Is Kim Jong Un Preparing to Become North Korea’s Economic Reformer?
Time

When young Kim Jong Un stood before the assembled throngs in Pyongyang on April 15, insisting that come hell or high water he would persist with his father’s “military first” policies — even in the wake of a humiliating failed missile launch — the young dictator uttered one sentence that was mostly ignored in the speech’s aftermath: “It is the party’s steadfast determination to ensure that the people will never have to tighten their belt again, and make sure they enjoy the riches and affluence of socialism to their heart’s content.”

Talking about “the affluence of socialism” in today’s North Korea is, of course, ludicrous. The economy “Lil’ Kim” inherited from his father is a disaster. Marcus Noland, the deputy director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C., and a close North Korea watcher, estimates that per capita income today is “lower than it was 20 years ago and by some reckonings is only now attaining the level it achieved in the 1970s.” He further notes that since a disastrous currency reform three years ago, inflation for basic goods like rice and coal has been running at about 100%, and on the black market, the North Korean currency has fallen by about the same amount. Aping his father’s economic policies, in other words, would be about the stupidest thing Kim could do.

Kim Jong-il calls for peace with South Korea in ‘will’
The Telegraph (U.K.)

Extracts from Mr Kim’s final testament have reportedly been obtained by two think tanks in South Korea, highlighting his requested future legacy for the state as his son Kim Jong-un takes over at the helm.

The late Mr Kim requests North Korea to renounce war with its longstanding opponent South Korea, according to extracts obtained and made public by the Sejong Institute, a South Korean think-tank. However, the alleged will also urges North Korea to wait in its pursuit of peace until a new leader comes to power in Seoul, with a reunification deemed impossible under the current regime of President Lee Myung-bak.

The gulag behind the goose-steps
The Economist

Looking down on members of a 1.1m-strong army that applauded his every remark, Kim Jong Un giggled with delight during the centenary on April 15th of the birth of his late grandfather, Kim Il Sung. The contrast with his unsmiling father, Kim Jong Il, who died in December, could not have been clearer.

Unlike his father, the mop-haired Mr Kim spoke directly to the nation, in a resonant voice that masked the monotony of his message. His regime invited international television crews to film the festivities. Unexpectedly, it admitted that a mission to put a satellite into orbit in honour of his grandfather had failed. It all made for good television, and some commentators claimed to detect signals from the young ruler of a new openness in the regime.

In South Dallas, Blacks and Koreans Are at it Again, and a Girl’s Scholarship is in the Crossfire
Dallas Observer

Korean American and African American community groups were at it again in Dallas, this time over  a squabble in connection with a local scholarship.

Dorothy Nam Never Runs Out of Energy
Chosun Ilbo

Dorothy Nam, host of the EBS radio talk show “Star English,” helps listeners learn English with appearances of English-speaking celebrities, telling their life stories and sharing tips for improving English. Her outgoing and cheerful character makes the show both fun and easy to approach.

Her professional credentials are backed by the many English education programs she has hosted. She already demonstrated her skills with her previous music show on Arirang FM “Evening Groove,” which she hosted live for six years. “I started hosting ‘Star English’ last summer,” Nam said. “The timing was perfect for me. I’m in my early 40s now and I have a lot of experiences that I’d like to share.” She said she finds guests for her current show by tapping into her long list of contacts.

Councilmember Valerie Ervin Recognizes Korean American Day
Patch.com (Takoma Park, Md.)

Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin (D-District 5) will join leaders of the Korean community and Maryland State Delegate Susan Lee Friday to officially celebrate the passage of a key amendment to Montgomery’s Special Days of Commemoration law.

It is an amendment that has officially designated Jan. 13 as Korean American Day. It’s reflective of the first Korean immigrants who arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1903.

The Walking Dead Panel Teases Season 3; Steven Yeun on Post-Apocalyptic Preparedness
AMC TV

Comic Book Resources reports that Steven Yeun isn’t sure how well he’d do in a real zombie apocalypse: “I was raised on the rough and tumble streets of Troy, Michigan… I know how to order a really solid plate of spaghetti — I think I’d be… helpful.”

Korea Gets Two Shots at Palme d’Or
The Wall Street Journal

South Korea scored big at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, with two films chosen to compete for the famed Palme d’Or at next month’s 65th annual celebration on the French Riviera. But compared with recent years, Asia was largely underrepresented in the official selection, which features a strong American presence.

On Thursday the festival announced its lineup, which includes director Hong Sang-soo’s “In Another Country” and “The Taste of Money” from director Im Sang-soo. Mr. Hong’s feature “Hahaha” won the Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes two years ago.

Into the Next Stage: Korean Americans 20 Years After the Riots
The Rafu Shimpo

With the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots almost upon us, I’ve done several interviews with various outlets interested in hearing my recollections of the time and perspective on how Korean Americans were impacted by it (a documentary, directed by Christine Choy of “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” fame, is scheduled to air April 29 on the Korean Broadcasting System).

