This is a friendly reminder from MetaKorean asking you to exercise your Korean American right to vote today. For New York City, it will be interesting to observe what percentage of the Korean American Community turned out to vote (or not) for Mayor Michael Bloomberg vs. Fernando Ferrer. In New Jersey, not only is the tight race of Jon Corzine vs. Doug Forrester intriguing after the controversial resignation of former governor James McGreevey, but Korean American Jun Choi, a mayoral candidate for Edison, NJ, may make history today by becoming the East Coast’s first Korean American mayor. Of course, not to forget our friends in California, there are four propositions supported by the Governator.

Perhaps you live outside of these areas, but that should not matter. In any case, let’s show that the Korean Americans do not only vote in the presidential election years and are not a constituency to be ignored.

by Sarah Chung

I am not even halfway through this New York Times Magazine article (password required) by Maureen Dowd, and I’m caught on a single point. According to this book, How to Catch and Hold a Man *, by Yvonne Antelle, it says, “Sarcasm is dangerous. Avoid it altogether.”

(Outrageous! All I have is my sarcastic wit and ability to eat vast amounts of french fries. Why take that from me?)

In one part of the article it refers to what my brother Peter has coined, “The gesture.” The article says, “After Googling and Bikramming to get ready for a first dinner date, a modern girl will end the evening with the Offering, an insincere bid to help pay the check.” I think any self-respecting working lady is going to make the gesture. We have absolutely no intention of paying of course, but we’re going to not let it appear that it is a given that the guy will pay.

I think women also learn a lot about the guy depending on how he reacts to the gesture. It’s rather irritating when they take you up on the gesture, yet it is even more aggravating when they are overly bravado in their paying. Like this guy in the article comments on how he likes to pay…”It is one of the few remaining ways we can demonstrate our manhood.” Seriously guy… that’s sad.

AND NOW THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE: “Women get penalized by insecure men for being too independent.”

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The New York Times has an editorial today titled “South Korea to the Rescue?” and Slate has a piece about why cloning has developed so rapidly in Korea compared to the United States. The Slate article goes through a list of cultural and institutional reasons why Korea has been able to rapidly advance in this area of science. Some of the author’s points make sense, while others just seem like good editorial fodder (chopstick theory? bad joke Professor Hwang).

Most convincing is the author’s assertion that Korea is not concerned with moral questions about the beginning of life, widespread Christianity notwithstanding. Extending that even further, Koreans are not concerned with other issues similarly founded on moral/religious beliefs, indeed those things appear to be separated in the Korean political sphere, while in America issues surrounding stem-cell research and abortion are central to determining whether one is liberal or conservative.

I think the author makes a good initial point here that could have been explored more. There is an interesting insulation between religion (Christianity, Buddhism, etc…) and state in Korea, one that is institutionally constructed like it is in the United States but also culturally accepted. In general, unlike the United States, the Korean domestic polity does not vote as a bloc based on moral, philosophical issues (though bloc voting does occur based on regional/geographic affiliations). Since politics is somewhat bifurcated from religion in Korea, issues regarding morality or grounded in theological considerations rarely enter into the public sphere and consequently rarely serve as an impetus to crafting public policy. I’m curious as to why.

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Recently, my father told me a story…

My father was back in his hometown in Kwangju; a place he has not seen in decades. It is not an entirely real version of Korea, it really only exists in his mind. An odd synthesis of real memories of his rustic, but charmingly simple hometown and a media inflated view of Korea’s last thirty years of technological advance and hyper-modernization.

It’s a bright spring day in Kwangju, and he finds himself waiting at a bus stop. As he scans the bus numbers down street, a black Lincoln Towncar slows, entering the corner of his eye. Almost before the car stops moving, the driver gets out and opens the door for the passenger in the rear. As my dad turns to look at the car squarely, the passenger is already out and unmoving, standing perfectly straight except for a short incline at the shoulders; as if he has been standing there for minutes, awaiting recognition.

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Strengthening the AAPI Policy Infrastructure: Community-Based Research, Teaching, and Advocacy”

Saturday, October 15, 2005, 10 am - 4 pm.
UCLA School of Public Affairs, Room 2343 (2nd Floor)

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP requested (email: aascrsvp@aasc.ucla.edu; phone: 310 825-2974). Lunch free to the first 100 RSVPs. Parking: Lot 3 ($8.00 all day)

Since Spring 2005, faculty members from Asian American Studies programs at seven University of California campuses, leaders from community-based organizations, and elected officials have come together to launch the UCAAPI Policy Initiative, a multi-campus proposal that seeks to have a positive impact on public policies that will affect the nearly five million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California. The initiative is both a response to the visibly growing and changing population of Asian American and Pacific Islander faculty and students in higher educational institutions and an effort to anticipate and address specific issues confronting the rapidly growing AAPI communities in the state through innovative community-based research, undergraduate and graduate teaching, professional service and advocacy. By doing so, the Initiative seeks to further strengthen the present and future public policy infrastructure of California’s AAPI population.

Please join us at this joint community and campus workshop, which is intended to be a highly interactive exploration of significant public policy issues, trends and accomplishments of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the past and present, as well as innovative community-based approaches to undergraduate teaching and graduate training in AAPI public policy. Panelists will make brief presentations and then engage in extensive dialogue with those in attendance. All who are interested in enhancing the presence and effectiveness of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in public policy issues and arenas in California and nationwide — staff and volunteers of community and civil rights groups, students, researchers, journalists, advocates, elected and appointed officials, and others — are encouraged to participate in this workshop. The event is intended to further develop the AAPI Initiative. It is free and open to the public. An RSVP is requested (email: aascrsvp@aasc.ucla.edu; phone: 310 825-2974). Lunch free to the first 100 RSVPs. Please plan to attend!

