A nine-year-old Maine girl successfully underwent surgery to replace six of her organs thanks to the work of Boston physician Dr. Heung Bae Kim and his team of transplant specialists, according to news reports.
The rare procedure was done at Children’s Hospital Boston, where Kim is director of the hospital’s Pediatric Transplant Center.
Alannah Shevenell of Hollis, Maine, got a new esophagus, liver, stomach, spleen, pancreas and small intestine after losing her own due to a rare and aggressive form of cancer, according to ABC News.
“We needed to remove all the organs because the tumor had grown to basically encircle the blood supply,” Dr. Heung Bae Kim told ABC.
The surgery lasted more than 14 hours, according to the Boston Globe.
Two-thirds of that time, Kim said, was spent removing the tumor from her body, peeling it off her aorta, the trunkline that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body, and cutting out her organs.
The new organs came from one donor and were removed as an intact unit, which, Kim said, simplified the surgery.
“Dr. Kim, he saved me,” Alannah said yesterday, according to the Boston Globe.
To see the Globe’s video of the story, click here.
K-pop megagroup Girls Generation made their American network TV debut on Tuesday night on “Late Night with David Letterman.”
The nine-member group, who have performed all over the world with fans on nearly every continent, appeared on the popular late-night talk show along with fellow guests Bill Murray and Regis Philbin.
Girls Generation closed out the show with their English-language song “The Boys.” At the end of the performance, they received applause from the audience as well as the guest stars and the host himself even gave the girls a football as a present.
“Late Night” wasn’t the girls’ only tryst with American talk shows. The next morning, Girls Generation was at it again, performing “The Boys” on “Live with Kelly.”
After the performance on the morning show, Kelly Ripa and guest host Howie Mandel, immediately commented on Girls Generation’s fans, who made up the bulk of the audience.
“You have so many fans!” Mandel said as he pointed to the crowd. “They knew all the words, they were singing along with the song.”
Ripa also added, “I’ve never seen such audience participation in my life, congratulations.” Continue Reading »
U.S. Envoy Pushes for Improved Ties Between Koreas
New York Times
After weeks of uncertainty following Mr. Kim’s death on Dec. 17, Washington appeared ready to resume talks with North Korea about the terms of restarting six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. At the same time, it was reassuring South Korea that it would not let the North drive a wedge between the two allies.
Selling a New Leader in North Korea
New York Times
When Kim Jong-un made his debut as the North Korean heir apparent in September 2010, he looked so much like his grandfather, the closest thing North Koreans had to a god, that South Korean intelligence officials noted that many North Koreans who saw the young man for the first time on television broke down in tears.
“The regime wants its people to see Kim Jong-un as Great Leader Kim Il-sung reincarnated,” said Kim Kwang-in, head of the North Korea Strategy Center, a research organization based in Seoul that collects information from sources inside North Korea. “They fattened him up and gave him a thorough training — and plastic surgery, too, some even say — to make him look just like his grandfather.”
Since his elevation to leader after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, in December, Kim Jong-un has been presenting himself as a near replica of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung — from the way he clapped his hands, walked with shoulders thrown back and stood tall with a paunch down to such details as his double-breasted greatcoat, high-trimmed sideburns, double chin and full cheeks.
Gi-Wook Shin: Focusing on the future of Korea
Stanford Daily
The Korean Studies Program has been particularly active since former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il’s recent death. On Jan. 18, they organized the panel discussion “The Korean Peninsula After Kim Jong-Il: Challenges and Opportunities,” featuring Shin alongside Katharina Zellweger, the Asia-Pacific Research Center’s (APARC) Pantech Fellow; former Korean Ambassador to the European Union Park Joon-woo, APARC’s Koret Fellow; David Straub, the associate director of the KSP; and Daniel Sneider, associate director of research for APARC. The panelists discussed a variety of North Korean affairs, including its future relationship with the U.S.
At the discussion, Shin said that he didn’t expect there to be any major changes this year. However, he anticipated a shifting relationship between North and South Korea next year, especially if the Progressive Party comes into power.
