This is what makes me emotional: that after a lifetime of having to explain what I eat and what I watch and what I love with the descriptor “oh, this is the Korean ___” for people to understand but immediately lose interest, there are now things that simply ... are. +

That I can say “Parasite” rather than “this Korean movie I enjoyed called Parasite”, or “BTS” rather than “this Korean boy band I’m into called BTS” is still a strange blessing for me. +

I can’t forget attending a talk with @minjinlee11, for she’d rejoiced that her Korean characters had become stereotypes for a new gen. of readers. In a Western world where the ultimate prize is to be seen as original and unique, some of us are still fighting to be normalised. +

Korean things may never be mainstream here. But I’d love to see more of it. I’d LOVE for there to be no reason to feel shame when explaining things that only seem normal to me. That is, I hope we can all be more open to recognising the value of things outside our comfort zone. +

One of the simplest, most important truths is that everyone wants to be seen and understood - and that some people have been especially starved of it. I pray that because of my own moments of alienation and loneliness, I’m able to see more, listen more, and care more.