Here are some videos we’re watching this week at KoreAm.

Big Phony – I Love Lucy (Official Music Video)
Indie singer/songwriter, Big Phony a.k.a. Robert Choy, returns with an official music video for his song “I Love Lucy.” The black and white video is a different spin on the 1950s sitcom that creatively shows the heartache behind the song’s lyrics.

Military training for South Korean Special Forces
In Pyeongchang, a group of soliders trained for nine days during the harsh winter. The soldiers were training for South Korea’s special forces at a survival camp on Mount Hwangbyung. Training included combat exercises as well as other physical activities and a lot of screaming.

Spelling Bee – Bobby Lee Video
Bobby Lee, sporting a new mustache, hosts an episode on Ray William Johnson’s YouTube channel for diversity week. Bobby goes through some of the most viral YouTube videos including an insane driver, a rapping father-to-be and a video we brought to you last week, the trolling spelling bee contestant. Bobby reenacts his own version of the spelling bee and then answers a question from actress, Kristen Bell.

Girls’ Generation invades New York
When Girls’ Generation’s enormous tour bus arrives at the studio for David Letterman, their fans go absolutely wild. The entire crowd sang the girls’ song “The Boys” while waiting for them to exit the bus, and when the girls started signing autographs, everyone rushed to try and get a signature from one of the nine girls.

The Walking Dead Alternate Intro
Earlier this week, we brought to you news of a new 1980s-inspired intro for the hit TV series “The Walking Dead.” This alternate intro reel is to the tune of BJ Thomas’s “As Long as We Got Each Other” which is famous for also being the intro song for the show “Growing Pains.”

Girls’ Generation – The Boys on David Letterman
Girls Generation made their first network appearance on American television Tuesday night. The girls performed “The Boys” on “Late Night with David Letterman.” The next morning, the girls were invited to perform on “Live with Kelly.”

The Daily Life of a Korean Student
A Korean high school student goes through a typical day. From waking up to going to school to going back to sleep, everything is acted out and shown in 10 seconds.

If you have more videos you’d like us to see, email linda@iamkoream.com.

by Emily Kim

Tim Kang, best known for his role as Kimball Cho on CBS’ “The Mentalist,” recently launched his own film production company, One Shoot Films (OSF). OSF is currently accepting story idea submissions for its 2012 Short Film Competition. All story ideas are limited to topics related to child abduction and/or child exploitation.

The winning writer/director will have a chance to see their idea come to life through a $15,000 production budget to shoot the film, which will be overseen and produced by OSF, which will also cover all of the winner’s pre- and post-production housing expenses. Kang and his team will work to push the winner’s film to be entered into nationwide film festivals.

Kang, who was “disconcerted” with the the majority of films presently available to audiences, started One Shoot Films in order to “go back to the basics” of film making. Through his company, Kang hopes to tell “the most interesting, most poignant” stories with casts consisting of people that “actually represent what we see and experience.” Through these films, he hopes to prove that it is possible to produce films that are both “entertaining and engaging” with a $15,000 short film budget.

Through this film competition, Kang hopes to reach out to the vast pool of writers located in the United States.

“There’s a lot of untapped potential out there,” Kang told iamKoreAm.com. “A lot of writers out there are fantastic, but have no idea how to plug themselves in. They don’t know how to get their stuff read.”

The Los Angeles-based actor is certain that there are a lot of amazing stories to be told, but the only thing holding writers back is the lack of resources.

“That’s why we’re providing all of the production services. They don’t have to do a thing. They get $15,000 to shoot the film, and all they have to do is come in and be creative.”

The topic of the film is limited to child abduction/exploitation because Kang is an avid supporter of and current spokesperson for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

“When my daughter was born, she became the most precious thing in my life,” said Kang. “And when I thought, ‘What would be the worst thing that could happen to me?’ It was to lose her.”

OSF began accepting submissions for the competition on Jan. 24 and has already began to receive many submissions. Because of the positive response, Kang is optimistic that he and his company will “slowly [be] making headway” toward getting their films noticed and creating buzz for the winning writer.

Scripts must be submitted online here. Contestants must be 21 and older, and only U.S. entries will be accepted. The deadline for submissions is Monday, March 12, 2012.

Harvard Targeted in U.S. Asian-American Discrimination Probe
Bloomberg

The U.S. Education Department is probing complaints that Harvard University and Princeton University discriminate against Asian-Americans in undergraduate admissions.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating a complaint it received in August that Harvard rejected an Asian- American candidate for the current freshman class based on race or national origin, a department spokesman said. The agency is looking into a similar August 2011 allegation against Princeton as part of a review begun in 2008 of that school’s handling of Asian-American candidates, said the spokesman, who declined to be identified, citing department policy.

