison the
International Box-
Rich Brian, the Chi-
Shila Amzah, 28 ing Federation jun-
nese-Indonesian from
The singer-song- ior bantamweight
Jakarta has gone
writer is the first from rising YouTube champion baulks at
Malaysian recording personality to a sing- embracing.
artist to break into er-songwriter and re- “The next Manny Pacquiao has not
the Chinese music cord producer on the been born yet,” he said in his typical
market. She became US music scene. aw-shucks manner.
an overnight sensation The teen, who learnt English from But it is hard not to draw a com-
after winning a reality watching YouTube videos, was intro- parison. Both are southpaws, with a
TV singing competi- duced to hip-hop in 2012. His 2016 preternatural killer instinct inside the
tion, Asian Wave, in China in 2012. debut single Dat $tick propelled him ring. Both were born into deep poverty
She moved to China and learnt both onto the world stage and its official mu- in the war-torn southern island of Min-
Mandarin and Cantonese in order to sic video has been viewed more than danao. Like Pacquiao, he was raised by
embrace her newfound popularity in 90 million times on YouTube. a single parent.
the country. His debut album Amen, released in In February, Ancajas knocked out
She has since amassed more than February, has since reached No. 1 on Mexican challenger Israel Gonzalez in a
2.3 million fans on Weibo. As a Muslim Apple’s iTunes hip-hop charts, making rousing match. America was impressed.
woman, she also tries to promote reli- him the first Asian artist to achieve that.
gious inclusiveness in China. Taopiphop “Tao”
Hun Chansan, 38 Limjittrakorn, 29
Darren Teoh, 36 Phnom Penh is a rapidly developing A year ago, he was
For someone who has travelled across capital city with both delightful and arrested and fined
continents to hone his craft, the decision monstrous buildings. 5,000 baht (S$210)
to open a haute cuisine restaurant using “Any other city would go through for selling his home-
only local produce is a surprising one. the same phase, you have to have the brewed lager. Then
The Malaysian chef has an impres- good and the bad at the same time,” says the tour guide and
8Cover Story
three friends turned to crowdfunding marathons by one person – 25 of them. returning to Taiwan.
to keep their Taopiphop Bar Project Known as the “citizen runner”, the The 34-year-old, who draws her de-
alive, and now he sells his brew in a government clerk has neither coach nor constructionist style from street culture,
shabby-chic bar in Bangkok. sponsor and practises in between his visual arts and tattoo art, is seen as one
He has been relentless in calling out full-time job. He is aiming to clock 100 of the most exciting experimental fash-
what he describes as unfair competition, marathons under 2hr 20 min before the ion designers to emerge from Taiwan in
high entry barriers and cronyism in Thai- 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He has already recent years.
land’s 180 billion baht beer industry. done four this year, and won them all.
He is planning, among other things, Mithali Raj, 35
to campaign for an amendment to the Sota Fujii, 15 India’s wom-
He took Japan by en cricket captain
1950 Liquor Act to allow small manu-
turned pro at 17,
facturers to enter the business. storm last year when
but it took another
he won a record 29
17 years before she
Rasmee Wayrana, 34 consecutive profes-
came to public atten-
The singer-song- sional wins in shogi,
tion when she led the
writer is trans- or Japanese chess.
women’s team to the
forming the image Fujii started play- ICC World Cup final in Britain last year.
of traditional Thai ing shogi at five af-
Her team lost to the British team, but
countryside music ter his grandmother
her batting skills brought her to national
called Mor Lam by bought him an introductory game set.
attention. She is the highest run-scorer
infusing it with blues, At 14, the Aichi Prefecture native
in women’s international cricket with
rock, pop and African became the youngest shogi player to
turn pro. over 6,000 runs.
influences. Born into a Tamil family, she started
“Traditionally, Mor Lam was a coun- The unassuming high school student
is also the youngest to achieve the rank playing cricket at the age of 10 after
tryside style of music, so it was often her parents signed her up for a cricket
of sixth dan – pros are ranked between
looked down on by some urban people,” camp in Hyderabad.
fourth and ninth dans, with ninth the
says Rasmee, whose songs have won over
highest.
urban audiences at home and in Europe. Last year, he toppled one of the Martina Veloso, 18
In 2016, she won national-level game’s legendary masters Yoshiharu Shooting stars are
awards for best female singer of the Habu, 47, in a showdown dubbed “God often described as
year, best album and best song. versus Genius”. short-lived trails of
“It is very rewarding to see that Mor light, yet the Singa-
Lam is appreciated as a part of the cul- Yuzuru Hanyu, 23 pore Sports School
tural heritage of Thailand.” Already seen as a alumna promises to
living legend despite be anything but.