AGENDA:

9:00 - 9:45 am. Registration. Room 2343 UCLA School of Public Policy

10 am - 10:15 am. Welcome by UCLA Asian American Studies Center and UCLA Department of Public Policy

10:15 am - 12 noon. “Political historical contexts, lessons, and examples of AAPI policy activities and trends”

John Park, UC Santa Barbara (moderator); Lane Hirabayashi, UC Riverside; Dana Takagi, UC Santa Cruz; Jerry Kang, UCLA

12 noon - 1 p.m. Lunch

1:00 - 2:30 p.m. “Teaching AAPI policy within a community-based framework at the undergraduate and graduate levels”

Don Nakanishi, UCLA (moderator); Linda Vo, UC Irvine; Mary Anne Foo, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance; Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, UCLA; Lois Takahashi, UCLA

2:30 - 2:45 p.m. Break

2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. “Contemporary AAPI policy advocacy research and legislation”

Yen Espiritu, UC San Diego (moderator); Bill Ong Hing, UC Davis; Luna Yasui, Chinese for Affirmative Action/Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality; Lisa Park, UC San Diego

Traditional Dance and Music of Korea
Korean Classical Music Institute of America
Thursday, October 20, 2005, 7:30-9 pm
Leo S. Bing Theater, LACMA

An evening of sacred and secular performances organized by Paul Lee, president of the Korean Classical Music Institute of America.
Highlights include the Crane Dance (Hak-yŏnhwadae-mu), a traditional narrative dance that takes place in a lotus pond; a collection of Buddhist related dances, including the Butterfly Dance (Nabi-ch’um); and regional and shamanic folk dances. Instrumental performances feature solo and ensemble Sanjo, a highly improvised musical tradition, court music (Sujech’ŏn), a folk percussion ensemble, and an unusual performance of military procession music from the Chosŏn period.

The event is free, but tickets are required.
Visit LACMA’s Ticket Office (323.857.6010) or e-mail scardenas@lacma.org to make a reservation.

Parking is available in the lot directly across from the museum’s main entrance at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard and Spaulding Avenue.
For more information please visit the Education Dept page at www.lacma.org.

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This performance was made possible by the Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles, the Chinese and Korean Art Department, and the Education Department at LACMA.

TIME: 7:00PM - 9:30PM (open bar during first hour)**
WHERE: LIGHT (125 E 54th Street @ Park Ave.)
HOW MUCH: $10 with student ID (Class of 2000 or later) and RSVP / $12 regular

Please RSVP to membership@ykan.org with your alma mater, major and occupation.

* Have that back-to-school feeling even though you’ve already graduated?
* Interested in meeting other Korean Americans to network, socialize or volunteer with?
* Looking to reconnect with former KSA members and other alumni from your alma mater?

The Young Korean American Network (yKAN) welcomes recent grads to the first annual Recent Grad Networking Happy Hour.

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After a summer sojourn in Korea, which unfortunately also ended up being a short hiatus away from MetaKorean, it’s unfortunate that my first article back touches on the devastation left in the wake of Katrina.

The immense destruction suffered by the Gulf States pales only in comparison to the terrible toll Katrina has taken on the human condition of its victims. Indeed, I doubt few of us could have imagined a day that such tragic images and stories would originate from the shores of the United States…maybe sub-Saharan Africa or Asia, but never the United States.

In the wake of Katrina, we have seen the best and unfortunately, the worst of human behavior. I am glad, however, to see Korea taking an active role as a member of the global community by pledging 30 million USD to Katrina relief efforts, in addition to over 100 rescue personnel. At the time of writing this piece, Korea’s monetary aid was second only to Qatar’s 100 million USD.

Though full recovery will probably take years, perhaps even a decade, I hope we can all remember the shock, emptiness, helplessness, and empathy that struck our souls as the first images of post-Katrina New Orleans flashed across our televisions and computer screens. I hope those feelings and emotions will compel us to act, not just during times of disaster but daily, in working to better the lives of those around us. At the end of the day, it is the fragility of our mortality that binds us together.

President John F. Kennedy made these remarks with nuclear weapons in mind, I think his words are particularly apt today, albeit in a different context … “So, let us not be blind to our differences–but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”

I happened to purchase the pictured CD a couple of years ago. My sister then spotted it in my room and commented, “Who are they? Another BabyVox?” Check out the benefit concert and decide for yourselves if they indeed are legitimate classical musicians or K-pop girlband wannabes.

KACF (Korean American Community Foundation) invites you to the joint benefit concert with the International Sejong Soloists (ISS), featuring the Ahn Trio and emceed by broadcast journalists Kyung Yoon and Juju Chang. There will be two shows performed by the Ahn Trio, with an autograph signing session following the afternoon performance and an after-show party following the evening performance.

4:00 PM - Afternoon Performance: $40 per Ticket
5:30 PM - Ahn Trio Autograph Signing - Complimentary to Ticketholders of both shows.
7:00 PM - Evening Performance: $60 per Ticket
9:00 PM - After-Show Party - Complimentary to Ticketholders of the evening show.

Location: The Knitting Factory
74 Leonard Street (Between Church & Broadway)

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