Korean Quarterly

Theater Mu to broadcast play Today Is My Birthday online
2021-02-05 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | NY
Theater Mu will produce the play Today Is My Birthday by Soon He Stanton February 6 through 21 in a live broadcast format.
Today Is My Birthday is about loneliness in the age of connection captured in a story about an would-be writer in Hawaii who stumbles into a gig as an actor on a shock-jock radio dating show. With a mixture of phone calls, voice mails, and radio spots, the play describes the predicament of a person with 1,000 friends on Facebook, but no one to have dinner with.
Mu is offering pay-as-you-are pricing for its 2020-21 season. The standard ticket price is $35. Audience members can pay less if they need to – as little as $5 per ticket.
The preview show will be 7 p.m. (CST) Friday, February 5. Opening night is 7 p.m. Saturday, February 6, and the remaining shows will be broadcast 2 p.m. on two Sundays, February 7 and 14; and 7 p.m. daily Wednesday, February 10 through Saturday, February 13.
Susan Soon He Stanton is a playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer from Aiea, Hawaii. Lily Tung Crystal is an actor, director, and artistic director of Theater Mu.

Korean Adoptees of Chicago celebrate Seollal
2021-01-30 17:00 - 18:00
Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH) will celebrate the Korean lunar new year (Seollal) with a virtual celebration (and optional cook-along) on Saturday, January 30 from 5 to 6 p.m.
KAtCH member Taneka Hye Wol Jennings will cook dduk guk, a traditional soup for good luck in the new year made with beef broth and Korean rice cakes. This virtual celebration is free, but reservations are required on an Eventbrite site (see link).
To cook along and make dduk guk at home for Seollal (and have better luck in the new year), see the recipe included on the Eventbrite reservation site.

AK Connection sponsors free mask giveaway for Korean adoptees
2021-01-30 10:30 - 12:00
A free mask giveaway for Korean adoptees will take place at various sites in the Twin Cities, sponsored by the Minnesota-based Korean adoptee resource organization AK Connection. AK Connection has received hundreds of masks from the South Korean media resource Ddanzi (http://www.ddanzi.com
To reach as many recipients as possible, the giveaway will be limited to 20 masks per person. Recipients will get a maximum of10 KN94 masks and 10 Zinide masks (which are black and appear to be similar to the KN94 mask).
The first giveaway will take place Sunday, January 24 at Bap and Chicken restaurant, 1328 Grand Ave., St. Paul, from noon to 1 p.m. The second giveaway event will be held Sunday, January 30, at Dong Yang Korean grocery store parking lot, 725 45th Avenue NE, Hilltop, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. More giveaway events will be held later as needed.

Korea Society offers online Korean language classes
2021-01-25
January 25 is the first day of class for students enrolled in the Korea Society’s online Korean language lessons for winter 2021.
There are a wide variety of levels, from Introductory classes to Advanced Reading and Discussion. There are also three conversational Korean classes. The classes will also include sections for Beginning Korean I and Beginning Korean II.
Classes meet once a week for 12 weeks, from January 25 through April 17 (21 classroom hours) and are all online, due to pandemic restrictions. For more information, an application, and a listing of course offerings, please refer to the website (below). Class tuition is $400, $450 for beginning level classes, and textbooks are an additional cost.

AK Connection mask giveaway for Korean adoptees
2021-01-24 12:00 - 13:00

Event for launch of report Redefining Wealth Through Communal and Cultural Assets
2021-01-20 16:00 - 17:00
A Twin Cities Asian American political action organization will launch its economic report on Asian Minnesotans and wealth building entitled Redefining Wealth Through Communal and Cultural Assets in a free online session on Wednesday, January 20.

The research was conducted by the Coalition for Asian American Leadership (CAAL), a St. Paul-based organization. It included communities from 10 different Asian ethnic groups, and offers a deeper look at practices and values that drive wealth building in this diverse population. The event will go in-depth about the research findings, and include commentary from leaders working on wealth building about how the findings can be used.
The intent of the research is to build inclusivity and explore prosperity models, grounded in cultural intelligence and values, to combat poverty and build wealth. The session is open to the public, and is particularly relevant to those working in banking, housing, workforce, small business, or in the general community development field. Sign-up for the Zoom link is required at the link below.

