By Eun Byoul Oh
The cross-section of Korean culture and Pride month can be interesting as Korea is currently striving to make progress on LGBTQIA+ rights (the recent election in SK shows this struggle continues) – this month, we want to uplift the community through special author talks, events, and this Pride Edition of KCCNYC Monthly.

By Bryan Hong
I didn't learn about Taemong until I was in my thirties. We were eating at Xian Famous Foods in lower Manhattan — me, my mom, my aunt (mom’s twin) — on a sweaty summer afternoon. It was thirteen years after I came out to her. The conversation that day was different. She was apologizing for thinking it was her fault. I was reassuring her that it wasn't anyone's fault, that I was born this way, that I was happy. We were both in tears, in the middle of a busy Chinatown restaurant, eating hand-pulled noodles.

That's when she told me about the dream...

By KCCNYC Monthly Team
We had a lot of fun in May celebrating AAPI month, but June is also exciting! KCCNYC is honored to host an author’s talk with Park Sang Young, the author of internationally acclaimed book Love in the Big City.

By Jon Oaks
I was fortunate enough to attend the Arizona Diamondbacks' Korean Heritage Celebration on June 1 at Chase Field in Phoenix during a matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a Korean adoptee, events like this carry a special significance. If someone had told me that Major League Baseball teams across the country would one day host Korean Heritage celebrations, I would have had a hard time believing it.

By Sharon Stern
We gathered to talk about the book The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang in May. In celebration of Pride Month, we will be joined by author, Park Sang Young, to talk about his novel Love in the Big City on June 21st!

By Sharon Stern
June 6^th is Memorial Day in South Korea.  We will take a look at its history and meaning.

By Josh Kim
This month won’t be a story. Instead we’ll be looking at a brief origin of the mythical Haetae (해태) – which since 2008 has been the official mascot of Seoul.

By Sharon Stern
Summer months tend to be a little lighter in dramaland and this June is no exception – that said, the dramas coming out this month cover interesting subjects.

By Eun Byoul Oh
Happy AAPI month & Mother’s Day everyone! During the month of May, KCCNYC will celebrate through various events and are proud to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Month with the NYC community. We especially celebrate Korean heritage with our affiliate organizations and friends. 

By KCCNYC Monthly Team
We went to see the Yankees on May 2! Plus – there are many events coming up for the KCCNYC community in for AAPI Month! Check them out (including special offers and co-sponsored events!)

By Sharon Stern

This month we look at what little we know about women’s roles in the Gwangju Uprising.

By Sharon Stern
We discussed The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-yeon in April.  We are reading The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang for May and we will have the author, Park Sang Young,  to talk about his novel Love in the Big City for June!

By Jon Oaks
For some, AAPI Month can feel empowering to see Korean and Asian cultures celebrated more visibly – and for others, it can also bring complicated feelings connected to identity, belonging, loss, language, family history, or feeling disconnected from Korean culture growing up.

By Sharon Stern
These movies and dramas focus 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 – critiques of whether the story was true enough, raw enough, etc.  There are a number of movies that address this important period.  Three of them are truly must-watch movies, if you want a good overview of what happened, without watching a documentary. 

By Sharon Stern
This is another something-for-everyone month.  It’s all about who does the best storytelling, isn’t it?  We’ll have to just dive in and see!