It’s ironic: The “last straw” that made me vow to form MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans) in 1991 was the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I had been incensed that, rather than shedding any new light on the subject, the media had mostly rehashed old news, opened up old wounds, and renewed racial animosity toward Japan and therefore, Japanese Americans. By doing these new interviews, I was risking inflaming racial tensions once again between Asian Americans and African Americans.

But as an outsider, I believe I gave support to Korean Americans and spoke about issues that still plague Asian Americans in general like being misunderstood, being stereotyped, and not speaking up for ourselves.

Meeting Harold: A Q&A with John Cho
Yale Daily News

Q. Can you describe your experiences as an Asian-American actor in the entertainment industry, where Asian-Americans are typically underrepresented?

A. It’s really a change. Asians are looking to conquer the entertainment industry in a way that Asians have excelled in so many of the other professions. And now I notice them a lot. And you know Asians are over-represented on the studio side and executive side. So it’s really progressed a lot in the last 15 years since I started acting, but I’m very encouraged by it, and I hope the trend continues upward.

South Korea’s Favorite Wedding Rumor Resurfaces
The Wall Street Journal

For years, rumors occasionally surfaced in South Korea and Russia about a romance between a South Korean man and the daughter of Russian President-turned-Prime-Minister-turned-back-to-President Vladimir Putin. On Friday, they hit a fever pitch when a news agency reported the couple would be married next month. The news became the top story on South Korean web sites during the afternoon.

Korean Man Denies He Is to Wed Putin’s Daughter
Chosun Ilbo

A Korean man said to be about to marry Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s daughter on Friday denied the reports. “I’ve known Katya [Putin] for more than 10 years, but I have no marriage plans. I’m only 26 so it’s a bit too early for me to be thinking about marriage,” the man, whose surname is Yoon, told the Chosun Ilbo.

“Reports of an impending marriage are false.”

Q&A with Anthony Kim: Using data to help teachers make better decisions
The Hechinger Report

Anthony Kim is the CEO of Education Elements Inc., a California-based for-profit technology company that helps schools shop for and use educational software. He’s a behind-the-scenes leader in the blended-learning movement, where students learn from both computers and teachers. Before founding Education Elements at the end of 2010, Kim started the online virtual school, Provost Systems, which he ultimately sold to EdisonLearning.

Salt Lake Bees: Hank Conger says jump from high school to minors a difficult one
Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Ut.)

Life in the minors: a seemingly tangled web of league transactions, long road trips, and the goal of making it to the big leagues.

It’s a boy’s childhood dream, and though exciting, it’s a life that not many truly understand. Salt Lake Bees’ Hank Conger said the journey can be “grinding and monotonous.” Especially when you are young, on the road, and playing every single day. The 24-year old, who went 3-for-4 at bat and scored one run in Wednesday’s 6-4 victory over Las Vegas, is well aware of both the hardships and thrills that accompany the following of those boyhood dreams.

From fans to food to free time: foreign K-League players adapt to Korean life on and off the field
Yonhap News Agency

When Bas van den Brink arrived in South Korea last year to join the K-League, the Dutchman was still recovering slowly from an ankle injury. His new club, Busan IPark, wanted to show him to the fans quickly. The defender, who came from the more laid-back environs of the Australian league, apparently returned to action too soon and did not impress. Soon, his contract was canceled and he returned down under.

It was a sharp lesson in adapting to a new culture, one quite different in Korea, according to foreign players.

Since becoming a K-League player, Derek Asamoah, 30, a Ghanaian international now with K-league’s Pohang Steelers, trains harder and more often than ever before. He acknowledges that he is prepared to train and play even when he is not at his optimal condition because in Korea, players often go that extra yard for the team.

‘Chocolate Rain’ the song for Kang
Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama)

Biscuits outfielder Kyeong Kang quickly took the lead for unusual intro music this season when he strolled to the plate to the tune of a viral internet video. “Chocolate Rain,” a 5-year-old song that has almost 79 million views on YouTube, isn’t one of Kang’s favorites. He doesn’t like it at all.

“I don’t know who picked it,” Kang said. “Somebody else did.”

The song first introduced Kang last year at high-Class A Charlotte, Biscuits first baseman Mike Sheridan said. Kang’s teammates substitute “Kyeong Kang” every time the song uses “chocolate rain.”

“We’re all big fans of it,” said Sheridan, who said he’s innocent of putting it on this year’s list. “I think it relaxes him at the plate and makes him hit better.”

Kang stuck with it — blame baseball superstition — after getting a hit and an RBI in his first start with it.

World-renowned pianist set to perform at church in Harding Township
Observer-Tribune (Chester, N.J.)

World-renowned concert pianist, and Harding Township resident Min Kwon, will give area residents a taste of her impressive piano-playing skills.

“A Rising Star Concert,” a piano recital, will be presented by Kwon and her graduate students at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon, 2 Lee’s Hill Rd.

Kwon is a concert pianist and associate professor of music at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. She is also a member of the church.

