Merry Christmas everyo...

Korea has a new president for the next five years: New York Times arti...

Ask A Korean! News: Violation of Rules 1, 2, and 3 of Fight Club

The Korean has not been talking much about it, but South Korean presidential election is actually just four days away. And whenever the presidential election is near, we have news like this -- suffice it to say that it involves a chainsaw and beating with a phone.First, just a little bit of background. There are three major candicates in this contest: Lee Myeong-bak from Grand National Party (GNP),...

Guide to Year-End Gift-Giving Period

Dear Korean, My boss is Korean. He, along with his wife and family, owns many formal/bridal dress shops. They fluently speak Korean and are very religious and proud. My co-workers and I are having an extremely hard time coming up with a Christmas gift for him/his family. Any suggestions? Laura Dear Laura, The...

Ask A Korean! News: Slabs of LA Times Articles

How interesting that 3 of the top 5 emailed articles on LA Times today have something to do with immigration or Koreans! But that's what happened today.First, a nice summary of all the craziness currently going on in Korean society (with a nice pic of a hot belly dancer): In South Korea, it feels like a scandal a dayHighly interesting article about a town in Alaska that has a cabbie per every 62 residents,...

Ask A Korean! News: Race Riots in France

Seems like there are more race riots in France, and apparently this time it's more violent than the riots in 2005. According to this New York Times article, police officers are being shot at by shotguns.High unemployment rate in France is a huge contributor to the riots; French society's generally racist attitude is also a big factor. The Korean complains often about living as a minority in America,...

Korean Language Lessons - Particle I (Classificational Particles)

See the past Korean language series here: Methodology Reading and WritingWARNING: You should be able to see typed Korean language in order to fully read this post. If you are a Windows user, you can go to Microsoft's website and download the "East Asian Language Support". Ask your local computer nerd. Entice him with a woman and it will be easy. If you are a Mac user, enjoy your cute commercials....

"What's his name? I don't know, I can't read his neck."

Dear Korean,I'm planning on getting a tattoo in Korean. I'm Korean so its legit, but I just want to know why most Koreans find tattoos so offensive. My mom is totally against it and will kill me if she finds out.LinaDear Korean,I recently earned my Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. I am very proud of my accomplishment, and was also...

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Korean wishes everyone a happy Turkey Day. It's a crying shame that nowadays, Thanksgiving is getting buried over the 2-month prelude to Christmas. The Korean personally loathes the trend.If you are like the Korean, Thanksgiving should be your favorite holiday. It's a holiday for immigrants. The Pilgrim's dinner with the Native Americans symbolize our ideals as a nation of immigrants: newcomers...

Ask A Korean! News: Transplants

Another series in the New York Times that the Korean has been following carefully is Relative Choices, a blog dedicated to the topic of adoption. At some point, Korea was the leading exporter of adoptees, mostly to the U.S., and that fact is strongly reflected in the blog. It's a nice window to look from the perspective from an unusual set of Korean Americans.Got a question or comment for the Korean?...

Ask A Korean! News: Those Web-Addicted Koreans

This NY Times article was the second most emailed article of the day, so how can this not make the Korean blog? It's something that the Korean already knew, but might be interesting for those who did not know how advanced Korea is with respect to its Internet culture.C'oup de Grace of the article? The pictures of pasty sun-deprived Korean kids, and the hysterical foblish at the end of it. Check it...

Korean Women -- Fixer-Uppers?

Dear Korean,My father is an avid Korean drama/soap watcher. I've noticed that most of the young actors and actresses get nose jobs and double-eyelid surgery. What ever happened to keeping your unique Korean look -- the slanty eyes, flat nose, and rabbit cheeks? Did you guys lose pride in your physical characteristics? I understand the "Western"/Caucasian look has been a beauty standard for as long...

Ask A Korean! News: Position Open in Asia, Asians Need Not Apply

If there ever was a question about whether U.S. is more or less racist compared to the rest of the world, L.A. Times has a fantastic article that affirms the Korean's previously stated answer. The article is about China, but the situation is the same throughout Asia, definitely including Korea.Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@hotmail.c...

"All o'Y'all Look Alike!!"

