They Call Us Korea & Hollywood's Future

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome pop culture pals and cultural critics Dino-Ray Ramos and Rebecca Sun to discuss two new similarly-flavored TV series, Butterfly and Tempest. They explore the cultural significance of these Korean and Korean-adjacent shows, their unique storytelling approaches, and the evolving landscape of Asian American representation in global content. They discuss the future of authentic Asian storytelling in Hollywood -- beyond stunt casting and "flower vases"; the role of diaspora creatives; and the balance between small, intimate stories and larger global narratives. They also caution against Hollywood's inevitable exploitation and commodification of K-culture.

They Call Us The Last of the Sea Women

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome filmmaker Sue Kim, director/producer of The Last of the Sea Women, a documentary about the haenyeo, a fierce community of South Korean divers fighting the save their vanishing culture from looming threats. She talks about her lifelong fascination with this "badass girl gang," her drive to tell the stories of unique subcultures like Korea's mermaids and competitive Rubik's cube solvers, and how to film a documentary about free divers when you're actually not a very good swimmer. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making The Last of the Sea Women.

Squid Game: The Official Podcast - Gganbu Gone Wrong - Rewatch S1 Eps 4-6

Get back in the game.

Fellow Squid Game fans! I'm excited to share that I'm the host of Squid Game: The Official Podcast, from Netflix and Mash-Up Americans. Each episode, join me and some special guests as we suit up and re-live the first season of the international phenomenon, and get you good and hyped for Season 2, which will premiere later this year. We hope to be the perfect companion to your season one re-watch.

In our latest episode, "Gganbu Gone Wrong," I'm joined by iconic comedian and actor Margaret Cho. We break down episodes 4,5 and 6 of Squid Game, taking a deep dive into the brutal tug-of-war game, the heart-wrenching marbles showdown, and the dark twists of organ trafficking, all while exploring deeper themes of Korean culture. Plus, we talk to an actual professional mortician to shed light on the grisly reality of organ harvesting. Also, a call with my mom.

They Call Us Bruce 223: They Call Us K-Culture

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we close out 2023 and welcome critic and commentator Jae-Ha Kim to talk all things "K" -- from K-dramas to K-pop, and all the other ways Korean pop culture has spread its infectious K-embrace across the globe. We discuss the best K-dramas of the year (according to Jae-Ha), what happens when BTS takes a break for military service, and the recent tragic death of Lee Sun-kyun. I also admit -- nay, declare -- my love of NewJeans.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 39: They Call Us The Korean

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. Each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

On this episode, we welcome T.K., aka "The Korean," the pseudonymous blogger behind Ask a Korean! They discuss recent historic developments towards peace on the Korean peninsula, the long road that got us to this place, and the possibility of a reunified Korea.

Welcome to The Chloe Kim Show

17-year-old snowboarder wins gold in the Olympic women's halfpipe.



As was foretold in the ancient texts, Chloe Kim fulfilled her destiny as snowboarding's golden girl, wowing the world, 1080ing into our hearts and snatching a gold medal from the sky. Everyone expected it, but still, nobody was ready. On Tuesday morning in PyeongChang, the 17-year-old snowboarder from Southern California, all smiles, won gold in the women's halfpipe. And she made it look easy.

Her first run set an extremely high bar, landing a backside air, frontside 1080, cab 720, frontside 900, McTwist and frontside inverted 720. (I have no idea what exactly these terms mean -- I just know they variously allude to awesome high-flying flippy things.) That run earned her a top score of 93.75, giving her a huge lead over the rest of the field... and eventually, the gold medal -- we just didn't quite know it yet.

Steven Yeun and Conan O'Brien went to Korea and made a K-pop music video

And other epic Korean adventures.



As you may have heard, late night talk show host Conan O'Brien recently took a trip to South Korea after receiving a nice letter and box of snacks -- let's be real, no one can say no to Korean snacks -- from his number one Korean fan. The resulting show aired on Saturday night, and it's an epic adventure featuring food, martial arts, video games, k-pop, terrible pronunciation, Steven Yeun and the Demilitarized Zone.