An Exhibition of ‘Women’s Work’ as Art and Social Commentary
The Tribeca Trib
In A Korean Woman in Modern Times, Won Ju Seo explores her dual identities of being a modern Korean-American woman through a Korean blouse made of square and rectangular pieces of silk. They represent “windows,” she says, through which she explored the world—a freedom deprived to many Korean women who grew up in a traditional Confucian culture.
Selling South Korea: No ‘sparkling’ brand image
BBC News
South Korea’s government has been trying to change the country’s international image – or rather its lack of one – for years.
And even those involved – like Peter Kim, brand manager for the Seoul government – admit it has been a tough sell.
“We’re among the world’s 13 largest economies,” he said. “But we still don’t have our own unique brand.”
Partly, he said, that is because for the past 50 years, South Korea has been focused on building the country, not marketing it.
Secret’s out: Philippines’ president says he’s dating Korean host of Manila TV show
AP via The Washington Post
The Philippines’ president, Benigno Aquino III, told reporters Wednesday that, yes, he is dating again. This time it’s a South Korean woman who grew up in Manila and works there as a TV show host and radio disc jockey.
Twenty-nine-year-old Grace Lee said on her TV program that “what the president said is true.”
Modern Koreans Much Taller Than Ancestors
Chosun Ilbo
Korean men were on average 161.1 cm tall and women 148.9 cm between the 15th and 19th centuries, anatomists at Seoul National University have found. Hwang Young-il and Shin Dong-hun based their analysis of the remains of 116 adults — 67 men and 49 women.
That was over 10 cm shorter than the average height of modern Korean men (174 cm) and women (160.5 cm) established in 2010 by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards.
8 Questions With Kevin Bobo, Associate Professor of Music (Percussion) of Indiana University Bloomington
8asians
In Bloomington, IN, which is where we live right now, we’ve discovered a huge community of musicians (because of the incredible music school), and recently met associate professor of music, Kevin Bobo, a Korean American (he writes, “half Korean with a cup of Buckeye and a dash of Bordeaux”).
Watch K-Pop Superstars Girls’ Generation’s American TV Debut
Spin
When we first heard that Girls’ Generation were scheduled to appear on both Live! with Kelly (that should be happening any moment now actually, set your DVR accordingly!) and Letterman, we were immediately anxious to know how Dave himself would greet them after their set.
What we didn’t know was that Regis and Bill Murray would be the show’s other guests, or that they’d be decked out in Super Bowl-inspired attire while bearing witness to SNSD’s first foray into American television. As far as cultural exchanges go, it was a perfect storm: three extraordinarily cantankerous old dudes sharing a stage with the South Korean ninesome as they performed “The Boys,” the fiery lead single from their American full-length debut of the same name. It’s like a dream.
“The Walking Dead” re-imagined as a cheesy 1980s sitcom
Angry Asian Man
AMC’s apocalyptic zombie drama, which includes Steven Yeun as Glenn, gets mashed up with the theme song to Growing Pains, and re-imagined as an impossibly upbeat 1980s-era sitcom.
Check the video out here.
Kim Yu-na Featured in U.S. Math Textbook
Chosun Ilbo
Figure skating champion Kim Yu-na is pictured in a math textbook for U.S. high school students. She appears in the part introducing trigonometry.
In the U.S., math textbooks commonly feature photos of sports stars’ performances to explain geometry.
Proposed Koreatown redistricting debated
Los Angeles Times
Alex Cha stood before the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission last week and told panel members: “As an Asian American living in the city of Los Angeles, I feel voiceless.”
He had gone to the San Fernando Valley meeting to protest proposed new City Council boundaries that call for Koreatown to be divided between two council districts. Disappointment over the proposal has run deep in the neighborhood, where over the weekend ministers complained about it to their congregations, and volunteers gathered signatures on protest petitions outside local grocery stores.
N. Korea quits football match with S. Korea
AFP via Yahoo News
A North Korean youth football team refused to play a South Korean side in a tournament held in China, citing cross-border tension after the death of leader Kim Jong-Il, an official said.
