Latest news with #KoreanAmericans
Eater
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
San Francisco's ‘Koreaworld' Looks a Lot Like Sōhn
Janet Lee grew up in the Bay Area not seeing Korean Americans have their own place in San Francisco. She'd drive with her family to San Jose, maybe, or all the way to Los Angeles. But it wasn't until Queens in San Francisco, the Korean superette, that she says she felt the city had a piece of Korean Americana amongst its furniture. She and chef Deuki Hong will take that energy to the next level with their upcoming Sōhn. The tremendous former Daily Driver space at 2535 3rd Street is a place for Hong's immaculate food and thoughtful drinks, yes. But Lee, a managing partner, and Hong say this will be a failure if guests see themselves as mere diners. The intent is to create a community launch pad, a place for events and art. The two are partnered with Maum, a shop for soaps and home goods. The name is a derivative of the Korean word for hand, and the two stress their new space is a product of many, many hands. Sōhn, they hope, plants a flag for myriad featured Korean makers in California and throughout the world. 'This is the culmination of a 20-year career,' Hong says. 'We may never do a dinner service. When you come in, it makes sense.' Tina Yang That doesn't mean the food and drink options aren't ritzy affairs. Hong — who just released the cookbook Koreaworld last year following 2016's Koreatown — cut his teeth under chefs Corey Lee and David Chang, amongst many more, on his way to stardom. Nearby, he owns the titanic Neighbor Bakehouse. Here, he shows Korean barbecue done up as a patty melt, warming bowls of jook, and a fermentation lab for kimchi and other goods. A few of the dishes from his late Sunday Bird restaurant in San Francisco made the menu, such as the popcorn chicken. Matcha comes from big-hitter Kettl and coffee from Los Angeles's Be Bright, run by U.S. Barista Champion Frank La. A Melona soda, an homage to the Melona ice cream bars of Hong and Lee's youth, is a daily drink for both of them. The art and items at Sōhn bring home the communal intentions, though. Interior designer Cathie Hong took the 8,000-square-foot space over as her first commercial project, adding a 12-seat bar to the hushed, lo-fi-looking space. There are 30 different Korean makers and artists available selling blankets, candle makers, and ceramic critters. Artist workshops, collab dinners, pop-ups, and cooking classes are quick to show up, too. The first partner in the art lane is the Korean American Art Collective; featured art in the space sells with 100 percent of proceeds going to the artists. Sōhn joins an area of San Francisco quickly becoming an exciting destination for diners. Breadbelly's second outpost — much larger than the original and with a proper interior component — opened inside Pier 70 at the end of a street well under construction. Sōhn looks to join the growing area. This marks Hong and Lee's first time working together, too, as they were early friends from when Hong moved to the area about eight years ago. And while Lee remembers Han Il Kwan on 19th Avenue and Balboa Street and Shin Toe Bul Yi in the Sunset fondly, she and Hong are excited to be a part of the new wave of Korean American food in the region, and the country. The space opens on Korean Liberation Day, after all. 'I was born and raised in San Francisco,' Lee says. 'So just the response we've gotten over the past few weeks of hearing from other Korean Americans, not just my age but younger and older, we've been waiting our entire lives for a gathering space like this.' Sōhn (2535 3rd Street, San Francisco) celebrates its grand opening on Saturday, August 16 at 10 a.m. with full hours to come. Tina Yang Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Fox News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem challenger calls GOP congresswoman 'ESL puppet' in heated immigration post: 'Vile extremist'
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., responded to comments from a Democratic challenger referring to her as an "ESL puppet" in a post criticizing the Trump administration's immigration policies. "My story is not unique. It's the story of so many Korean Americans and immigrants across the country who are proud Americans and are making our communities better every day. I'm proud of my accent and will keep using my voice to protect the American dream for future generations," Kim told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. "It's a new low for a child of Korean immigrants to move to a district two hours away to parrot race-baiting, anti-immigrant slurs targeting a fellow Korean American. Young is the most effective federal lawmaker from California and continues to prove she's an independent fighter for her community," Callie Strock, campaign spokesperson for Kim added. Democrat Esther Kim Varet's post Wednesday night included screenshots from a National Republican Campaign Committee X post that says Kim Varet is "radical," "anti-ICE," and "pushing fringe conspiracy theories." It also included screenshots of various news articles about Asian immigrants facing deportation and other woes as ICE doubles down on deportation efforts. "Remember when your own racist MAGA party couldn't tell your much older a-- apart from me [Rep. Kim]?" Kim Varet wrote. "You're a power-hungry Korean-born immigrant that has sold your conscience to the devil – at the price of all hard-working immigrants. You don't work hard, you and your husband are the biggest GRIFTERS representing the swamp – putrid and pussing from the rot that is your soul. "Don't you even realize that OUR shared Korean-American community has the highest number of undocumented immigrants amongst Asians?" she added. "You don't even speak English well enough to hold a single cohesive argument. You ESL puppet. So embarrassing. A real life Judas to our community. You sicken me [Rep. Kim]." The posts quickly caught the attention of the NRCC as it focuses on competitive House races. The comments come as ICE operations continue to be a major topic of debate in the Golden State. Most Republicans argue the efforts are necessary for public safety, while others worry it's harming immigrant communities. "Unhinged Democrat Esther Kim Varet is a hate-filled bigot who embodies the worst of today's political discourse. Californians will reject this vile extremist who has no business representing them in Congress," NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez said in a statement Thursday. In response to the NRCC's comments, Varet told Fox News Digital it "seems like par for the course that national Republicans can't tell Asians apart." California congressional seats could face redrawing for the 2026 cycle, but the fate of redistricting is still to be battled out nationwide. Still, Kim could be in yet another closely watched race after President Donald Trump won the district narrowly in 2024. Kim defeated Democrat Joe Kerr by over 40,000 votes in November. Kim Varet is one of several candidates in a wide Democratic field seeking to challenge the incumbent Republican in the general election, according to Politico. Cook Political Report ranks the race as "Lean Republican."
