Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Did luck and timing play a part in BTS’ success. It’s important to remember that luck isn’t just something that happens while you’re sitting around doing nothing. As Jungkook said in an episode of “Burn the Stage,” “We’ve been lucky, but we worked hard for that luck.”
NPR asked me to share my thoughts about the Korean series, “Squid Game,” for their Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. We discussed the controversy about the subtitles, whether the Western actors in Episodes 7 lended anything to the series and whether a Season 2 would be a good thing or not.
The New York Times interviewed me for their piece about product placement (like Subway!) in K-Dramas.
The South China Morning Post recently interviewed me to chat about BTS and the upcoming Grammy nominations: “If BTS aren’t nominated this time, it’s not because of their lack of talent,” said Jae-Ha Kim. “All it will mean is that the Grammys are as clueless as they were in 1989, when they handed the trophy for best hard rock/metal performance to Jethro Tull, rather than Metallica.”
MTV News interviewed me for this piece on how differently “Parasite” director Bong Joon-Ho and BTS are viewed by critics.
Too bad they didn’t quote me correctly. The sentiment is there, but this isn’t exactly what I said. How do I know? They asked for my answers via e-mail. And I saved that e-mail.
South Korean rapper PSY’s “Gangnam Style” video has more than 200 million YouTube views and counting, and it’s easy to see why. No Korean language skills are needed to enjoy the chubby, massively entertaining performer’s crazy horse-riding dance, the song’s addictive chorus and the video’s exquisitely odd series of misadventures.
“People are surprised — bewildered, really — at PSY’s popularity abroad,” says Susan Kang, chief evangelist for Soompi.com, the mammoth online site dedicated to Korean pop music. “You have people saying, ‘We have all these beautiful guys and girls that have tried to break through to the U.S. market with little success. So why PSY?’ But of course they are embracing it to the fullest, and it’s causing a renewed interest in and respect for his music.”