By Jon Oaks
October is an important month for Korean culture, with two national holidays celebrated earlier this month: National Foundation Day on October 3 and Hangeul Day on October 9. Both holidays offer opportunities to learn more about Korean history and heritage, particularly for adoptees who may not have grown up knowing their significance…

By Sharon Stern
In September, we read the book If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Cho-yeop and translated by Anton Hur.  The book is a collection of seven science fiction short stories that simultaneously deal with a number of women’s social issues in society while painting worlds that are possibly out in the distant future or maybe only live in fantasy. 

By KCP Monthly Team

Thanks to KPOP NARA we can offer 5 tickets to our community for the show at Terminal 5 this Friday Oct 16. Want to go? Just fill out this form and winners will be decided by random draw.

Deadline to submit is Tues, Oct 13th at 12pm. Winners will be contacted by Tues at 6pm. Registration form is here.

*General admission · Ages 16+

By Sharon Stern
The pace in dramaland has picked up for the fall.  There are a couple of dramas that will start this month that haven’t announced US streaming services yet, so, as usual, we will pick those up next month when we know where you can watch them. There are quite a few choices on a lot of different streaming platforms.  There are also a couple of international collaboration series launching this month, though one of them doesn’t have a US streaming service announced.  And, in the spirit of Halloween, I suppose, there is a gruesome and intense psychological thrillers/horror series.

By Josh Kim
Long ago, a king and queen desperately wanted a son. Instead, they had six daughters. When their seventh child was also a girl, the king ordered the newborn abandoned. She became known as Bari, or Baridegi — the abandoned child…

By Eun Byoul Oh
As I read many articles to reflect on 9/11, I once again was reminded of how New York came together in solidarity at the darkest hour of the city. People helped each other, and sacrificed all they had for other people. Through these stories, I told myself that darkness will eventually pass because love and solidarity will bring light at the end of the tunnel. I am never more proud of the city that I grew up in…

By KCCNYC Monthly Team

We went to the Mets’ Korean Heritage Day + September and October have always been busy for KCCNYC, so we look forward to seeing everyone at our events!

By Sharon Stern

Books help us remember.  They tell us stories.  A culture that loves books loves people and wants people to be the best versions of who they can be.  The written history of Korea tells us that it has always been such a place.  Korea has always been at the forefront of creating new and better ways to capture ideas, thoughts and history in written forms, as we will see in this month’s exploration of history.

By Jon Oaks
Last month, I wrote about the complicated feelings Korean Independence Day brings up for me because of my biological history. This month, as Chuseok approaches, I find myself thinking about another part of my identity instead: my adoptive history.

By Sharon Stern
I’m filling in for Josh this month and as we move into Chuseok season, I thought it would be appropriate to tell the story of the Moon Rabbit.  We touched on the symbolism briefly in the past, but the mythology is important to the celebration of Chuseok and is very prevalent in Korean culture.

By Sharon Stern
On August 30^th, we gathered to discuss the book The Investigation by Jung-myung Lee and translated by Chi-young Kim.

By Sharon Stern
The theme running through many of this month’s K-drama debuts seems to me to be an exploration of true emotions that we all face throughout our lives.  We often think we are in much more control of our emotions and our relationships with others than we really are.  There are lots of different emotional adventures to explore this month.  Dive in and enjoy!!

By Eun Byoul Oh
The August issue of KCCNYC Monthly reflects on Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonialism and how that history affects us today.

By Eun Byoul Oh
The folksong 'Arirang' is the epitome of Korean culture, as it encompasses the cultural pain and sorrow that Korea has traversed through millennia, surviving through multiple invasions and war. However, I think Arirang is ultimately a song of perseverance, and a song of solidarity and survival for Koreans. With Arirang roaring across MetLife Stadium, I felt a sense of patriotism – and it was weirdly surreal...

By Sharon Stern

August 15^th marks National Liberation Day in Korea.  It commemorates the day the Korean peninsula was liberated by the Allies at the end of WWII from the occupation of Japan. This month, we are going to take a look at what led up to the Japanese occupation.