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Margaret Cho
Written by Anthony Al-Jamie
Comedic Shock and Awe for Social Awareness
Korean-American queen of comedy Margaret Cho unleashed her unique brand of no-holds-barred comedy on the world, starting with stand-up comedy and expanding into the worlds of film, television, books, music and theater, earning her three Grammy Awards and one Emmy nomination. No topic is taboo in her socially aware brand of comedy, and she has shared with the world her personal experiences with molestation, rape and work in the sex industry. She has been recognized for her charitable work with gay rights, anti-bullying campaigns and the homeless community, which grew out of a tribute to her friend, Robin Williams. Her latest stand-up comedy concert special “psyCHO,” which premiered in September 2015, is available On Demand on Showtime. Seoul Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke with Margaret Cho during her U.S. “psyCHO” tour.
Ajumama’s Laura Lee
Written by Anthony Al-Jamie
East Meets Midwest: Gourmet Food Truck is a Driving Force in Columbus, Ohio’s Food Scene
Laura Lee’s gourmet food truck, called “Ajumama,” has gained popularity for serving authentic Korean fare with a creative American-twist. While Korean tacos have become popular dishes at food trucks around the U.S., Laura focuses on combining familiar Midwestern dishes with traditional Korean dishes that are probably unknown to most non-Koreans. Seoul Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke with Laura Lee, who is a classically trained chef, about her unique approach to Korean cuisine and the pros and cons of running a food truck.
Monsta X Enjoying Monsta Success
Written by Anthony Al-Jamie
After many tough performances and auditions through Mnet's survival program “No.MERCY,” the winning contestants formed to create the new hip-hop group, Monsta X. They have had monster success since debuting in 2015 by winning the 1theK Performance Award at the MelOn Music Awards and the Red Carpet: Next Generation Asian Artist Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. They recently performed in Los Angeles at KCON L.A. The group of fresh new stars Shownu, Wonho, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Jooheon, and I.M were able to make some time for Seoul Journal's Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie to talk about their new life as idols and how the group has been doing since their debut.
Master of Fashion
What do Korea’s First Lady, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Rihanna have in common? They have all worn Lie Sang Bong’s designs. One of Korea’s most prominent fashion designers, he established the LIE SANGBONG brand in 1985. Mr. Lie blends traditional influences and innovative techniques, combining such diverse influences as Korean poetry, calligraphy and architecture, 1930’s Film Noir heroines, Bauhaus design, Cubism, and the natural world. Mr. Lie produces unique fabrics for his collections by applying such techniques to natural fabrics as laser cutting, embroidery and digital printing. In 1993 at Seoul Fashion Week, he debuted his first ready-to-wear collection, “The Reincarnation,” and quickly gained recognition among Korean celebrities and the press. He received the Designer of the Year Award from the mayor of Seoul in 1999 and he began expanding his brand’s business into Europe in 2002 at Paris Fashion Week. In 2007, LG Electronics launched the Cyon Shine Mobile Phone designed by LIE SANGBONG. This was one of the first limited-edition cell phones to be designed by a fashion designer. He has also created uniforms for the A1 Grand Prix Korean national team (2008) and designed an exhibit to celebrate the first anniversary of the Korean Cultural Center in London, which was later displayed in Trafalgar Square (2009). He currently acts as the president of Council of Fashion Designers of KOREA (CFDK) and a cultural Ambassador for the City of Seoul. Lie Sang Bong shared his experience in the world of fashion with Seoul Journal's Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie.
Pop Opera Diva Rose Jang
Written by Anthony Al-Jamie
Crossing Cultural and Artistic Borders
Rose Jang is an award-winning New York-based Korean-America pop opera artist, crossing musical genres and bridging cultures. Known for her operatic arias as well as musical and classic pop songs, she has performed for world leaders including the inaugural ceremony of South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and an event celebrating U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Legendary R&B vocalist Patti Labelle said that Rose has, "an absolutely beautiful voice and is an amazing performer” after the two performed together. Jang’s recording of “You Raise Me Up” broke the record for the most weeks at #1 on the Korean classical chart, and her cover of “Memory” from the musical “Cats” topped versions by Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion on the domestic and international music charts. In addition to her spectacular musical career, she has served as a PR ambassador for many organizations, including the Korean Tourism Office, UNESCO of Korea, and for the National Committee for Jeju-do Island, being credited as one of the reasons why Jeju Island was voted to be a “New7Wonders of Nature.” Korea's Cosmopolitan Magazine featured Rose Jang as one of the “10 Most Powerful Korean Women in New York” in September 2012. Seoul Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie spoke with Rose Jang about her remarkable rise in the music world.
Author Chung Serang
Written by Anthony Al-Jamie
The Youngest Korean Author to Have Her Novels Translated to Japanese
Serang Chung debuted as a writer in 2010 at the age of 26, with her fictional short story “Dream, Dream, Dream” which was published in the journal “Fantastic” and Naver’s “Today’s Literature.” Just four years later in 2014, she received the Changbi Prize for “As Close as This.” She has written stories of multiple genres including romance, sci-fi and horror. Having a strong interest in Japanese literature herself, her novels have not only been translated into Japanese, but she is also the youngest Korean author to have had her books translated into Japanese. Serang Chung shared some of her insights into the literary world with Seoul Journal's Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie.
