Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Would we have done well if we had stayed in Korea? Probably, because my parents were resilient. But would I choose to move to Korea permanently at this stage of my life? No, for the same reason that my father wanted to be buried here rather than in our family plot in Seoul. His family is here, he said, and he wanted to be near us even in death.
It’s completely normal for a journalist to joke around saying that a cookie bore the words, “Death to America,” right?
True story: When I was in college, we didn’t have access to The Internets like all you young whipper snappers today. So, instead of drooling over all the photos of food on Pinterest and Instagram, I used to look at recipe books and imagine that I could be eating that instead of the dorm food my parents had paid for.
Why Suga’s Korean-language book “MIND Problem” excites me more than the pop group’s worldwide tour.
“‘What Kind of Asian Are You?’ is what I wished I could do when that question has come up,” said actress and dancer Stella Choe. “But most of the time I’m just in shock and so annoyed [that] I don’t know what to say. The video version of myself is a lot more witty and sassy. I wish I was that quick to clap back!”
Accusing a Korean adoptee of ‘not being Korean enough’ isn’t the slam dunk losers think it is.
“When a country experiences such fast economic growth, it doesn’t give generations enough time to adapt to modern realities. You end up thrusting people into modernity without changing the structures around them. In South Korea, gender roles within households remain stuck in the past.” — Nobel Prize-winning economist Claudia Goldin
While it’s easy to blame the K-pop system for encouraging parasocial relationships between fans and idols, experts told me that the modern “celebrity machine” in general emboldens stalkers.
Easy-to-make muguk recipe with ingedients you probably have at home already!
How a children’s book reflects on the profound impact of losing your first language
Since the release of her book “I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki,” Baek Se-hee opened up dialogue about depression and the importance of normalizing mental health care. May she rest in eternal peace.
The 2nd season of “Taxi Driver” depicted a fictional storyline that is eerily similar to what is happening now in South East Asia.
Ordinarily, “K-Culture with Jae-Ha Kim” is dedicated to Korean or Korean-adjacent topics. Today’s newsletter fits into that realm, but with a broader scope – because what is currently happening in the United States can happen to any of us.
Some people have said that Asian Americans should just feel grateful to be represented at all, and I absolutely do not feel that way. I used to when I was a child when there was almost no representation, and that’s actually a bit depressing to think about.
“Where Are You Really From?” Why many Asian diaspora don’t like being asked this question
I am a bit of a weirdo when it comes to my food choices. My son will point out that I am always cold during the winter. But I still add ice cubes to most of my drinks and seek out ice cream. But when it comes to my love of hot (and spicy) stews in the middle of a summer heat wave, I have science to back up my choice. OK, maybe culture is the better descriptor. I don’t know. You tell me.
NPR invited me back on their Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast to discuss the third and final season of the Korean series “Squid Game.”
“I’m still scared sometimes, and there’s so much I’m still learning. But one thing I know for sure is that I feel freer and stronger than ever. For the first time, I’m not hiding. I’m finally moving toward what I really want — not what I think people expect from me.” —BAIN
In the late 1990s and early aughts, I interviewed Gavin Rossdale of the British grunge rock band Bush many times. But it wasn’t until our chat this year that I learned something new. He loves Korean cuisine. Not as in, “Oh, I love Korean barbeque.” Rather, he enjoys Korean food so much that he cooks it at home for his family. And when he does hire a chef to help out for larger get-togethers, it’s always his preferred Korean chef.