Han Kwang Song, 19 his young age, the Armed with a
The North Korean Japanese figure skat- steely focus and
caused a stir during er has won legions of cheery personality,
the football transfer fans across the world she won two gold medals, in the 10m
season earlier this with his spellbinding, air rifle and the 50m rifle prone, and set
year, when big names emotional choreogra- a new Commonwealth Games record in
like Juventus, Liver- phy on ice and boy- both events this month.
pool and Tottenham ish manga-worthy looks. Her upward trajectory began in 2014
Hotspur tried to sign Dubbed the “Ice Prince”, he has bro- when she won the ISSF World Cup in
him. ken world record after world record, and Germany by beating a 2008 Olympic
He made history by being the first at the recent Pyeongchang Games, be- champion and 2010 European champion.
North Korean to play in top-tier Italian came the first man to win back-to-back She has set her sights on making
football, Serie A. While on loan to Serie Winter Olympic gold medals in figure history again by firing the Republic to
B’s Perugia, he scored seven goals in skating in 66 years. its first Olympic shooting medal at the
19 games. The Sendai native has vowed to help 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
At 19, he is already a star striker with lift the spirits of the disaster-stricken
Tohoku region. He was skating at his
Italian club Cagliari, which has extended By Tan Dawn Wei, Claire Huang, David
hometown rink when the tremors hit
his contract until 2022. Lee and Lester Hio in Singapore, Shannon
in March 2011.
Last year, he burst into tears after the Teoh and Trinna Leong in Kuala Lumpur,
North Korean authorities purportedly Jenn Lee, 34 Francis Chan and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja
blocked him from giving an interview By her own ad- in Jakarta, Raul Dancel in Manila, Tan Hui
on Italian TV. mission, she did Yee and Jitsiree Thongnoi in Bangkok,
Chang May Choon in Seoul, Walter Sim in
not enjoy school
Yuki Kawauchi, 31 and did poorly. She Tokyo, Goh Sui Noi and Lim Yan Liang in
He beat defending Beijing, Chong Koh Ping in Shanghai, and
loved clothes but did
champion Geoffrey Nirmala Ganapathy in New Delhi
not know one could
Kirui of Kenya in make a career out
2hr 15min 54sec at of fashion until she Photos: AFP, Reuters, AP, ST, Bloomberg, Bloomberg
News, ZB, The Star Publication, Joeyalexandermusic.com,
the Boston Marathon found the London Instagram.com/Brianimanuel/File, The Phnom Penh Post,
this year, but it is no College of Fashion. Mattie Do, Prachatai, Rasmee Wayrana, Alberto Lingria,
Getty Images North America, Japan News-Yomiuri, Jenn Lee,
fluke. The seasoned During her five years in London, she Ians (Cricket), Arhl Ventures, Revolution Precrafted, Apple,
marathoner holds a interned with designer Felicity Brown Www.facebook.com/Rumahfaye2014, Kris Aquino/Facebook,
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Courtesy of Rasmee Wayrana,
number of world re- at Alexander McQueen and, after grad- Parit Wacharasindhu, BCCJ, Gsea.org, Npas.nalanda.sch.lk,
cords, such as the most sub 2hr 12min uating in 2011, went to Berlin before The Korean Herald, Skechers Sundown Festival,
9Regional Watch
Chang May Choon
South Korea Correspondent
Kim Jong Un – a master
chess player in diplomacy?
The “mad” leader Kim is one of the world’s youngest
leaders and the third in his family to rule
of North Korea North Korea with an iron fist. Said to be
shows his guile brutal and ruthless, he swiftly purged
his father’s loyalists and embarked on
by steering the widespread economic reforms and
reclusive state into nuclear development.
“Kim Jong Un is very confident
a series of meetings about regime survival. His political
with world leaders, foundation is strong domestically and
no one can challenge him. Now he
all designed to give wants to deal with foreign affairs and
his government normalise relations with the US,” Dr
legitimacy Park told The Straits Times.
