Michelle Ye Hee Lee
@myhlee.bsky.social
Washington Post Tokyo/Seoul Bureau Chief, covering Japan, the two Koreas and beyond. Mom to two needy cats & a rambunctious golden retriever. michelle.lee@washpost.com
Ran a half marathon for the second time! The final 3 miles were uphill *and* the final 6 miles were against the wind 😩 but we conquered this cursed course and I set a new PR. We ran the “End of the Land” race in Haenam, a town in the southernmost part of the Korean peninsula.
November 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Ran a half marathon for the second time! The final 3 miles were uphill *and* the final 6 miles were against the wind 😩 but we conquered this cursed course and I set a new PR. We ran the “End of the Land” race in Haenam, a town in the southernmost part of the Korean peninsula.
Best time of the year in Seoul 🍁🍂🍃
November 6, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Best time of the year in Seoul 🍁🍂🍃
Delicious dinner, inspiring conversation, and Korean American power ✨ With the great @minjinlee.bsky.social & Chef Edward Lee in Seoul.
November 2, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Delicious dinner, inspiring conversation, and Korean American power ✨ With the great @minjinlee.bsky.social & Chef Edward Lee in Seoul.
It’s been a newsy few weeks with Japanese politics and Trump’s Asia trip, with so many stories and deadlines. My brain needs a minute, so here are pics of Darcy with her two best friends at doggy daycare, Peanut and Barley. 🥹
October 31, 2025 at 12:45 AM
It’s been a newsy few weeks with Japanese politics and Trump’s Asia trip, with so many stories and deadlines. My brain needs a minute, so here are pics of Darcy with her two best friends at doggy daycare, Peanut and Barley. 🥹
Wow. This crown...
"It's really beautiful. I'd like to wear it right now," Trump says.
"It's really beautiful. I'd like to wear it right now," Trump says.
October 29, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Wow. This crown...
"It's really beautiful. I'd like to wear it right now," Trump says.
"It's really beautiful. I'd like to wear it right now," Trump says.
The new Bvlgari exhibit at the National Arts Center in Tokyo is really spectacular and opulent. So … how many articles do I need to write to afford one of these? Or maybe I should just try again in another life
October 19, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The new Bvlgari exhibit at the National Arts Center in Tokyo is really spectacular and opulent. So … how many articles do I need to write to afford one of these? Or maybe I should just try again in another life
The 5K pedestrian loop around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo is a popular running spot in the fall/spring. I always see throngs of people running, but didn’t try it out myself until today. It was great! Lots to see, easy incline/decline. Plenty of water fountains and bathrooms along the path.
October 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
The 5K pedestrian loop around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo is a popular running spot in the fall/spring. I always see throngs of people running, but didn’t try it out myself until today. It was great! Lots to see, easy incline/decline. Plenty of water fountains and bathrooms along the path.
Kim Jong Un's power move (seated across the Chinese delegation, with Chinese premiere Li Qiang at the center)
October 10, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Kim Jong Un's power move (seated across the Chinese delegation, with Chinese premiere Li Qiang at the center)
Takaichi has shattered the highest glass ceiling of public office in Japan by becoming the first female leader of the male-dominated and patriarchal Asian nation. But she is not known to be an advocate of gender equality.
Gift link: wapo.st/477DfTv
Gift link: wapo.st/477DfTv
October 4, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Takaichi has shattered the highest glass ceiling of public office in Japan by becoming the first female leader of the male-dominated and patriarchal Asian nation. But she is not known to be an advocate of gender equality.
Gift link: wapo.st/477DfTv
Gift link: wapo.st/477DfTv
If it’s election day, you gotta have pizza. It’s a journalism rule.
October 4, 2025 at 4:28 AM
If it’s election day, you gotta have pizza. It’s a journalism rule.
Voting underway for the new leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, who will almost certainly be the nation's new prime minister. This is the fourth LDP leadership election in the past five years. Every LDP election, I'm reminded of just how male-dominant the party/Japanese politics is.
October 4, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Voting underway for the new leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, who will almost certainly be the nation's new prime minister. This is the fourth LDP leadership election in the past five years. Every LDP election, I'm reminded of just how male-dominant the party/Japanese politics is.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held a press conference and I had the opportunity to ask him about the Hyundai-LG plant raid in Georgia and the impacts on Korea’s future investments in U.S. He said the incident would make Korean companies “very hesitant” about making more direct investments.
September 12, 2025 at 5:47 PM
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held a press conference and I had the opportunity to ask him about the Hyundai-LG plant raid in Georgia and the impacts on Korea’s future investments in U.S. He said the incident would make Korean companies “very hesitant” about making more direct investments.
