LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - VOL. 26
KCCNYC Monthly - July 2026
By Eun Byoul Oh
Photo Credit: Rolling Stone
I am grateful that we just finished another great semester of Korean Classes!
Every semester is a learning experience for me, and I am preparing new materials to bring more to the classes. We were particularly busy this spring semester with many AAPI events and I hope our community enjoyed every one!
We hope to see you again for more learning and fun for the next semester. The registration window is still open!
NYC has been hot—both literally and figuratively. It is finally summer weather—sticky air and the blazing sun that is getting longer everyday.
New York City is enjoying its moment of solidarity with the NY Knicks who took the championship for the first time in 53 years, plus a full month of Pride, and the World Cup happening across the U.S.
As a New Yorker, this June was a reminder what the world can be when we create a safe and considerate community. We live with different values, thoughts, and culture, but when we respect each other, we become a community where people can be who they are.
A few days ago, the Pai Chai High School baseball team from Seoul aggressively provoked their opponent, Gwangju Jeil High School, by chanting “You have to go to Starbucks, let’s go Tank Day.” The two teams were playing against each other in the Blue Dragon Baseball competition, one of the oldest high school baseball competitions in Korea. The incident has been reported in major media and is currently under investigation for hate speech.
The “Starbucks” and “Tank Day” references come from the recent controversy around Starbucks Korea launching “Tank Day” on May 18th, the day of the Gwangju Uprising—the day that the military tanks rolled into the city of Gwangju to massacre student protesters and civilians.
Gwangju Jeil High School baseball team students were also victims of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, as military personnel assaulted students with weapons.
The incident is catching media attention in Korea as a concerning example of how the next generation is using hate speech to be “cool” or “funny.” We certainly know that it is not a problem that is unique to Korea.
With wars going on and the leaders of the world showing off their hawkish behaviors in the media, maybe we are not setting the right examples for those who are growing up with the Internet.
This particular event stood out to me even more as I witnessed what New Yorkers were able to do in solidarity in the last few weeks—overcoming differences in race and culture, and treating each other with compassion.
Our newsletter team tries our best to highlight historical events of Korea with the hope that we commemorate and remember the path we have traveled in order to have the Korea that we have today. We hope newsletter articles provide important context to the news reports and recent phenomena.
Bryce took a K-pop Dance Class while he was in Korea!
The KCCNYC Monthly team wants to extend our gratitude to our students who generously contributed to this month’s newsletter with their travel logs. It is summer, and we thought it would be fun to share exciting cultural experiences in Korea. We hope readers also get to visit Korea soon, if they have not done so yet.
KCCNYC has prepared a special post for you on recent movie releases from Viki! Check the post out to read about the masterpieces that Viki added to their collection and take advantage of a special offer Viki has given to our newsletter subscribers.
Lastly, we want to thank writer Park Sang Young for talking to our Dosan Hakdang monthly book club members. We all had such a meaningful conversation with him throughout the author’s talk. We also appreciate everyone who came to the meeting, including those who joined from abroad. The book club report covers the author’s talk, so if you missed it, please go to the post!
KCCNYC is also preparing for fun activities for the summer, and we will let you know the details of our summer events when the things get finalized.
KCCNYC will always strive to be an inclusive community that respects everyone.
See you soon in classes! 수업에서 만나요!
Eun Byoul Oh
