Among my middle-aged peers, I stand out as somewhat unique: I stay closely attuned to youth culture, from music and fashion to their evolving slang. Perhaps this comes naturally because I teach and counsel young people, and I also try…
My Koreaphile friends, Lee Jae-myung (이재명) from the liberal Democratic Party won the presidential election here in Korea! It is a win for progressives around the world. Let me introduce you a little about Lee Jae-myung. He is someone who…
Two bards have crossed paths to share their sorrow, lamenting a world that relentlessly pours down rain upon them, even as they leap skyward, to rise higher than anyone else. Rain, a recurring motif in their past songs, has often…
On April 4th, Yoon Suk-yeol, the former president who bewildered and angered Korean citizens on the night of December 3rd by declaring illegal martial law and sending storm troopers to the National Assembly (Korea’s version of Congress) to arrest Democratic…
(translated in 2018) The term ‘singularity’ originates from a mathematical concept, indicating a point where properties cannot be precisely deciphered, with all equations going haywire and becoming nonsensical. In this song, RM adopts this concept, infusing it with…
One of my students left Korea last year to attend law school in Boston. When she visited me one afternoon to say goodbye, I borrowed a piece of encouragement RM had given to Jimin on his 20th birthday. Studying in…
I was talking about Korean films with an American friend the other day and ended up recommending many of my favorites. These are the titles (out of over 300 Korean movies that I’ve watched over the years) that have stayed…
(originally translated in 2018; revised in 2021) Alain de Botton’s “On Love” might be the best book ever written about love, or perhaps anti-love. In this novel, the protagonist embarks on a maddening quest from the moment he falls…
Recently, someone asked me to introduce some good Korean bands, which inspired me to start posting about my favorites and share them with everyone. Now, another foreign friend who’s planning a trip to Korea has asked for recommendations on the…
