LETTER FROM THE EDITOR - VOL. 27
Taegeukgi with signatures and messages of Korean Independence Leaders.
KCCNYC Monthly - August 2026
By Eun Byoul Oh
August is always a special month for Korea as we reflect on Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonialism. Korea’s independence was only possible after so many years of suffering, and through sacrifices of so many lives. Nevertheless, the glory and joy of independence was very short-lived for Korea as Korea went into turmoil during the Korean War soon after.
For the month of August, KCCNYC Monthly Team prepared our newsletter highlighting aspects of Korean independence. History of the month focuses on Joseon Korea’s interactions with outside worlds as a “Hermit Kingdom.” The outside world included not only China and Japan, but countries in Europe – the article will give you an in-depth and different perspective on Korea encountering the changes in world politics as naval voyage technologies enabled the ambitious European countries to endeavor into Asia.
Our August Book Club is reading J.M. Lee’s The Investigation, which is a historical fiction about the Fukuoka Prison and death of Korea’s beloved poet Yoon Dong Ju. The RSVP link is here!
In celebration of Korea’s independence, you can revisit the resistance poems that we read for the August 2025 Book Club here.
The August K-drama post is packed with summer romance and exciting new releases. Please do not forget that our Viki passes are still available to claim to be used until the end of next month. See the list of Viki’s exciting new additions here. Viki recently also added The King’s Warden and I would personally recommend that you watch it with your family.
KCCNYC is gathering at Citi Field for Korean Heritage Day on August 15!
We will be very happy to see you all at the stadium, and you can still grab your tickets if you have not done so! Please email us to join the event, and submit your RSVP here.
Our adoptee event calendar is also packed with summer events and Jon wrote a special reflection on Korea’s Independence Day. Our literature corner tells the story of Priest and the Pigeon.
Lastly, I wrote a special concert report on my experience at ARIRANG World Tour at MetLife Stadium on August 2. It was my first K-pop concert and it was an amazing experience! I know many members of our community were there, and I wanted to share the experience with you!
As always, thank you for reading our newsletter 감사합니다.
Cheers,
Eun Byoul Oh