Son’s Parties and Privilege Aggravate Fall of Elite Chinese Family
New York Times

Although Communist Party insiders say it was Bo Xilai’s populist reign in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing that ultimately brought him down, Bo Guagua’s high living clearly irritated party leaders, who named the son, a 24-year-old student at Harvard, in the official statement describing the reasons for his father’s fall from power.

One former government employee with party ties said the leadership tolerated a certain level of corruption among top officials or their relatives as long as it was kept out of public view. He said Mr. Bo’s collegiate antics, splashed across the Internet, were emblematic of an ambitious, cocksure family who often ignored the party’s conservative standards of public behavior.

South Korean bullfighting is for bulls only
Reuters via Yahoo News

There is no blood, nor much gore. No matador, either, or even his colorful cloak. In South Korea, bull fights bull.

This Time, a Less Predictable Pyongyang [News Analysis]
New York Times

Pyongyang’s recent sequence of decisions struck many outside analysts as baffling, even by North Korean standards. The government first made a deal with Washington in February to suspend long-range missile tests and then went ahead with a rocket launching last week, something it knew was regarded by the Americans as tantamount to a missile launch. It then invited foreign journalists for the launching but ended up not showing it to them.

Unlike the case with its last two failed satellite launches, which it insisted were successful, this time it admitted to its people that the rocket failed.

One people, two very different Koreas [OP-ED]
Los Angeles Times

What is incredible is that the two ‘halves’ of the Korean peninsula have fostered such disparate systems when they’re populated by people of the same ethnic origins.

US: No progress in North Korea missile program
Associated Press via Google News

North Korea’s recent failed rocket launch shows that the communist country has made little progress in its spaceflight program, the head of the U.S. missile defense program said Wednesday.

The assessment by Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O’Reilly raises questions about the immediate threat to the United States from a North Korean long-range missile and the billions that the U.S. spends to counter it.

North Korea Spent a Whole $15 Making Its Website
Wired.com

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has a Flash-heavy official webpage in English, to instruct the curious about the peculiar ways of its homebrewed “Juche” ideology (“…the masters of the revolution and construction are the masses of the people and that they are also the motive force of the revolution and construction…”). Not a bad look — functional, elegant — and certainly a step up from the GeoCities-esque design of its official news agency.

But, as it turns out, it’s an amateurish look. North Korea’s using a webpage template that costs $15.

Take a look at the source code. A keyword search for “envatowebdesign” will turn up a prompt comment from the site’s theme seller telling the person who bought it how to customize. Only whomever built the thing for Pyongyang didn’t bother. It’s a bit like leaving the plastic overlay on your fancy new TV telling you about the screen size. A quick check on the source code of the IgniteThemes “Blender” template confirms that it’s what North Korea built. Price check? $15.

Sudden Discussion on Race Grips South Korea
The Wall Street Journal

“While outrage at a brutal murder is natural, it is shameful to allow this to descend into racism and xenophobia,” Hankyoreh said. It said that the name-calling and criticisms were “irrational” and pointed out that Americans did not resort to sweeping generalizations against Koreans in the wake of shooting incidents that involved Korean-Americans.

Chosun Ilbo sees a double standard in the pride that Koreans are taking in the appointment of Korean-born American Jim Yong Kim to head of the World Bank with the knee-jerk, xenophobic criticism of Ms. Lee and other immigrants.

“It does not befit the world’s 15th-largest exporting country to get excited about the achievements of an American who comes from Korea but on the other hand to react with hostility to an immigrant who achieves something here,” a Chosun columnist wrote. “Such double standards are unacceptable.”

‘East Sea’ Spat Moves to White House Website
Chosun Ilbo

Koreans and Japanese are clashing on the White House website over the name of the body of water separating the two countries. After the Korean community in the U.S. filed an online petition with the White House demanding the publishers of public school textbooks there refer to it not only as the “Sea of Japan” but also the “East Sea,” Japanese Internet users began to fight back, claiming that “Sea of Japan” is the historical name.

As of Tuesday morning, 27,700 people had signed the petition submitted by the Korean community in Virginia. It urged 1,300 leaders of local Korean communities in America to take part in the petition. If more than 25,000 people sign the petition within 30 days, the White House reviews it and states its position or holds a hearing to determine the validity of the claim and hands the matter over to the relevant agency.

UC RIVERSIDE: Korean-American center sponsors competition
The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)

UC Riverside’s Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies is holding a Quiz Bowl to test middle-school students’ knowledge of the center’s namesake.

The competition Thursday at Young Oak Kim Academy in Los Angeles is for students in Los Angeles who read “Unsung Hero: The Story of Col. Young O. Kim.” The book about the highly decorated U.S. Army World War II and Korean War veteran and humanitarian activist was translated into English last year by Edward Chang, the director of the center and professor of ethnic studies at UCR.

Using science to bring together enemies
CNN

While tensions remain high between the United States and North Korea, the relationship is more cordial between their scientists.

Scientists from both nations are collaborating via nongovernmental organizations and universities on projects ranging from tuberculosis research and deforestation issues to digital information technology.

