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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Michael McCoy and Blake Neff Share Inside Look at Charlie Kirk's Final Asia Trip to Korea and Japan
Mikey McCoy and Blake Neff recount their unforgettable journey accompanying Charlie Kirk on his dream trip to Asia, visiting South Korea and Japan just days before his passing. The trip included speaking at Buildup Korea 2025, a youth conservative event modeled after AmericaFest, visiting the DMZ at the North Korean border, and touring historic sites in Tokyo. Charlie delivered powerful speeches on freedom, globalism, and mass immigration while connecting with pastors, activists, and young conservatives across Asia. The journey was marked by profound moments, including Korean worshippers singing and praying over Charlie—the same song that would be sung at his memorial two weeks later. From visiting the General Douglas MacArthur statue at 4:45 a.m. to wandering Tokyo's streets in gym shorts, Charlie's final international trip revealed his passion for spreading the message of freedom worldwide and his genuine joy in experiencing different cultures while staying true to his mission.
Just three to four days before the tragic events in Utah, Charlie Kirk fulfilled a longtime dream of traveling to Asia, bringing along Mikey McCoy and Blake Neff for what would become an unforgettable journey. Mikey decided to document the trip on camera for the first time, capturing never-before-seen speeches and podcasts that showcase Charlie's mission to spread the message of freedom across the globe.
The trip took them through South Korea and Japan, where Charlie delivered powerful speeches about freedom, globalism, and the importance of preserving national identity. "Freedom is not only an American or a Western value. It is a value that belongs to the entire world," Charlie declared to enthusiastic crowds who gathered to hear his message of hope and determination.
Buildup Korea 2025: AmericaFest Goes Global
One of the highlights of the trip was the Buildup Korea 2025 event, which Mikey and Blake immediately recognized as a direct replica of Turning Point USA's AmericaFest. The Korean organizers had studied Charlie's successful youth conservative event model and implemented it down to the finest details—the same backstage area layout, the same room shape, identical fireworks displays, and even the signature synth wave color scheme reminiscent of the 1980s.
The event featured an exhibitor hall with various booths, including the 1776 Institute, a Korean-American fan club dedicated to teaching about the American founders and their principles. Blake found it particularly amusing when the crowd began chanting "USA, USA" at a Korean event. As Charlie often said about imitating successful people, the Korean organizers had clearly learned from someone they admired. "Charlie would want to imitate people who were successful. He would learn from people. This is people doing the same thing with Charlie Kirk. They're like, I want a successful youth conservative event. Turning Point is successful. Let's do a Turning Point event," Mikey explained.
A Spiritual Moment: Korean Worship and Prayer
Perhaps the most profound moment of the Korean visit came at the end of the Buildup Korea event when organizers called Charlie onto the stage for one final surprise. Speaking in Korean, they announced they had one last gift for him. As piano music began to play, the crowd started singing "How Great Is Our God" in Korean—a moment where beauty transcended language barriers.
The attendees gathered around Charlie, singing and praying over him as he stood with his hand on his heart, visibly moved. It was one of the few times Mikey had seen Charlie become emotional. In a moment that would later prove deeply meaningful, the same song sung by these Korean worshippers would be performed at Charlie's memorial service just two weeks and two days later, with everyone present giving their hearts in worship.
Meeting with Korean Pastors and Political Courage
Backstage at the Buildup Korea event, Charlie met with various Korean pastors, including Pastor Sun, who was boldly discussing politics from the pulpit despite Korean laws prohibiting such speech during election season. Charlie, impressed by the pastor's courage, asked to take a photo with him. Two days after Charlie and his team left Korea, Pastor Sun was arrested and jailed for speaking about politics from the pulpit—a stark reminder of the freedoms Americans often take for granted. The arrest highlighted the very real consequences of standing up for principles in countries where freedom of speech remains restricted.
Journey to the DMZ and North Korea
The team's Korean itinerary included a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the North Korean border. Originally, they were scheduled to visit the exact spot where President Trump had shaken hands with Kim Jong-un, but the United Nations cancelled Charlie's access to that specific location. Instead, they visited a lookout point where they could see directly into North Korea—a powerful reminder of the stark contrast between freedom and tyranny that exists just miles apart on the Korean peninsula.
