In the wake of Hong Kong’s largest trial thus far under the national security law, which saw 45 pro-democracy activists handed jail sentences, Eugene and Amy turn their attention to the ongoing trial of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai.
Off Beat
As the founder of popular clothing retailer Giordano and media company Next Digital, businessman Jimmy Lai had established himself as a household name in Hong Kong long before the world began to learn of him following his arrest in 2020. Under the newly passed National Security Law, Lai and other executives of his Apple Daily newspaper, an independent outlet with a pro-democracy bend, were arrested and charged on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces. Other charges were soon stacked upon Lai, including “unlawful assembly” for participating in the 2019 protests and a Tiananmen candlelight vigil in 2020.
Lai, whose trial has stretched on for nearly 100 days now, took to the stand to give his first testimony on November 20. RFA Insider invited Mark Clifford, a former board member of Next Digital and president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, to share what he expects the outcome of the trial to be, as well as his thoughts on the future of press freedom in Hong Kong.
Podcast Free Asia
Creative Multimedia Producer Lauren Kim spices things up on this week’s Podcast Free Asia by turning the conversation to the ubiquitous Korean accompaniment, kimchi!
With November 22 designated as Kimchi Day in several states, Lauren explains the history behind the holiday and the role kimchi has in her life as a Korean-American. To commemorate Kimchi Day, Lauren produced a video showcasing the preparation and taste-testing of North and South Korean-style kimchi.
The Rundown
The first story arrives from the touristy town of Vang Vieng, Laos, where six (five at the time of recording) backpackers have died due to suspected methanol poisoning after a night out drinking. Many of the victims had been staying at the same hostel and were rushed to the hospital the following morning, when staff noticed that the victims had failed to check out of their accommodation. Thai police confirmed that autopsies showed that at least several victims died from brain swelling caused by methanol, a clear, tasteless liquid used in household and industrial products such as paint strippers and insecticides. Methanol, which is much cheaper than drinking alcohol, is sometimes added to mixed drinks to boost the alcohol content, often with fatal consequences.
In the world of martial arts, a series of taekwon-do moves named the “unification” pattern is being renamed by the North Korea-backed federation for political reasons. The “unification” pattern will be referred to instead as the “Chang Hon” pattern after Gen. Choi Hong Hi, the founder of taekwon-do, as a sign of North Korean leadership moving away from its long-stated aim of eventual unification with South Korea.
The change is being implemented by one faction of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), which was established by Choi in Seoul in the 1960s. However, when Choi expressed his intention to include North Korea in the ITF’s international outreach, South Korea refused and he went into exile in Canada. Meanwhile South Korea established the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), which is currently known as World Taekwondo (WT).
Choi eventually became a citizen of North Korea and moved the ITF’s headquarters to Vienna. Later, his death further splintered the sport as three individuals claimed to be Choi’s legitimate successor as the ITF president, and each established rival world headquarters in Vienna, Toronto and Poland. North Korea endorses the Vienna-based ITF, which is the faction that is re-naming the “unification” pattern.
