Social Media: We Might Be More Talkative

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Here is the e-mail I’ve got several times this month here in Forbes from social media department. They are rolling several balls at once including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Windows Live and so on. How many accounts do you have among these? How many accounts should I have not to feel lazy as a journalist? Yes, we are getting even busier than ever.

In early 2000s, Korean social network service Cyworld hit a home run with 19 million users. Practically every South Korea in their 20s and 25 percent of the total population had Cyworld accounts. Members cultivate relationship by forming Ilchon or “friendships” with each other through their minihompy. Avartars and “mini-rooms”, small, decorate-able, apartment-like spaces in an isometric projection, also feature.

However, the number of its user had dropped and most minihompy is not active any more. Normally people who already knew each other became Ilchon and shared private messages, photos and music. You could have deepened your personal acquaintances but it was rare to get   engaged to strangers in Cyworld. It was a kind of broadened private arena but you seldom give and take professional opinions each other because normally your Ilchon is your school friends, families and coworkers.

As users want more professional cyber place to share their opinion and information, Cyworld lost its frequent users surprisingly fast. People moved to blogs. Just a few years later, Facebook and Twitter became dominant social network service in Korea. Users transferred to more open-minded and fast-sharing ground. If Milton were still alive, he would call Facebook and Google modern-day Areopagitica.

Arthur Miller, the American playwright said a good newspaper was like “a nation talking to itself.” It was editors and reporters who had all the say in the past. The media is finally letting the audience join, too. Journalists decided what to report in the past but everyone can make a public issue now. People report and distribute it by themselves via social network service. We journalists are pretty much busy following people. We are not in the front row any more. This makes me bethink what differently I have to find a story and write it.

To quote Paul Ford in New York Magazine, social Media have no understanding of anything aside from the connections between individuals and the ceaseless flow of time: No beginnings, and no endings. These disparate threads of human existence alternately fascinate and horrify that part of the media world that grew up on topic sentences and strong conclusions. This world of old media is like a giant steam punk machine that organizes time into stories.

Obsessed with Facebook or not, it makes us think about how journalism is in danger of being reduced to soulless, disjointed nuggets as blogging platforms and reporting, too. How much time do I have to spare for social network service for searching and sharing? How frequently do need to update my Facebook homepage?

It seems that I have no choice but to being a social media myself.

Since enabling consumers visiting Forbes.com to use IDs and passwords from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and other social accounts to sign up and comments, its registrations and comments have doubled. My home publication Money Today—Korean daily business newspaper—is also operating social media team but it’s not that successful so far.

Korean media companies are struggling to increase visitors using social network service, but most Korean reporters are not really active to do. Sometimes they post their articles and comment on social issues as well, but Facebook is more oriented for reinforcing private relation just like Cyworld. Twitter is an issue-following tool. However, most Korean reporters feel pressure to check real-time issue. This is why my home publication launched social media team separately and all of its members are reporters. There’s no technical staff or social media expert.

Starting my career as a reporter 9 years ago, I’ve learnt from my senior editor that a journalist says only by his article. “Don’t speak too much. Your article should show everything you want to say.” But I guess I might be more talkative in social media world whether I want to be or not.

Things change. People change as well.

Media Innovation: What’s Next?

It’s well-known that leading newspapers and magazines in the United States are in financial difficulties since the global financial crisis.

But I would say the classical print media already lost its hegemony due to the prevalence of the Internet more than 10 years ago.

The media industry of South Korea is in the similar situation with the United States. Print media is struggling to survive.

As audiences become more interested in daily economic issues and asset management for the meantime, Korean business newspapers are relatively privileged to survive.

However, government allowed three comprehensive programming broadcasts and two news channels to open at once last year and it caused serious zero sum game in advertising market.

As a result, print media is suffering from reduced subscribers and shrinking advertising revenue in a row. Korea’s leading newspapers might have to layoff not a few journalists within a few years just like New York Times did.

I was anxious to know how American print media was coping with this fundamental risk and was evolving into future media.

Definitely, American media companies are larger-scale and well managed as a company. They employed professional managers from the other industry—this is rare in Korean newspaper companies—and also tried various changes.

For example, many print media is issued in Kindle, Nook and iPad to appeal digital audiences.

Unlike the United States, it’s uncommon to read e-book in Korea. Even Koreans have Samsung Galaxy Note comparable to iPad, we still prefer printed books. It’s hard to see a newly book has an e-book format.