Declaring the completion of North
W
Korea’s nuclear programme – even
ith several deftly though experts say it is still missing
calculated moves, some critical final-stage tests – is the
North Korean lead- first step towards a path of dialogue
er Kim Jong Un has with the US and other members of the
got the major pow- stalled six-party denuclearisation talks.
ers exactly where he wants them. They are South Korea, Japan, China
Since declaring his country’s nuclear and Russia.
programme complete last November, he “He needs to justify that he’s
has launched a charm offensive. stopping all these tests because the
To woo Seoul, he sent his sister to the programme is complete and not because
Winter Olympics hosted by the South. of external pressure,” said Dr Park.
He also made his first trip out of the Dr Graham Ong-Webb, research
country and met Chinese President Xi fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School
Jinping. He even offered to denuclearise, of International Studies in Singapore,
to draw the United States into dialogue. told ST that Mr Kim is seeking to
With each step, he is turning “achieve complete consolidation of
out to be more of the “shrewd his power” by becoming the first
and mature” politician praised North Korean leader to meet a
by Russian President Vladimir sitting US president.
Putin than the “madman on a He added: “Mr Kim Jong Un
suicide mission” described by US clearly understands the power
President Donald Trump. But what of perception, and knows that
made the young leader confident optically, this will be seen as a
his grand plan would work? meeting of equals in the eyes of
And what is his end goal in this his own people... (It is) extremely
round of high-stakes diplomacy? ST ILLUSTRATION
valuable because it affirms their
Experts say Mr Kim is seeking to identity as a sovereign nation.
consolidate his power on the global policy to pursue both nuclear and “In meeting with the current leader
stage and normalise ties with the US, economic development, and that global of the world’s incumbent superpower,
North Korea’s long-time foe. security could be undermined if the Mr Kim achieves the double effect of
He wants to gain concessions to give world is cornered into accepting North strengthening his national authority and
his regime some breathing space amid Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state. establishing North Korea as a ‘normal’
choking economic sanctions imposed Dr Park Jee Kwang of the Sejong country.”
by the United Nations over the past Institute think-tank believes Mr Kim Dr Ong-Webb believes Mr Kim
two years. has matured since assuming control in pushed hard on missile tests and then
But the experts also warn that the December 2011 to become a strong and swung equally hard towards dialogue
denuclearisation card is likely a bluff. powerful leader capable of negotiating and denuclearisation to “entice the
North Korea, they say, will never with the US. egotistical businessman in President
compromise its dual-track Byungjin At age 34, the Swiss-educated Mr Trump, in the run-up to the mid-term
10Regional Watch
elections, to take no chances in using territory to interact with other heads ‘crazy’ or ‘unpredictable’ as the world
his office to close the deal”. of state. Now that Mr Kim has cleared portrays him, and certainly very mature.
But he warned that promises to President Xi, he will clear President This is not a game, but a very well
denuclearise could be nothing but a Moon before clearing President Trump. planned long-term strategy that he
bluff as Mr Kim “cannot run away from He is also likely to clear (Japanese) has been implementing since he took
the Byungjin policy he has advanced”. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in June. power,” she told ST, adding that it would
“He knows that the way the US-led “This recognition, no matter how not be a surprise if Mr Kim also meets
military and security architecture of mild, makes regime change a difficult Mr Putin.
North-east Asia is set up, North Korea’s option, especially if Mr Kim conveys But in this game of high-stakes
national security can be secured only that he’s solely in charge of his country chess, a checkmate move is nowhere
by its nuclear weapons. Yet, at the same and holds all the cards on his side.” in sight just yet. Mr Trump, who revels in
time, he must deliver on his country’s Dr Ong-Webb sees Mr Kim as a keeping his opponents guessing, remains
economic development... I venture that “great chess player” who knows the a wild card.
he is counting on leveraging China’s weaknesses, impulses and constraints Uncertainty clouded the US-North
growing economic and military power of his opponents, and is creating options Korea summit after Mr Trump’s sudden
to unlock the current grip of sanctions if for himself by playing up to both China decision to replace his former secretary
the US will not give them (North Korea) and the US. of state, the dovish Rex Tillerson, with
any respite.” “He knows he must give up some the more hawkish Mike Pompeo.
