New window on Asia ‘Magazine N’ launched

The cover of Magazine N's first issue

As our world shrinks and the globe turns toward Asia, the AJA Media & Culture Co. Ltd launches Magazine N, a monthly print publication, in affiliation with the Asia Journalist Association and its online media, The AsiaN, on June 25.

With professional writers and veteran journalists from the Asia Journalist Association’s 50 member nations, Magazine N provides news on Asia and in-depth analysis on international issues, economic trends, business activities and cultural phenomenon from an Asian perspective. Magazine N’s goal is to lead Asia’s change by inspiring leaders and empowering people.

Its launching issue includes a special report on the topic, “Why the age of Asia?” featuring an interview with Professor Kishor Mahbubanni, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and focuses on the conditions, realities and prospects of the age of Asia.

Special topics include the revelation of Japanese soldiers’ participation in the Korean War with evidence from PhD dissertations, Japanese publications, and the testimony of a Korean war veteran from Canada. The launching issue’s “Country in Focus” section features post-BRIC nation of Turkey and provides an analysis of its economy and culture.

In commemoration of its launching, Magazine N conducted a survey of Asian university students asking them which three Asian global corporations they would like to work for, which three Asian cities they would like to visit, and who they thought the three most influential people in Asia were. Samsung, Tokyo and Chinese President Xi Jinping ranked no. 1 in each category respectively.

Congratulatory illustration for the launching of Magazine N by Franco-Lebanese painter Bilal Bassal

Columns written by next Korean men’s national football team head coach, Hong Myung-bo, Professor Choi Jae-cheon of Ewha Women’s University, and Korean former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan as well as articles written in English with Korean summaries by North Korea expert Professor Andrei Lankov, Editor of the Al-Arabi Magazine in Kuwait Ashraf Dali, CEO of Spotfilms Pramod Mathur, Indonesian Ambassador to Korea John A. Prasetio, etc., are full of insight and useful information.

Some other highlights include news on Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani women’s rights activist shot in the head by the Taliban, and an interview with a key player in the pro-democracy movement in Egypt, Wael Ghonim.

Other sections include the “Asia Round-up,” which summarizes key editorials of various Asian news media in both Korean and English, “Planner,” a schedule of major holidays and events of each country for the month and “Books,” reviews of important books of different regions in Asia.

“Magazine N’s mission is to lead Asia’s change by empowering citizens’ dreams and inspiring leaders of each sector through in-depth insight,” said Lee Sang-ki, publisher of Magazine N, “We will put all our energy and passion into making each monthly issue as if it were the launching issue.”

A portion of the articles in Magazine N can be read online on The AsiaN’s Korean version (kor.theasian.asia).