Kyung Namgood, OC Homicide No. 5: Ruben Gurrola, Wrong-Way Driver, Held for Murder
OC Weekly

Kyung Namgood, 53, of Buena Park, was killed early Sunday after the Toyota sedan she was riding in on the 91 freeway in Anaheim was plowed into head on by a Honda sedan driven by Ruben Gurrola, 23, Pomona.

Gurrola is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on one felony count each of murder, driving under the influence causing bodily injury, and driving with a blood alcohol level .08 percent or more causing injury. He also faces sentencing enhancements and allegations for causing great bodily injury and causing bodily injury to more than one victim.

Bakers and Chaebol in South Korea, Let them Eat Cake
The Economist

The hot topic in South Korea is the trend for daughters and grand-daughters of chaebol families to open bakeries and other small food outlets. The chaebol are the conglomerates that dominate the Korean economy, so these plutocratic pâtissières have deeper pockets than any of the little bakers they compete against.

Their baking has provoked outrage. Lee Myung-bak, South Korea’s president, calls it a “hobby” business for rich girls that threatens the livelihood of poor shopkeepers. Lee Ju-young, a member of the national assembly, likens it to Park Ji-sung (Manchester United’s Korean midfielder) lording it over amateurs in a backstreet game of football. A restaurateur in Seoul puts it more plaintively: “These families already control everything else in Korea. Why can’t they leave something for the rest of us?”

Doblin: Politics may Derail Christie Judicial Nominees
Bergen County Record (N.J.)

On Wednesday, prominent Korean-Americans rallied in Hackensack in support of Phillip Kwon, one of Governor Christie’s two nominees to the state Supreme Court. Kwon is the first Korean-American and first immigrant nominated to the state’s high court. Christie’s announcement last week was greeted with cheers. The enthusiasm was short-lived.

Published reports that Kwon’s parents, who own a liquor store in New York, had allegedly made 222 cash deposits that were below the $10,000 threshold to skirt bank-reporting rules quickly sent a cloud over Kwon’s confirmation parade. No criminal charges were filed against Kwon’s parents and a civil lawsuit has been settled. This week, Christie said the investigation into the financial transfers did not involve Kwon.

Seven dazzling days in South Korea
CNNGo

This itinerary is for the helpless Korea virgins (and despite Korea’s burgeoning tourism, we know you’re out there), not been-there-done-that backpackers in search of the obscure. But the adjective “dazzling” here is no meaningless tag. It’s a nod to the process of aggressive elimination and selection that gave us the model itinerary for seven days of travel in South Korea.

Kim Jong Un Looking at Things
The Atlantic

Like father, like son. Since the recent death of Kim Jong Il, North Korean state-run media has been releasing a series of images of the “Great Successor,” Kim Jong Un, visiting schools, factories, and military facilities. These visits, which were frequently publicized by his father and his grandfather Kim Il Sung, are called “field guidance” trips — opportunities for the supreme leader to give on-the-spot advice. For decades, the North Korean myth-making machine endowed Kim Jong Il with amazing wisdom, prowess, and intelligence, and it continues that tradition now with his son, touting him as a marksman, poet, economic genius, and wise military strategist. Little is actually known about Kim Jong Un. Even his age remains in doubt — he may be 28, 29, or 30. Based on the state-released photos collected here, he is following closely in his father’s footsteps, albeit with a touch more visible affection.

Richard Chai Named Filson’s New Creative Director
Styleite.com

Chai has just been tapped as the 115-year-old heritage brand’s creative director. His first task was to design six jackets and three bags for the Filson Rugged Casual Apparel collection, which reinterprets Filson’s classic styles in Chai’s signature fabrics.

Girls’ Generation Create Buzz After U.S. Primetime Debut
Chosun Ilbo

The band’s performance of the English version of “The Boys” on “The Late Show” on Tuesday (local time) was met with a shower of praise on social networking sites including Twitter. The video clip from the show was uploaded immediately after the program aired and received over 710,000 hits in just two days.

Girls’ Generation also received much attention on online news sites. A blog created on the Wall Street Journal is conducting a vote on their performance. As of Thursday afternoon, 77.7 percent, or 1,313 people, gave their approval, saying they are fans. Some 230 people, or 13.6 percent, answered that they did not know the band before, but that they liked their performance. Less than 2 percent gave a negative response.

Popular music in Korea, a Jimi Hendrix Stymied
The Economist

MANUFACTURED Korean pop music, or K-Pop, is riding high on a wave of international hype. The greatest figure in the history of this country’s popular music, however, does not wear high heels, nor miniskirt. Indeed, he does not even dance.