The idea behind science diplomacy is to build bridges and relationships through research and academics despite political tensions. This month, a delegation of North Korean economic experts visited Silicon Valley to see various American businesses and academic institutions such as Stanford University. It may seem like a bizarre concept that two countries, at odds with each other, would share scientific knowledge.

Nine teenagers nabbed for murdering and burying friend
Yonhap News

Nine teenagers have been detained on suspicion of beating a teenage girl to death and burying her body in a park, police said Wednesday.

The nine, including six high school students, are accused of brutally beating to death the 18-year-old with blunt weapons in an apartment in Goyang, north of Seoul, on April 5, for supposedly badmouthing them to others and refusing to heed their instructions, the Ilsan Police Station said.

The teenagers are also suspected of burying the victim’s body in a neighborhood park the following morning, the police said.

John Cho, Clark Duke Join ‘Identity Thief’
The Hollywood Reporter

John Cho and Clark Duke have joined the cast of The Identity Thief, a Universal comedy being toplined by Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.

Stills of Lee Byung-hun Whet Appetite for ‘G.I. Joe’ Sequel
Chosun Ilbo

New stills from “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” a sequel to a 2009 blockbuster “G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra,” have been released on U.S. websites, heightening fans’ excitement about the soon-to-be-released film.

Some of the images feature close-up poses of Storm Shadow, the role played by Korean actor Lee Byung-hun.

In Melbourne, New York’s David Chang talks microbiology
SmartPlanet.com

Microbiology is not something that we might associate with food, but according to New York chef David Chang, it’s the unsung hero of flavor.

The Michelin chef, who recently visited Australia for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, spoke in detail about his personal discovery of microbes — invisible organisms which play an influential role in cooking.

Windows Phone exec exits five months after being poached from Samsung
Engadget

Microsoft’s Gavin Kim was a high-profile capture for Redmond, as it poached the former Samsung and Motorola exec to bolster its Windows Phone marketing team. Now, just five months into the job, he’s departing after marshaling the “Smoked by Windows Phone” campaign into the world. The company wouldn’t go into specifics beyond saying that it was a personal decision to leave and Microsoft bears him no ill will — but then that’s what they always say.

JeongMee Yoon Explores Color And Gender In “Pink And Blue Project”
The Huffington Post

South Korean artist JeongMee Yoon first embarked on “The Pink and Blue Project” when her five-year-old daughter couldn’t get enough candy-colored possessions. She photographed her daughter Seowoo amongst her sea of pink things, from dolls to dresses to stuffed animals. She then began photographing little boys and girls amongst their color-coded belongings in a quest to better understand how gender shapes our lives from such a young age.

Yoon’s project is both adorable and unsettling. As toddlers, girls are already surrounded by primping and domestic products while boys are more interested in science, weapons and violence. The ready-made molds of femininity and masculinity are strongly present in the girls’ tutus and Easy Bake ovens and the boys’ Superman outfits and swords.

Just like dad, Kim Jong-un a boss at sports
ESPN

Kim Jong-il was probably the greatest athlete who ever lived. As has been widely documented, he shot five holes-in-one in his first try at golf and he once bowled a 300. Considering he could change the weather based on his moods, he was probably a boss at Ultimate Frisbee.

But what about his son, North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong-un? It’s been reported that he’s a huge basketball fan, but little has been revealed about his godlike athletic prowess.

Though we lost several interns in the process, Fandom’s sources have been able to penetrate the mysterious regime and uncover some incredible details about the Supreme Commander’s physical super-abilities. And to say the least, he’s a chip off the ol’ block.

– While Kim Jong-Il famously traveled everywhere by train, his rotund successor travels exclusively via somersault. It is said that he can cover up to a thousand miles of terrain per day. Glorious.

– Kim Jong-un is taller than Wilt Chamberlain and is twice as good with women.

AP PHOTOS: Flower show celebrates N. Korea founder
AP via Google News

North Korea’s failed rocket has reappeared in a new form — at an annual flower show that combines floral extravaganza with high praise for the country’s founding father Kim Il Sung.

To mark what would have been Kim’s 100th birthday, thousands came to central Pyongyang to view elaborate displays, mostly of the violet orchid Kimilsungia named in his honor and the red begonia Kimjongilia named for his son and successor, Kim Jong Il.

Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time [REVIEW]
Variety

Largely set in 1980s Busan, “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” is a rags-to-rogues crimer whose finely chiseled portraits of greed, self-preservation and depravity are buttressed by powerhouse perfs. Methodically chronicling the volatile alliance between a corrupt official and the city’s top mafioso, helmer-scribe Yoon Jong-bin (“Unforgiven,” “Beastie Boys”) achieves a down-and-dirty realism, but falls short of the Scorsese-style gangland epics to which it aspires, and likewise lacks the satirical punch of Ryoo Seung-wan’s political thriller “The Unjust.” Local B.O. recorded a satisfactory $32 million-plus; offshore, pic won’t languish in anonymity, either.

World Bank Officially Selects Kim as President
New York Times

The World Bank on Monday named Jim Yong Kim, a global health expert and the president of Dartmouth College, as its next president in a widely expected appointment that continues the longstanding tradition of an American leading the Washington-based development institution.

Like Grandfather, Like Grandson: Kim Jong Un Plays to North Korea’s Generals
Time.com

On April 15, the 100th anniversary of the his grandfather’s birth, beefy 29-year old Kim Jong Un stepped up to the microphone and for the first time, the citizenry of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as well as a world of curious onlookers, could actually hear what the young man sounded like. — The spitting image of his forefather’s propaganda portraits, “Lil’ Kim” — as he has been called by the foreign press — spoke clearly and with confidence for 20 minutes with the military’s general staff at his side and thousands of troops at attention in front of him in central Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung square, named after the founding dynast and “Great Leader.”

Reporters Visiting Pyongyang Get Rare Chance to Meet North Koreans
Voice of America

Celebrations in Pyongyang marking the 100th birth anniversary of North Korea’s first leader, Kim Il Sung, gave a few foreign journalists a rare chance to visit the reclusive and impoverished nation, and to talk with some of its people. VOA’s Sungwon Baik was one of them and has this report from the North Korean capital.

Security Council Expands Sanctions on North Korea
New York Times

The United Nations Security Council officially censured North Korea on Monday over the failed rocket launching of a satellite last week, saying it “strongly condemns” the action and had ordered its sanctions committee to expand the blacklist of North Korean goods, companies, and individuals connected to that country’s nuclear and missile programs.

Jasmine Lee Faces Racial Abuse After Election Win
Chosun Ilbo

A Philippine-born naturalized Korean who became a ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker has become the target of racist-tinged attacks on the Internet.

Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan Talk ‘Walking Dead’ Season 3
Screen Rant

Yeun and Cohan were greeted enthusiastically by the crowd at the event, prompting both to talk about how the show’s success has changed their lives; when they walk down the street now, they’re recognized as Glenn and Maggie. For Yeun, it even meant meeting a fan in Korea who waited for an entire day at a coffee shop near his hotel because he had gone there once earlier. Said Yeun: “I felt bad that she’d waited for me, so I bought her a hot chocolate.”

Actor reflects on Asian-American heritage
Yale Daily News

Actor John Cho — famous for his role as Harold Lee in the “Harold and Kumar” films — discussed the intersection of acting and Asian-American identity Saturday evening.

Cho, who has also appeared in “Star Trek” and “American Pie,” said he has always practiced a policy of “not doing stereotypical parts” that typecast Asian-Americans. He told anecdotes from his childhood and talked about his Korean heritage in front of more than 200 students in the Berkeley College dining hall as part of the Asian American Cultural Center’s annual celebration of Asian Pacific-American Heritage Month.

Lessons for my 5 year old, the tragedies at Oikos and Virginia Tech
San Francisco Chronicle

Tomorrow my daughter turns five years old. And having endured the San Francisco Unified School District “lottery” she will begin kindergarten in the fall. So I have been thinking a lot about how to prepare her for the classroom environment and, in a way, life. The tragedy last week at Oikos University, though, brought to mind another five-year anniversary, the massacre at Virginia Tech.

The day before my daughter was born, a Korean American student, Seung-Hui Cho, shot and killed thirty-two people and wounded another twenty-five, one of the worst massacres on a college campus in US history. But on April 16, 2007, I had other things on my mind. My wife was in active labor and I was devoted to the futile effort to keep her comfortable. I rushed her the hospital and in the wee hours of the next morning we had a medically uneventful delivery. I was overwhelmed with relief. As a pediatrician I have seen too many bad delivery outcomes to take for granted a pink screaming baby and a happily recovering mother.

New guidebook helps boro Koreans find help
TimesLedger (Queens, N.Y.)

Korean-speaking immigrants will have an easier time understanding what services they are entitled to after a new guide was jointly released by the city and a nonprofit group.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) lauded the newest translation of the Immigrant Rights and Services Manual at a news conference Monday.

“This is exactly what government should be doing — improving access to vital services and increasing engagement and participation,” she said in a statement.

Q&A with Director Joseph Kahn
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

I sat down with Director Joseph Kahn to talk about his new film Detention. One of the most successful music video directors or our time has released an independent film written, directed, and funded by himself. We discuss his past shooting music videos, our new generation of kids, and the difficult transition from music to feature films.

I was doing research before this interview and saw you’ve directed a lot of music videos I really like. I was surprised with how many early 90’s hip hop videos you did.

Joseph Kahn: I started doing Gangster Rap videos. [laughs]. If you want to trackback my early years, it’s the odyssey of an Asian nerd from the suburbs doing Gangster Rap videos.

North Korean press bus’s wrong turn shows off ugly side of Pyongyang
AP via San Jose Mercury News

The press bus took a wrong turn Thursday. And suddenly, everything changed in the official showcase of North Korean achievement.

A cloud of brown dust swirled down deeply potholed streets, past concrete apartment buildings crumbling at the edges. Old people trudged along the sidewalk, some with handmade backpacks crafted from canvas bags. Two men in wheelchairs waited at a bus stop. There were stores with no lights, and side roads so battered they were more dirt than pavement.

China Warns on North Korea
Wall Street Journal

China again expressed its “concerns and worries” over rocket-launch plans announced by North Korea ahead of an international nuclear summit in Seoul, as Beijing seeks to portray itself as a peacemaker amid rising pressure on Pyongyang from the U.S. and its allies.

But North Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator warned during a visit to Beijing against any attempt to interfere with the launch, a day after Japan’s defense minister said he would consider shooting down a North Korean missile if it poses a danger to that country.

More Certain North Korea Has More Uranium
Wall Street Journal

The American scientist to whom North Korea decided in 2010 to reveal its uranium enrichment program, Siegfried Hecker, says he’s become more persuaded since that time that he didn’t see all of it.

Mr. Hecker, the former director of the Los Alamos Laboratory who is now a professor at Stanford University, is in South Korea this week for a series of conferences leading up to next week’s Nuclear Security Summit. During a panel on the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs at the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference in Busan on Tuesday, he described the research he’s done on North Korea since his last visit there in November 2010.

Mom realizes dream to dance in Follies
Orange County Register

At rehearsal, a mother’s heart dances. At home, her daugher’s heart dances and she spins around the room until her wheelchair seems to disappear. Such is the magic of CHOC Children’s Hospital Follies where music and motion for 15 years have raised funds to help kids.

I’m sitting in Anna and Eugene Kim’s dining room in Brea to learn why a busy mom who works part-time as a county health nurse would battle rush-hour traffic for months to make it to Follies’ rehearsals.

Teenager Sentenced for Killing Grades-Obsessed Mother
Wall Street Journal

A Seoul court on Tuesday sentenced an 18-year old boy to three years and six months in prison for killing his mother, a crime he said he was driven to by the physical and mental abuse he sustained because of her obsession with his school grades.

The case came to light late last year after the boy’s father, who lived apart from his family, visited home after a year and found a bedroom door tightly sealed and his son acting suspiciously.

Indictment: Shop owner hid $1.2 million from IRS
Baltimore Sun

The owner of a Northeast Baltimore liquor store was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on suspicion of making strategic cash deposits totaling more than $1 million in order to avoid paying taxes, prosecutors said.

For more than two years, Kwang Sik Kim, 56, of Clarksville made more than 100 deposits at local banks in amounts less than $10,000 in order to avoid a federal reporting requirement, according to a statement Tuesday from Maryland’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. Kim is the owner of Limetree Liquors, in the 1700 block of E. Northern Parkway in Baltimore.

Life Coaches Help Kids Deal With Challenges
DNAinfo.com

As overworked and stressed adults look for somebody to help organize their chaotic lives, Upper East Side kids are now mixing traditional after-school activities, such as drama and art, with consultation sessions with their coaches.

“It’s about bringing out their full potential,” said Helen Kim, an instructor who opened the 91st Street Academy, which offers coaching among other, more typical, after-school activities such as drama and art.

The academy now coaches 12 kids. Prices start at $199 a month for a weekly three-hour session that includes supervised homework time, a consultation with a coach and an additional class. A half-hour, one-off coaching session costs $30.

Eden: SXSW Review
Hollywood Reporter

Winner of SXSW’s Audience Award for narrative feature, the picture takes a non-exploitative approach to lurid material. Jamie Chung plays Hyun Jae, a New Mexico teen who gets into a stranger’s car and winds up deep in the desert, imprisoned in a self-storage facility where dozens of girls are forced to work as call girls by a team whose boss (Beau Bridges) is a corrupt Federal Marshall.

After unsuccessful attempts at escape, the girl (nicknamed Eden) adapts, accepting her plight to such an extent that she helps drug-addled captor Vaughan (Matt O’Leary, more convincing here than in his other fest entry, Fat Kid Rules the World) recapture other escapees in order to curry favor.

North Korean National Symphony Orchestra Coming To The U.S.
Huffington Post

An Atlanta-based nonprofit is planning to bring North Korea’s national orchestra to the U.S. for a tour that would start in Atlanta, according to the group’s president.

The North Korean National Symphony Orchestra is planning a concert in Atlanta this spring followed by a tour of several other cities, said Robert Springs, the president of Global Resource Services, a humanitarian group that works in North Korea.

He said he hopes the visit will take place in the spring but that the details are still being worked out and the visit is still awaiting government approval. Springs’ group has sent three musical groups to North Korea over the last 14 years, including Christian rock group Casting Crowns.

Daniel Kim accused of punching infant son hard enough to crack his skull
Denver Westword

According to a police affidavit obtained by KRDO-TV, Kim’s stories were initially inconsistent. But he eventually told investigators that after being awakened by Ezra’s cries and failing to quiet him, he “snapped.”