Author talk - The Magical Language of Others by E.J. Koh
2021-01-13 17:00 - 18:00
Writer E.J. Koh will be the featured writer in an online author talk about her new memoir The Magical Language of Others on January 13.
The memoir is a story of growing up and coming of age after her parents, after living with the author and her younger brother in the U.S. for a decade, return to South Korea for work, and leave 15-year-old Eun Ji and her brother behind in California. The story includes how Eun Ji rediscovers her mother’s letters in a box, reads them years later. The story encompasses how the author grapples with reconciliation, legacy, and intergenerational trauma.
The event is a free live stream on Tuesday, January 13 at 5 p.m. CST (6 p.m. EST), and requires signup at the viewing link.

Korean Institute of Minnesota deadline for spring enrollment
2021-01-11
January 11 is the deadline for enrollment for spring semester of Korean Institute of Minnesota, a Saturday school for Korean culture and language, located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Because of the ongoing pandemic, all classes will be held on line for the second semester of the school year, which will run for 11 consecutive Saturdays, from February 6 to April 24.
Pre-K through third grade classes will meet in small groups with a teacher for 30 minutes each week. Grades four through six will meet for one-hour classes. Due to the online platform, Pre-K through sixth grade classes will not include taekwondo or self-esteem topics. Teen classes will also meet for one-hour sessions. Adult (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Korean language classes will meet for 75- to 90-minute sessions and be supplemented with offline materials. There may be some adjustments based on student and parent response from the fall on-line class evaluations.
Participants will receive teacher and class assignments by January 29. Tuition is $200 per semester for Pre-K to sixth grade, and $225 per semester for teen and language-intensive classes, with an additional cost for textbooks. There is also a family discount and tuition assistance is available. Please refer to the website for more information and registration forms.

Online event Residual Trauma: The Island of Dokdo to include Q and A of documentary filmmakers
2020-12-18 17:00 - 18:00
Minnesota filmmaker Matthew Koshmrl and editor/producer Christina Sun Kim will collaborate in a special online program about their film Land of My Father. The program is cosponsored by the Korean American Association of Greater Austin. Select scenes from the film are available to view on the film’s website, and on Friday, December 18 at 5 p.m. CST there will be a Facebook live Q and A with the Koshmrl/Kim team.
Land of My Father is about the history of the Dokdo Islands of South Korea, and their importance to the modern history and present-day relationship of Korea. The documentary particularly examines the meaning of the Dokdo Islands to South Koreans today, as seen through the lives of two activists.

President-elect Biden and the Korea peace process
2020-12-01 19:00 - 20:30
International affairs expert Han-shik Park will be the guest speaker at the fourth annual Minnesota Forum, entitled President-Elect Biden and the Korea Peace Process, will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m. CST.
Park is the former director of the International Affairs Institution, University of Georgia, and his areas of expertise include human rights, sustainable development and East Asian Politics.
The Minnesota Forum is a guest speaker series offered by the Korean American Association of Minnesota in cooperation with the University of Minnesota.
To RSVP for this free forum, contact hj*******@***il.com or RSVP with the google form below.

Fourth annual gala for Chicago-area Korean American advocacy organizations
2020-11-13 18:00 - 21:00
The Hana Center of Chicago, and the National Korean American Advocacy, Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) will jointly host their fourth annual gala event entitled Rooted in Community, Organizing for Change. The event will be held Friday, November 13, 6 to 9 p.m. at Café La Cave, in DesPlaines, IL.
The evening will include a reception, dinner and program, featuring the Seoul Sisters HANA Senior Line Dancers and the HANASori Youth Drummers. Keynote speaker will be Helen Gym, council member of the Philadelphia City Council. For more information, contact Joyce Yang at: jy***@********er.org. A link to the event, including ticket information, is on a Facebook event (link included on this item).