So, it was very interesting to me to observe how American audiences enjoy reading in daily lives. Whenever I get on the subway, I easily found people reading books by Nook or Kindle. But I couldn’t see anyone read newspapers or magazines by with a tablet.

As a newly Nook user, I myself subscribed several newspapers and magazines—it’s much cheaper than the printed—but I also felt that e-newspapers are still far from luring readers.

I couldn’t figure out which article was the most valuable to read in each section unlike printed newspapers. They were not visually charming.

On the other hand, e-magazine was actually nice but subscribers are not the majority to offset its early production cost yet. If a flexible display becomes commercially available, we may see e-newspaper and e-magazine would get popular, I guess.

Innovation is cool, but it comes at a price. I wondered how print media companies kept the quality of contents after large-scale layoff.

Yes, this is a scary story to me as a journalist.

I was surprised when I look at Time, the No.1 American magazine. It was thin and the visual image of the cover story was irritating. My jaw dropped.

Let me talk about Forbes. The magazine’s volume is still as thick as before. But this doesn’t mean Forbes has the same number of reporters as before.

There are about 800 contributors and they got paid by clicks, but most of them are willing to contribute for free. Forbes is producing the more contents with fewer journalists.

Creating not only magazine but also online contents every day, Forbes seems to maintain its own color. Making the most of social media including Facebook and Twitter, it increased more engaged readers dramatically as well.

In despite of Forbes’ well-marked innovation over the two years, I don’t want to say this is the only way how print media can survive.

The internationally recognized new media visionary Roger Fidler said in the midterm seminar for the AFPF fellows, “Newspaper is just one of the infinite ways that audiences can get information now. It costs a lot to produce as well.”

Nevertheless, Fidler didn’t say that print media would die.

It just can’t stay what it is and what it was. Then, how should print media change?

I didn’t find any clear answer to this question. However I don’t doubt journalists ourselves have the key in our invisible hands to communicate with digital audiences moving at the speed of light.

A Long Way to Fill the Gap: Two Koreas

When North Korea failed to launch a new missile, one of my colleagues at Forbes urged me to report on the surge of the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI).

Whenever North Korea mobilizes violent means, foreign investors rush to sell Korean stocks due to concerns they won’t be able to liquidate the stocks. However, that kind of panic always eases a few days or weeks later and the KOSPI recovers to earlier stable records.

I did not write anything as suggested by my colleague but I felt inexperienced about North Korean issues. Frankly speaking, I am ashamed to admit that I know little more than what Americans do about our northern neighbours. From reporting business over nine and a half years, I have been researching business and nothing else. But it cannot be an excuse for my ignorance and indifference about the north.

South Koreans in my generation grew up singing the song ‘Our hope is unification.’ On the other hand, all elementary students had to submit slogans of anti-communism.

South Koreans born in the 70s like me read an elementary textbook that had the story of Lee Seung-Bok, a 10-year-old boy who was said to have died saying, “I dislike the Communist Party”. Lee and his family were murdered by armed communist guerillas in 1968. Lee’s story was removed from national textbooks in 1995. Many historians and journalists questioned the story first reported by daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo.

In South Korea, the ruling party had often exaggerated stories that the North would recruit conservative voters during the election season. This does not work with voters any more but the younger generation feels disillusioned with politicians and have turned their backs on politics.

Living in one of the most competitive countries in the world, young Koreans are more geared towards passing their examinations, getting into a good university and getting a good job. They care nothing about politics and political slogans.

In fact, there are few young Koreans still interested in the dream of unification, especially given that it is 59 years since the ceasefire in 1953. The families that were separated in the split have gotten used to it; if you had been 20 years old in 1953, you are 79 now.

This is still not an accurate assumption because the 24,000 North Korean defections over the years have doubtless resulted in split families.

Unlike its northern neighbour, South Korea has developed very fast over several decades. The unification of the two Koreas only seemed possible with the death of Kim Jong-Il and South Koreans were tired of waiting for change in the north.

Kim’s death last year brought with it the hope that the unification would happen but this seems impossible now as Kim Jong-Un seems intent to take after his father.

There’s still no freedom of speech, with citizens living with the fear of government agencies at every turn.

According to Reporters Without Borders, North Korea was ranked 178 on the press freedom index. South Korea was placed 44^th.

A senior reporter from Forbes India recommended that I read “Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives” in North Korea. I stumbled upon the book at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where we had the mid-term seminar for the Alfred Friendly Press Fellows.

