“Pinocchio” (피노키오)

September 19, 2018November 7, 2024 Jae-Ha Kim

I was going to review “Pinocchio” simply as I would any other K-Drama. But I started to write this at the same time that Soon-Yi Previn broke her silence about her relationship with Woody Allen (her husband) and Mia Farrow (her adoptive mother, and Allen’s former long-time girlfriend) — and that affected my take on this Korean drama. Is it wrong for family members who aren’t biologically-related to have a romantic relationship? If you condemn Allen and Previn, can you condone the two lead characters in this series?

Mansplaining

August 13, 2018August 14, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

“Mansplaining is, at its core, a very specific thing. It’s what occurs when a man talks condescendingly to someone (especially a woman) about something he has incomplete knowledge of, with the mistaken assumption that he knows more about it than the person he’s talking to does.” — Merriam-Webster

Can you ever be too old for K-Pop?

August 6, 2018April 25, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

A month ago, KPop For Thought contacted me, asking if I would like to answer a question for her online newsletter about K-Pop. And this is the question she sent me: “I always see you bonding with your son through K-pop on Twitter, and it’s such an amazing thing. In times where some people say that being over 18 is too old to like pop music, could you talk a bit about your experience as a K-pop fan and mother?”

Mother’s Day 2018

May 13, 2018August 14, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

So, I didn’t get a kimchi fridge for Mother’s Day. But, my kiddo knows me so well. I love to organize and contain. He bought me new canisters for my baking supplies.

Protected: For Son of Jae

March 4, 2018May 29, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Mirai Nagasu: Did You Know You’re an Immigrant?

February 13, 2018May 11, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

Do you think it’s appropriate to refer to a person who was born in the United States as an “immigrant”? Yeah, me neither.

BTS: Boys to Men

January 26, 2018May 29, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

I cringed at the way Vogue infantilized BTS by referring to the musicians repeatedly as as “boys.” The youngest member is 20. The eldest is 25. They are old enough to vote and serve in the military. Then, too, there is already the disgusting stereotype of Asian men as not really being men, but servile, effeminate boys.

Why You Gotta Sue It?

December 8, 2017May 29, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

That time I tweeted about being offered an interview … contingent upon them suing me if I wrote anything “negative” … and thousands of K-Pop fans said I was wrong to turn down that “great opportunity.” 🙄

Chink Bitch

December 2, 2017June 14, 2024 Jae-Ha Kim

Many years ago, the road manager for a very famous band called me a chink bitch and waited for me to go away. I’m still here.