Jae-Ha Kim 김재하

📰 My interview with Paula Fong is in print today in Sunday newspapers nationwide, including the @chicagotribune.com. 👇 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/products/chi...

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s FLESH IMPACT explores what Marilyn Monroe would be like as a 100y/o actress working in the 21st century. Already garnering Oscar buzz, the short made its Asian debut at the Busan International Film Festival, where I got all the details.

Born in Honduras and raised in that Central American country, as well as the United States, Thailand and Puerto Rico, musician Lily Vakili said hearing so many different genres of music set the tone for what she wanted to do with her own music. 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/products/chi...

When my father died, I was told loss gets easier as it becomes a part of your life. Shortly after my father died, I miscarried again. But later as the anniversary of his death approached, I couldn't remember how long it had been since we lost him. Life goes on, as it should.

Bit of a longshot but if anyone has a Steam Controller they got and found they don't need, let me know! The scalper market for those are insane.

"I draw inspiration from Americana music as well as Celtic music of all kinds. I’ve also felt inspired by Japanese pop and folk music from China and various European countries. Really, if it has soul, I think it has the potential to inspire anyone who’s listening with open ears." -Paula Fong

Leenalchi is a unique alternative rock group that conveys its lyrics through the traditional Korean storytelling genre known as pansori. The septet is signed to David Byrne’s Luaka Bop Records and has had their music featured in Apple TV’s “Pachinko.” 👇 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

“Coming from a multicultural background, I grew up accustomed to listening to music from all over,” Lily Vakili told me. “Blues, folk & rock of the U.S., the Afro-Caribbean sounds of salsa &merengue in the Caribbean & the tomback percussion of Persian music. All have inspired my work."

"Koreans want to give their kids a better shot for their future & know that fluency of English is really important.” -AMERICAN HAGWON's @minjinlee.bsky.social Our interview is in print in outlets like the Sunday @chicagotribune.com. Get a copy here. 👇 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/products/chi...

"Whenever people ask my mother, 'How did you send all 3 of your daughters to law school?' she says, 'I don’t know. I didn’t do anything.' She has this educational attitude that your kid will show you what they want to do." —AMERICAN HAGWON bestselling author @minjinlee.bsky.social

My interview with musician Jasmin Stone is in print today in outlets like the Sunday @chicagotribune.com!

For some inexplicable reason, male on-air personalities love to make fun of Asians in general and BTS in particular.

As ever, thank you for being a light source. 🙏🫶

K-Drama Day is fast approaching, which means FREE ad-free K-Dramas with No Paywalls! In my latest newsletter, I tell you how to watch “The Scarecrow” (my favorite show of the year so far!), “A Bona Fide Killer,” and more during VIKI’s 4th Annual K-Drama Celebration

AMERICAN HAGWON author @minjinlee.bsky.social said growing up in NY "allowed me to really see my experience as being central. I think that I never felt like this statistical anomaly, because New York is made up of statistical anomalies, minorities and immigrants." travel.yahoo.com/advice/lifes...

BONJOUR BAKERY was set up specifically for this show and none of the A-list actors worked for free. But the showrunners had the nerve to set the price point at ￦10,000 for pastries ($7.21) to sell to low-income octogenarians in a rural setting. Discuss.

“I haven’t made it to India, Egypt or South America yet ,” said “Broken Moon” musician Jasmin Stone. “These places completely fascinate me with their statues & enchanting ancient cultures. I'm also dying to visit Tokyo, a city that is light years ahead of the world, even in its cultural concepts.”

My interview with Atsuko Okatsuka is in print today in Sunday newspapers nationwide, including the @chicagotribune.com. Who's going to see her on tour? (I am!) 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM... @chicagotheatre.bsky.social

It is noon Friday, September 14, 2001. Thirty-six little heads are bowed in honor of the victims of Tuesday’s tragedy. Many of them have miniature American flags perched on their desks. These children — many of whom don’t yet like anyone in that way — cling onto each other’s hands in solidarity.