New York Post
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Who is Robert Shinn, ‘TikTok cult' leader whose home was raided in federal sex-trafficking probe?
Investigators from at least four federal agencies raided a California home Friday linked to mysterious 'TikTok' cult Pastor Robert Shinn, the founder of a so-called talent agency that allegedly exploited amateur dancers with promises of TikTok stardom. A handful of people were led away from the home — located in Los Angeles' Tujunga neighborhood — in handcuffs, after FBI, IRS, US Postal Service and Labor Department agents swooped in on the residence. However, it was unclear if Shinn, 87, who has been likened to a cult leader, was among them. Advertisement So, who exactly is Shinn? In 1994, he founded the Shekinah Church, a Christian congregation recently profiled in Netflix's documentary series 'Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult' that initially served as a house of worship for Korean Americans in LA. Shinn also owns 7M Films and is associated with several other California businesses, including Shinn Entertainment Corp., IP Random Film, IHD Studio and Glory Bag Records. Advertisement 3 Pastor Robert Shinn has multiple companies and may be worth $15 million. KTLA 5 He shares ownership of the home that was raided Friday with multiple people. A self-proclaimed 'man of God,' Shinn is alleged to have lured dancers to sign with his talent agency, 7M Films. He allegedly assured them he could turn them into TikTok sensations. Instead, Shinn allegedly financially and physically manipulated and abused the dancers, encouraging some of them to disown their families. Advertisement Other dancers have accused Shinn of sexual assault. The church allegedly encouraged members to surrender their time and money in support of its mission to save one billion souls from damnation. 3 It was unclear if Shinn was arrested during Friday's raid. KTLA 5 The warrants served at the house Friday involved allegations of sex trafficking, money laundering, mail fraud, tax evasion and COVID-19-related fraud, according to the Los Angeles Times. Advertisement Still others were forced to join the Shekinah Church and later served as recruiters for 7M. Shinn, who is married to Hannah Shinn, has previously denied claims that the Shenikah Church and 7M are affiliated, TV Insider reported. The Canadian-born Shinn is estimated to be worth $15 million. One of his children, singer-songwriter Kloë Shinn, defected from the church in 2022 with her husband Daniel Joseph, according to Cosmo, which added that he also has two sons, Conrad and Isaiah. Her music has appeared on reality shows like 'Queer Eye' and 'The Real Housewives' as well as the movie 'Random Encounters,' a 2013 film starring Meghan Markle — that was produced by her father. 3 Women have accused Shinn of physical and sexual assault. KTLA 5 Several former dancers and ex-members of the Shekinah Church teamed up to sue Shinn in 2022. The lawsuit alleges exploitation and labor law violations by the church and Shinn, and remains active. In 2009, a woman named Lydia Chung sued Shinn, alleging he'd forced her to turn over $3.8 million in assets through 'undue influence, mind control, coercive persuasion, oppression and other intimidating tactics,' according to the lawsuit. Advertisement She also said the church made her work six days a week, but never paid her. A judge ultimately ruled against her. In 2011, Jung Hee Lee, a former Shekinah member, sued Shinn for allegedly forcing her to work full-time for only a $30 weekly stipend. She won that case, and Shinn was ordered to pay her the compensation she should've received. Shinn himself filed a defamation lawsuit against several former church members after they referred to the organization as a cult, according to CNN.
