Eight-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Mike Valerio is a CNN international correspondent based in Seoul. Mike covers the dynamic array of cultural, political, and military stories within the Korean Peninsula and the wider Asia Pacific region.

During South Korea’s tumultuous declaration of martial law in December 2024, Mike reported from Seoul’s National Assembly, as protesters confronted military vehicles and demanded the dismissal of the country’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol.

In the aftermath of martial law, Mike documented the weeks-long standoff to arrest Yoon, the first sitting South Korean president to be detained by law enforcement.

Valerio led CNN’s team of journalists covering the crash of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, reporting from the runway debris field and the gathering point for families at Muan International Airport.

Mike began his assignment in Asia along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, reporting on multi-layered tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang. He also covered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s historic 2024 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as renewed trilateral ties between China, Japan, and South Korea.

Within the realm of culture, Mike has chronicled the astounding rise of K-Pop, brought CNN behind the scenes of heartwarming Korean dramas, and even learned how viral South Korean Olympic pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji channels her “main character energy.”

Mike began his time with CNN at the network’s Los Angeles bureau, where he enterprised coverage of the 2023 Maui wildfires for CNN and its global affiliates. He also reported on the Los Angeles police and sheriff’s departments, focusing on their recruitment efforts and courageous members of the LAPD Chaplain Corps.

Before joining CNN, Mike served as a political and law enforcement reporter for WUSA9, the CBS News affiliate in Washington, DC. He has extensively covered the White House, election security, and the Department of Justice, focusing on the FBI, ATF, and domestic terror cases.

Mike’s investigative reporting led to WUSA9’s multi-year documentary series “Fallen and Forgotten.” The series detailed American World War II service members whose remains are still buried on the Pacific atoll of Tarawa, often in abysmal conditions.

Following the 2008 financial crisis, Mike served as the chief researcher for the New York Times best-selling book, “Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff.”

Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication from The George Washington University. He is fluent in French, and is currently studying Korean and Mandarin. Valerio also holds commands of Spanish, Italian, and Ukrainian.