In this context, Mr Kim’s visit to ground to gain advantages elsewhere. Mr Trump said last Thursday that
China late last month – ahead of his The optics of his visit were clear – to pay meetings were being set up between
upcoming April 27 summit with South respect and tribute to President Xi. He him and Mr Kim and that the US would
Korean President Moon Jae In and a understands the Asian approach to in- approach the talks respectfully.
May or June meeting with Mr Trump – is ternational relationships is hierarchical. Dr Ong-Webb said Mr Kim “has taken
no coincidence. “He has telegraphed that he puts the lead in this geopolitical dance”, but
China-North Korea ties have been China ahead of the US. Yet, he is no there is nothing to stop Mr Trump from
rocky since Mr Kim assumed power. sentimentalist either. For the sake of changing his mind about the meeting.
Beijing, despite being Pyongyang’s long-term survival and even economic Dr Hwang, however, said the chal-
biggest ally and economic lifeline, growth, we cannot rule out that he will lenge for the US is not Mr Trump’s un-
disapproves of the regime’s missile and go for the best of deals presented by predictability, but what it means for the
nuclear tests and joined in UN efforts either great power.” world to accept what North Korea is
to tighten sanctions on North Korea. Dr Balbina Hwang, visiting professor seeking – not just regime survival, but
Dr Ong-Webb said Mr Kim “took a at Georgetown University, said Mr recognition as a nuclear weapons state.
gamble” in proposing his first meeting Kim has “taken full advantage” of the “That is the greatest global security
with Mr Xi, and the “smart move” political developments in the region, threat, not North Korea’s nuclear
helped to consolidate his position as including the timing of the Winter arsenal, and what the world should
the “recognised and respected head of Olympics, to balance all his options with really be concerned about,” she added.
state”, and secure his country. the member states of the six-party talks .
“Sovereign recognition only truly “Kim Jong Un is indeed very shrewd
happens when a leader leaves his and competent, not at all ‘irrational’, changmc@sph.com.sg
Men to Watch
Here’s a look at some key officials who will have
a say in talks between the US and North Korea
Return of the neocon
A
s Americans were turning Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy,
against the US military in- providing Mr McCarthy with political
tervention in Vietnam and momentum to finish in second place in
President Lyndon B. John- the New Hampshire primary.
son’s handling of the war He failed to win the Democratic
JOHN BOLTON
in South-east Asia, Eugene McCarthy, presidential nomination, and Republican US national security adviser
a lawmaker from Minnesota running Richard Nixon ended up winning the
on an anti-war platform, decided to race to the White House in 1968. But Fast forward 50 years, when the
challenge LBJ in the 1968 Democratic there is no doubt that if the anti-war presidential candidate, who during the
primaries. McCarthy had been sitting in the Oval Republican primaries and the general
Though he was initially given little Office in 1969, one decision that he election had blasted former president
chance of winning, the 1968 Tet Offensive would not have made would be to George W. Bush and all the other
galvanised opposition to the war and its nominate the pro-war Mr Bundy as his architects of another disastrous US
chief architects, including then National national security adviser. military intervention, this time in Iraq,
11Regional Watch
is now sitting in the Oval Office. That is Mr Bundy to that post in 1969. Mr Kim happens to be the same
the same Candidate Trump who pledged It is true that Mr Bolton was one of North Korean leader that President
to bring to an end the costly American the few neocons who refrained from Trump is scheduled to meet in the
interventions in the Middle East, and in bashing Candidate Trump during the coming weeks and with whom he
particular, not to experiment anymore presidential campaign while praising is supposedly expected to fashion
with “regime change” and “nation him non-stop on Fox News, which is a peaceful diplomatic resolution to
building” in the Middle East. apparently one of President Trump’s the current nuclear crisis. That would
It was not surprising, therefore, that main sources of information when it seem to be quite difficult if Mr Trump
most of the former policymakers and comes to global affairs (forget those lone seriously considers the ideas that his
conservative intellectuals (commonly and boring intelligence briefs). new national security adviser has
known as the neoconservatives, or In fact, the President has noted proposed about bombing and “ending”
“neocons” for short) who played a several times that he was “eyeing” Pyongyang ASAP.
