NPR Announces Opening Of Seoul Bureau
October 29, 2014; Washington, D.C. – NPR News will expand coverage of Asia with the opening of a bureau in Seoul next year, to complement the work of bureaus in Islamabad, New Delhi, Shanghai and Beijing. At a time when other news organizations have reduced international coverage, NPR's 17 foreign news bureaus are covering some of the most important stories of our time, including the rise of ISIS in the Middle East and the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. Elise Hu, who covers the intersection of technology and culture for NPR's on-air, online and multimedia platforms, will take on a new role as NPR's Seoul reporter.
"We are delighted to announce the opening of a bureau in Seoul," said NPR's Acting Senior Vice President of News, Christopher Turpin. "This continues the tradition of NPR's international coverage that goes beyond the headlines to bring strong voices and well told stories to our listeners at home, providing the necessary context to understand how world events affect our daily lives."
"As part of our mission to explain the world to our audience, Seoul is the logical next location for us as two thirds of the world's population is expected to live in Asia by 2025," said NPR News Executive Editor Madhulika Sikka. "South Korea is at the nexus of geopolitical, business, technology and culture stories. In Elise Hu we have a skilled broadcast and digital reporter who represents NPR's commitment to providing reporting for our audience on multiple platforms. We are excited to see her take on this assignment and to add Seoul to our list of international bureaus."
Elise Hu joined NPR in 2011 to coordinate the digital development and editorial vision for the StateImpact network, a state government reporting project focused on member stations. Before joining NPR, she was one of the founding reporters who helped launch The Texas Tribune, a non-profit digital news startup devoted to politics and public policy. An honors graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia's School of Journalism, she previously worked as the state political reporter for KVUE-TV in Austin, WYFF-TV in Greenville, SC, and reported from Asia for the Taipei Times. Her work has earned a Gannett Foundation Award for Digital Innovation in Watchdog Journalism and a National Edward R. Murrow award for best online video.
Under the leadership of Senior International Editor Edith Chapin, NPR's International Desk provides robust reporting from correspondents based in 17 bureaus around the world. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting recently awarded a $1 million grant to NPR for international news coverage to help fund direct costs associated with the creation of content and the operation of foreign news bureaus. NPR's International Desk produces hundreds stories on international news and affairs and broadcasts ongoing coverage of international events to more than 27 million people each week. NPR's international team has been honored with journalism's top awards, including a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for coverage of events in Syria and a 2014 Murrow Award for a series on Crime in Latin America.
Contact
NPR Media Relations: Isabel Lara
Email: mediarelations (at) npr.org
