Korean-American missionary, Robert Park, has returned to the U.S. after having been held in captivity in North Korea for 43 days.  He crossed a frozen river between the Chinese and North Korean border to deliver a message of regime change.

Robert Park, of Tucson, Ariz., crossed the frozen Tumen River from China into North Korea on Dec. 25, carrying letters calling on leaderKim Jong Il to close the country’s notoriously brutal prison camps and step down from power. Those acts could have risked execution in the hardline communist country.

It was either brave or stupid for Robert Park to attempt what he did but we can all agree that North Korea does need a regime change.  It is an “Axis of Evil” that starves its people and holds the world hostage with its nuclear intentions.  It is one of the harshest regimes on the planet and sadly, it appears that the young Robert Park was under great distress while in North Korea as his views apparently changed over the course of 43 days in captivity.

The family didn’t have time during their brief airport reunion to ask whether he had been mistreated by North Korean officials, Paul Park said. They also didn’t get a chance to ask him about a statement that North Korea attributed to him on Friday, he said.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency quoted Park as saying he was ashamed of the “biased” view he once held of the country.

Robert Park said he was now convinced “there’s complete religious freedom for all people everywhere” in North Korea, citing the return of the Bible he carried as he entered the country and a service he attended at Pongsu Church in Pyongyang, KCNA said.

“I would not have committed such crime if I had known that the (North) respects the rights of all the people and guarantees their freedom and they enjoy a happy and stable life,” it quoted him as saying.

Read more at Yahoo! News

The Winter Olympics starts up this weekend and you know you’ll be glued to your television for the next couple of weeks. Time Magazine came out with it’s top athletes to watch out for during the Winter Olympics and Kim Yu Na is one of the featured athletes. She is South Korea’s biggest hope in winning a gold medal figure skating because she enters the games as the current world champion and therefore the unofficial favorite to win a gold medal. However, we all know about past Olympics and the disheartening falls of figure skating favorites. Will Kim Yu Na be able to handle the weight of South Korea on her shoulders or will she succumb to the pressures of living up to massive expectations?

Taekwondo, archery, short track — these are the niche sports in which South Korea tends to dominate. But a bright-light event such as figure skating? You bet, ever since Kim, 19, began racking up championships and setting records with the highest-scoring performances, quietly making her case to be the Olympic gold-medal favorite. Steady and consistent almost to the point of appearing robotic, Kim rarely slips on the ice — a skill that has served her well in the points-based judging system. She’s the current world champion and trains in Toronto but is hard to miss in Seoul — her image adorns buses, stores and cosmetics counters. When it comes to performing, the unflappable teen always delivers; Kim stood at the top of the podium in every competition she entered this season.

Read more at Time Magazine

At the end of December 2009, the Chosun Ilbo published an article stating that the current spelling of “Makgeolli” might cause some non-Koreans to mispronounce it as Mak-jolee. The author suggested that the spelling should be changed and this would popularize this alcohol overseas. He recommended a few different options such as Maggoli, Makkoli, and Makoli.

I wish that the author had done some research to test this opinion, because it caused quite a stir with the aT Center (The Agro-Trade Center) and amongst the Korean public. The aT Center is a government organization that has been heading the Korean Food Globalization project and my company (O’ngo Food Communications) has been working with them on several different projects including how to market makgeolli overseas.

Back in October of 2009, our company and the heads of many makgeolli companies had a meeting to discuss changing the name of makgeolli. I will tell you the same thing I told them: it is not cost efficient, it will cause needless confusion, and it won’t put the drink in people’s hands.

If you Google the current spelling of makgeolli, you will get 75,800 hits on the traditional rice alcohol. This is the spelling accepted by CNN, the Lonely Planet, Wikipedia, Korean newspapers, the Korean government, and overseas newspapers. If you search for maggoli (which sounds like maggots), you will get 103 hits — most are about a Scottish family. Makkoli has 35,000 hits (the top hits refer to a Japanese sushi restaurant in New Jersey) and most of the hits about “makoli” are of a famous chess player with the same last name.

Changing the name of something that is obviously accepted would cost the Korean government millions of dollars and cause endless confusion.

Go here to read the rest:
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2010/02/02/201002020014.asp

Posted By Daniel Gray of Seoul Eats

The South Korean movie “Mother” is coming to theaters in limited release this March.  It has won critical acclaim from multiple international film festivals: Toronto, New York, and Festival De Cannes.   If you watch the preview, you can feel the movie’s intensity and just watching the short clip made me scared.  It’s directed by Bong Joon-Ho who’s artful direction was previously seen in The Host and Memories of Murder. The film press is praising Bong Joon-Ho’s latest work with high praise in the name of Hitchcock.

