Jessica Phelan

GlobalPost

Jessica Phelan is based in Fukuoka, Japan. She has written from GlobalPost from Germany and France and was formerly editor of GlobalPost Morning Chatter, which she wrote daily until December 2013. 

A North Korean at work in the factory of a South Korean company in Kaesong industrial zone inside North Korea, Dec. 19, 2013.

Made in North Korea: $300 ski jackets, and a whole lot more

It's recently emerged that clothes made in North Korea's state-owned factories are being sold by major brands with labels indicating they're from China. Oops. Do you have something in your closet made in North Korea?

Made in North Korea: $300 ski jackets, and a whole lot more

Made in North Korea: $300 ski jackets, and a whole lot more

Made in North Korea: $300 ski jackets, and a whole lot more

You can buy ivory necklaces through Yahoo Japan for pennies

You can buy ivory necklaces through Yahoo Japan for pennies

No one knows how to help Syria — except by pledging lots of money

No one knows how to help Syria — except by pledging lots of money

Zika just gave Americans another great reason to practice safe sex

Zika just gave Americans another great reason to practice safe sex

Here's what it looks like when 100,000 people try to get home at once

Catching a train anywhere in China right now is something of an endurance test.

Here's what it looks like when 100,000 people try to get home at once

Vote wisely, Iowa. The world is watching

What's stranger than a bunch of candidates trying to persuade a sparse swathe of the Midwest to back their nomination? Perhaps the fact that one of them is the next POTUS.

Vote wisely, Iowa. The world is watching

No one wants to shop in China’s giant Pentagon-shaped mall

State media says the building's 'confusing inner structures' are to blame.

No one wants to shop in China’s giant Pentagon-shaped mall

Brussels has canceled New Year's Eve

The rest of the world is just putting it under really tight security.

Brussels has canceled New Year's Eve

This year's El Niño is one of the worst on record, and that's bad for everyone

Floods in the Americas, fires in Asia and drought in Africa: Welcome to the season of extreme weather.

This year's El Niño is one of the worst on record, and that's bad for everyone

Good news! 2016 will get off to a less terrible start than it might have

Police in Belgium have arrested two people they accuse of plotting to carry out terrorist attacks on New Year's Eve.

Good news! 2016 will get off to a less terrible start than it might have

Japan made an $8 million apology to its former 'comfort women'

Japan has struck a compensation deal with South Korea that it says ends the dispute over wartime sex slaves once and for all.

Japan made an $8 million apology to its former 'comfort women'

Japan doesn’t stop married women from keeping their names. It just makes it really, really hard

So hard that only 4 percent of women do it.

Japan doesn’t stop married women from keeping their names. It just makes it really, really hard

The UK just sent its first astronaut into space, officially

Unofficially, it's happened a few times already.

The UK just sent its first astronaut into space, officially

The US is pretty sure Metrojet Flight 9268 was bombed

Russia and Egypt? Not so much.

The US is pretty sure Metrojet Flight 9268 was bombed