Donald Kirk
Encyclopedia
Donald Kirk is a veteran
correspondent
and noted author on conflict and crisis from Southeast Asia
to the Middle East
to Northeast Asia
. Don has covered wars from Vietnam
to Iraq
, focusing on political, diplomatic, economic and social as well as military issues. He is also known for his reporting on North Korea
, including the nuclear crisis, human rights and payoffs from South to North Korea preceding the June 2000 inter-Korean summit.
After several years as a metro
reporter in Chicago
and New York
for the Chicago Sun-Times
and the New York Post
, Don went to Asia as a correspondent in Indonesia
in “The Year of Living Dangerously,” 1965-1966, including the fall of Sukarno
and mass killings in Java
and Bali
. He covered Vietnam, Cambodia
and Laos
in the late 1960s and early 1970s, first for the old Washington (DC) Star
and then for the Chicago Tribune
, reporting on the Tet offensive, the downfall of Prince Sihanouk and the U.S. incursion into Cambodia, 1970, and the 1972 Easter offensive in Vietnam. He also wrote articles for The New York Times Magazine
and two books before gravitating to northeast Asia.
Don was correspondent for The Observer
(London) in Japan and Korea in the late 1970s and 1980s, covering the assassination of President Park Chung-hee
of Korea in 1979, the Gwangju
revolt in 1980, and financial, diplomatic and political issues in Japan for the Observer and newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. He covered the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 from Beirut and Tel Aviv, then joined USA Today in August as the paper’s first world editor. For USA Today, he ranged from Europe to Korea, reporting on war in Lebanon, revolt in El Salvador and Nicaragua, the fall of Ceausescu in Rumania, the democracy revolt in Korea in 1987, the Tiananmen Square
uprising in Beijing in 1988, and the Gulf War from Baghdad, including the U.S. bombing, in 1989 and 1990.
After publishing an unauthorized biography of Chung Ju Yung, founder of the Hyundai
empire, Don returned to Korea as correspondent for the International Herald Tribune
, 1997–2003, and for the Christian Science Monitor and CBS Radio, 2004–present. He has been covering the sinking of the South Korean navy ship Cheonan, the North Korean nuclear issue, anti-American protests, U.S.-Korea trade disputes and Korean politics, has visited North Korea eight times and reported for CBS from Baghdad in 2004.
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
and noted author on conflict and crisis from Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to Northeast Asia
Northeast Asia
Northeast Asia and Northeastern Asia refers to the northeastern subregion of Asia. Though the precise definition of Northeast Asia changes according to context, it always includes Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and is sometimes used to refer to these two regions exclusively.-Definitions:The...
. Don has covered wars from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, focusing on political, diplomatic, economic and social as well as military issues. He is also known for his reporting on North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, including the nuclear crisis, human rights and payoffs from South to North Korea preceding the June 2000 inter-Korean summit.
After several years as a metro
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
reporter in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
and the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, Don went to Asia as a correspondent in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in “The Year of Living Dangerously,” 1965-1966, including the fall of Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
and mass killings in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
. He covered Vietnam, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
in the late 1960s and early 1970s, first for the old Washington (DC) Star
Washington Star
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
and then for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, reporting on the Tet offensive, the downfall of Prince Sihanouk and the U.S. incursion into Cambodia, 1970, and the 1972 Easter offensive in Vietnam. He also wrote articles for The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
and two books before gravitating to northeast Asia.
Don was correspondent for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
(London) in Japan and Korea in the late 1970s and 1980s, covering the assassination of President Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
of Korea in 1979, the Gwangju
Gwangju
Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...
revolt in 1980, and financial, diplomatic and political issues in Japan for the Observer and newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. He covered the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 from Beirut and Tel Aviv, then joined USA Today in August as the paper’s first world editor. For USA Today, he ranged from Europe to Korea, reporting on war in Lebanon, revolt in El Salvador and Nicaragua, the fall of Ceausescu in Rumania, the democracy revolt in Korea in 1987, the Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
uprising in Beijing in 1988, and the Gulf War from Baghdad, including the U.S. bombing, in 1989 and 1990.
After publishing an unauthorized biography of Chung Ju Yung, founder of the Hyundai
Hyundai
Hyundai ) is a global conglomerate company, part of the Korean chaebol, that was founded in South Korea by one of the most famous businessmen in Korean history: Chung Ju-yung...
empire, Don returned to Korea as correspondent for the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, 1997–2003, and for the Christian Science Monitor and CBS Radio, 2004–present. He has been covering the sinking of the South Korean navy ship Cheonan, the North Korean nuclear issue, anti-American protests, U.S.-Korea trade disputes and Korean politics, has visited North Korea eight times and reported for CBS from Baghdad in 2004.