It was hard to put the book down once I started reading.

South Koreans know about the terrible economic and social situation in North Korea but the stories of six defectors from the north shocked me.

We can’t expect normal life if millions of people are dying of hunger in this country of 24 million.

“Escape from Camp 14” tells the story of Shin Dong-Hyuk, who was born and raised in a political prison.

Shin finally escaped from Camp 14 but still suffers from the physical and psychological wounds from the prison.

Before he left the prison, Shin knew nothing about a civilized existence. He saw his mother as a competitor for food; guards raised him to be a snitch. He told on his mother’s plan to escape and witnessed the execution of his family.

Shin is roughly the same age as Kim Jong-Eun (around 30), but their lives are extremely different.

Another book about North Korea has been published this month, “Escape From North Korea” by Melanie Kirkpatrick.

North Koreans travel along a secret route known as the new underground railroad to reach free countries via unwelcoming China. This book shows their harsh but brave way to freedom and also tells of the potential of the North Korean people.

From these three books, one can tell that defectors feel discouraged to adapt to South Korean society. The indifference and discrimination of South Koreans to defectors makes it harder to be assimilated.

It made me feel guilty.

I’ve never met a defector from North Korea before. Where are the 24,000 who have come to South Korea since the year 2,000?

Of course, they are a minority numerically in South Korea but there’s something wrong.

These defectors are a bridge to a unified Korea. If South Koreans can’t embrace 24,000 defectors, we can’t do 24 million North Koreans.

I feel embarrassed to have gotten this self-evident conclusion from American books, not from South Koreans.

Shin’s book was published in South Korea but it went without any attention from the media. The book was well received in the United States.

Maybe we South Koreans think we know enough to understand North Koreans.

To quote Patrick Daihui Cheh, one of the producers of “Crossing”, a South Korean feature film about a father and son’s escape from North Korea, “We know, but we don’t really know.”

Another wall to be a real New Yorker

New York is full of free outdoor concerts each week in summer season and it makes foreigners and tourists fascinated by the diversity and cultural richness of this city. I stopped at Lincoln Center to watch free performances last Friday night.

There were not many people at first and it was easy to occupy a seat. The performance started by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance ensemble. It is an international, cross-cultural, dance-arts and educational institution rooted in African American traditions.

All artists were consisted of African American artists, and they showed unique and distinctive performances. It was really exotic experience.

I have seen the performance of the New York City Ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lincoln Center before. It guided me to a classical beauty of ballet. But Cleo Parker Robinson Dance introduced me more cross-cultural and dynamic interest.

Music concert after the dance performances were joyful as well. The main singer was Valerie Simpson. The concert was a tribute to her husband Nick Ashford. He died last year. They were songwriting/production team and recording artists.

Ashford and Simpson met at Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Church in 1963. They song together till Ashford passed away. Simpson exhibited his photos as a stage background while she sang songs she had sung with him in the past.

Her music was nice though I heard her songs for the first time. She’s sixty-five years old now, but her talent as a singer seemed not to be rusty. Yes, she is a maestro inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.

A few songs like “I’m Every Woman” and “Ain’t No Mountains High Enough” were familiar to me. Outdoor venues were crowded with audiences and people really enjoyed her music. Though I went there by myself, I was assimilated into the mood shaking my shoulders.

On my god!

Then, suddenly a couple in front of me started kissing passionately. They looked to be over 60s. Listening to the romantic R&B song, they didn’t stop kissing till the end of the music.

I couldn’t avoid seeing them to watch the stage because they were in my front row. I was embarrassed that I couldn’t find where to put my eyes. I should feel natural but still I can’t feel comfortable with New Yorkers express their affection even in public places.

Don’t laugh at me, fellows. I could never be a real New Yorker, I admit.

The difference between NY gays and Seoul gays

Whenever I look up at the sunshine beyond the skyscrapers of Manhattan, I imagine how the sky looks in Korea- just the same blue in the summer. But this summer is hot, so I seldom leave my apartment when it is this warm, unless, of course, it is a day like last Sunday and there is a Gay Pride Parade.

Streets were crowded with people watching the parade. There were also policemen, just like there were during Occupy Wall Street, but the air was quite different. It was the most colorful festival I’ve ever seen. Gays and lesbians in the parade wore colorful costumes and accessories, and didn’t hesitate to reveal lots of skin. It was beautiful, awesome and also a little bit weird in some aspects.