Five Korean Americans running for Congress speak out
2020-09-30 16:00 - 17:00
Five Korean Americans running for Congress will speak in a panel to be held Wednesday, September 30, at 4 p.m. CDT. The event, 2020 Year of the Korean American Political Hallyu: Korean Americans running for Congress: History in the Making. The event will include three representatives running as incumbents: Andy Kim (D-NJ 3rd Congressional District); Michelle Park Steel (R-CA 48th Congressional District); and Young Kim (R-CA 39th Congressional District). The panel will also include two candidates running for Congress for the first time. Immigration attorney David Kim is running for California’s 34th Congressional District, which includes Los Angeles’ Koreatown among other minority neighborhoods. If elected, he will be the first Korean American to represent the district that includes Koreatown. Marilyn Strickland, the mayor of Tacoma, Washington, is running for Washington’s 10th Congressional District, on her record of returning economic prosperity to Tacoma through investment in jobs, infrastructure and education.
The Zoom info session is free, but registration is required. See the link.
The sponsoring organization is the Korean Americans for Political Action, which works on behalf of Korean Americans to advance public policy and elect Korean Americans to leadership in the U.S.

Adoptee Hub offers Birth Search Session (part 1)
2020-09-19 14:00 - 16:00
Part one of a two-part virtual offering on birth searching for adoptees will be offered by Adoptee Hub on Saturday, September 19, 2 to 4 p.m. CST. The session will feature Adoptee Hub CEO and founder Ami Nafzger who will discuss all the how-tos of a birth search, from start to finish. Registration is free, and the session will be on Zoom: please see the link.
Adoptee Hub is a service and education organization by and for adoptees, with programming for adoptees and their families. It is dedicated to building a stronger and healthier adoptee community.

Korean Institute of Minnesota fall session
2020-09-12 09:00 - 12:00
The Korean Institute of Minnesota will begin its fall session Saturday, September 12. KIM, founded 1975, is a cultural and educational resource for Korean Americans and Korean adoptees and their families. It is designed to help Korean American children, particularly Korean adoptees, to establish connections with their heritage and community, and build a healthy self-image and identity. KIM offers classes in language/culture for preschool age to young adult, and Korean language classes (three levels) for adults. Please check for announcements about the fall session closer to the date. Email for more information at: ko*****************@***il.com

Adoptee Bridge
2020-09-03 18:30 - 20:00
A session with panel and discussion on Transracial Adoptees and Black Lives Matter will be held September 3, 6:30 p.m. CST as part of AdopteeBridge’s Who We Are series.
Who We Are is a series of programs intended to amplify the voices of adoptees and share their stories. The series is open to adoptees, adoption professionals, family members of adoptees and the general public.
These events are free, but a suggested donation of $10 is encouraged.
Continuing education credits will be available at specific Who We Are events. The upcoming event will include panelists who are transracial adoptees, and work in professions such as social work and racial bias consulting.

Asian American adoptees meet to challenge anti-Blackness
2020-08-30 14:00 - 15:30
A free virtual event on how Asian American adoptees can challenge anti-Blackness will be held in three 90-minute sessions over three consecutive Sundays in August. How Asian Adoptees Can Support Black Lives Matter, sponsored by AKConnection and the Network of Politicized Adoptees, will consist of a moderated panel, discussion about identity, racial consciousness, how white supremacy shows up in our society, and how to apply an anti-racist lens to one’s life.
AKConnection is a Twin Cities organization of adult Korean adoptees and their families. Co-sponsor, the Network of Politicized Adoptees is an organization of transnational adoptees which holds events to move forward an agenda to improve the lives of transnational adoptees with community power.
Session Three, on Sunday, August 30, facilitated by Soojin Pate, entitled How to Be an Anti-Racist Adoptee, will cover how Asian American adoptees can activate an anti-racist lens in everything we do, including interactions with coworkers, friends and family members, and how to have these potentially-difficult conversations

Asian American adoptees meet to challenge anti-Blackness
2020-08-23 14:00 - 15:30
A free virtual event on how Asian American adoptees can challenge anti-Blackness will be held in three 90-minute sessions over three consecutive Sundays in August. How Asian Adoptees Can Support Black Lives Matter, sponsored by AKConnection and the Network of Politicized Adoptees, will consist of a moderated panel, discussion about identity, racial consciousness, how white supremacy shows up in our society, and how to apply an anti-racist lens to one’s life.
AKConnection is a Twin Cities organization of adult Korean adoptees and their families. Co-sponsor, the Network of Politicized Adoptees is an organization of transnational adoptees which holds events to move forward an agenda to improve the lives of transnational adoptees with community power.
Session Two, on Sunday August 23, facilitated by Soojin Pate, and entitled Coming to Terms with Racism and White Supremacy, will discuss how words such as racism” and “white supremacy” are widely misunderstood and misused, and how white supremacy shows up in our everyday lives. This session will also highlight anti-Blackness and anti-Asian bias.