Here are some highlights from Conan's trip to the Land of the Morning Calm:

Of course Donald Trump has a "Where are you from?" moment.

"I was born in Texas, raised in Colorado."



It was only a matter of time. Kind of surprised this didn't happen sooner. This week, Donald Trump had himself a "Where are you from?" moment with an Asian American audience member while on the campaign trail.

South Korea? Trump's 'Where Are You From' Moment

On Monday, the Republican presidential candidate took a question from Joseph Choe, a Harvard student, at the No Labels Problem Solver Convention in New Hampshire. As Choe started to ask a question about South Korea, Trump interrupted to ask "Are you from South Korea?"

"I'm not," Choe replied. "I was born in Texas, raised in Colorado."

Ki Hong Lee goes full ajumma in Be Funny's 'Seoul Runner'

Korean American actor returns to the motherland in a pama-powered parody of 'Maze Runner'


Maze Runner star Ki Hong Lee recently returned to the motherland and partnered up with Be Funny -- South Korea's answer to Funny or Die -- to reprise his role as Minho alongside Korean pop stars Kangnam and NS-Yoon-G in a comedic pama-powered parody of his hit adventure movie: Seoul Runner.

Fresh from WCKD's grasp, Minho wakes up in yet another strange place; this time in his homeland of Seoul, South Korea. But WCKD is still hot on his trail, so Minho must disguise himself as an 'Ajumma,' a Korean elderly lady. His flashy Ajumma gear will protect him from sun exposure, low blood sugar, and orthopedic strain, but can it protect him from WCKD? "Ajumma is good..."

Watch it here.

Get your butts back to work

Some slick moves from Korean dancer Joo Min Jeong to jumpstart your week



Happy New Year. Yup, it's Monday. Time to get our butts back to work, my friends.

Here is some badass dubstep to set you off right, just for the heck of it. That's Korean dancer Joo Min Jeong, former winner of Korea's Got Talent, showing off some slick moves to Rockers' "Kill The Noise."

Check it out:

Steven Yeun explores food porn and fan death, Korean style.

'The Walking Dead' actor and 2NE1's Sandara Park star in the hilarious webseries 'What's Eating Steven Yeun?'



Steven Yeun is packing up and moving to the motherland. Sort of. What if your favorite Walking Dead star just left it all behind to pursue a career in Korea? In the comedic new webseries "What's Eating Steven Yeun?" from BeFunny Studios, Steven leaves his life and love -- Sandara Park of 2NE1 -- to go to the Land of the Morning Calm and make something of himself. It does not go very smoothly.

Can Steven make it as a mokbang superstar? Can he learn the secrets of fan death? And most importantly, if you've ever wondered what Steven looks like rocking eyeliner, this is for you. Check it out:

An adoptee reunites with his birth family in 'aka DAN'

Documentary webseries and music album chronicles Dan Matthews' return to Korea



Last summer, musician Dan Matthews embarked on a journey that changed his life. Dan, a Korean American adoptee who grew up in California, went on a search for his birth parents... and found them. He not only tracked down his biological family in South Korea, where he traveled to meet them for the first time, Dan also discovered that he also has a twin brother. Needless to say, it was an identity-altering trip.

And the cameras were rolling. aka Dan is a documentary webseries following Dan's journey to Korea to attend the International Korean Adoptee Association, performing his first live concert in Korea, and of course, his reunion with his birth family. The first episode has dropped on ISAtv. First, here's the trailer:

Lawsuit seeks removal of 'comfort women' statue

Glendale, California memorial has become a flashpoint for international controversy



There is a battle raging in Glendale, California. The ongoing dispute is over a memorial honoring so-called "comfort women" -- women who were forced into sex slavery by invading Japanese troops during World War II. Last week, a Glendale resident and nonprofit group filed a lawsuit calling for the removal of the statue.