Friendships are obviously important in all societies for business as well as for social reasons, but few people go as far as Koreans in their need and compulsion to develop and keep a network of chingu (cheen-goo) or friends.
KCON 2015 USA
Written by Seoul Journal
KCON is the annual K-pop (Korean pop) convention held by CJ E&M, Koreaboo, Mnet Media and Powerhouse Live. This year the event was presented by Toyota and spanned three days at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with about 58,000 attendees. KCON allows fans to gather and share their love of everything Hallyu (the Korean cultural Wave) through discussions such as “Shower Scenes to Wrist Grabs: The Best and Worst K-Drama Tropes” and K-pop dance lessons.
Complete Guide to Korean Street Food
Korean street food is part of the adventure when traveling in Korea. However, some people are like two-year-old children — they’ll just put anything in their mouths! If you’re a little more concerned about what it is you’re actually eating, check out this complete guide to Korean street food!
Actor James Kyson
Written by Seoul Journal
From Heroes to MMA Fighting
Voted by TV Guide as one of “Hollywood’s 25 Hottest”, James Kyson is a South Korean born American actor with a promising career ahead of him. He is most famously known for his role as “Ando” in the Heroes cast that was named in Time Magazine's Person of the Year 2006 issue under "People Who Mattered.” Kyson began his acting career on CBS’s JAG and has appeared on television shows such as CSI, The West Wing, Daybreak, Hawaii Five-O, and the upcoming School of Rock. In addition to television shows, Kyson has appeared in such feature films as The Livingston Gardener and Shutter. Raised in New York City, he studied communications and broadcasting at Boston University and the New England Institute of the Arts. His entrance into the world of entertainment began with a hip-hop rap group in college followed by trying a stint in improv comedy, all before moving to Los Angeles where he began training in music, dance and acting. He actively promotes health and fitness and supports various charity organizations including UNICEF, USO, and the Global Green eco campaign. Seoul Journal sat down with James Kyson in L.A. to talk about his career, his Korean roots, his experience with Japan and his upcoming projects.
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Chef Corey Lee
Written by Anthony Al-Jamie
Wise Man From the East Becomes Wise Chef of the West
Chef Corey Lee, whose Korean name is Dong Min (meaning “Wise Man from the East”), is a Korean-born, American-trained chef. In 2010, Lee opened the award-winning restaurant, Benu, in San Francisco, which received the highest possible Michelin Guide rating of three stars in 2014. Lee moved to the U.S. from Korea when he was five and settled in New Jersey. Although his home at the time kept two refrigerators, one for Korean food and one for American, he says that the food at Benu is about how those two can coexist. Corey Lee shared his views on food with Seoul Journal's Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie.
Feel The Thunder
Written by Anthony Al-Jamie
Sang-Hyun Park Talks About Solo Career After MBLAQ
Sang-Hyun Park is better known by his stage name Thunder (Cheondung). Born in Busan, he is the younger brother of 2NE1’s vocalist Sandara Park. The siblings grew up in the Philippines and, in addition to Korean, Thunder is fluent in English and Tagalog as well as conversational in Mandarin and Japanese. After training under one of South Korea’s greatest singers and dancers, Rain (Ji-hoon Jung), Thunder became a member of the South Korean male quintet MBLAQ, as a vocalist, lead rapper and lead dancer. Besides becoming idols in South Korea, they made their Japanese debut in 2011 and have sold singles and albums exclusive to Japan. Thunder has also had a successful modeling career encompassing both photo-shoots and runways. In December 2014, he announced his departure from MBLAQ to focus on studying music. Thunder talked to Seoul Journal's Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie about his career and future plans.
Iron House
Written by Seoul Journal
Iron House
Taipei’s three-piece indie-rock band Iron House explores a diversity of beats and sounds while preserving a sense of radiant darkness in their down-tempo musical style. With Cheng Han on drums, Kao-Man on vocals and Harry on guitar, the trio take their listeners on a journey of eclectic dream-like sounds and hauntingly beautiful vocals. Iron House formed in April 2014, and has played around 41 shows in Taiwan and Japan. Their latest EP was released in July this year, and the band is now looking to tour China and Japan as well as festivals outside of Asia next year. It captures Iron House’s rock and electro influences, which are channelled into a deeper tunnel of ambient sounds by the dreamy vocals of Kao-Man. Their dark, hazy music is of a similar nature to bands such as Mazzy Star, Daughter, Warpaint and The xx. Seoul Journal intern Paula Dunne talked to Iron House to find out about the band’s history, their music and their plans for the future.
Gyeongju was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla that ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. The city is incredibly rich in history, with plenty of treasures to explore. I arrived in Gyeongju and instantly noticed, while in the taxi to my guesthouse, how flat everything is. Gyeongju is probably one of few cities in Korea that hasn’t been overrun with high rises. I’m used to seeing huge apartment buildings when I go into cities, but not here. That was the first sign that I was going to enjoy my time in this city.
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