By Eun Byoul Oh
This month is dedicated to our students in the LGBTQ+ community. We see you, and hear you, and we appreciate all of you in our community. In this month’s Letter – I want to talk about the current fight for Anti-Discrimination Laws in South Korea.

by Eun Byoul Oh and Sharon Stern
In light of the June 3, presidential election in South Korea, our newsletter team has decided to give you an overview of the complex history of South Korean presidential elections.  Democracies take time to form and the process can be messy.  South Korea’s struggle toward finding democracy demonstrates this clearly.

by Jon Oaks
June 2025 in New York City is brimming with events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. From parades and festivals to cultural discussions and performances, there's something for everyone.

By Casey Eckersley
The inaugural meeting of the Dosan Hakdang Book Club gathered to discuss Nobel laureate Han Kang’s novel Human Acts.

By Jon Oaks
Every June, Pride Month offers a moment to celebrate the lives, struggles, and resilience of LGBTQ+ communities around the world. For Korean adoptees who identify as LGBTQ+, this month holds additional meaning—bringing together complex themes of identity, belonging, visibility, and healing.

By Sharon Stern
June 10 marks the 38^th anniversary of the beginning of what is known as the June Uprising, the June Democracy Movement or the June Democratic Struggle.  This was the beginning of true democracy in South Korea.

By Sharon Stern
We have said a number of times that Korean society is pretty conservative. Just look at the strong influences in the elections that just took place. However, there are actually quite a number of K-dramas with LGBTQ + characters – so let’s take a look at these dramas in celebration of Pride Month.

By Josh Kim
As we celebrate Pride Month and uplift stories of diverse identities, one unexpected place to find resonance is in the rich world of Korean shamanic mythology.

By Sharon Stern
This month’s dramas trend towards the more somber and darker, but there are a couple of lighter ones as well - let’s dive into all the shows coming to our screens this June!

By Eun Byoul Oh
Last year on May 16th, I landed in Korea.It was my first time back in 12 years, and visiting Gwangju truly changed something inside of me.  I felt empowered realizing how many groups supported each other. In fact, the experience of Gwangju, and participating in Seoul Pride in June of last year, is what lead me to initiate this newsletter.

by Eun Byoul Oh
Bora Chung is an author, translator, and an activist. She is most well known for her book Cursed Bunny, which was nominated for the 2022 International Booker Prize. She will join us on June 5th for an Author Talk on our next Book Club selection - Your Utopia

By Eun Byoul Oh
This month we have our first Book Club meeting on May 18 to discuss Han Kang’s Human Acts, The Wildfire Relief fundraiser successfully wrapped, join us for KCCNYC After Class on May 9th at the Ace Hotel, and Liberty In North Korea (LiNK) invites us to support North Korean refugees at a meetup on May 21.

By Sharon Stern
This month we are focusing on the events before, during and after the Gwangju Uprising.  This is an extremely painful period of history for South Korea and depicting it on the screen is always going to be controversial – let’s look at the films and dramas bringing these stories to global audiences.

By Jon Oaks
Each May, Korea remembers the Gwangju Uprising—a pivotal moment in Korean history when ordinary citizens stood up against military dictatorship to demand democracy, human rights, and dignity. We also look toward the future, with major updates about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) investigation into international adoption and the critical July 1, 2025, deadline for accessing adoption records. Together, these events offer a powerful reminder: our stories matter, and the pursuit of truth is ongoing.

By Sharon Stern & Eun Byoul Oh
This month is the 45^th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, also known as the May 18 Democratization Movement.  The Uprising began as a series of student-led protests against the coup d’etat of civilian President Choi Kyu-Hah by General Chan Doo-Hwan.  We will cover the events before, during and after the Uprising.