Working and living in Korea free zoom session
2020-08-22 19:00 - 20:30
The practicalities of working and living in South Korea is the topic of a Saturday event, sponsored by Adoptee Hub, to be held Saturday, August 22, 7 p.m. CST. It is designed for those who have considered living in South Korea, but are unsure of where to begin. Leaders will include Korean adoptees who have lived, worked or obtained training and education in South Korea.
Adoptee Hub is a Twin Cities-based service and resource organization for and by adoptees.
The free session will held via Zoom, and registration is required. For more information, and to register, see the Adoptee Hub website at: www.adopteehub.org/events.

Asian American adoptees meet to challenge anti-Blackness
2020-08-16 14:00 - 15:30
A free virtual event on how Asian American adoptees can challenge anti-Blackness will be held in three 90-minute sessions over three consecutive Sundays in August. How Asian Adoptees Can Support Black Lives Matter, sponsored by AKConnection and the Network of Politicized Adoptees, will consist of a moderated panel, discussion about identity, racial consciousness, how white supremacy shows up in our society, and how to apply an anti-racist lens to one’s life.
Session One, on Sunday August 16, will consist of a moderated panel and discussion. Moderator is Soojin Pate, a Twin Cities author, diversity trainer, professor/research into the history of marginalized peoples. Panelists for the first session are: Sung Ja Shin, Elly Fireside, Jaehoon Lee, and Kim Richard.

Sae Jong Camp to hold free virtual summer program
2020-08-03 14:00 - 2020-08-07 17:00
Registration for a free virtual version of Sae Jong Camp, a summer camp for Korean American youth, is now open.
Sae Jong Camp, in other years, operates as an overnight summer camp in Roscommon, Michigan, focused on Korean American culture and identity. The 2020 virtual program, to be held August 3 to 7, will include classes in Korean culture (K-pop, folktales, Korean language, and other topics), elective classes (such as basic computer programming, guitar and taekwondo), a special session for high school seniors on applying to college, and a TikTok-based talent show. Donations are welcome, and registration is open to all Korean American youth who are entering second through 12th grade in the fall. Registration info and event schedule is at the link. The website with further information is at: www.saejongcamp.org

Camp Pride Korea holds free online summer program
2020-07-27 17:30 - 2020-07-31 17:00
Camp Pride Korea will hold a free week-long online camp experience for preschool age through 12th graders. The program, targeted for Korean adoptees and their siblings, will replace its week-long day camp, held every July in the Chicago area, and sponsored by Chicago Area Families for Adoption. This year’s program will begin Monday, July 27 5:30 p.m., and daily online events will continue through Friday, July 31, 5:30 p.m. for more information: ca****************@***il.com

Virtual book launch for new novel Skin Deep
2020-07-25 18:00 - 19:00
Author Sung J. Woo, in collaboration with Odyssey Bookstore in Ithaca, New York will hold a virtual launch of his new mystery book Skin Deep. The novel is the first in a series featuring a Korean adoptee woman detective Siobhan O’Brien, and touches on themes of identity and family in a whodunnit story. The launch will be held Saturday, July 25 at 6 p.m. CDT, 7 p.m. EDT. The Zoom call is at the following address: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcudOigpzwjHNHZI-bT-lAzVhEymp__rMDT

Phone bank to reach young Asian American voters
2020-07-22 16:00 - 18:00
The Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH) is partnering with the advocacy organization, the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and its new affiliate, the Woori Center, in a calling campaign to urge voters to demand citizenship for all. The phone bank, to be held Wednesday, July 22, 4 to 6 p.m. CST, will reach out to young Asian American voters (ages of 18 through 40) and Korean Americans statewide leading up to the 2020 November elections. Participants will need a laptop, cell phone and internet connection. NAKASEC will provide a brief training session at the beginning of the virtual event via Zoom. RSVP information at the link below.