The two countries were preparing to play each other Monday in the southern Chinese city of Kunming as part of an annual regional event between young footballers from the two Koreas, Japan and China.
But the North’s players were ordered to leave the field before kick-off “due to a government policy not to deal with the South”, according to an official from the South Korean city of Incheon that helped arrange the event.
North Korea ‘planning big military parade’
The Telegraph (U.K.)
North Korea is planning a massive military parade including missiles and other weaponry to mark major anniversaries early this year after its leader’s death, South Korean media reports said on Monday.
King County prosecutor to help South Korea establish jury system
Seattle Times
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Steven Kim, who has argued dozens of cases before King County juries, speaks fluent Korean. His language skills and time in the courtroom made him an ideal candidate to help South Korea in its effort to establish an American-style jury system. Kim, 36, flew from Seattle to Seoul on Saturday to begin a six-month assignment that could stretch to a year.
Pastor, wife charged after child found wandering alone
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Members of an Alpharetta congregation say an associate pastor and his wife may not have understood the consequences of leaving their young children at home alone while they attended a worship service at church, Channel 2 Action News reports.
Jongkyu Kim, 37, the associate pastor of Sae Han Presbyterian Church on Kimball Bridge Road, and his wife, Myunghwa Jeong, 35, were arrested after police found their 2-year-old son wandering outside by himself, according to a police report.
They initially were charged with felony cruelty to children and misdemeanor reckless conduct, but the felony charges later were dropped, Channel 2 reported. Church members told Channel 2 that the couple were good parents who may not have understood the implications of leaving youngsters at home alone because of a cultural barrier.
Seattle filmmaker finds herself in her Tanzanian family
Seattle Times
African and Korean, Seattle documentary filmmaker Eli Kimaro seeks to find herself and discovers so much more.
Pedestrian struck, killed along Va. 7
Northern Virginia Daily
A Winchester woman died early Monday morning after a pickup struck her as she walked along Va. 7, according to state police.
Authorities identified the victim as 74-year-old Young-Ja Park Kim, said state police spokesman Sgt. F.L. “Les” Tyler.
A 2005 Chevrolet Silverado struck Kim at about 1:15 a.m. as she walked in the westbound lane of Va. 7 just west of Blossom Drive (Va. 815), Tyler said.
Kim died at the scene as a result of injuries sustained when she was struck, Tyler said.
Racial Tension Rising in Dallas Against Korean Community
Chosun Ilbo
Korea’s consul-general in Houston is now in Dallas, Texas, to try and quell rising anti-Korean sentiment there after a dispute between different ethnic groups began spiraling out of control.
This comes as leaders of the African-American community in southern Dallas called for a boycott of Asian-owned businesses as a protest against what they call “racist business-owners.”
Tensions have been mounting since early this month, when a Korean owner of a gas station and an African-American customer got into a verbal altercation, in which racial slurs were reportedly made.
Does Korean Pop Actually Have a Shot at Success in the U.S.?
The Atlantic
Some of their peers’ past attempts to cross the Pacific have fizzled, but Wonder Girls may have hit on the right strategy to win an American following: marketing to tweens.
Cologne replace Podolski with North Korean ace
AFP via Yahoo News
North Korean international striker Jong Tae-se signed for Bundesliga side Cologne on Monday from second tier Vfl Bochum as a replacement for injured German star Lukas Podolski.
The 27-year-old cost the buying club around 500,000 euros for a five-month contract with them and covering the six months that remained on his contract with Bochum according to Cologne sporting director Volker Finke.
World Cup hero Ahn bids teary farewell
Korea Herald
Former national team striker Ahn Jung-hwan has always been a quiet man who displays little emotion.
On Tuesday, however, he was in tears as he announced his retirement from football.
“Sorry, I can’t help myself. I feel sad, because this is my last time to do this as a footballer,” Ahn said during his press conference in Seoul.
