Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
There is a contingent of people who do not approve of adults hitting children. I am one of those people. But I also recognize that in a fictional setting like this, it can be incredibly cathartic to watch morally reprehensible youngsters getting their comeuppance — especially for real-life victims of school violence whose lives were treated as dispensable by those who were supposed to protect them.
K-CULTURE WITH JAE-HA KIM is the space where I curate my reviews and views about Korean-centric things happening in the pop culture realm (and beyond) that pique my interest…and I hope yours, too. Won’t you join me?
Saying “I don’t see color” doesn’t mean you’re not racist. How this second season of “Beef” tackles Korean identity.
I’ll be updating this page periodically to include music that’s piquing my interest at the moment. Song of the day: “Pretty Baby” by Blondie.
The Netflix film “BTS: The Return” offers insight into the pressures faced by the superstar group as they came back from military service to make their new album, “Arirang.” My latest review for Rolling Stone magazine.
A college student asked me what made K-pop, well, K-pop. The gist of what I said was that K-pop has to maintain a Korean element. In my latest newsletter, I dig deeper into this with a K-pop expert.
The Washington Post interviewed me to share my thoughts about Katseye and their relevance in the global pop market.
On March 20, BTS will make their long-awaited comeback with an album called “Arirang.” Since it was announced, fans and media have been speculating about the cultural significance of the title, the album cover possibly being an homage to a group of 19th century Korean students studying in the U.S., and whether the title hints at what kind of music listeners can expect on the upcoming record.
The TODAY SHOW asked me to explain what Rosé and Bruno Mars’ Grammy-nominated ‘APT.’ means. So I did.
Made in Korea doesn’t flinch in its portrayal of corruption by both the Korean government and its strongest ally, the U.S. military. Director Woo Min-ho presents a Korea where there are no heroes, but rather desperate survivors caught in the crosshairs.
NPR invited me to talk about “KPOP Demon Hunters” on their “Here & Now” podcast.
The best K-dramas of 2025 tackle an array of relevant topics that made us cheer, scream, and cry this year. Get ready to binge. My latest for Teen Vogue.
“Kpop Demon Hunters” ruled the world, Blackpink kept getting bigger, and new artists broke rules. My latest for Rolling Stone magazine.
“The Manipulated” is a film-to-series adaptation of the 2017 action film Fabricated City. Both share the same creative (Park Kwang-hyun) and leading man (Ji Chang-wook).
For Rolling Stone’s year-end list of best albums of 2025., I reviewed Hannah Bahng’s “The Misunderstood EP” and Chaeyoung’s “LIL FANTASY vol. 1.”
How a children’s book reflects on the profound impact of losing your first language
“As You Stood By” examines domestic abuse and how people are reluctant to help victims — most often because they are afraid of how their actions could be detrimental to their own lives (which is also a subplot in Our Unwritten Seoul).
The 2nd season of “Taxi Driver” depicted a fictional storyline that is eerily similar to what is happening now in South East Asia.
I was one of the critics asked to review songs for Rolling Stone’s lastest list: 25 years of classic hits from all over the musical map and every corner of the globe.
