Does Bilingualism Make You a Bad Writer?

Dear Korean,One of my friends mentioned to me recently that children who grow up bilingual (like me and many other Asian-Americans) usually aren't strong writers. I'm not talking about 1.5 generation kids who had their childhood all in one language, or the ones who completely didn't learn their parents' language at all, but kids like me who were born in America and went to school which was taught...

Confucianism and Korea - Part V: What Can Confucianism Do For America?

[Series Index]We got this far in the series, so let's take a little detour. The next part of this series will be about how Korea can improve upon its Confucian heritage. But before that, the Korean wants to sketch out a bit about how adopting certain aspects of Confucianism would help America greatly. After all, it is...

AAK! PSA: Superstar K Auditions in New York

Exciting news for all the K-pop fans in America -- you can now audition to be a K-pop star! Below is the press release from Mnet.*                 *                 *Mnet (www.mnet.com), the only television network targeting fans of Asian pop culture,...

Wow, more than 1,000 Google followers. Coool....

Ask a Korean! News: Mr. Joo Seong-Ha on Kim Jong-Il's Visit to China

[Index]Right now, Kim Jong-Il is paying a surprise visit to China. As usual, Mr. Joo Seong-Ha is right on top of it. Below is the translation of his recent blog post.*              *              *The term "Strong Country" [강성대국] appeared first on the editorial...

"Roboticity" and Violin -- Reaction from a Reader

Really good reactions to the Korean's post keep hitting the Korean's inbox, and he is learning a lot from them. This one from N.S., a former violin instructor (and a current law student) was extremely enlightening toward addressing the silly argument that Asian classical musicians are supposed to be wooden and robotic.(Posted with permission, with some edits from the Korean.)*      ...

Ask a Korean! News: Sen. Grassley Says Goodwin Liu has "Communist China" Mindset

Here is a bit of a background. Goodwin Liu is a professor and associate dean of Boalt Hall Law School at U.C. Berkeley. President Obama nominated him to join the bench at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where upon confirmation Liu would be the only Asian American judge in the circuit that includes such heavily Asian states as California and Washington.Republicans have been filibustering Liu, and...

Excellent Examples of "Saving Face"

I'm No Picasso has an excellent post about the concept of "saving face" in Korea, supplemented with great, specific examples. A sample:The biggest catalyst to my beginning to understand, come to terms with, and even sort of like face saving was meeting my old main co teacher. Why? Because she was fucking excellent at it. ... A good example of this was when a friend of mine sent me a message...

Reaction to "Why You Should Never Listen to Asian American 'Writers' of Angst"

The Korean has received a lot of comments and emails expressing agreement with his reaction to Wesley Yang's "Paper Tigers" article. Below is a reaction from reader T.J.S., posted with his permission. The Korean is posting T.J.S.'s email because his experience is exactly what the Korean envisioned as he was writing the reaction.*                 *    ...

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 28. Deux

[Read more reviews from the Korean from the Library Mixer. To join, click here.][Series Index]28. Deux [듀스]Years of Activity: 1993-1995Members:Kim Seong-Jae [김성재] (vocal, rap) Lee Hyeon-Do [이현도] (vocal, rap)Discography:Deux (1993)Deuxism (1993)Force Deux (1995)Representative Song:  We [우리는] from Deuxism우리는We[Song]난 누군가? 또 여긴 어딘가?(지금) 저 멀리서 누가 날 부르고 있어Who am I? And where is this place?...

Ask a Korean! News: Please Don't Do This

The Korean was going to let this one slide. But now that the news climbed all the way to third place in most-read Naver.com articles, it is a notable news.This picture will save the Korean a thousand words:(Source)Yes, this is a crowded subway in Seoul. And these people are sitting down on the floor, playing cards, and drinking...

Live Chat - 5/14/2011

<p><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=7c8f65f844" >Ask a Korean! Live Chat 5-14-2011</a></p&...

Live Chat! Tonight at 8 p.m. EST

It's been a while. Let's chat tonight! Show up at the blog at 8 p.m. EST to discuss anything and everything with the Korean.Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.c...

Fine, Fine -- You Want to Know What the Korean Thinks About This Video

The video was shared twice on the Korean's Facebook wall, then emailed a few times more. Fine, fine -- here is what the Korean thinks.The Korean thinks the video is really funny.The end.To elaborate: after the Korean called the "kimchee-scented Kleenex" bit from NPR racist, many wondered where is a line between racism and a funny, good-natured ribbing that involves ethnicity. Those people need not...

Apologies to all the people who commented on the last two posts. Blogger seems to have lost them. A lot of the comments were heartfelt reactions to the adoption article -- not happy with ...

Ask a Korean! News: Adoption Day

The Korean knows that many Korean adoptees and adoptive parents read this blog. As their questions pile up, the Korean is planning on a big series on adoption -- hopefully coming out in the next few months. (Still have to finish the Confucianism series and want to have one other series before getting to the adoption series.)Consider this a bit of a preview: May 11 in Korea was the sixth annual...

For the certain Im Jae-Bum fan who frequents this blog, the Korean presents this video. =)By the way, Im was going through 104 degree (40 degree Celsius) fever as he sang this song and was immediately hospitalized after this performan...

Why You Should Never Listen to Asian American "Writers" of Angst

[Note: This post is a reaction to Wesley Yang's article on New York Magazine, titled "Paper Tigers".]First, I have to clarify and apologize for my use of the term "Writer" in this post. I myself am a writer of sorts. Obviously, I like writing. I would not have spent years writing a blog for a hobby otherwise. I also admire other good writers. I voraciously consume their works and attempt to improve...

Ask a Korean! Wiki: What do You Think About This Article?

Dear Korean,I'm sure you already read about this, but wondered all your readers' thoughts on the course.LindaWell, there's the question. Here is a quick preview of the article:Like many of the men in the room, Rhim never wanted to come to Father School. (Seven dropped out after the first day.) “I’m not a bad father,” he told me a week earlier. But realizing how difficult it was for him to relate to...