Shin Joong-hyun first learned to play guitar in the 1950s, and soon found a following among the American soldiers stationed here. Jackie Shin, as they knew him, was a master of jazz, rock ’n roll, rhythm-and-blues, and country. He already knew the Americans’ favourite songs, having spent every waking hour listening to Armed Forces Korea Network (AFKN), for many years the sole conduit by which Western music flowed into Korea.

What Heals The World? Soup, Made By Moms
National Public Radio

Maybe that’s why the kimchi soup was so welcome; it happened to be made by a mom named Yesoon Lee. This week I went back to Mandu, her restaurant, to ask Lee if I had found the Korean mother’s cure-all. What does she feed her kids when they’re sick? “Chicken soup and jook,” she said.

Jook is the Korean version of gruel, a dish that’s on the short list of invalid menus worldwide. “It’s for when you have stomach problems,” says Lee, who was born in Korea but raised her two children in Vienna, Va. Her daughter Jean, who’s 36 and a partner in the restaurant (along with her brother Dan), says: “Still, when I’m sick, my mom makes me jook.” She tries to make it herself, but she says, “it’s not the same.”

Ward still planning to play for Steelers
ESPN

“I plan on playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and going from there,” Ward said at the Super Bowl media center Thursday.

Ward’s chances of returning increased with the departure of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who had been looking to reduce Ward’s role the past couple of seasons. If Pittsburgh is committed to getting back to a run-first offense, Ward’s value goes up because of his blocking.

Ward, who lost his starting job this season, is scheduled to make $4 million in the last two years of his contract but he has said that he is willing to take a pay cut. A decision has to be made by March 1 because of a clause in his contract.

Artist David Choe on the cover of KoreAm in 2006.

On the cusp of Facebook’s long-awaited initial public offering, Korean American artist David Choe’s decision years ago to take stock options of the then nascent social media website is going to make him an instant millionaire. Choe’s shares in Facebook are estimated to be worth close to $200 million.

According to news reports by the New York Times, Facebook commissioned Choe to paint murals in their first headquarters in Palo Alto in 2005. The company’s original president, Sean Parker, gave Choe two options: take thousands of dollars in cash for his paintings or take company stock equivalent in value.

Despite believing that the concept of Facebook was “ridiculous and pointless” at the time, Choe wisely chose the latter. With over 845 million users, Facebook has become the most widely used social media websites in the world. Choe now has Facebook page of his own, suggesting that he no longer thinks the site is “ridiculous” or “pointless.”

Ever since the news broke, Choe has been making headlines and his friends have not kept quiet about his good fortune. According to the Washington Post, they have posted on his Facebook page, congratulating him, asking him for money, and giving him advice:

“Hey I think you owe me $”

“Hey, Dave, can I borrow $200M? I need to make a wager…”

“No limits. The world is your canvas. congrats man! also, bacon.”

“My Advice David, Hang up the Phone, turn off the Computer, find a nice spot on a beach in Bora Bora, and forget to tell people where you are for awhile.”

Though his future seems bright, Choe, now 35, has had a rough past. Growing up in Los Angeles, he spent time in jail in Japan and claims to have participated in looting during the 1992 L.A. riots. According to an interview Choe had with Ion Magazine in 2010, his difficult past is what inspires his work today.

Everything that happened in my life affects my art. I’m left-handed so all my drawing from my childhood ended up getting smudged with my palm while drawing, so I could never develop a clean style, and that’s why my art style is very dirty.

The Facebook headquarters is not the only place where one can view Choe’s “dirty” street style art. A portrait of Barack Obama can be seen hanging in the White House.

Below is a video of Mark Zuckerberg contributing to Choe’s mural at the Facebook headquarters.

To Combat Modern Ills, Korea Looks to the Past
New York Times

Mr. Park is chief curator of Sosu Seowon, a complex of 11 Confucian lecture halls and dormitories that first opened in 1543 in this town 160 kilometers, or 100 miles, southeast of Seoul.

In South Korea, where the word “Confucian” has long been synonymous with “old-fashioned,” people like Mr. Park have recently gained modest ground with their campaign to reawaken interest in Confucian teachings that stress communal harmony, respect for seniority and loyalty to the state — principles that many older Koreans believe have lost their grip on the young.

South Korean Indicted Over Twitter Posts From North
New York Times

South Korean prosecutors indicted a social media and freedom of speech activist this week for reposting messages from the North Korean government’s Twitter account.