Everyone around seemed to enjoy the show regardless of their sexual identity. I was busy taking photos when a man in the parade approached and handed a souvenir- a necklace. A girl will smile when you give her a necklace, especially if it has a condom in it.

President Barack Obama’s support for same-sex marriages has been a much-debated issue, especially given that the elections are four months away. Did he calculate the number of gay voters or the campaign funds he could raise by taking this stand? Whatever his intention is, I support his view in the sense that anyone for any reason shall not be subjected to social discrimination.

I believe people do not choose to be gay, that God makes them that way. Unlike the situation here in New York, however, it’s hard to see gays showing off openly. Does Korea have a smaller gay population than the United States?

The U.S. city with the highest GLB (gay, lesbian and bisexual) population is New York City with an estimated 272,493 GLB residents, according to American Community Survey. The U.S. metropolitan areas with the most GLB residents are New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island, with an estimated 568,903 GLB residents.

Unfortunately, there are no official records of the GLB population of Korea. I’d imagine there are less there, although the population of Seoul is 1.9 million more than　 that of New York.

It’s difficult to imagine a gay parade in Korea. Most gays are afraid of coming out because most Korean men are still conservative and would not accept homosexuality.

Kim Soo Hyun, one of the oldest and famous TV writers in Korea, scripted a controversial drama last year. In it, the promising son in a family leaves their home　 and goes to live with his boyfriend, who has recently divorced. The drama was touching. But Kim had to confront a lot of criticism against homosexuality till the drama ended and even after it had ended.

Gay Pride Parade reminded me of L, my best friend. I have known L for 12 years but he only came out to me last fall. I had no idea he was gay but hearing of his agony made me emotional. We cried and hugged after he came out.

He has had a boyfriend for four years, he told me, but most of his friends and colleagues think that he’s dating a woman. L is in deep anguish, he has lived the past 39 years without coming out.

Obligatory military service of Korea makes life even harder for men like L, and he is considering emigrating to the United States or Australia.

When I asked L what he hopes would be the first thing he would do on leaving Korea, he said would want to take a walk with his boyfriend, holding hands like a couple. It seems like a simple thing for heterosexuals to do but it is a desperate hope for L.

I don’t care about the scientific reason why some people love people of the same sex. I just don’t want my best friend-who always gives me a wise advice and cheers me up whenever I feel weary- to leave his country because of social prejudice and discrimination.

On the way home, I imagined how it would be if I could participate in the gay parade in the heart of Seoul someday.

Meetings with Daniel; Questions And Answers

One of my goals in the American newsroom is to improve my interview skill. I asked John, my mentor, to introduce me a senior colleague so I could accompany him and observe how to ask questions and to attract answers from interviewees.

John linked me to Daniel Fisher, a senior Fobes editor lives in Connecticut. He usually works in his house. However, he comes to the office once or twice a week with several interviews from morning to evening. He was an enthusiastic journalist making efforts to meet people instead of sitting on a desk and calling.

Daniel and I had a morning meeting with Daniel Neiman, the chief financial officer in Neiman Funds Management LLC. Neiman Funds is a part of a $400 million financial management group with offices in New York and California.$400 million is not slathers of money in mutual fund world but Neiman Funds is one of very few funds who seek to add income potential through the use of covered calls.

Neiman Funds generates income from dividends, premiums from selling covered call options and gains when stocks are sold at a profit. Even though I covered stock market for one year in my home newsroom, I’ve never met a fund manager who operates covered call strategy. It was interesting. I could learn new investment strategy from Daniel. When I need a covered call professional for my story, I could contact to him again.

Next meeting was to have a lunch with Tim Clift, chief investment strategist in Envestnet. Envesnet is a kind of Bloomberg for individual investment advisers and financial advisors affiliated with an independent broker-dealer. It provides financial advisers with investment proposals, portfolio and easy-to-read reports. It is a listed company.

It was written in Envestnet’s brochure that 39 of 50 leading firms affiliated with an independent broker-dealer use Envestnet. It sounded weird to me that most of financial advisers use actually same or similar portfolio, asset allocation and strategy designed by one company. Most of their individual customers might not know it. As far as I know, there’s no this kind of company in Korea. But I need to double check it.

The third schedule of that day was to visit Anheuser–Busch InBev., the largest beer company in the world. The company is rarely seen in the media. Daniel and I went to its global headquarter on Park Avenue. There is no beer factory but its global headquarter in Manhattan is the global control center of Anheuser–Busch InBev.

