Music, music, music
I’ll be updating this page periodically to include music that’s piquing my interest at the moment. Song of the day: “Pretty Baby” by Blondie.
Category: Reviews
Substack: K-Culture with Jae-Ha Kim
SUBSTACK is the space where I curate my reviewsย andย views about Korean-centricย things happening in the pop culture realm (and beyond) that pique my interestโฆand I hope yours, too.
The Making of Jin’s Sweeping “Another Level”
Jin’s vocals on “Another Level” (from his debut EP “Happy”) blew away co-songwriter Ben Samama.
Big Ocean: Meet the Deaf K-Pop Group That’s Breaking Barriers
Big Ocean’s Hyunjin, Chanyeon, and Jiseok talk about their remarkable journey and what they want to do next. My latest exclusive for Rolling Stone.
“Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror”
The Nth Room targeted Korean women in a lower socio-economic class who needed money. They also set their marks on underage girls, who were too young to handle what they had been tricked into. These crimes are continuing, but now with with teenage boys at the helm.
“Like Flowers in Sand” (๋ชจ๋์๋ ๊ฝ์ด ํ๋ค)
A mystery thriller as much as it is a wrestling saga,ย Like Flowers in Sandย is set in a small town where everyone is obsessed withย ssireum, traditional Korean wrestling.
11 Sporty K-Dramas to Watch to Celebrate Olympics 2024
These Korean shows (including “W,” “All of Us Are Dead,” “Prison Playbook”) deftly utilize sports in their storylines to demonstrate the charactersโ unrelenting perseverance and will to survive. My latest reviews for Teen Vogue.
The best time travel K-dramas โ and why there are so many of them
Time travel adds a relatively unique element that differentiates K-drama storylines from other shows, but there is also a very visceral component. K-drama story arcs excel at telling tales of love and revenge. And what better way is there to get these points across than depicting how love and revenge transcend all boundaries, including time?
K.Will’s “No Sad Song For My Broken Heart” explores a one-sided gay relationship
It is easier for a cisgender man than a gay man to survive in a cutthroat society where the latter is unwelcome. This is true in just about any society, but especially so in South Korea where LGBTQ rights are still sorely lacking.
“Lovely Runner” (์ ์ฌ ์ ๊ณ ํ์ด)
Like โUnder the Queenโs Umbrella,โ “Lovely Runner” uses theย ์ฐ์ฐ to represent how our protagonists fight to protect themselves from countless obstacles โ including a messy serial killer subplot that I found redundant and not particularly compelling.