Just remarkable. Putin and Kim flanking Xi walking into the parade in a highly coordinated entrance ceremony, looking chummy and chit-chatty.
September 3, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Just remarkable. Putin and Kim flanking Xi walking into the parade in a highly coordinated entrance ceremony, looking chummy and chit-chatty.
Lee Jae Myung gifts to Trump: a golden turtle ship (Joseon Dynasty-era warship signifying South Korean shipbuilding), 5-iron engraved with Trump’s name, MAGA cowboy hats for the first couple, pen engraved with the South Korean flag
August 26, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Lee Jae Myung gifts to Trump: a golden turtle ship (Joseon Dynasty-era warship signifying South Korean shipbuilding), 5-iron engraved with Trump’s name, MAGA cowboy hats for the first couple, pen engraved with the South Korean flag
Canmore is truly beautiful 🗻
August 18, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Canmore is truly beautiful 🗻
Wedding in Canada comes with late-night poutine bar to replenish calories burned during dancing 🇨🇦
August 18, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Wedding in Canada comes with late-night poutine bar to replenish calories burned during dancing 🇨🇦
The hibakusha and their families hope for a world free of nuclear weapons. But today, with multiple conflicts brewing around the world and more proliferation than ever, the world is moving rapidly in the other direction.
August 6, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The hibakusha and their families hope for a world free of nuclear weapons. But today, with multiple conflicts brewing around the world and more proliferation than ever, the world is moving rapidly in the other direction.
After the bombing, skin melted off people’s bodies like zombies. Black rain fell, carrying radioactive ash and causing radiation burns, leaving permanent deformities in those who survived it.
August 6, 2025 at 2:40 PM
After the bombing, skin melted off people’s bodies like zombies. Black rain fell, carrying radioactive ash and causing radiation burns, leaving permanent deformities in those who survived it.
In both cities, survivors of the bombing — called hibakusha — have dedicated their lives to making sure the world doesn’t forget the horrors of nuclear war. Like Yasuko Kondo, 84, who was 4 when the bomb fell. She was just 3.5 km from the hypocenter in Hiroshima. www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp?p=139875
August 6, 2025 at 2:38 PM
In both cities, survivors of the bombing — called hibakusha — have dedicated their lives to making sure the world doesn’t forget the horrors of nuclear war. Like Yasuko Kondo, 84, who was 4 when the bomb fell. She was just 3.5 km from the hypocenter in Hiroshima. www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp?p=139875
Eighty years ago today, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the U.S. destroyed Nagasaki with a second bomb. It was the first & only time a nuclear weapon was used in warfare, vaporizing the cities and instantaneously killing tens of thousands, mostly civilians, in each.
August 6, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Eighty years ago today, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the U.S. destroyed Nagasaki with a second bomb. It was the first & only time a nuclear weapon was used in warfare, vaporizing the cities and instantaneously killing tens of thousands, mostly civilians, in each.
It’s officially Imabari towel time of year in Japan 🥵 super sweat-absorbent!
July 29, 2025 at 5:44 AM
It’s officially Imabari towel time of year in Japan 🥵 super sweat-absorbent!
Had a GIANT king crab for dinner, caught fresh at Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul. Plus fried rice with the crab innards. *chef’s kiss*
July 23, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Had a GIANT king crab for dinner, caught fresh at Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul. Plus fried rice with the crab innards. *chef’s kiss*
What a delight to unexpectedly — and finally — meet author Ed Park in person in Seoul! I didn’t have time to grab my copy of “Same Bed Different Dreams” from home before we met but I still got a signed copy, thanks to Ed. I devoured this book and highly recommend it.
July 9, 2025 at 11:15 PM
What a delight to unexpectedly — and finally — meet author Ed Park in person in Seoul! I didn’t have time to grab my copy of “Same Bed Different Dreams” from home before we met but I still got a signed copy, thanks to Ed. I devoured this book and highly recommend it.
South Korea has more than 3,000 islands. Among the biggest is Geoje, with its clear waters, beautiful mountains and the freshest and creamiest sea urchin I’ve ever had. We also went to nearby Tongyeong, a port city with delicious seafood. Happy Fourth of July weekend ❤️💙🤍
July 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
South Korea has more than 3,000 islands. Among the biggest is Geoje, with its clear waters, beautiful mountains and the freshest and creamiest sea urchin I’ve ever had. We also went to nearby Tongyeong, a port city with delicious seafood. Happy Fourth of July weekend ❤️💙🤍
Some more pics, from Gyeongju, South Korea:
June 22, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Some more pics, from Gyeongju, South Korea: