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Kang Hyun-kyung

Korea Times Editorial Reporter

I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.

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Small act of kindness saves Korean American owner of looted business

Korean American Dae-oh Yang's women's apparel store Venus Fashion in Chicago was looted on May 31 when Black Lives Matter protests swept the city. Racks are left on the floor with debris of the looting in this combination of six photos taken from different angles at the store. / Courtesy of Dae-oh YangSmall donors, their words of encouragement help Korean American to rebuild businessBy Kang Hyun-kyungDae-oh Yang's phone was ringing hot on the morning of May 31. The Korean American owner of the women's apparel store Venus Fashion in Chicago, Illinois, found he had missed several calls and urgent text messages from his customers. They said looters had broken into his store and items had been stolen.Located in the southern part of the city, Venus Fashion is a one hour drive from Yang's home in the north. His store was closed back then due to the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduled to reopen June 1. Lots of missed calls and texts from his concerned friends and acquaintances broke the peaceful Sunday morning.Hours later, Yang, 54, was devastated when he checked his store. It had been destroye

Jul 14, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Small act of kindness saves Korean American owner of looted business
Books

'Park Won-soon was odd man out in ruling camp'

The late Seoul mayor Park Won-soon / YonhapBook endorsing Seoul mayor as next president released after his deathBy Kang Hyun-kyung“Killing Park Won-soon,” the title of author Hwang Sei-youn's non-fiction book, is prophetic. It was initially scheduled to be published Friday, the day Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead on Mount Bukak, Seoul, after having gone missing. Police told reporters that Park was believed to have committed suicide, noting there was no evidence that could support murder. The final draft of “Killing Park Won-soon” was completed, but the author put off its official publication until sometime after Park's funeral. “I'm afraid that people could misinterpret my intention if I push for publication as scheduled,” Hwang told The Korea Times over the phone, Saturday. “They would think I'm trying to profit from his death and sell my book. I'm not such an unethical, self-serving author.” Contrary to its title, the book was written to promote Park as the most qualified politician for the 2022 presidential election. The au

Jul 12, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
'Park Won-soon was odd man out in ruling camp'
  • Deaths of two leaders left Korean society divided
Law & Crime

Specter of LA riots haunts Koreans in US

Korean American Association of Greater New York (KAAGNY) President Charles Yoon with blue tie, center, and Rev. Al Sharpton pose with Korean American community leaders and members of the National Action Network in New York on June 13. / Courtesy of KAAGNYIn 1992, angry mobs burned down Koreatown; this time, shops were looted by opportunists in guise of protesters By Kang Hyun-kyungA Korean American merchant surnamed Kim ― who operates a mid-sized shop selling skincare, haircare and other health and beauty-related products in America's northeast ― has been wary of the fallout from the Black Lives Matter protests since May when the movement gained steam in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and spread to other cities.She said she fully supports the protests and is on the same page with protesters regarding the social justice causes they are fighting for.But, as a self-made immigrant having successfully built her own business through decades of hard work, Kim said she is worried that her shop could be targeted for looting and vandalism as over 110 Korean-owned shops in several cities had been dama

Jul 9, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Specter of LA riots haunts Koreans in US
  • Author defines LA riots as multi-ethnic incident
Books

Author defines LA riots as multi-ethnic incident

Koreans in LA stage a protest in LA during the racial unrest in this May 2, 1992 file photo. / Korea Times file'LA Rising' puts forth US racial debate to overcome binary white-black tensionBy Kang Hyun-kyungKorean American author Kyeyoung Park's “LA Rising: Korean Relations with Blacks and Latinos after Civil Unrest” is a critical review of the dominant discourse in the U.S. about the 1992 social unrest that burned down Koreatown and left Korean immigrants helpless. Her analytic piece, published by Lexington Books in August 2019, and its findings are timely as the book was released months before the Black Lives Matter protests that gained traction in May following the death of George Floyd. He was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill.In 1991, Rodney King was beaten mercilessly by Los Angeles Police Department officers. Videos of police brutality in both cases that aired on TV created rage among black communities. Unlike Floyd, however, King survived his brutal beating. Revealing vividly systematic racism, the two tragic

Jul 9, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Author defines LA riots as multi-ethnic incident
  • Specter of LA riots haunts Koreans in US
Books

What's wrong with Mr. Kim's English

Park Si-soo's book “Winning English” is on display at Kyobo Books near Gwanghawmun Square. Korea Times'Winning English' asks what kind of English you'd like to learnBy Kang Hyun-kyungPark Si-soo's “Winning English” is a witty, informative guidebook for Koreans who are eager to improve their English skills to a level at which they can freely use it for work.With his practical, realistic advice drawn from his 13 years of experience as an English newspaper reporter, "Winning English" will be useful particularly for those who have invested a lot of time, money and energy only to find little progress made in usable skills.The author revisits how Koreans learn English and analyzes why the time and money investments they've made haven't paid off. He uses a real-world case study to help readers understand what's wrong with the traditional way of learning English and how learners can hone their language skills to reach the level they desire. The author tells the story of a mid-career employee, Mr. Kim, who has been working with an unnamed established construction and m

Jul 3, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
What's wrong with Mr. Kim's English
Films

Filmmakers encounter post-production dilemma

Reaching millions of viewers isn't realistic for the majority of independent filmmakers. / gettyimagesbankUnable to hire distributors, many documentary filmmakers desperate to secure screensBy Kang Hyun-kyungWhat is it like being a filmmaker whose movie storms into the top spot at the box office after it opens? Many art and independent filmmakers have imagined the thrilling moment while filming.For blockbuster films featuring big stars, it's relatively easy to attract millions of viewers and have a strong showing in local theaters because their financially capable studios have knowhow and expertise in marketing, distribution and other post-production issues.But the story for independent filmmakers is very different. Their budget is tight and many of them, particularly first-time directors, are strangers to the post-production process. Reaching millions of viewers isn't realistic for the majority of independent filmmakers. Without a division of labor in many cases because they cannot hire distributors or marketing experts for financial reason, they are grappling with heavy workloads b

Jul 1, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Filmmakers encounter post-production dilemma
Books

Twisted fate of Korean War hero

Korean War refugees walk down the road in Daejeon City in this 1950 photo.  / Courtesy of Noonbit PublishingPhotobook presents collateral damage, civilians hit hardest By Kang Hyun-kyungA voluminous photobook featuring some 300 pictures taken during and after the Korean War has been published, showing how the war changed the fate of both renowned and ordinary people. “An Unfinished War: The Korean War” was published by Noonbit Publishing Co. on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war on June 25.“The message of this thick book is rather simple. We are against war,” Lee Kyu-sang, founder and president of Noonbit Publishing Co., told The Korea Times. He said the publication is part of his personal effort to right the wrongs of history as South Korea remains “stuck in the past.”Most of the photos used have not been made public before.Lee said he considers the Korean War unfinished as it still affects the lives of people of the two Koreas, noting he tried to present the lingering fallout of the war which has torn the lives o

Jun 26, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Twisted fate of Korean War hero
North Korea

Two left-wingers cause stir for divisive comments

Radio news show host Kim Eo-jun / Korea Times fileBy Kang Hyun-kyungTwo left-wing figures have found themselves in trouble after drawing public backlash over their inappropriate remarks on minorities in Korean society. Poet and commentator Kim Gab-su dropped out of a KBS daytime talk show after his controversial remarks on North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker Ji Sung-ho.Kim Eo-jun, who rose to stardom among President Moon Jae-in's supporters for his satirical comments and critical views about conservative politicians, came under fire for his apparent criticism of housing tenants. As a panelist in the talk show on June 8, Kim Gab-su rebuked the main opposition United Future Party lawmaker for his remarks on the anti-North Korea leaflets sent by North Korean defectors. “I am telling this to a man named Ji Sung-ho. Know yourself. Please know where you are from,” Kim said. “We accepted you and let you win the election to become a lawmaker. Aren't we so nice to you? If you agree, from now on, you'll never say anything like what you said earlier.”Kim warned Rep. Ji

Jun 19, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Two left-wingers cause stir for divisive comments
Books

Old travelogue revisited

Bak Ji-won's “The Jehol Diary” is a multiple-volume book which detailed his experiences and discoveries during his five-month trip to China in 1780. / Korea Times fileAuthor says 'Jehol Diary' is Joseon's finest literary work By Kang Hyun-kyungJoseon scholar Bak Ji-won (1737-1805) was an academic ahead of his time.Unlike his contemporaries, who were content with the Confucian way of thinking and made little effort to move forward, Bak was creative, inquisitive and open to new ideas and ways of thinking. His strong personality and his pragmatic way of thinking are reflected in his famous travelogue, “The Jehol Diary,” a multiple-volume book which detailed his experiences and discoveries during his five-month trip to China in 1780. He was part of Joseon's delegation sent to China to pay tribute to Qing's Qianglong Emperor on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Park Soo-mil, an expert who has researched Bak and his works for 25 years, revisited the Joseon scholar's travelogue in his new book, “First Step Toward the Jehol Diary: Meet Joseon's Best Literary Pi

Jun 19, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Old travelogue revisited
Opinion

Information warfare

By Kang Hyun-kyung“A pretentious sister-in-law is worse than an abusive mother-in-law.” This old Korean saying refers to married women's dilemma when they are stuck in a dispute with their in-laws. Many Koreans believe that in-laws, particularly female in-laws, are virtually impossible to forge an alliance with regardless of the issues that pit them against each other.Those women have no faith in their sisters-in-law, even if they try to intervene in settling the dispute. Daughters-in-law are suspicious that their sisters-in-law join in the dramas to perpetuate them, rather than serving as peacemakers. The central idea of the psychology of a daughter-in-law is that what irritates us is our counterpart's real intention behind his or her deed. I think this in-law mentality can help convince those who remain clueless about Pyongyang's recent erratic reactions to leaflets “flown” by those they call “traitors” ― North Korean defectors.North Koreans appear to view South Korea's government as a pretentious sister-in-law, while the defectors are an aggress

Jun 17, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung
Information warfare
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