Park Jung-geun, 23, a photographer who specialized in taking pictures of babies, was detained last month on charges of violating South Korea’s controversial National Security Law, which bans “acts that benefit the enemy” —North Korea — but does not clearly define what constitutes such acts. The Twitter account Mr. Park was accused of reposting is run by the North Korean government Web site, Uriminzokkiri.com, which South Korean news media regularly cite for their stories.

Korean coalition: Choi, O’Toole rush to nicked Kwon’s side
PolitickerNJ

Several Korean-American community leaders gathered in Bergen County last night to propel the N.J. Supreme Court candidacy of Phillip Kwon, whose early going was marred by reports of an ultimately fruitless criminal investigation into family business matters.

The Korean American Voters Council, former Edison Mayor Jun Choi, and state Sen. Kevin O’Toole, (R-40), Cedar Grove, spearheaded a nonpartisan coalition to extol the first Asian American nominee to the high court.

Also see: Korean Community Rallies in Support of NJ Supreme Court Nominee

Tom Kim’s Free Medical Clinic celebrates 10,000th patient
Knoxville News Sentinel

Kim founded the Free Medical Clinic in South Knoxville in 1993, providing no-strings-attached medical care to the uninsured working poor — often out of his own pocket in the early days.

The woman, whose appointment was Monday, was his 10,000th new patient at the South Knoxville clinic. There, Kim’s had 31,000 appointments — and he’s opened clinics in Briceville and Oneida.

Kim was born in North Korea but fled in 1951 during the Soviet occupation to South Korea. A child at the time, he escaped by riding on the roof of a railroad boxcar, he said. He moved to the United States in the 1960s and has always claimed a debt to Korean War veterans, who he says gave him the freedom to get the education to become a physician.

San Francisco Police: Supervisor Jane Kim Wants Tougher Restrictions In Terrorist Probes
Huffington Post

San Francisco City and County Supervisor Jane Kim wants the police department to fall in line with state and local privacy rules that restrict what information police can amass, and she wants investigators to refrain from gathering intelligence on people unless there is reasonable suspicion that the person has engaged in criminal conduct.

2 John Brown University students hurt in collision
AP via Washington Examiner

Officials say two international students at John Brown University were hurt when they were struck by oncoming traffic while trying to walk across a highway in Siloam Springs.

The school says the accident happened Jan. 20 when Dahye “Sarah” Kim and Eunbit “Gina” Oh were trying to cross U.S. 412. Kim was flown to a hospital in Tulsa where she is in critical condition. The university says she underwent surgery to alleviate brain swelling and was placed in a medically induced coma.

Oh was hospitalized in Springfield, Mo., with a broken pelvis. The school says she will not require surgery.

‘The Voice’s’ Dia Frampton Stars in Own Web Series (Video)
Hollywood Reporter

The Voice returns this weekend after the Super Bowl, but NBC is reminding us of the talent it’s already found on Season 1 with a new web series featuring runner-up Dia Frampton called Dia’s Next Stage.

David Choi Steps Out of YouTube Into the Real World
OC Weekly

Over the past five years, singer/songwriter David Choi has wooed millions with his lulling voice and charming lyrics. And he’s mostly done so while sitting with his guitar in his bedroom in Fullerton. Now, the 25-year-old YouTube star is flipping off the camera switch and performing (in person!) on his Forever & Ever Tour, singing tunes from his third album of the same name. Remember to put on pants for this one.

Can Asians Save Classical Music?
Slate

There is one group that still likes classical music and, what’s more, pays to hear it performed: Asians. Of Asian-Americans ages 18-24 responding to the same survey, 14 percent reported attending a classical concert in the past year, more than any other demographic in that age group. Despite classical’s deserved reputation as the whitest of genres, Asian attendance rates match or surpass the national average up through the 45- 54 age range. To put it one way, the younger the classical audience gets, the more Asian it becomes. To put it another, the only population that is disproportionately filling seats being vacated by old people dying off is Asians.

Car Discussion 3 with Sung Kang
channelAPA

Actor Sung Kang is back with a brand new episode of Car Discussion (formerly known as Car Talk). In this episode, the director tries to get Sung Kang to talk about why the title of his show has changed, but as usual he veers off course in his own direction. The Fast and Furious star bring along his friend True to promote his debut album Suki Boy Choy: True hip hop from the streets. Get a taste of his new found talent on the mic.

I uploaded a @YouTube video http://t.co/oGAL02Xb koreamcomedyfest

Video Roundup: Girls' Generation, Bobby Lee, The Walking Dead http://t.co/xNbXgUI4

I uploaded a @YouTube video http://t.co/UbhNC9hS video 82391339

Tim Kang’s One Shoot Films Launches 2012 Short Film Contest http://t.co/8UWLieG6 @Tim__Kang

@GUMSHIP We sure did, Gumship. We sure did.