Comfort-women statue dispute continues

The 1,100-pound statue, which sits in Glendale's Central Park, is a memorial for the estimated 80,000 to 200,000 women from Korea, China, Indonesia and other countries who were coerced to work as prostitutes in military brothels against their will. The statue has been a point of international controversy and debate since its installation last July, with multiple delegations of Japanese politicians requesting its removal.

The plaintiffs, Glendale resident Michiko Shiota Gingery and GAHT-US Corp. -- an organization that fights against the recognition of comfort women -- straight up deny that Japan was involved in sexual slavery during World War II. The lawsuit alleges Glendale exceeded its municipal power and infringed on the U.S. Constitution in meddling with foreign affairs by erecting the statue.

Gingery claims she can no longer enjoy Central Park because the statue makes her suffer "feelings of exclusion, discomfort and anger." Sucks for you, Michiko.

Tiësto goes to Korea, can't resist tweeting dog-eating jokes

"Wonder if thy have McDog at McDonald's here as well"



Electronic music artist Tiësto is currently on tour, making his way through Asia. Last night he was in Seoul... which, of course, meant he had to make a Twitter joke about eating dogs. He just could not resist! I mean, you're an asshole DJ dude in Korea, so that's what you have to do, right? I wonder how long he waited before he got off the plane. First the tweet above, then followed up with this one to his 2 million+ followers:

No, wait. THIS is the greatest windup in baseball history.

Whoa. Now that is how you throw a first pitch.



Dang! Koreans sure know how to start a baseball game. A few weeks back, folks got their minds blown by this clip of South Korean rhythmic gymnast Shin-Sooji throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears game, featuring what had to be the greatest wind-up in the history of baseball.

The greatest wind-up? Not so fast. I believe that distinction has been usurped by actress and taekwondo champ Tae-Mi (aka Kim Kyung-sook), who also threw the first pitch for a recent Bears game, adding some asskicking aerial flip-flair for good measure. Holy moly -- check the slo-mo:

Fund This: An adoptee reunites with his birth family in aka Dan

Dan Matthews, a Korean American adoptee, meets his birth family -- and his twin brother -- for the first time.



If you read his awesome guest post from a couple of weeks ago, you know that my good friend Dan Matthews, a musician and generally cool guy, has been in Korea this summer on the journey of his life.

Dan, a Korean American adoptee who grew up in California, recently went on a search for this birth parents... and found them. He not only has a biological family in South Korea, where he traveled to meet them for the first time, Dan also has a twin brother. Whaaaaat. Needless to say, this has been an identity-altering trip.

And the cameras have been rolling. aka Dan is a documentary project following Dan's journey to Korea for the International Korean Adoptee Association, performing his first live concert in Korea, and of course, his reunion with his birth family. The project will also include a full-length music album inspired by his experiences.

Here's Dan in a nationally-televised interview for Korea's Arirang Today:

Professional baseball needs more rhythmic gymnasts

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Shin Soo-ji was recently tasked with throwing the ceremonial first pitch for the Doosan Bears at Jamsil stadium in Seoul, and proceeded to impress everyone with what has to be the greatest wind-up in the history of baseball. Dude, just watch:

Greek police are rounding up (and sometimes beating the crap out of) "foreign"-looking people

Some disturbing news from abroad... In Greece, police are apparently now hell-bent on apprehending undocumented immigrants, launching a new operation to check the papers of people who look "foreign." Yup, that means they're rounding up everybody who's anything other than a shade of white.

But when you indiscriminately start checking the papers of everybody who looks different, the cops are inevitably going to nab legitimate visitors in their sweeps, including a South Korean tourist who was beaten in an incident over his identification: The tourists held by Greek police as illegal migrants.

This incident involving Korean backpacker Hyun Young Jung went down several months ago, and has since escalated into a major international incident and huge PR fail for Greece:

obama officially names sung kim as ambassador to korea

This week, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Sung Y. Kim, the State Department's top Korean expert and the U.S. special envoy for the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, as the next Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, officially confirming what has already been widely reported on for weeks: Obama taps Korean American as Seoul envoy.