Lim Jim Koon

Lim Jim Koon

Former Editor, Lianhe Zaobao; former Editor-in-Chief, SPH Chinese Media Group

Lim Jim Koon is the former editor of Lianhe Zaobao and the former editor-in-chief of Chinese Media Group, Singapore Press Holdings.

Elder US statesman Dr Henry Kissinger gives Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew (left) a hug just before Mr Lee was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the US-Asean Business Council for fostering US-ASEAN ties, 27 October 2009. (SPH Media)

Kissinger would miss his old friend Lee Kuan Yew in these troubled times

Former Lianhe Zaobao editor Lim Jim Koon looks back at the distinguished career of diplomat and political adviser Henry Kissinger, who had the ears of the most powerful people in the world. As Kissinger marks his 100th birthday, what insights has he offered before, and what is his current take on the state of the world?
A US Air Force U-2 pilot looks down at the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovers over the central continental US on 3 February 2023 before later being shot down by the Air Force off the coast of South Carolina, in this photo released by the US Air Force through the Defense Department on 22 February 2023. (US Air Force/Department of Defense/Handout via Reuters)

Mass hysteria over spy balloons: The pot calling the kettle black?

Former Zaobao editor Lim Jim Koon believes that the balloon saga between China and the US in February gives much food for thought around the role of political leaders and mass media in sensationalising the trivial incidents.
A woman reads Lianhe Zaobao at a bus interchange in Singapore. (SPH Media)

Navigating China-US competition: A Singapore Chinese-language paper's experience

Former Zaobao editor Lim Jim Koon observes that zaobao.com was recently lumped in with “local media” of China in one of the Japanese media reports. Intentionally or not, this is one of the ways that Singapore’s leading Chinese-language newspaper has sometimes been cast as pro-China or anti-China to suit the narratives of others. As China-US tensions intensify in the new Year of the Rabbit, the paper, and perhaps Singapore too, must brace itself for labels being cast on it, and keep vigilant in staying the course and guarding its own interests.
A supporter holds the final edition of the newspaper outside the headquarters of the Apple Daily newspaper and its publisher Next Digital Ltd. in Hong Kong, China, on 24 June 2021. (Paul Yeung/Bloomberg)

When a news media company becomes radically politicised: Jimmy Lai and the Apple Daily saga

The high-profile trial of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai has been postponed, with some voices asserting that media freedom has not been respected. From his close observation of Apple Daily in his years as Zaobao’s editor, Lim Jim Koon takes a clear-eyed look at Apple Daily. He says that having crossed the baseline of news media organisations and broken the law, it can no longer justify its actions with media freedom.
People walk in Kimironko Market in Kigali, Rwanda on 26 June 2022. (SPH Media)

Small nations' survival strategy for a world in flux: Lessons from Rwanda and Timor-Leste

Lim Jim Koon, former editor-in-chief of Chinese Media Group, SPH Media, looks at the current world in flux and its focus on great power rivalry. He reminds us that small nations have their place in this world too and their survival and growth must not be lightly brushed aside. Rwanda and Timor-Leste may not be countries in the spotlight, but these are small nations with tenacity, sharing common interests and goals with Singapore.
The Texas state flag is flown at half-mast, in honor of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting, outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, US, on 31 May 2022. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)

Competition between democracy and autocracy a political fallacy

The US has defined major global events such as the war in Ukraine and its competition with China under the ideological framework of a fight between democracy and autocracy. But is the 21st century world just black and white? Lim Jim Koon, former editor-in-chief of Chinese Media Group, SPH Media, suggests that before we criticise others and demand them to change, maybe we should start by examining ourselves.