Washington Post foreign editor Douglas Jehl, deputy foreign editor Eva Rodriguez and editor for Russia, Japan and the Koreas Brian Murphy sent out the following announcement on Friday:
Beginning with her high-speed debut at The Post as a member of the Fact Checker team, Michelle has consistently demonstrated her rigor, versatility, drive and digital savvy. For the last three years, she has covered money and influence for National’s Political Investigations and Enterprise team, transcending the boundaries of the campaign-finance beat to tell more human tales, such as her portraits of fundraising in Hollywood and firms that specialize in alarmist emails.
During critical moments in the North Korea story, Michelle has filled in for Foreign in Seoul, distinguishing herself by writing with authority, empathy and voice, as she did in telling a personal tale: “How my North Korean-born grandparents taught me about loss, memory and the power of Pyongyang cold noodles.”
Michelle grew up in Guam, speaks fluent Korean and is a graduate of Emory University. She began her career at the Arizona Republic and moved to The Post in 2014. She recently began a second term as president of the Asian American Journalists Association.
In her new role, Michelle will work closely with Min Joo Kim, our Seoul-based reporter. She will move to Tokyo next summer, in time for the Olympics, and will take over as bureau chief in late August.