Eleana Kim speaks on history of Korean adoptee community
2020-07-18 14:00 - 15:00
Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH) will host researcher/author Eleana J. Kim in a virtual event to discuss the origin and evolution of the Korean adoptee community. The event is intended for adult Korean adoptees only, and will be held Saturday, July 18, 2 p.m. CST. Kim is the author of Adopted Territory: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Politics of Belonging. She will present about the findings of her book, followed by a Q and A. Please RSVP (link below).

Ugly Model film and discussion by Adoptee Hub
2020-07-18 13:00
Adoptee Hub, a Twin Cities service and education organization for and by adult Korean adoptees, will hold a virtual screening of The Ugly Model, which examines the paradox of a handsome male model who feels unattractive, ashamed and emasculated because of his Asian ethnicity. It looks at the reasons Kevin chooses to be a model, which puts him in a world where validation is based on physical appearance. Registration is at the website: adopteehub.org (link below)

Textile Center hosts exhibition by Korean adoptee artist and other emerging artists
2020-07-07 08:00 - 2020-08-30 17:00
The Textile Center, a fiber arts gallery, school and networking place for textile artists in St. Paul, is hosting an exhibit of three emerging artists, including one Twin Cities Korean adoptee artist, Dawn Tomlinson.
The artists were funded by a year-long grant by the Jerome Foundation. The exhibition, entitled The Roots of Our Labor, also features the work of Ian Hanesworth and Erin Lavelle. An artists’ interview about the exhibit from the series Art Speaks. Tomlinson’s work concentrates on themes of international adoption from Korea.
The Textile Center’s exhibit is available in virtual format and by appointment Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Appointment booking is available on the website.

Virtual Korean Dance Camp ongoing through August 15
2020-06-23 15:00 - 2020-08-15 18:00
The Chicago Korean Dance Company has a free virtual Korean Dance Summer Camp ongoing on every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday June 23 through August 15. There are Tuesday sessions for sixth through eighth graders, Wednesday sessions for third to fifth graders, and Saturday sessions for high school students. Refer to the Facebook site, or email for more information: ch********@***il.com

2020 KAAN Connect - a week of virtual conversations on Korean adoption
2020-06-21 12:00 - 2020-06-26 23:59
The Korean Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) will host a week of virtual conversations, blog posts, or other activity around topics related to Korean adoption. Events are scheduled from June 21 to June 26. As part of the programming, the film Side By Side: Out of a South Korean Orphanage and into the World will be available for download beginning June 21. After watching, participants can RSVP for a community conversation about the film. For more information, and to RSVP for other activities, see the website: www.wearekaan.org/connect. The KAAN Connect activities are free and open to the whole adoption community.

From Wine to Soju: Stories from the Master Sommelier
2020-06-19 18:00 - 19:00
This even will be a webinar by master sommelier Kyungmoon Kim. Kim discovered young that he had an exceptional palate. He leveraged his palate and his natural aptitude for memorization to build an extensive base of wine knowledge. In 2016, Kim earned a master sommelier certification; there are only 247 master sommeliers worldwide.
Kim is now introducing Korean artisanal soju to the U.S. The master sommelier will explore wine, traditional Korean liquors, and cocktails. He will also offer a few tips on creating delicious cocktails at home.. This live session will be provided free., but registration is required.

Virtual book club - Through Adopted Eyes
2020-06-16 19:00 - 20:00
The first meeting of a virtual book club event will be held by the Twin Cities service and advocacy group Adoptee Bridge on June 16, 7 p.m. CST via Zoom. The first book of this ongoing discussion group (the OurFamily group, targeted to family members of adoptees) will be Through Adopted Eyes by Elena S. Hall.
All adoptive family members are welcome, including parents, grandparents, spouses/partners, siblings, and extended family members of adoptees. To join or for more information, contact in**@***********ge.org for Zoom log-in information.