Currently
Don splits his time between Seoul, Washington and London, reporting from and on Korea for CBS Radio and the Christian Science Monitor, writing the “Global View” column for Future Korea Weekly and filing for the Asia Times. He also writes articles and commentaries for magazines and newspapers, including Forbes and Institutional Investor, of which he is a contributing editor, the World Tribune, which he serves on the editorial board, the Los Angeles Times, South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) and the Providence (R.I.) Journal. He contributes expert analysis on Korea for Al Jazeera, Press TV and numerous American radio stations. He has written in recent years for the New Leader, Far Eastern Economic Review, the Korea Policy Review (Kennedy School, Harvard), the Korea Observer and numerous others. He has been a contributing editor of the Kyoto Journal, is a contributing editor of Future Korea weekly and on the board of advisers of Asia-Pacific Business&Technology Report.Awards
Don won the Overseas Press Club of America Award, 1974, Asia reporting, for articles in the Chicago Tribune on the grim future for South Vietnam after the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement in 1973; the George Polk Award foreign reporting, 1975, for articles exposing corruption in Vietnam and Cambodia; the Chicago Tribune’ Edward Scott Beck award, 1974; two Overseas Press Club citations, the Chicago Newspaper Guild Page-One Award for feature-writing, 1962, and others.Professional organizations
Don is a Silver Owl member of the National Press Club (Washington), a life member of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong, a fellow of the Institute for Corean-American Studies and has served six terms on the board of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club. He is also a member of the Overseas Press Club of America, the International House of Japan, the Authors Guild of America, the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.Education
Don holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s in international relations from the University of Chicago and an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Maryland University College. He has had a Ford fellowship at Columbia University’s advanced international reporting program, 1964–1965, an Edward R. Murrow fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations, 1974–1975, and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant at MIT, summer 1978. He was a Fulbright scholar in India, 1962–1963, Fulbright senior research scholar in the Philippines, 1994–1995, and a visiting fellow in Cornell’s Southeast Asia program, 1986-1988.Books
- Kim Dae Jung Shinwha, The Legend of Kim Dae Jung, 2010 (Boogle Books, Seoul), ISBN 978-89-92307-42-0-03340
- Korea Betrayed: Kim Dae Jung and Sunshine, 2010 (Palgrave Macmillan, NY,UK), ISBN-10: 0230620485, ISBN-13: 978-0230620483
- Encyclopedia of Human Rights, 2009 (Oxford, NY), entries on North Korea, South Korea, Kim Dae Jung, ISBN-100195334027, ISBN-13:978-0195334029
- Korea Witness: 135 Years of War, Crisis and News in the Land of the Morning Calm, co-editor with Choe Sang-hunChoe Sang-hun-Early life:Choe was born in Ulju-gun, Ulsan in southern South Korea. He graduated from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.-Career:Choe began his journalism career as a political reporter at The Korea Herald, an English-language daily. He joined the Associated Press' Seoul Bureau in...
, 2006 (EunHaeng NaMu, Seoul), ISBN-10:956601550, ISBN-13: 978-8956601557 - Korean Crisis: Unraveling of the Miracle in the IMF Era, 2000, paperback 2002 (St. Martin’s, NY, Macmillan UK), ISBN-10:0312239998, ISBN-13978-0312239992
- Philippines in Crisis: U.S. Power versus Local Revolt, 2006 (Anvil, Manila), ISBN-10: 9712717267, ISBN-13978-9712717260
- Looted: The Philippines After the Bases, 1998, paperback, 2000 (St. Martin’s, NY, Macmillan UK), ISBN-10: 031222769-8, ISBN-13: 978-0312227692, ISBN-0-312-17423-3
- Business Guide to the Philippines, general editor, 1996 (Butterworth-Heinemann, Singapore, 1998), ISBN-10: 9810070810, ISBN-13: 978-9810070816
- Tell it to the Dead: Stories of a War, foreword by Arthur Dommen, 1996 (M.E. Sharpe, Armonk NY) ISBN-10:1563247186, ISBN-13: 978-1563247187
- Korean Dynasty: Hyundai and Chung Ju Yung, 1994 (M.E. Sharpe, NY, Asia2000, Hong Kong), ISBN-10:156324425X, ISBN-13: 978-1563244254
- Tell it to the Dead: Memories of a War, 1975 (Nelson-Hall, Chicago), ISBN-10:0882292870, ISBN-13:978-0882292878
- Wider War: The Struggle for Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, 1971 (Praeger, NY, Pall Mall, London), ISBN-10: 0970972806, ISBN-13:978-0970972804
Sources
- Bio, Northeast Asia Editor of the Internet newspaper, World Tribune
- Bio, American Society of Journalists and Authors Member
- Bio, Institute of Corean-American Studies
Articles or Interviews about Donald Kirk
- “My First Foreign Correspondent,” by Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Choe Sang Hun, “Korea Witness,” pp. 277–280
- Kirk Has 2nd Thoughts on Sunshine Policy,” by JR Breen, Korea Times, November 24, 2009
- Interview, by Charles Duerden, Korea Trade & Investment, journal of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, KOTRA, September–October 2003.
- Talk to the Editor for May 27, Tension in Korea, interview by Christian Science Monitor Editor John Yemma and Pat Murphy, May 27, 2010
- CAMBODIAN WAR: 1970 -1975 A First and Last Reunion of a Unique Band of Brothers & Sisters, Cambodia News (CAMNEWS)
- KBS World, Seoul Report, Matt Kelley Interviews Don Kirk
External links
- Donald Kirk Web site
- Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1969-1975 (Library of America), Donald Kirk, New York Times Magazine article on U.S. troops, Chicago Tribune article on Khmer Rouge
- CBS Newsman Don Kirk quoted in CBS News online article on suspected North Korean missile test
- Report by CBS Radio News Reporter Don Kirk for CBS Radio News Weekend Roundup with Dan Raviv (Oct 5, 2007)
- Al Jazeera TV interview with Donald Kirk
- Russia Today TV interview with Donald Kirk
- Two-way, CBS Radio News Reporter Don Kirk and WWL Radio, New Orleans
- Los Angeles Times Op-Ed article by Donald Kirk on South Korea’s ‘Sunshine Policy’