Korean BBQ and Hyori.

And Victor- no, you aren't allowed to mention this person.

Sometimes, the only link I have to my Korean heritage (though "heritage" implies distant, multi-generation relevance) are the food and Korean dramas. But there are moments when I can retrace my cultural connection to... well... my blood. I remember being furious about Bush's "Axis of Evil" claim. I also supported the general opinion that the only force preventing reconcilliation between the two Koreas is the U.S. (and it's not false either). I watched in excitement as the athletes from these countries entered the Olympic Stadium together.

My great-grandmother once told me why her back always bothered her. She and her family were seeking refuge in a safer place during the Korean War conflict. The hours of walking and worrying took their toll on my petite, sweet great-grandmother.

Father Jim of the Queen of Apostles Church (the one at Archbishio Mitty High School) had been in Korea for a long time. He speaks the language and can recognize "Korean people" and never fails to greet my mom with polite Korean greetings. Once in a while, he'd add in a prayer for "the two Koreas," stirring up emotions that were instilled me as I was a little girl. Korea wants to be one. There is no other evidence necessary other than the fact that their children, the future, is growing up with optimistic outlook on a peaceful reunion or at least reconcilliation. I was one of the kids they taught to hope for reunion- we learned about the North Korean dialect, watched North Korean children on television, and wrote essays about peace.

This new declaration of its nuclear power left me with ambivalent feelings. If there is anything I would like to see before I die, it would be to see the dividing line gone... whether in complete reunification or open, friendly relations. The U.S. has already fucked up their chances with North Korea. But there is no way that I or any other Korean/Korean-American should sit silently and dumbly should the President continue to make the same mistakes.

Mr. President... Read my lips. The lips of the frustrated, emotional liberal who will become a naturalized citizen and registered voter in 2008 (just in time for the presidential elections) and has absolutely no faith in your capabilites as a leader... Don't screw up. You know what you've done for the last four years? Condemn North Korea, strain the relationship between the Koreas, and haughtily refuse to consider some sort of peaceful compromise. You can steal two elections, you can steal individual liberties for "national security", and hell... you can even steal Social Security. But you will NOT steal the hopes of my generation because we WILL succeed where our parents' have failed, because they taught us through their mistakes. Just THINK of "spreading democracy" into the other side of the Demilitarized Zone... and I will pelt the White House with the spiciest Kimchi my beloved country has to offer.