“Chicago Typewriter” takes place in modern-day Seoul, but some of the best storytelling occurs during flashbacks to the 1930s, when Korea was under Japanese occupation. There, we learn about three resistance fighters whose lives and friendship will set the tone for the 21st Century story arc.

This summer, Kim Theory made their Lollapalooza debut in Chicago. The 16-year-old musicians generally stick to playing concerts not too far from L.A. base. They'll open for riot grrrl pioneers Bratmobile on 9/13. store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM... @chicagotribune.com

Everyone, clap! I just joined a gym.* *It's the park district gym with a liberal cancellation policy.

"I threw the first pitch or whatever at the Chicago Cubs game [in 2024]. Can you believe it? Me? I have a dance background, so I can do some athletic stuff. I can aim and get it to the vicinity, so I got it to the plate and they caught it." -Atsuko Okatsuka

My interview with Dave Koz is in print in the Sunday @chicagotribune.com. store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

"Nobody is detained at Incheon Airport & put in uniform. The men who actually face this issue are dual nationals, typically men born in the U.S. or Canada to a Korean parent, who has Korean nationality from birth and never gave it up." —Simon Lee, Pureum Law Office

“I think we all plan on going to college after high school. Whether or not we are able to stick together solidly as a band is up to the future to decide. But we want to stay a band and keep making music together, because we love each other and what we’ve created.” -KIM THEORY

My interview with Scarlett Estevez is in Sunday newspapers nationwide, including the @chicagotribune.com. store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

Released in 2011, SUNNY focuses on a group of women who reunite to fulfill their terminally-ill friend’s wish to see them together again. Deftly directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol, the film moves seamlessly between the women’s current lives & their relatively care-free high school years filled w/dreams.

Grammy-nominated saxophonist Dave Koz continues to combine his love of performing & traveling with his annual Somma cruise. His 7-day trip will take him through Greece, Italy, Montenegro & Croatia, and will include performances from David Benoit, Jonathan Butler and himself.

There's a scam going around. The spoofed numbers say Embassy (or Consulate General) of the Republic of Korea. Don't answer it. The phone numbers look legit but aren't. They don't leave messages. If you pick up, don't give them any personal info. They're targeting new immigrants.

Jae x WHIB in print in the Sunday @chicagotribune.com 📰 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

Don't marry a man who would never do for you, what he expects from you.

"Iceland's at the top of my travel bucket list. The landscapes look absolutely unreal, the waterfalls and glaciers, the hot springs and Northern Lights. It just seems like one of those places that doesn’t even feel real & I’d love to experience it for myself." -Scarlett Estevez, DON'T SAY GOOD LUCK

I finally got around to watching Something's Gotta Give. I had heard that it was a really good film. It was not. I watched through the end for Keanu.

In print today in Sunday newspapers nationwide (including the @chicagotribune.com), former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, who made history as a member of the all-female Blue Origin crew. "Space makes Earth better & changed how I see it," she said. 🔗 store.chicagotribune.com/product/7QAM...

A pair of Korean American food influencers tried to get homemade kimchi to BTS' Jung Kook. Do not do this. Like most celebrities, BTS doesn't accept gifts, esp. random food where they don't know the source. One K-pop idol was hospitalized after drinking juice that a 'fan' laced with super glue.

“If I’m being honest, l didn’t know exactly what to expect when starting to pursue life as an idol,” says Michi. “I knew what an idol was, but it was difficult to imagine what a realistic daily lifestyle would be like. There is so much effort and planning that goes into every song and stage.”

Jae-Ha Kim: What are you looking forward to seeing when you visit the U.S. in the future? Ha Seung: I want to go to In-N-Out Burger. Jae-ha: The Chicago Theatre. I saw that place in a lot of movies and a lot of videos and I want to go there. (1st time I interviewed someone with my name!)