Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“Having been raised using Korean in her family, a Korean American journalist said that she still struggled to speak Korean fluently, and this experience led her to question why Korean entertainment writers and consumers failed to question improbable stories, such as that of ‘Vincenzo,” Lee Kyung-eun — the director of Human Rights Beyond Borders — wrote in her OpEd piece. The journalist she is talking about … is me.
“Having diverse characters leads to endless possibilities for storytelling. And there are infinite ways to tell an adoptee’s story…”
“Squid Game” is not this year’s “Parasite,” so much as it is a satire in the vein of “A Modest Proposal.” Just as Jonathan Swift pointed out the abject brutality of telling the poor to satiate their hunger by eating healthy, plump babies, Hwang depicts the cruelty of lording a huge sum of money – literally – over desperate people’s heads, knowing that most will die as they lived: penniless.
“One of my objectives in filmmaking is to bring empathy and understanding to our community,” said “Blue Bayou” writer, director and star, Justin Chon.
It shouldn’t matter what language a group chooses to sing in. And yet, it has become a huge deal in K-pop, with some stans saying BTS are sellouts for singing their last three singles in English. I disagree, just as I defended Monsta X when they released an album sung all in English. But that’s not how some people chose to remember it.
BTS approaches their music as art, because that’s what they want to create – something beautiful and meaningful that withstands the test of time.
Minority journalists should have the same opportunity as white reporters to tackle prestigious assignments. Maybe their take won’t be better than their white colleagues. Maybe they will. But how will we ever know if they’re not given a chance?
In this essay, writer Jae-Ha Kim examines BTS’s recent statement calling attention to anti-Asian racism. Content warning for discussions of racism and use of a quoted slur.
In this op-ed, writer Jae-Ha Kim unpacks the racist comments of German radio host Matthias Matuschik towards Korean band BTS in the larger context of the rise in violence toward Asian people globally. Content warning for discussions of racism and use of a quoted slur.
In an attempt to remain anonymous, Gong Yoo donated money to help fight coronavirus under his real name of Gong Ji-cheol. The star of the film “Train To Busan” was among a slew of Korean celebrities (including Suga from BTS) who gave money to help medical workers and those afflicted by the disease.
Here’s the thing: Mistakes happen. Sometimes they’re our mistake. Sometimes the outlet inputs errors. Sometimes parts of the review or article are cut out due to space issues. It’s not the end of the world. And unless we specifically say that we hate your favorite member, just assume that we don’t, OK?
MTV News interviewed me for this piece on how differently “Parasite” director Bong Joon-Ho and BTS are viewed by critics.
Chris Pratt’s and Lisa Kudrow’s reactions are my favorites! 😂 They take such glee in reading the tweets, which were intended to mock them. Honestly, that’s how trolls should be addressed — with humor and a little appropriate pettiness.
Kim Jong-hyun was born on April 8, 1990. He would grow up to be one of South Korea’s most famous and beloved singers. And when he died by suicide two years ago on December 18, 2017, his face would be on the news worldwide. No one knew the extent of his pain, but the SHINee singer was a shining star who worked hard to do his best every day for as long as he could.
Individual responsibility isn’t enough. There needs to be social change: “The audience, media and culture need to shift into acceptance rather than demanding Korean artists conform
to meet our expectation. Otherwise, these stars are caught in a loop of abuse that will never end.”
A Korean journalist, Australian woman and a French man run into each other on Twitter. Mayhem ensues.
I am feeling salty today. So grab a cup of hot tea (and maybe a slice of delicious cake to make this all go down better). There’s no shame in not speaking English perfectly as a foreign language. But it is obnoxious to use a person’s words specifically for the intent of shaming them.
In modern South Korea, pop stars and politics don’t often mix. While some hip-hop acts (such as Epik High) address controversial topics, many idol groups stick to a slick, apolitical formula with a proven record of success. BTS, who just became the first K-pop act ever to top the Billboard 200 album sales chart, have become a record-setting success story in part because of their willingness to buck this convention. My latest essay for Rolling Stone.
Do you think it’s appropriate to refer to a person who was born in the United States as an “immigrant”? Yeah, me neither.