“BY MILES THE BEST THRILLER I’VE SEEN THIS YEAR. Riveting and darkly funny, Bong Joon-Ho is a brilliant filmmaker.”
— JOHN POWERS, VOGUE

“Go! As he previously did for the police procedural (Memories of Murder) and the monster movie (The Host), South Korea’s sublimely talented Bong Joon-ho takes another venerable pulp genre — the wronged-man thriller — and enthusiastically stands it on its head.”
— LA WEEKLY

Synopsis
Hye-ja is a single mom to 27-year-old Do-joon. Her son is her raison d’être. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is naïve and dependent on his mother, and a constant source of anxiety, often behaving in ways that are foolish or simply dangerous. Walking home alone one night down a nearly empty city street, he encounters a young girl who he follows for a while before she disappears into a dark alley. The next morning, she is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. Thanks to an inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force, Do-joon’s case is quickly closed, but his mother refuses to let this be the end of the story. Trusting no one, Hye-ja’s maternal instincts kick into overdrive, and she sets out to find the girl’s killer and prove her son’s innocence.

Nobody in the world has faster thumbs than Koreans.  Don’t you love the New York Times because once again, they publish some odd esoteric story about Koreans, and this time it’s about how excellent we are at texting.  Actually, Koreans are the kings of texting with the fastest thumbs in the world.  Apparently Team Korea trounced the international competition this past month in a phone texting tournament that was held in New York city.  The goal of the competition was to determine who could send text messages the fastest and most accurately from a cell phone.  For some of my friends, it takes hours to get a text message returned.

Bae Yeong-Ho and Ha Mok-Min were the winning duo for Team Korea that beat out 13 different teams/countries at the Mobile World Cup, which coincidentally was sponsored by Korean chaebol LG Electronics.  They won a $100,000 cash prize and came home as conquering heroes, or texting heroes really.

Sadly, this may not be a good thing as the New York Times notes that they are part of the “Thumbs Tribe” – youngsters who feel more comfortable texting than talking.  Whatever happened to old media of talking to each other?  Human interaction through words formed from the vocal chords used to be the way we used to communicate to each other.  But people from the Thumbs Tribe like Mr. Bae text anywhere from 200-300 messages a day.  The irony in all of this is that Bae Yeong-Ho may be communicating via his thumbs but he’s studying to be an opera singer.   For the full article, go to the New York Times.

Source: New York Times

KBS’s megahit IRIS will be premiering on DramaFever on Thursday, Jan 28. IRIS will be available in high quality streaming video with English subtitles. All three Korean broadcasters (MBC, SBS, and KBS) have now joined with DramaFever to bring the best Korean dramas online to the U.S. and Canada. IRIS will become part of a growing library that includes recent hits such as Shining Inheritance, Boys Over Flowers, and Queen Seon Duk, as well as classics such as Coffee Prince, My Lovely Samsoon, Land of Wind, Gourmet, Stairway to Heaven, My Girl, Hotelier, Sandglass, Jewel In The Palace and Jumong.

And DramaFever will soon be carrying more than just dramas. The documentary series Shocking Life will be DramaFever’s first non-drama series. Part Real Sex, part Ghost Hunters, and part Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Shocking Life examines the oddities and the unusual from Korea. Shocking Life premieres on DramaFever on Thursday, Feb 4.

ABOUT IRIS
A blockbuster hit and one of the most talked-about dramas of the year, Iris premiered to stunning ratings of 24.5% and had crossed 30% ratings by its 8th episode. With a budget of 20 billion won (almost a million U.S. dollars per episode), this explosive action-spy thriller uniquely utilized many aspects of American television and action film genres to create a high-octane, large-scale production with international flare and exotic shooting locations.

Megastar and Hallyu icon Lee Byung Hun gives the performance of a lifetime as a daredevil secret agent who transforms into a driven, tormented spy on the run from powers he doesn’t understand. He is ably assisted by a star-studded cast including Kim Tae Hee (Hallyu star for Love Story in Harvard and Stairway to Heaven), Jung Joon Ho (2008’s hit Last Scandal), Kim So Yeon (Gourmet), and T.O.P. (mega Kpop hiphop boyband Big Bang). Having tried and succeeded in blending the tension and fast pace of American spy series such as 24 with the romance and character depth of Korean dramas, Iris’s innovative style, heavy-weight leads and big budget have enabled it to become something of a minor phenomenon (the broadcast rights have already been bought by seven other countries). It could very well become a Kdrama classic.

About DramaFever
DramaFever.com is the premier online destination for North American audiences to enjoy popular prime-time television shows from Asia in high quality with English subtitles. DramaFever has built up one of the largest licensed collections of popular Asian TV content for the North American market with programming from Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Media, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Distribution, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) International, Group Eight, ISplus, and JS Pictures. For more information, please visit http://www.dramafever.com

From our friends at Seoul Eats, a featured article on the Best Burgers of Seoul.