central role in the planning and the the moustached and toupee-wearing A lawyer by profession and a regular
execution of the Iraq War and the commentator for a job in his commentator on Fox News cable
strategy of remaking Iraq into a liberal administration although he also told television who has been active for
and democratic entity, stood up in firm aides that Mr Bolton did not look several decades in Republican politics,
opposition to Candidate Trump when the way presidential national security and at some point even planned to run
he was running for president and after advisers look in the movies. for the party’s presidential nomination,
he entered the White House. Nevertheless, the announcement that Mr Bolton has been considered a “super-
But it was a bit surprising that President Trump would replace Mr H.R. hawk”. He has been inclined to favour
President Trump announced recently McMaster with Mr Bolton – coming only military solutions, preferably through
that he was nominating to serve as his a few days after the President replaced unilateral American action, over the
new national security adviser one of the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with pursuit of diplomacy and multilateral
leading neocons, an ardent supporter of CIA director Mike Pompeo – has left strategy, when dealing with national
and cheerleader for the Iraq War, who diplomats in Washington and other security challenges.
has been calling for bombing rogue world capitals puzzled: how will the Mr Bolton – who served as ambas-
regimes and doing regime change in White House now handle most of the sador to the United Nations under
the Middle East and elsewhere, and major foreign policy issues, especially President Bush, saying in 1994 that
advocating a more interventionist US when the new national security adviser “if the UN building in New York lost
military policy in that region. seems to disagree with his boss on some 10 storeys, it wouldn’t make a bit of
Indeed, President Trump nominating of these issues. difference” – insists that Washington
John Bolton as national security adviser Most recently in an op-ed in TheWall should take a tough and uncompro-
– the man who had made the case Street Journal, Mr Bolton described mising stand when confronting global
at home and abroad that then Iraqi North Korea as an “imminent threat” adversaries such as China and Russia,
President Saddam Hussein possessed and advocated a pre-emptive strike and rogue regimes like North Korea
weapons of mass destruction and against Pyongyang. And he proposed and Iran, very much in the same way
who predicted that the US role in the that “ending” the regime was the that it had dealt with the now-deceased
aftermath of regime change in Iraq only kind of diplomacy the Trump Saddam and the late Libyan dictator
would be “fairly minimal” – would be administration should employ in dealing Muammar Gaddafi.
akin to President McCarthy nominating with Mr Kim Jong Un. – Leon Hadar, The Business Times
Pyongyang’s peace negotiator
N
RI SON GWON,
Chairman of North Korea’s
orth Korea’s announce- including the dispatch of the Committee for Peaceful
ment of its willingness delegation to Pyeongchang Reunification
to revive an inter-Korean Olympic Games, would be
hotline earlier this year timely communicated to the Mr Ri is known as the
was delivered by a man South,” Mr Ri said on North right-hand man of Mr Kim
viewed as one of the regime’s key mil- Korea’s state-run broadcaster Yong Chul, another top North
itary negotiators. Korean Central Television. Korean military official who is
On Jan 3, Mr Ri Son Gwon, The senior colonel of the North Korean allegedly responsible for the sinking of
chairman of North Korea’s Committee military has often represented his country, the South Korean naval ship Cheonan
for Peaceful Reunification, spoke on having participated in inter-Korean in 2010 and the bombing of a South
behalf of leader Kim Jong Un, saying
military talks during the liberal Roh Moo Korean island near a disputed maritime
that North Korea would reopen its
Hyun administration and when tensions border that followed.
communication channel at the truce
gradually escalated in the following years. Media reports in the past have
village of Panmunjom, in response to
Seoul’s proposal for high-level talks. He has been sighted at 27 meetings held underlined Mr Ri’s fiery temper
The Committee for Peaceful Reuni- between the two Koreas since 2004. displayed at inter-Korean meetings.
fication is a North Korean organisation After Mr Kim rose to power in 2011, Within the first 10 minutes of a South-
handling inter-Korean affairs. Mr Ri was appointed director of the North meeting in February 2011, Mr Ri
“(Kim) gave instructions to open the policy department of North Korea’s now- reportedly shouted, “We are completely
Panmunjom liaison channel between defunct National Defence Commission irrelevant with the Cheonan warship
the North and the South from 3 pm (NDC). The NDC was later replaced by incident”, before bolting out of the
(North Korean time) on Jan 3, so that the State Affairs Commission, which is meeting room.
the issues related to the opening of talks, chaired by Mr Kim. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
12You can also read
