Heritage Song

We Koreans converge on Hawai‘i Theatre tonight,all bows and the scent of garlic-laced dinners, lots of quick head nods and Annyeong … More

Everything Is Connected

I sit listening to the ocean lap as the sun rises from the east,follow its crawl up the sky from … More

The 38th Parallel

I’m standing next to my Uncle Wonnie.  He’s peering through a viewing slot in the bunker.  The opening is about six inches, … More

Going Home

The first time I visited Korea, at age 65, I dropped out of the sky,a stranger in a strange land, catapulted … More

For a Moment

They’re all young, blonde university students,have an intelligent look, wear sweatshirts,NYU, Brown, Syracuse, places that requireacademic effort prior to entry, … More

Traditional Change

It’s billed as A Match Made in Heaven, a revered traditional Korean love storycarried down from a bygone age to … More

Hand in Glove

Korea’s a glove, the fingerless kind.A palm rests snug in it, the half warm, half clean, partprotected from the elements, … More

The Myth of Every Hope Fulfilled

From the top of the Gwangbok Lotte Department StoreI can see the Yeongdo(daegyo) Draw Bridge crossing Busan Harbor.From this height, … More

Man Beats Mail, No Charges Pending

The mail I sent to myself from Koreacame to Hawai‘i slower than I’d guessed.I am no longer there, I’m now … More

When Vacations End

Back from Korea,I realize to my horrorwhen I wake up,dizzy from jet-lag,that I have to cook for myself.Breakfastand lunchand dinner.All … More

War Story

On Jeju Island we travel rough backroads on our small bus,bumping along narrowly through perfectly planted fields,row on row of … More

A Face

The Gyeongju National Museum houses a collection of art and artifactsspanning the 1000-year history of the Korean peninsula’s Silla period.The … More

Return to Nami Island

Annie and I had planned to ride the ziplinefrom the mainland to Nami Island,famous as the romantic setting for Winter … More

Souls of the Korean War

There are soldiers buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busanwhose bodies were not returned to their home countries.Examining … More

Being Free

I’m back home from my trip to Korea,watching the election returns, the right to vote,a cornerstone of our democracy, a … More

Taste of the Place

We eat well on this tour, a different restaurant for most meals.The breakfasts included at each of our hotels provide … More

Mourning Calm

I’m back, I thought, as I stepped off the plane,returned to my ancestral home once more,recalling all my blood bound … More

How Everything Fades

In the evening as the sun slips down in the horizon line,I see myself glimmering in the airport window glass,a … More

For the Future

Right now, we’re on a South Korean island, Jeju,sitting in what China calls the East China Sea,and what the Koreans, … More

In the Thick of It

I’m back in Korea, the birthplace of my father’s parents,which means I’m again seeing people everywherewho appear as though they … More