The 35-year-old striker hangs up his boots after having made 71 appearances and scored 17 goals for the national team, including three goals at the World Cup. Ahn is still considered the most technically gifted Korean player. He is best remembered for scoring the extra-time goal in Korea’s 2-1 win over Italy, helping the country advance to the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup.
Korean Coffee Franchise Heads to the Big Apple
Chosun Ilbo
The first overseas branch of Caffé Bene opened on Broadway’s W 49th Street near Times Square in Manhattan last Friday, and its reception by New Yorkers has exceeded all expectations.
It is rare for a non-U.S. coffee franchise to open a store in a major U.S. city in these days of contracting financial markets, when even many local cafes are closing down as big-name coffee chains like Starbucks enlarge their presence and market shares. For example, there are now more Starbucks in Manhattan than there are metro stations.
A New York chef’s food excursion in Seoul
CNNGo
For Manhattan-based chef and restaurateur Hooni Kim, traveling around Korea is naturally all about the food.
“[In New York] I’ve been thinking of Hadongkwan’s gomtang for several years,” says the 39-year-old Korean-American chef. “And what surprised me the most on this trip was that it met my expectations. It was just so good.”
In Korea for a 10-day vacation with his wife, Kim made sure to look up his previous haunts as well as searching for new renditions of his favorite dishes.
Best chicken wings in the country
CNN.com
Bon Chon – New York City, NY
The cult Korean wings spot (which also boasts a karaoke lounge) features exquisitely crispy fried chicken either sauced with a sweet-pungent soy garlic sauce, or spicy hot. This is one of the few places where both choices are equally awesome, so go for half and half. The chain is now worldwide; besides the U.S., there are Bon Chons in the Philippines, Thailand, Dubai and Singapore. I doubt the Super Bowl is a big deal at Bon Chon, but they do have big screens that invariably play the same Euro disco video over and over so perhaps they can be persuaded to change the channel.
High school sophomore joins Orioles, drawing ire of KBO
Yonhap News
A South Korean high school sophomore has signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB), a transaction that had local baseball officials concerned about further departure of young talent.
The Orioles announced on their Web site that they have signed Kim Seong-min, a 17-year-old who pitched for Daegu Sangwon High School, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Dan Duquette, the team’s executive vice president of baseball operations, was quoted as saying Kim is “one of the top amateur left-handed pitchers in South Korea” who has “an excellent curveball and very good control.”
Video: Korean Pop Band Debuts on Letterman
Wall Street Journal
SPELLING BEE – Bobby Lee Video
YouTube
Comedian Bobby Lee fills in for popular YouTuber Ray William Johnson.
by Gwang-lip Moon/Korea Daily
The African American community in Dallas has been protesting a gas station run by a Korean-born U.S. citizen in a predominately black neighborhood in South Dallas for over a month, taking issue with what they claim were racial remarks by the station’s owner.
The Korean government dispatched the consul general of the Korean Consulate General in Houston to the area yesterday to help resolve the issue, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“We made emergent contact with the Korean community, requesting that its members restrain from an emotional response and examine their relationship with other communities,” an official of the ministry said.
According to the ministry and the local Korean community, the conflict occurred on Dec. 9, 2011, between the Korean-American owner of a gas station in southern Dallas and a black customer over the sale of gas.
The customer, complaining that the price of gas at the station was much higher than at other stations, demanded he be able to buy gas by smaller amounts than what the owner set as the minimum sales unit. The owner refused and told him to go to another station, to which the customer responded by telling the owner to go back to his country. The owner responded by telling the customer to go back to Africa. Continue Reading »
FOR ONLY $28!
Featured Event
It’s the new year, and Yim Jae Beum is coming to town! After a sold-out show in Los Angeles last October, he is coming back to hold two U.S. concerts for the 2012 Lunar New Year. Everyone already knows this man can sing! He’s got an impressive resume, debuting as a rock singer back in 1986, releasing Korean classics, such as “For You,” and most recently, joining and winning first place twice on the MBC show, “I am a Singer.”
Seattle and New Jersey, get ready! We are happy to announce that we will be giving away TWO (2) pairs of tickets! read more
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