The MacArthur Statue: First Stop at 4:45 AM
When their flight landed at Incheon International Airport at 4:15 a.m., most travelers would have headed to a hotel for rest. But Charlie Kirk wanted to make the most of every moment. By 4:45 a.m., he insisted on visiting the General Douglas MacArthur statue at Incheon, the site of one of the most daring military maneuvers in the Korean War. When American forces were losing and trapped at the southern end of Korea, General MacArthur executed a bold amphibious landing 200 miles north behind North Korean lines at Incheon, turning the tide of the war.
MacArthur was one of Charlie's heroes, making this pilgrimage particularly meaningful. As Charlie approached the statue, he remarked, "Wow, I wish we had statues like this in America." Blake then read aloud the inscription: "There is no boundary in justice, nor is there any obstacle to struggle, mountain or sea. A man who executed such a struggle in the spirit of justice, to the triumph of the cause of the free world, and to the gratitude and admiration of mankind is the man whom this statue represents."
Exploring Seoul: Blake as Tour Guide
Blake Neff, who had visited Korea and Japan before, served as the unofficial tour guide throughout the trip. He led Charlie and Mikey through Seoul's historic sites, including a visit to a traditional Korean palace in the Bukchon Hanok Village area. The contrast between Charlie's and his team's attire provided an amusing moment—Charlie had secretly planned a day of tourism and arrived downstairs in gym shorts, a t-shirt, and long socks, while Mikey and Blake showed up in full suits, ready for formal events.
Throughout the day in 90-degree heat with 90% humidity, Mikey and Blake sweated through their suits as Charlie maintained his characteristic fast walking pace. Having long legs and a history of walking seven to ten miles a day after injuring his back from running, Charlie only stopped for two things: visiting coffee shops or buying gifts for his family. At every historic site, Charlie would turn to Blake and say, "Blake, tell us about this," prompting impromptu history lessons at the palace's Confucian scholarship halls and other locations.
The palace visit featured traditional Korean dress called hanbok—beautiful garments worn by women and distinctive top hats worn by men. Interestingly, visitors wearing hanbok receive free entry to the palace, a policy designed to encourage appreciation of Korean cultural heritage. Blake expressed regret that he hadn't worn hanbok to his friend's wedding, though he did wear his iconic Macy's blazer, which has become something of a signature look that draws regular comments.
Korea's Demographic Crisis: Empty Playgrounds and Missing Children
As the team walked through Seoul, they couldn't help but notice the stark absence of children—a visual confirmation of South Korea's well-documented demographic crisis. Blake observed that subway cars feature two to four pink seats reserved for pregnant women, yet he rarely saw them occupied. At one location near a Korean War museum and monument, they encountered a completely deserted playground despite its excellent facilities.
The orderly nature of Korean society particularly struck Blake during his subway observations. Commuters would form precise lines three people wide with a path in the middle for exiting passengers. They would board and exit trains in an orderly fashion, and when trains reached capacity, people would simply wait for the next one rather than cramming in—a stark contrast to transit systems in many other major cities.
The one exception to the absence of children came at the Buildup Korea event itself, where numerous babies were present in the back of the venue—a hopeful sign among the young conservatives and Christians gathered there. This observation underscored one of Charlie's core messages throughout the trip: the importance of restoring the family, increasing marriage rates, and having children.
Tokyo: Wandering in Anonymity
After Korea, the team traveled to Japan, where their friend Rio, a longtime Charlie Kirk supporter who had attended AmericaFest 2022, helped coordinate the visit and show them around. Blake had previously visited Japan in 2019, giving him basic familiarity with the country, while the team arrived in Korea early for a friend's wedding, allowing him to get acclimated to the city before Charlie's arrival.
In Tokyo, Charlie experienced something relatively rare for him: the ability to wander around largely unrecognized. While some foreigners and at least one Japanese person did recognize him, and a group of Japanese kids approached him in Tokyo, for the most part, Charlie could explore the city without constant interruption. In Korea, more people recognized him due to the Buildup Korea event.
