10 Moments That Defined K-pop’s Huge Year
“Kpop Demon Hunters” ruled the world, Blackpink kept getting bigger, and new artists broke rules. My latest for Rolling Stone magazine.
“The Manipulated”
“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).
The 100 Best Albums of 2025
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.”
Go Away With … Mikah
“Being a kid in Hawaii is like having a huge playground you can explore endlessly,” singer-songwriter Mikah said. “I used to hike to watch the sunrise, surf, bodysurf, dive, bike around the island, skateboard … the list just goes on. I always think back to my childhood and reminisce about how beautiful it was.”
Korean Radish Soup aka 무국
Easy-to-make muguk recipe with ingedients you probably have at home already!
Go Away With … Paul Winter
“The genesis of ‘Horn of Plenty” was a request from NPR to create a radio special celebrating Thanksgiving,” said Paul Winter. “Pieces on the album have been inspired by my experiences in Brazil, Ireland, Russia and Bulgaria, as well as the ocean and the Grand Canyon.”
“Dear Juno,” Persimmons, and Language Loss
How a children’s book reflects on the profound impact of losing your first language
Go Away With … Richie Moriarty
“The house in Montebello where we film all of the exteriors of the mansion definitely feels like its own character on the show,” said “Ghosts” star Richie Moriarty. “It’s the site of the deaths of all of the ghosts, so it feels so deeply personal to each character and their backstory. And now that we’re 80-plus episodes into the show, we’ve gotten to explore and showcase so many parts of that amazing property.”
“As You Stood By” (당신이 죽였다)
“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).
Go Away With … Zina Wilde
Actress, producer and wellness entrepreneur Zina Wilde is used to traveling the world. Born in London and raised in Thessaloniki [Greece], she currently splits her time between homes in New York and Los Angeles. Wilde said that one of the things she has learned over the years is to go with the flow.
Go Away With … Thurston Moore
“When I was a wee child, my family took a trip to Key West and we climbed up to the top of some old lighthouse,” he recalled. “The perimeter of it had a chain-link fence around it prohibiting people from falling off the edge,” said Thurston Moore. “I thought that was rather controlling. I climbed over it and prowled around the edge until my father spotted me and yelled for me to come back, and I did. I was wondering why he was so angry. I climbed back over to the safe side and got a bit of a wallop.”
Go Away With … Song Sohee
“I think travel shouldn’t turn into work, so I usually don’t do any songwriting while I’m away,” said singer-songwriter Song Sohee. “However, when I visit a place that inspires me or go somewhere peaceful where I can enjoy quiet reflection, I sometimes end up writing lyrics. None of those songs have been released yet, though.”
Go Away With … McKinley Freeman
“There was no version of media that could convince me or my sisters differently about the value of who we were, as defined by the examples we were blessed to see in our parents, grandparents and cousins, ” said “Reasonable Doubt” actor McKinley Freeman. “Having the courage to tell truthful points of view is important in storytelling, but having the courage to know and be who you are [is just as important].”
Bestselling Author Baek Se-hee Dead at 35
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.
What is Happening with South Koreans in Cambodia?
The 2nd season of “Taxi Driver” depicted a fictional storyline that is eerily similar to what is happening now in South East Asia.
Go Away With … JT Habersaat
Comedian and author JT Habersaat is a keen observer of life, which is why a lot of things he hears make their way into his stand-up shows. “I tend to pull from real life quite often,” said Habersaat, who resides in Austin. “I’m a bit of a storyteller. The constant travel of stand-up comedy lends itself well to adventure and insane situations. I try not to include specific people by name unless they are crucial to the material, but that happens sometimes too.”
If You’re Not a White U.S. Citizen, Get a Passport and a Certificate of Citizenship ASAP
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.
The 250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far
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.
Go Away With … Vitamin String Quartet
“My maternal grandfather took me to Germany the summer between junior and senior year of high school,” Vitamin String Quartet cellist Derek Stein saids. “It was my first time out of the [United] States and an amazing experience. We went there specifically to look for a cello that he would purchase for me. We went all around the German countryside visiting different string shops and looking at the instruments that they had for sale. I was able to sit in on a couple rehearsals for a little community orchestra in one of the villages that we stayed in for a couple of days.”