Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“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.
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
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
Two things can be true: You can commit a crime, and you can atone for your actions without being harassed to death. But that wasn’t the case for actress Kim Sae-ron.
NPR invited me back on their Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast to discuss the second season of the Korean series “Squid Game.”
The last time a president declared martial law in South Korea was in 1980.
Suga’s ‘perp walk’ wasn’t necessary: Due Process vs. Freedom of the Press
Suga isn’t stupid. He knows he’s one of the most famous men in South Korea, and that the news media and the public would literally love to catch him in a scandal. And since he hasn’t been caught in a dating scandal or a bankruptcy scandal or a family scandal, the news is making do with what they have: scooter-gate.
This is how stereotypes work. Westerners have depicted Asian men as being effeminate since forever.
NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe speaks to syndicated columnist Jae-Ha Kim about the scandal that led to the death of beloved South Korean actor Lee Sun-Kyun. Note: This conversation has mentions of self-harm.
I was the first guest of 2024 on Phil Yu and Jeff Yang’s podcast, “They Call Us Bruce.” We discussed K-dramas, BTS, Lee Sun-kyun’s tragic death and how annoying it is when non-Asian members of the media co-opt our stories.
Following Lee Sun-kyun’s death, you are going to read a lot on social media and in newspapers about how South Korea has the highest overall suicide rate of all countries. And while someone will surely write a think piece about South Koreans being predisposed to dying by suicide, it’s important to remember how South Korea came to be an economic powerhouse and how its citizens’ well being was secondary to the country’s greatness.