There were just about 100 employees in the office because most of them go abroad for business trip so often. I got detailed company history especially about its previous merger & acquisitions. The meeting enhanced me to understand Anheuser–Busch InBev. But all I heard was off the record.

The 2,983 names of the killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993, are in scribed into bronze parapets surrounding the twin Memorial pools, located in the footprints of the Twin Towers.

Finally it was time to call Daniel Libeskind for my own story, the master planner of Ground Zero. I prepared twenty questions and asked PR agency a press kit about the master plan of Yongsan International Business District in Korea Daniel deals with. He is a warm-hearted architect who believes that architecture should make a balance with its neighbors.After a long call with Daniel—he was in Washington D.C. at that time—I thought I had to visit the Ground Zero and read his biography before I write his story. And I did. Now I realize what every single word of his meant while we were talking each other.It’s hard to communicate with interviewee only by phone to me. Korean reporters hate interviewing by phone because we can’t fully feel who the interview is. No matter how long I write a story about an interviewee, I even might not be able to notice him on the street without seeing his face. It’s irony.

However, in the United States, we sometimes have no choice but to calling. The territory of the US is too huge and people are scattered in this broad land. One solution might prepare for it more and more.

What I Got From The Naked Cowgirl in Time Square

Times Square is a place you can’t miss visiting in New York. Crowded with people even at night, it seems a prototype of th city never sleeps. You may not recognize it’s already midnight because of  lots of electric displays emits stong light. 

Gazing at the glamorous billboards like Coca Cola, I was instinctively searching for billboards of Samsung and LG. Though I had hesitated choosing one between iPhone and Galaxy phone before I bought my mobile phone and I was absorbed in reading the biography of Steve Jobs, I’m a defintely Korean.

I was toxicated by people in Times Square and they left a strong impression to me. Foreign tourists, domestic tourists and young New Yorkers were there at the sme time. Among them, needless to say, what surprised me most was so called Naked Cowgirl. The Naked Cowgirl on her bikini swimsuit was in the center of the street holding a guitar. It’s impossible to imagine in Korea.

“How can she dressed like that stand in front of people with so natural smile?” I muttered. The Naked Cowgirl was willing to take a picture with people and exchanged smiles. It was an unexpected pleasure. A block across the road near to Toys ‘R’ Us store, was Naked Cowboy forming a pair with the Naked Cowgirl. A moment of laughter exploded.

Is he her boyfriend or just a like-minded friend? I wondered. How old are they and what do they do for their livings? Many questions emerged. I was enjoying their performances like many other tourists.

You will see the Naked Cowgirl and the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, in addition to a spiderman and a goddess Of liberty. You can meet Free-huggers give hugs to others freely. One thing they have in common is that they make people smile regardless of who they are.

I thought it might be a small gift the American culture which emphasizes freedom of expression more than anything else delivers to strangers.

 

  

 

Betting in Macau, Say I still Need More Comments

I was curious about how press conferences in U.S. are different. On the way to Ritz-Carlton hotel in Battery Park, I was a little bit nervous and excited. I was about to attend the luncheon hosted by the Macau Government Tourism Office. I hoped have a seat near to the key spokesperson to tape his speaking and not to miss any word.

Fortunately I had a seat next to Macau’s Director of Tourism Joȃo Manuel Costa Antunes. This was his first speaking in New York City in over five years. I could speak with him eating chicken steak together in addition to his formal speech. Surprisingly, He is not Chinese but Portuguese and has worked for the Tourism Office in nearly 25 years.
Antunes emphasized that Macau is not only a gambling hub but also family-oriented destination. He was proud of an increasing number of tourists in Macau and suddenly asked me the reason why Jeju Island, the most beautiful place in Korea, is not successful as Macau. It was an unexpected question. I answered to him that Korea government is very skeptical of promoting casinos, being afraid of social side-effects.

Jeju lsland is the most preferred tourist destination in Korea, but it is not the place for gambling. There are eight of Korea’s 17 casino hotels in Jeju Island, but most of them are small or medium-sized company. Korean Government doesn’t consider developing Jeju Island as a casino complex. Korea government regulates the casino industry very strictly.