What’s that mean? Kim allegedly said he slugged Ezra with “basically everything I could throw.”

Christopher Mintz-Plasse Reveals John Cho Is in GET A JOB, Tweets First Set Photos
Collider.com

Director Dylan Kidd (Roger Dodger) started shooting Get a Job this week, and Mintz-Plasse has tweeted a couple revelations from the set. First, John Cho is yet another great addition to the cast. (I was shocked to learn that Cho will turn 40 this year, which adds a significant bump to the average age of the cast.) Second, he posted two amusing photos from the set to Instagram.

South Korea to push ecotourism near tense border with North
Mother Nature Network

Untouched by developers for six decades due to the military standoff, the scenic areas surrounding the world’s last Cold War frontier have paradoxically become a peaceful haven for wildlife.

The 155-mile-long borderline which bisects the peninsula was fixed when the 1950-53 war ended with an armistice. A Demilitarized Zone extending for two kilometres each side of the line was designated as a buffer zone.

Thousands of tourists who visit the truce village of Panmunjom within the DMZ each year get a grim reminder of the peninsula’s tragic past.

Now Seoul is trying to put a more positive spin on the border region, by promoting its ecological value and opening trekking routes which will also give visitors a glimpse of the secretive North.

Swimmer of the Year: Leo Lim, Tenafly
Bergen County Record (N.J.)

In four seasons, Lim never lost an individual race in a dual or county meet.

“It was a fun ride. It’s been a great four years,” Lim said. “Swimming was different before high school started. It was just little kids swimming, but swimming in high school with Jin [Roh], Alex [Liulakis], Greg [Spiropoulos], Marcus [Lee] and Parker [Huguley] made swimming fun for all of us.”

This is the third time Lin has earned The Record Boys Swimmer of the Year award.

Benson Henderson Is No ‘Prima-Donna’ Champion
Fightline

Whether or not you thought that Benson Henderson deserved to win a unanimous decision over Frankie Edgar — and, subsequently, the UFC lightweight title — or not, the fact can’t be denied that The Smooth One is championship material.

With the ending of their bout controversial in the eyes of many and Edgar’s history of doling out rematches as champion, Henderson was sympathetic to Edgar’s plight and went on record saying The Answer deserved an immediate second-go at the title. The rematch was eventually set up, despite UFC president Dana White’s repeated urgings for Edgar to drop to featherweight to free up the 155lbs division.

Adoptee looks to represent Korean cricket
Korea Times

For 15 years, he was Sazal Mahamud, a citizen of Bangladesh. Then in November 2010, he was adopted by a Korean family and looked forward to a new chapter in his life.

And the 17-year-old, now known as Kim Dae-yeon, encountered unexpected joy here, when he found he could resume his national youth team pedigree in cricket and furthermore represent his new country at the upcoming Asian Games.

YouTube Star of the Week: Sherry Kim
Mochi Mag

Sherry Kim, also known as Fantasiex3 on YouTube, is a Korean American pianist known for her beautiful and unique choices in piano covers. Raised in Las Vegas, she is currently studying piano performance at Northwestern University. We had the opportunity to interview the self-proclaimed “cheesy romantic” in between her busy schedule, and we’re enchanted by her confidence—something we hope that all Mochi readers can learn from. Read on to learn how she got started, her eclectic taste in music, and the huge project she has been working on.

Jessica Hyejin Lee Coming Out for the Undocumented Community
DreamActivist Pennsylvania via YouTube

Jessica Hyejin Lee and Tania Chairez, two undocumented youth from Pennsylvania, were arrested by the Philadelphia Police today after blocking the street in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Field Office. Before their arrest, Jessica and Tania had entered the ICE Philadelphia Field Office building and declared their undocumented status. Unafraid of deportation, they acted to confront the unjust immigration system, reclaim their human rights, and call attention to the deportations that are tearing apart their communities. To learn more about the action and their cause, check here: http://dreamactivistpa.org/

‘Path open’ for North Korea talks, neighbors say
BBC News

In Washington the three officials, America’s top diplomat on Asia Kurt Campbell, South Korea’s nuclear envoy Lim Sung-nam and Japan’s representative to the six-party talks Shinsuke Sugiyama, said they were committed to the denuclearisation deal.

“We also agreed that a path is open to North Korea towards the resumption of talks and improved relations with the United States, Japan and Republic of Korea through dialogue,” a statement said.

North Korea’s Runaway Sushi Chef Remembers Kim Jong Un
Time.com

Fujimoto is one of the few people outside the regime’s inner circle to have been tight with the Great Leader’s heir apparent, Kim Jong Un. So tight, he says, that he insisted to his publisher that his fourth book, Successor of the North: Kim Jong Un be published on Oct. 10, 2010 – the day he predicted, through a complicated formula having to do with Kim Jong Il’s penchant for baccarat and the number 9, that Kim would name his youngest son as the next leader of North Korea.

