Fall / Winter edition of Asia N is out – Asia’s Window to the World, the World’s Window on Asia

Fall/Winter cover features a drone picture of the first snow on Solchijae, connecting Sinrim-myeon in Wonju, and Jucheon-myeon in Yeongwol- gun, in Gangwon Province with a long curve

By Habib Toumi

SEOUL: The Fall/Winter double edition of Asia N in is out now, packed with great articles on a wide range of topics and a rich array of views from the ASEAN, Southern Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia.

The ASEAN articles are “For Indonesia, Electric Vehicle is a must, not an option; Cambodian Youth and Their Move to the Future” and “Fighting Fake News in the Philippine.”

The Southern Asia articles are “Questions posed by the continuous rape cases of Dalit women” and “Nepal’s stalled mountaineering activities resume with the ascent of Mt. Lobuche by Bahrain prince.”

The articles from the Middle East are “How Egypt and India succeeded in hosting the cultural festival during the Corona-era” and “Iran was never a bower during the history.”

The article from Central Asia is “Kyrgyzstan, on the test table for ‘Exemplary Democracy country in Central Asia.”

The feature interview is with Korean scientist Dr. Ra who emphasized that stem cells will be the mainstream of medicine worldwide.

The magazine, issued by Asia Journalists Association (AJA), also includes a message from Publisher Sang-ki Lee, eight topics of culture and five opinion pieces.

The magazine cover features a drone picture of the first snow on Solchijae, connecting Sinrim-myeon in Wonju, and Jucheon-myeon in Yeongwol- gun, in Gangwon Province with a long curve.

“In a world covered with snow, when everything is holding its breath, the road becomes clearer. The road shows that there is not an end from here to there and from there to here. The road opens up and shows the travellers that they can go anywhere,” said the caption of the impressive picture taken by Photo Journalist Koh Myungjin on December 14 when the first snow of 2020 fell.

In his editorial message, Sang-ki, the former president of the Journalist Association of Korea and of Asia Journalists Association (AJA) and the power behind the Asia N in its print and online editions, figuratively demonstrated how a calm sense of optimism should pervade Asia and the world despite the very long tunnels and formidable challenges ahead. Prioritizing solutions is key.

“There is an ‘endless tunnel’.

I throw a few questions about this.

“How long till the tunnel ends?”

“Wouldn’t another tunnel wait after the tunnel?”

“What if the tunnel collapses before I even get out?”

“Why did I enter the tunnel?”

It doesn’t seem easy to find the answer to either one.

Here’s my answer.

“It doesn’t seem easy to figure out the end. We didn’t even know the existence of the tunnel in the first place.”

“There could be another tunnel. But I don’t think it’s too late to think about it once you get out. First of all, getting out of here is a priority.”

“It could collapse in the middle. Of course, I don’t think so.”

If you add the word “corona” in front of the last question, the answer is surprisingly simple and questionable.

“Isn’t that the result of our own choice?” Are you having a hard time? The definite answer is, “This will pass, too. Definitely, …”

The next two sentences were in mind when planning the fall issue of Magazine N.

‘Let’s not lose our motivation.’ ‘Let’s stick to the basics.’

Sang-ki then made a pledge emanating from the new spirit inspiring and motivating the new directions of Asia N and its new approaches with both local and overseas journalists.

“From now on, we will continue to increase the number of articles by foreign journalists. We will also strengthen the depth and originality of the columns of the domestic writers. I will add more harmony between text and design. I’ll see you again in the next issue. Thank you,” he wrote.

Asia N was launched in November 2011, seven years after the formation of the Asia Journalists Association. It publishes in Korea, English and Arabic.