It came to my mind that it would be interesting to compare Macau with Jeju Island, but Americans even don’t know Where Jeju Island is. I decided to pay attention to Macau story. I was familiar with the casino industry of Macau because I had visited Macau twice to report the development plan of Cotai area with an invitation from Las Vegas Sands Corp. However it wasn’t easy to find and angle. I didn’t want to repeat past stories and to take down Antunes’ words like a parrot. I needed a new angle. I began to worry about after the luncheon how I could make a new story, but the problem was the press conference was not really newsy. Though Deborah attended the meeting with me, it was my job to cover the story.

Macau casino business has flourished last year as the number of tourists increased. However the stock price of casino companies invested aggressively in Macau fell dramatically since this month begun, making a curve from their highs. Wynn Resorts lost almost 20% after the earning announcement of first quarter. Its earning was under the analysts’ expectation.

Macau tourism is still booming in Macau, but the casino companies in Macau should start from the high base this year following the high earning of the last year. I referred to Korean and American analyst reports at the same time. The stock price of Paradise—Korea’s foreigner-only casino company—skyrocketed since this month begun thanks to the expectation that Chinese tourists visiting Korea would increase constantly. It was the main point of several Korean reports that the boom in Macau was making a global circle of casino boom.

I showed my story to Deborah and she wants me add more American casino companies stock prices have declined. My mentor, John asked me to add more specific reason Korean casinos rose. After I finish modifying the article I posted, and got some comments from a Forbes contributor and a reader. Posting my answer, I was able to look back my story once more. Comments from readers always give me a positive stimulus.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/heejoungkim/2012/05/14/betting-on-macau-say-they-still-need-more-rooms/

Korea’s 40 Richest

Another two weeks have passed so quickly. Even though I couldn’t write a lot, I’m still learning a lot. Magazine newsroom is quite different from daily newspaper. The life cycle of reporters goes by monthly, but morning meeting for online story is done every day at 9:30. Reporters get e-mails about the day’s Google trends and news headlines in advance of the meeting. The morning meeting is quite casual, and not every reporter attends it.

On every Tuesday, Forbes Asia has a magazine meeting. American contributors in each Asian country send story item. But the main topic of the last issue was to make up Korean Rich List. As you know, Forbes covers global 2000 rich list annually and Forbes Asia publishes 40 rich list series by countries. I Last issue was for Korea.

Numbering the Korean rich by net asset value of his or her stocks, I co-worked with my mentor, John Koppisch. It’s not hard to figure out the value listed stocks, but it isn’t when it comes to private company. That was always the problem Forbes Korea faced to make Rich List. I researched a lot to get the correct numbers, and updated news about the Korean rich to complete profiles. Also, I calculated some private company’s stock value based on net asset, comparing with its competitors.

We featured Kim Jung-ju, the owner of Nexon in the intro. Nexon is No.1 online game company in Korea and listed on the Japan stock market last year. His property has doubled in a year due to Nexon’s successful debut in stock market. Tim Feruson, Forbes Asia editor, wanted the contributor covering Korea to interview Kim face to face, but he denied even written interview.

Kim’s story couldn’t be a separate story. Magazine stories in Forbes should be based on face to face interview unlike online story. So I tried to contact another Korean entrepreneur on the rich list, he didn’t reply as well. However I was so happy when the May edition of Forbes Asia was published in April 25. John said he could have worked easier than any other year because I had confirmed every uncertain fact on Korea’s 40 Richest which he got from Forbes Korea.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/83/korea-billionaires-12_land.html

Apart from magazine work, I’m preparing my own story for Forbes blog about MindTree, an Indian IT company. I interviewed Scott Staples, the CEO of MindTree America yesterday. It is one of the fast growing companies in India. MindTree will open a development center in Gainesville, Florida. It will create 400 new high quality jobs. I also interviewed Ed Popell, director of University of Florida Development Coporation and Brent Christensen, president of Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

I needed time to go over the taping after the interviewing, I might have met so many sources at the same time. It was hard to find a specific angle so I asked John if it would be better to focus on company story or not. John said that company stories will be more welcomed in Forbes. So, I’m keeping gathering more specific information on MindTree. Forbes readers will be more interested in its stock rally.

The first interview was hard for me. Normally I visit the company office when I interview CEO and my home newsroom doesn’t have an interview room. But the situation is the opposite here. Interviewees come to newsroom and I become a sort of host even though I still feel a stranger in Forbes. But it was a precious experience.

American Men Hotter Than Asian Men?

“Have you ever been in love?”

