Want to go behind the scenes of the Chronicle Opinion section? Check out our new newsletter
We're just rolling out a new format to offer readers more than a collection of links.
I'm Harry Mok, and starting this week on Thursdays, I'll be your guide for content from the Chronicle's Opinion section.
First, a little about me. I'm the Opinion section's assistant editor and a columnist. I help edit all the stories that appear in the section, and I'm the editor who receives all of the Letters to the Editor submissions from readers.
I grew up in the Sacramento area on a farm that my parents, immigrants from China, started as the family business. I didn't appreciate much of my family's history until I got off the farm and went to college at San Jose State, where I majored in journalism.
I knew that having a family farm that grew Chinese vegetables was unusual. At San Jose State, I took classes in Asian American history and literature, which gave me a better understanding of how my family fit, or didn't fit, into the American story. I'm glad I've been able to document and honor that history by writing about it.
My career has taken me from California to New York and back, and to the Chronicle twice. I was a copy editor at the Chronicle from 1997 to 2002, and I returned in 2016. I've been with the Opinion section as assistant editor since 2021.
I've lived in San Francisco since 1996 and in the Sunset District since 2004. Some readers might be familiar with my columns about the Sunset, including the recent debate over the closure of the Upper Great Highway to cars.
With the new Thursday newsletter format, I want to give you insights into what you're reading and how it came to be. Sometimes, that could be going behind-the-scenes with staff columnists or contributors to talk about their pieces or an analysis of issues of the day. Other times, I might give newsletter readers the space to weigh in.
The goal is to have a deeper discourse that gets people thinking. Then, maybe you'll want to send a letter to the editor. Or you'll be motivated to research a subject to bolster an opinion or offer your personal experience for an Open Forum submission.
The Chronicle's Opinion section welcomes viewpoints from all perspectives about the challenges we face and the triumphs we celebrate, hit me up.
Our submissions inbox is open, and I can be reached at hmok@sfchronicle.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
24 minutes ago
- The Hill
South Korean President Lee will travel to Washington for Aug. 25 meeting with Trump
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung will travel to Washington later this month to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, Lee's office said Tuesday, for talks on trade and defense cooperation in the face of nuclear-armed North Korea and other threats. Their Aug. 25 summit will follow a July trade deal in which Washington agreed to cut its reciprocal tariff on South Korea to 15% from the initially proposed 25% and to apply the same reduced rate to South Korean cars, the country's top export to the United States. South Korea also agreed to purchase $100 billion in U.S. energy and invest $350 billion in the country, and the leaders could use their meeting to discuss expanding cooperation in key industries such as semiconductors, batteries and shipbuilding, Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The meeting also comes amid concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington shifts more focus on China. Lee and Trump will discuss strengthening the allies' defense posture against growing North Korean threats, and also developing the partnership into a 'future-oriented, comprehensive strategic alliance' to address the changing international security and economic environment, according to Kang, who didn't elaborate on the specific issues to be addressed. Dating back to his first term, Trump has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the 28,500 American troops stationed on its soil. Recent comments by key Trump administration officials, including Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, have also suggested a desire to restructure the alliance, which some experts say could potentially affect the size and role of U.S. forces in South Korea. Under this approach, South Korea would take a greater role in countering North Korean threats while U.S. forces focus more on China, possibly leaving Seoul to face reduced benefits but increased costs and risks, experts say.
Boston Globe
24 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
South Korean President Lee will travel to Washington for Aug. 25 meeting with Trump
Advertisement The meeting also comes amid concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington shifts more focus on China. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Lee and Trump will discuss strengthening the allies' defense posture against growing North Korean threats, and also developing the partnership into a 'future-oriented, comprehensive strategic alliance' to address the changing international security and economic environment, according to Kang, who didn't elaborate on the specific issues to be addressed. Dating back to his first term, Trump has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the 28,500 American troops stationed on its soil. Recent comments by key Trump administration officials, including Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, have also suggested a desire to restructure the alliance, which some experts say could potentially affect the size and role of U.S. forces in South Korea. Advertisement Under this approach, South Korea would take a greater role in countering North Korean threats while U.S. forces focus more on China, possibly leaving Seoul to face reduced
San Francisco Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
South Korean President Lee will travel to Washington for Aug. 25 meeting with Trump
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung will travel to Washington later this month to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, Lee's office said Tuesday, for talks on trade and defense cooperation in the face of nuclear-armed North Korea and other threats. Their Aug. 25 summit will follow a July trade deal in which Washington agreed to cut its reciprocal tariff on South Korea to 15% from the initially proposed 25% and to apply the same reduced rate to South Korean cars, the country's top export to the United States. South Korea also agreed to purchase $100 billion in U.S. energy and invest $350 billion in the country, and the leaders could use their meeting to discuss expanding cooperation in key industries such as semiconductors, batteries and shipbuilding, Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The meeting also comes amid concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington shifts more focus on China. Lee and Trump will discuss strengthening the allies' defense posture against growing North Korean threats, and also developing the partnership into a 'future-oriented, comprehensive strategic alliance' to address the changing international security and economic environment, according to Kang, who didn't elaborate on the specific issues to be addressed. Dating back to his first term, Trump has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the 28,500 American troops stationed on its soil. Recent comments by key Trump administration officials, including Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, have also suggested a desire to restructure the alliance, which some experts say could potentially affect the size and role of U.S. forces in South Korea.