The team made stops at various locations, including a visit to Don Quijote (affectionately called "Don Cotto" by Americans), where Charlie purchased a Hello Kitty doll as a gift for his family. They also discovered a peaceful coffee shop with air conditioning in the back alleys of Seoul—a welcome respite from the oppressive heat and humidity. In that moment, captured on Mikey's camera, Charlie gave a thumbs-up while enjoying his hot tea, genuinely happy and comfortable in the anonymity of a place where the staff had no idea who he was.
Speaking in Tokyo: The Three Ps and Mass Immigration
Charlie's speeches in Japan focused on the dangers of globalism and mass immigration, themes that resonated powerfully given Japan's unique position as a nation that has largely maintained its cultural homogeneity. Wearing an earpiece for translation, Charlie delivered his message with the same passion and clarity he brought to American audiences. The Japanese organizers displayed remarkable attention to detail, presenting the microphone to Charlie on a silver platter when it was his turn to speak—a level of formality and organization that impressed the American visitors.
"The globalists seek to eliminate the three Ps by getting rid of borders, language, and culture," Charlie explained to his Japanese audience. He asked direct, pointed questions designed to make the issue tangible: "Do you want school children in Japan to learn Japanese, the language? Of course you do, right? But not Arabic. And we laugh. But you know what? People in London would have laughed 40 years ago in an event just like this. And yet more people are going to speak Arabic in London in 20 years from now than today."
Charlie warned his Japanese audience against complacency: "The problem is that Tokyo is so nice, and Japan is so great that you're almost in a place where it's very easy to be apathetic. Oh, this will never happen here. We've stood the test of time." He drew historical parallels to illustrate his point: "Remember, they said the sun would never set on the British Empire. It wasn't war that took down the British Empire. It wasn't any of the other conflicts. It was mass immigration that took down the British Empire."
His message emphasized the need for urgency: "You must enter with a sense of cautiousness but also immediacy to communicate in real language that in real words that this can have a very serious impact on what people care about most."
CNN Interview: No Matter Where You Are, CNN Is Still CNN
Following his Tokyo speech, Charlie was interviewed by a CNN reporter—prompting Blake to joke that "no matter where you are in the world, CNN's still CNN." The reporter questioned whether Charlie's speech was xenophobic. Charlie responded with characteristic directness: "Listen, I think we can both agree if we import 40 million Pakistanis into Japan, Japan's not Japan anymore." Faced with this straightforward logic, the reporter conceded the point.
A Global Movement for Freedom
Throughout the Asia trip, Charlie's core message remained consistent with his life's work: "Freedom is not only an American or a Western value. It is a value that belongs to the entire world. We are allies because we all share a common enemy, globalism." He warned against the doctrine of diversity as preached by globalists, noting that "globalism wants to erase the distinctions that separate different countries and cultures. It takes hundreds of years to build a civilization. It takes one generation of mistakes to throw it away."
His call to action was clear and urgent: "Protect your freedom and your faith from the evildoers who would destroy it. The best way to fight against tyranny is for good people to stand up." These words, delivered to audiences in Korea and Japan, encapsulated Charlie's vision of a global movement for freedom—one that respected national distinctions and cultural identities while uniting people across borders in the common cause of liberty.
Never-Before-Seen Content Coming Soon
Mikey captured extensive footage throughout the Asia trip, marking the first time he had traveled with a camera for such documentation. The material includes full speeches and podcast episodes that will be released in the coming weeks, providing supporters with a final glimpse of Charlie Kirk doing what he loved most: spreading the message of freedom, connecting with activists and leaders around the world, and building a global movement for conservative values and national sovereignty.
The trip represented the fulfillment of Charlie's dream to bring his message to Asia, and as Blake noted, it showcased how Charlie's influence had spread far beyond America's borders. Young conservatives in Korea and Japan were adopting his methods, learning from his success, and applying his principles to their own nations' unique challenges—a testament to the universal appeal of his message and the enduring impact of his life's work.