The announcement was made to the world that day, but Fujimoto says it was years earlier, on Jong Un’s 9th birthday, that the boy’s future came into focus. “Kim Jong Il gave him a song as a birthday gift,” he says over dinner at a Sichuan restaurant in central Tokyo. The song, whose title translates as “Sound of Footsteps,” made it clear that Jong-Un, not either of his older brothers, was the chosen one.

Members Of Korean American Community Condemn Local Radio Hosts
Neon Tommy (blog)

The “John and Ken Show” upset the Korean American community during their Jan. 5 broadcast, when Kobylt discussed a lawsuit against his “Korean painter” and claimed that he sued him for not doing an adequate job.

When Shannon Farren, a news contributor to the show, asked why his ethnicity was relevant, Kobylt said, “…there’s a lot of, like, Korean painter scam guys” and “there’s certain cultures that become involved in certain lines of work.”

Mind Your Manners: Eat With Your Hands
New York Times

When the chef Roy Choi surveys the busy dining room of A-Frame, his restaurant in Culver City, Calif., only one thing can dampen his mood: cutlery. “I see people cutting kalbi ribs like a steak, and it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard,” he said.

A-Frame, whose eclectic menu Mr. Choi says was inspired by Hawaiian cuisine, is utensils optional. Though a basket of silverware is provided at each table, when the grilled pork chop or market salad arrives, servers advise customers that they’ll be missing out if they pick up a fork. “Then there are a lot of questions like ‘Am I really supposed to?’ and ‘Is there something else I need?’ ” Mr. Choi said. “But the moment we answer ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ people usually just go for it.”

Suchin Pak’s Lower East Side Favorites
Bowery Boogie (blog)

Lower East Side’s own SuChin Pak, the mastermind behind the annual Hester Street Fair, divulges her favorite neighborhood haunts as part of NBC’s web series “My New York.” In this bite-size video clip, the former MTV veejay and current DailyCandy contributor walks around and explains her picks.

You can watch the video here: Bowery Boogie

Hot New Year Gift: 100 Trillion Dollars
The Wall Street Journal

A few Korean online traders began promoting several interesting currency notes, including Zimbabwe’s now-defunct $100 trillion dollar bill as a fun souvenir that can be handed out as part of “sebaedon,” the allowance that kids receive when they bow to their adult relatives, wishing for their wellbeing and good luck, on the morning of New Year’s Day, which is next Monday on the lunar calendar. The amount a child receives depends on many factors, but usually ranges from 10,000 won to 100,000 won.

Samsung Brings Two-Way TV Screens to Life
Chosun Ilbo

Samsung Electronics will mass-produce the world’s first 46-inch transparent liquid crystal display panels from late January, it said on Tuesday.

The transparent panel is a next-generation display device that can be watched from both sides because it is as clear as glass. It also consumes 1/15 less power than other LCD panels of the same size.

Burgers Reinvented With A Korean Kick At bopNgrill
Chicagoist.com

The highlight of the menu is the wide selection of Koreanized burgers. The soft shell crab burger is deep fried, combining a flaky bite of seafood decadence with a hearty sprinkling of crunchy cabbage, topped with a sweet and slightly spicy sauce to complete the burger. Other favorites include the Umami burger, which is covered with a smoked gouda cheese, a truffled duxelle, a peppery tograshi mayo and crispy bacon smeared with a sun-dried tomato confit, and the kimchi burger for those who love the vinegary tartness of kimchi, topped with the sweet flavor of chili paste aioli.

Shin-Soo Choo, Indians avoid arbitration
AP via ESPN.com

Choo earned a respectable raise despite his troubled 2011 season, getting a $4.9 million deal after making $3.975 million last season.

The 29-year-old South Korean batted .259 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 85 games. But Choo had two lengthy stints on the disabled list and was arrested for drunken driving, an incident that affected his play.

Kim Byung-hyun joins Nexen
Korean Herald

The Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they have inked the right-handed submariner to a one-year deal worth 500 million won ($436,870), with a club option for 100 million won. The team also gave him 1 billion won as a signing bonus.

Kim, who turns 33 on Thursday, played for the Rakuten Eagles in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last season and was released in November.

John Cho | Erotic Instruments, Landing In A Nas Video, & Weed Hangovers

John Cho stopped to talk with Karmaloop TV and Antenna about his rock band, erotic instruments, fashion, being in a Nas music video, hangovers and Total Recall among other topics.

WED's Links: Asian Ams grab Obama’s attention, Jenna Ushkowitz, SK's 1st Chemical Castration Pedophile; Uglydoll Makers http://t.co/w9gRr0sH

Tuesday's Links: North Korea (again), K-Pop, Author Krys Lee, Man charged with slapping loud kid in theater http://t.co/DhC62HjN

The Ten Most Fashionable Asian-Americans In NYC http://t.co/oTE8EJCN

Just a reminder, the SMTOWN live streaming K-pop concert is going on ... right now! http://t.co/JywXQ91F

I uploaded a @YouTube video http://t.co/NnQFpSdq SMTOWN World Tour - EXO, SHINEE, f(x) Performance P.2