Today is the day that my diet begins. Finding and ranking the best hamburgers in Seoul has been a joy and a curse. Luckily, the restaurants have gotten better but there are more of them as well. Suffice it to say, hamburgers are not just a fad in Seoul; you’ll find burger restaurants dotted all over the city.

The first review that I did a year ago was received with an equal amount of praise and scrutiny. I found people are passionate about their burgers. For this review, I went to over 20 restaurants – a few more than once. This year I decided to not include franchise burgers to this list. Also, I decided to look at the signature burgers of each restaurant. My criteria for ranking were on the quality of meat, bun, toppings, service, and overall enjoyment.
Slyders

10. “Slyders” from Julio in Gangnam. This Mexican joint serves up some tasty mini burgers. Does this mean that they will be the new trend? I can see it happening. They use all Austrian beef and they have three different options: classic cheese, chili, and teriyaki (not recommended).
Price: Three slyders for 7,000 won
Phone: (02) 568-5324
Where: Gangnam
Jack Sauce Burger

9. “Jack Sauce Burger” from Bistro Corner in Itaewon. The sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking, but the hickory char-grilled hamburger patty is excellent.
Price: 7,500 won
Phone: (02) 792-9282
Where: Itaewon
Bacon and Egg Burger

8. “The Bacon and Egg Burger” from Tony’s Aussie Bar and Bistro in Itaewon. It’s breakfast on top of a burger. You get a cooked egg, bacon, and cheese on top of Australian beef. The burger is great with their hand-cut fries.
Price: 7,500 won
Phone: (02) 790-0793
Where: Itaewon
Sliders from Yaletown

7. “Sliders” from Yaletown in Sinchon. Yaletown is the youngest restaurant in the group, but they are making waves with their delicious cuisine and attention to quality. Their char grilled sliders (mini hamburgers) come on homemade bread with a dollop of mayonnaise and a single leaf of lettuce.
Price: Three mini burgers come for 8,900 won
Phone: (02) 333-1604
Where: Sinchon
The Webby

6. “The Webby” from Beer O’Clock in Sincheon. By the way, char-grilled= delicious. Here you get a char-grilled handmade patty topped with cheese, jalapenos, onions, mushrooms, lettuce, ham and BBQ sauce. Sure, it might sound like a train wreck of toppings, but it works damn well.
Price: 9,000 won
Phone: (02) 333-9733
Where: Sinchon
Paddy Mac’s Big Beef

5. “Paddy Mac’s Big Beef Burger” from Wolfhound Pub in Itaewon. Weighing in at over a half a pound (240 grams), you get a fist full of meat topped with two slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and 2 strips of bacon. The paddy is made from savory wagyu beef and it is well seasoned. You also get an option of fries, mash potatoes (recommended), or salad with your side of cow.
Price: 12,800won
Phone: (02) 749-7971
Where: Itaewon
The Hamburger

4. “The Hamburger” from Sam Ryan’s Sports Bar and Grill in Itaewon. If you want a classic bacon cheeseburger that’s the size of a baby’s head, then this is the place. The burgers at Sam Ryan’s are massive. They are manly burgers that should be enjoyed with a beer and football.
Price: 13,500 won
Phone: (02) 749-7933
Where: Itaewon
Mushroom Burger

3. “Mushroom Burger” from Banana Grill in Hannam (near the U.N. Village). Sauteed onions and mushrooms with a hint of balsamic vinegar and mayonnaise is a great combination. Banana Grill is all about flavor and they don’t ruin the burger by adding unnecessary ingredients such as lettuce, tomato, and onion when they are not needed. The meat is plush and well seasoned, the buns are toasty, and they serve great fries.
Price: 7,000 won
Phone: (02) 792-3088
Where: Hannam
The Chili Burger

2. “The Chili Burger” from Chili King in Itaewon. You need a fork to get started with this burger because you have to get through the generous heaps of chili on top of the beef patty topped with real cheddar cheese (we are not talking about the plasticy individually wrapped stuff). The chili is excellent on it’s own (what else would you expect from the Chili King) but magical on the beef patty and between the rolls. The jalapenos on this dish are an added bonus.
Price: 8,900 won
Phone: (02) 795-1303
Where: Itaewon

1. “The Fresco Burger” from Jacoby’s Burger in Haebangchon. This is the Eiffel tower of hamburgers in Seoul. You have a moist and richly favored hamburger patty topped with mozzarella cheese, bacon, tomato sauce and a tower of onion rings. It is a beautiful thing to behold and a tad difficult to eat. The crunchy onion rings with the tar tar sauce, plush garlic beef patty, and mozzarella cheese fuses beautifully. After your burger you will be smiling with a halo of shiny beef grease around your mouth. Oh, and you can customize your burger just the way you want.
Price: 10,000 won
Phone: (02) 3785-0433
Where: Haebangchon

