(LinkAsia: November 30, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
South Koreans go to the polls in three weeks to elect a new president. The campaign officially got underway this week and two candidates are leading opinion polls. Here's how Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported the first day of electioneering.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: November 22, 2012

Reporter:
Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri party is one of the front runners. She visited a national cemetery in Seoul where she paid her respects to those who died in the Korean War and other conflicts. Park expressed her determination to become the country's first female president.

Park Geun-hye:
South Korea has to choose whether it wants to move forward with a prepared future or go back to the past, which is marked with failure. We are now standing at a crucial crossroads.

Reporter:
Park also said she will promise to build a nation where everyone can lead a happy life. She's locked in a tight race with Moon Jae-in of the opposition Democratic United Party. He spoke in the second largest city of Busan near his hometown.

Moon Jae-in:
I promise to become the first president to democratize the economy, and establish a strong welfare system through a new type of politics.

Reporter:
Moon also talked about entrepreneur turned politician Ahn Cheol-soo. Ahn dropped out of the race last week to give Moon a better chance of victory when voters head to the polls on December 19th. Moon said he'll never forget Ahn's sacrifice. He asked Ahn's supporters to back him.

(LinkAsia: November 16, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
So who is Xi Jinping? Neighboring Japan is keenly interested to know what the leadership change means for the future of its strained relations with China. Here's Japan's public broadcaster NHK with its take on the new Chinese leader.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: November 9, 2012

Reporter:
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is 59 years old. He comes from Shanxi Province. Communist Party leaders named Xi Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission in 2010. He's taken an active role in diplomacy as well as domestic affairs.

Xi Jinping:
China is committed to defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will try to settle disputes with our neighbors over land and sea rights through friendly negotiations.

Reporter:
Xi Jinping's father was a Vice Premier. So Xi became part of China's informal princeling network. Princelings gain power by taking advantage of their parent's status and ties to influential figures. But Xi didn't have it easy. Authorities ousted his father and jailed him during the cultural revolution. Xi was forced to work in the countryside as a teenager. He went to a prestigious university in Beijing from 1975 to 1979. And then he spent the next quarter century holding down key positions in the Communist Party and the government in Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Reporter:
Xi gained domestic and international prominence in 2007. He skipped the stage of Politburo member and went straight into the Politburo's standing committee. Xi's wife is a well known figure in her own right. Peng Liyuan is popular singer in the troupe belonging to the People's Liberation Army. Analysts say her star status and support from the military has helped Xi's career. Xi has spent the past couple of years cementing his position as successor to President Hu Jintao. He visited the U.S. in early 2012 to promote relations. His counterpart, Vice President  Joe Biden was with him for much of the visit.

Xi Jinping:
We will, in light of China's national conditions, continue to take concrete measures and craft effective policies…to promote social fairness, justice and harmony, and push forward China's cause of human rights.

Reporter:
Xi said that on some issues, the two governments will not necessarily see eye to eye.

(LinkAsia: November 16, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Japanese are going to have a new government by year's end. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced a general election for December 16th. Here's Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: November 14, 2012

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda:
The economy and energy will be part of the focus of the election. Our party will make a manifesto and play our position to voters. I'll explain it to the people after I dissolve the lower house on Friday.

Reporter:
The lead up to the decision played out on Wednesday in the Diet. Noda debated LDP leader Shinzo Abe. The prime minister said he was ready to dissolve the lower house if the LDP committed to reducing the number of seats in the chamber by next year. LDP executives met later and decided to accept Noda's proposal. Officials campaigning for the general election starts on December 4th. Japanese voters head to the polls less than two weeks later.

Woman on the street:
I can't believe they decided to hold an election. I want them to think about alternate people. There isn't any talent among the leaders.

Man on the street:
Lawmakers don't really care about the people. The prime minister changes like a revolving door. It's better to give the younger generation a chance at the leadership.

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Yul Kwon:
Opinion polls reflect that last comment. Noda's Democratic Party of Japan has only about 13 percent support, half of that of the Liberal Democrats. But the eye-catching figure is that fully 45 percent of Japanese say they don't support any party.

(LinkAsia: November 16, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Moving now to South Asia, where the shooting of a Pakistani teenage girl last month shocked the world. Malala Yousufzai was badly wounded by militants opposed to schooling for girls. NHK has this report on the problems faced by women seeking education in Pakistan.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: November 12, 2012

Reporter:
Sixteen year old Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head last month by the Taliban movement of Pakistan. The radical Islamic group said girls have no right to education. The teenager is currently in Britain receiving treatment in hospital. One month after the attack Malala's school remains under tight security from the Pakistani military. Two girls who were with Malala and were also shot that day describe what happened. Shadziya and another Kainat have returned to school. They were traumatized by the incident. But decided to come back to carry on Malala's fight for education. People around the world have praised Malala's courage. On Friday Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy on Education and the former British Prime Minister gave his support to her campaign for female education in a speech in Islamabad.

Gordon Brown:
We in the international community want to say to you today that we will support you in your determination that no girl should be prevented from going to school out of fear.

Reporter:
Even after Malala's shooting six schools have been blown up by militants. The attacks are believed to be the work of Pakistani Taliban. Authorities said several hundred fifty one schools were attacked by extremists in the past ten years including 233 that were almost destroyed. But Islamic extremism is not the only reason why many Pakistani girls are denied an education. Poverty is another major problem that needs to be addressed. Malala's shooting has exposed the challenges faced by the Pakistani government. It's under renewed pressure to crack down on extremism and take steps to help children of poor families get an education.

Hideki Yui, NHK World, Islamabad.

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Yul Kwon:
Pakistan has announced it will provide a small subsidy – the equivalent of about two dollars a month - to families for every child enrolled in primary school.