Dear Korean,This is a question about something I've heard in various forms from a lot of non-Asian Americans. Simply put, people tend to say that "all Asians look alike." That's an obvious exaggeration, but I'm wondering whether you think East Asians really do look more alike than people of European descent. After all, most...

The Korean is Featured on the Mexican!

A while back, the Korean sent a question to the Mexican, and he responded this Thursday. Check it out: http://www.ocweekly.com/columns/ask-a-mexican/ask-a-mexican/27908/ (It's the second questio...

Ask A Korean! News: Koreans Know How to Cheer

The Korean's favorite sports blog Deadspin (link on the right) put up something about Koreans, so how can the Korean not link it? Check it out.Got a question or comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@hotmail.c...

Culturalism: Racism of the 21st Century

Dear Korean,At the time of the 1992 Watts riots, I heard a commentator on NPR say that one source of tension between Korean shopkeepers and blacks was that in Korean culture, a shopkeeper isn't expected to be chatty with customers. Is there any truth in this?Andrew B.Dear Andrew,No, there is zero truth to it. Korean shopkeepers are not different from any other shopkeepers in the world. If anything,...

Announcement: The Korean has a job

Dear readers:The Korean is trying out this newfangled thing called "having a job". This is a tough place with long hours, so updates will be farther between. The Korean is still working on a few drafts, so there will be updates, at some point.Thank you all for readi...

Ask A Korean! News: Presidential Race and a Collective Fob Moment

This is somewhat old news, but this is the first time the Korean had heard it from a reliable insider source.Couple of weeks ago on Sept. 14, Sen. Hillary Clinton visited Los Angeles Koreatown in order to host a fundraiser for her presidential campaign. She was not the first presidential candidate to host a fundraiser in Koreatown...

Announcement: New Rule

If you have a comment about a post, please comment. If it's response-worthy, the Korean will respond on the comment. But after one round of initial exchange and you want a further discussion on the topic, please email the Korean. If you weren't there initially, weigh in with your email.This is because often, back-and-forth arguments degenerate into dumb screaming match. The writings are too short...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Korean Men

Dear Ladies,According to Gustavo Arellano, the most common question for the Mexican is “Why do Mexicans swim with their clothes on?” Well, for the Korean, the most common question is this: “[Who/what/when/why/how] do Korean guys [like/dislike/act/feel] [in/about/with/for] girls?” Most of those questions come with a ridiculously...

Happy Chuseok!

Today is August 15 in lunar calendar, which makes it Chuseok in Korea. Chuseok is essentially a harvest festival, and the traditional food is songpyeon, a half-moon shaped rice cake with sweet stuffing inside.For most Koreans, chuseok is remembered as a time for traffic jam, as most people in Seoul who are not from Seoul return to their hometown in their cars. The Korean's trip to the Korean Family's...

Billowy is Nice.

Dear Korean,Why do so many Koreans smoke? I have been around Asians my whole life, and amongst the Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino, and Koreans, the Koreans definately have the highest percentage of smokers.Bewildered Half-JapAmDear Bewildered Jjokbari (derogatory term for Japanese),It is absolutely true that Koreans...

The Fastest in the East

Dear Korean,안녕하십니까? Why are Koreans in a rush all the time? Like at elevators and subways, people get on before people get off... isn't that like Social Etiqutte 101? And Koreans (esp. men) eat fuckin' FAST! (I hear this has something to do with 군대.) I remember a lot of 유학생 back in the States would be running all over the place...

Twisted (Yet Delicious) Replacement for Birthday Cake

Dear Korean,I am American and watch a fair amount of subtitled Korean movies and TV shows. In these shows, there is a big deal made about having seaweed soup on your birthday. What is this about, and also, what does seaweed soup taste like? Do you like it?SuellenDear Suellen,You're American? The Korean is American too! What...

Response to the Open Letter

Reader Eric N. sent the Korean this nice email. At first the Korean had to think about putting it up, since the readers of this blog are generally not Koreans who live in Korea (or even if they are, they are knowledgeable about this type of things.) But hey, Eric N. put in a lot of work writing this, and it had many good points. So here it is. Italics in parentheses are the Korean's comments.Hello,...