The Best Burger Franchise in Korea: “W-burger.” Woah, they have excellent meat that’s a little pink in the middle just like I like it.
Price: 4,700 won
Where: Throughout Seoul

Honorable Mention: “The USO Hamburger” at the USO near Samgaki Station. Get the military burger with fries for only $2.
Phone: (02) 795-3063
Open: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Weekdays
Where: USO

In a Class of their Own: The W-hotel Hamburger. Now I’m not talking about the X-burger (150,000 won) but its little brother. It’s a classic hamburger on an oat-wheat bun speckled with pumpkin seeds and topped with melted cheese. The meat is a mix of lean sirloin and marbled wagyu beef. The meat is so good that I’m sure that Buddha change his religion just to have it.
Price: 25,000 won
Phone: (02) 465-2222
Where: W-hotel

By Daniel Gray

Perhaps the New York Times isn’t so harsh on Koreans after all?  Or maybe not, but at least we know they have a serious Korean fetish with all the quirky and esoteric stories they wrote about in 2009.   In the New York Times “31 Places to Go in 2010,” Seoul comes in at #3!

Forget Tokyo. Design aficionados are now heading to Seoul.

They have been drawn by the Korean capital’s glammed-up cafes and restaurants, immaculate art galleries and monumental fashion palaces like the sprawling outpost of Milan’s 10 Corso Como and the widely noted Ann Demeulemeester store — an avant-garde Chia Pet covered in vegetation.

And now Seoul, under its design-obsessed mayor, Oh Se-hoon, is the 2010 World Design Capital. The title, bestowed by a prominent council of industrial designers, means a year’s worth of design parties, exhibitions, conferences and other revelries. Most are still being planned (go to wdc2010.seoul.go.kr for updates). A highlight will no doubt be the third annual Seoul Design Fair (Sept. 17 to Oct. 7), the city’s answer to the design weeks in Milan and New York, which last year drew 2.5 million people and featured a cavalcade of events under two enormous inflatable structures set up at the city’s Olympic stadium.

Source: New York Times

Before 2009 ended, the New York Times published one more piece on Koreans and it was the sobering fact that there has been a stark rise in suicides among New York Koreans.

The number of suicides reported to the local Korean Consulate General has more than doubled this year, to 15 from 6 last year, and there were 5 in 2007. All of the dead were Korean citizens, said the consulate, which does not keep statistics on Korean-Americans. The latest suicide came on Dec. 15, when a woman in her early 30s hanged herself in her home in Flushing, Queens, the consulate said.

The consul general, Kyungkeun Kim, said he believed that the actual total of suicides by Korean citizens might be more than twice as high. The Korea Times, a Korean-language newspaper published in the United States, reported in September that at least 36 Koreans and Korean-Americans in the New York region had taken their lives this year.

As a result of this alarming trend, community groups have organized suicide prevention seminars.  The reason for this possible rise in suicides among Koreans appears to be economical.  The recession may have hit many Koreans and Korean-Americans very hard.  Interestingly, the rise in suicides among Korean-Americans apparently mirrors that of South Korea.

You may have noticed that in 2009, there were several high-profile suicides in South Korea from a former president to celebrities.  Is it something culturally?  It can’t simply be economical?  Each suicide is unique but could there be something within our culture that makes Koreans more prone to accepting such a tragic exit from life?

For more on the article, go to the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/nyregion/31suicides.html?_r=1

Who was the first Korean male to star in a leading role in a Hollywood film? That would be RAIN, the Korean pop star known was the Justin Timberlake of Asia. We knew he was going to be big back in 2006 when he was voted #1 to the TIME 100 poll, beating out everyone else in the world that was thrown on the ballot. Fast forward three years later and we found RAIN kicking his way into Ninja Assassin, produced by the guys who brought the Matrix Trilogy. What RAIN represents is the future of entertainment because the economics dictate such. With the advent of digital undermining the traditional Hollywood business model, Hollywood has to seek out new ways to expand their reach and better monetize their products. Asia is the new frontier, but RAIN wasn’t necessarily the first guy to build that bridge to several billion people across the Pacific for Hollywood. There was of course Jackie Chan, Jet Li and others who found themselves as the first set of Asians in co-leading roles of big budget films. It’s obvious that Hollywood is trying to identify someone who has a huge following and leveraging their fame to expand their overall reach. What RAIN has done is open the possibilities for other Koreans to venture into Hollywood and perhaps someday, well be cheering on our version of Slumdog Millionaire. Someday we’ll look back and say that guys like John Cho and RAIN were the ones who put Koreans on the Hollywood radar, and that’s why RAIN is #3 on our top ten list of most influential Korean(-Americans) for 2009.