You may remember Mr. Big who answered “abso-fucking-lutely” with a meaningful smile in this weird question from Carrie. I’m neither a follower of Sarah Jessica Parker nor a big fan of Sex and the City. But the sightseeing of New York seemed irresistible charming. Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge were the places to walk around before I die.

But, in reality, I have spent my extra time agonizing how to deal with basic necessities for life like food. I was in deep demand for real Korean food. The problem was Korean food needs lots of flavorings and takes so long time to cook. What I realized after a month in Manhattan is I haven’t gone out much to feel the air of New York City. On last Sunday, I backpacked and turned toward the Brooklyn Bridge to walk across leisurely.

I was looking for the direction to the bridge in front of Palace Park station referring to a tour map; unfortunately I have no sense of direction. Kindly a tall American man, wore a suit on Sunday, guided me the way to the bridge even though I didn’t ask him. No matter how we live in the era of technology depending on iPhone, an original resident is the best source when it comes to geography.

Mr. Tall asked where I’m from and said he had lived in Korea for four years working in the Korean branch of his company. Suffering from homesickness, I was happy to talk to him for a minute. But his next question was too naïve to answer gladly. “Are you seeing any American guy in New York?” Mr. Tall who used to be a gentleman for minutes suddenly put a spoke in my wheel.

HJ: No.

Mr. Tall: Why not? Five months is a long time, enjoy your time in New York. Who knows that? You can fall in love with me and I might be able to move to Korea.

HJ: I have a boyfriend in Korea.

Mr. Tall: So what? He’s in Korea, such a far place. Have fun. It’s new experience in your life. You are in New York.

HJ: Haha, I don’t want to cheat my boyfriend. He is trustworthy and so I am.

Mr. Tall: Meeting other guy is not cheating him, and I can tell you American men are better than Korean men. We are honest, hot and liberal. I know who I am.

HJ: I know who I am, and my boyfriend knows who he is as well.

He didn’t finish the conversation here, he went too far.

Mr. Tall: See the couple, there are so many American (white) guys date much more beautiful Asian girls rather than themselves. I even have a friend used to be going out a married Korean woman.

He suggested having a dinner together in his house. “I’m going to cook for you. And then, let’s go around Times Square.”

I didn’t know this guy was telling the truth or not. A married Korean woman gets along with American guy? There might be a slight possibility. I heard a few of Korean wives who came with her children to educate them in U.S., leaving her husband in Korea to earn money to afford it-Koreans call those fathers Lonely Fathers-got divorced since she meets an American guy. But it’s not the point but also a lovely story.

“Thanks, but no thanks.” I felt humiliated. This guy might have known who he is but didn’t know who I am. I didn’t feel like talking to Mr. Tall anymore. I walked alone the Brooklyn Bridge looking at the sunset, and kept thinking about his saying again. Brooklyn Bridge should have been beautiful and romantic to a stranger like me. However it wasn’t any more. It suddenly looked like a site of adultery.

How many American guys are seeing Asian girls who have just landed in U.S.? I have no idea, but one thing clear is Mr. Tall has a totally wrong idea about Asian girls and Korean men. How can we say simply that a man from a country is better than a man from the others? If we simplify that kind of childish logic, American girls should be better than Asians or Koreans either. Then why does Mr. Tall chase Asian girls? It’s nonsense.

He must have thought visiting Asian girls-not Asian Americans-are easy to approach. When you are a stranger, you are easy to feel lonely until you settle down in the country regardless of your purpose of visit: especially the language barrier is higher than you might think. It’s natural for you to pursue a person communicates with and share your feelings. It can be a starting point of finding friendship or real love-even though the probability is extremely low-like a romantic movie.

However, love comes with mutual respect and trust, not with cultural superiority and looking down on the other. As I’m not a native English speaker, there could have been some misunderstandings between Mr. Tall and me; I hope so. Nonetheless, his attitude to see Asian girls wasn’t cool. I bet he won’t say in that way to American girls. What if he knew I’m a visiting reporter? Hum, he’d rather collect Asian dolls than chat up Asian girls.

I think Mr. Tall doesn’t represent a typical American. He is just one of ten-million male New Yorkers. How do you view this guy? Now I’m listening to the movie theme of Last Exit to Brooklyn-A Love Idea-and asking Mr. Tall by myself. “Have you ever been in love, the real love?” My guess is abso-fucking-lutely not.

I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth. (song of Solomon 3:2,3)