Fox News
25-06-2025
- Fox News
Rodney King-era 'rooftop Korean' calls left-wing riots manufactured: 'looking for the next George Floyd'
A Los Angeles man who armed himself and took to the streets in 1992 to protect a local business during the height of the Rodney King unrest says today's rioters in the city are astroturfed for political purposes. Tony Moon, 53, is what is now known as a "rooftop Korean." Thirty-three years ago, the Korean-American, then 19, was asked to join a spontaneous movement alongside other Korean-Americans who armed themselves to protect their lives and property from being destroyed by violent rioters who were upset over the verdict in a trial against officers who beat Rodney King during a traffic stop. The officers were acquitted on charges of assault and excessive force, plunging the city into tumult as rioters attempted to burn down Los Angeles, causing 63 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times. Determined to protect their livelihoods, "rooftop Koreans" took to the streets – and to the rooftops of their own businesses – to deter rioters from causing trouble in their neighborhoods. "When the riots occurred, it wasn't anything that anyone foresaw obviously, but we were well aware of Rodney King and the verdict that was coming down," Moon told Fox News Digital. "And when that occurred is when everything kind of popped off. The reason why I went out was because a close and good friend of mine, his older brother had a stereo shop that was on the outskirts of near Koreatown." During the attack, Radio Korea became a go-to source of information for the Korean-American communities, alerting them to potential threats. "He called me Thursday evening after the radio announcement asking for volunteers to come to the community, to defend the community," Moon said. "And he told me that his brother's store might be threatened from the fires and the looting that was slowly traveling up north from the south, like South Central and South LA." Moon described a tense atmosphere, which he said had been building between the Black and Korean communities in the city since the fatal shooting of a Black girl by a Korean shop owner the year prior. The civil unrest at that time, Moon said, was organic. "The sentiment was much different then than it is now," he said. "Now it's all manufactured. And not only that, but there's no true grassroots support from any of the communities. You know, it's what I would say [is] part two of BLM/Antifa from 2020 that's being carried over." "But it doesn't have the same traction and support that it did back in 2020 with defunding the police, [and with] Black Lives Matter," he continued. "I don't see that, and what they're looking for is, they're looking for someone to martyr. They're looking for a death. They're looking for the next George Floyd." Moon emphasized his support for peaceful protest, but said that when damaging property, vandalization and looting occur, those activities cross the line. He also advised Angelenos who feel unsafe due to violent crime to do what he and others in the Korean-American community did more than three decades ago: arm themselves. "If it's a riot or if there's any sort of mayhem, social chaos going on in your neighborhood, invest in firearms," he said. "I mean, support the Second Amendment. Buy a gun, buy a rifle. I mean, the most easiest weapon to shoot is a shotgun. So invest in something like that and learn how to shoot it and be proficient with it, so that way it becomes part of your defense, whether it's for your home or your business." Earlier this month riots plagued Los Angeles, a so-called sanctuary city, since a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps targeting criminal illegal immigrants. Federal law enforcement and police clashed with rioters in the city's streets, while those agitators burned cars, looted businesses, took over streets and graffitied buildings in the heart of downtown Los Angeles with anti-ICE and anti-Trump messaging. The city's mayor, Karen Bass, has blamed President Donald Trump for causing the unrest by deploying National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to protect federal property, and Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration for the move. The Trump administration ordered 2,000 more members of the National Guard to the city last week, and ICE will continue conducting operations in the city.
New York Post
19-06-2025
- New York Post
How an original Rooftop Korean got red-pilled: ‘These protests are not organic'
They became the stuff of Second Amendment lore — young men with firearms, patrolling the streets and positioned on rooftops in the Koreatown neighborhood during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Thirty years later, as the City of Angels again faces threats of anarchy, coupled with a defunded and demoralized police force, many people recall the group of men — later known as the Rooftop Koreans — who took it upon themselves to bulwark their community. 'Back then, I didn't really have any skin in the game, so to speak,' Tony Moon, now 53, tells The Post. Advertisement As the fires and looting crept north from South Central to Koreatown, Moon's father no longer had a business in the neighborhood. In fact, the family was living in nearby Hollywood. But a friend's brother asked for assistance protecting his stereo-equipment store on Hoover Street, and Moon, then 19, joined the militia of around 75 men to patrol the neighborhood from looters and vandals. 7 Meme @DonaldJTrumpJr/X Advertisement It worked. Bedlam gripped the city — the LAPD had stood down to the rioters — but Koreatown remained unscorched. The '92 riots erupted on a Wednesday after four LAPD officers were acquitted in a police brutality case in which they were caught on video beating suspect Rodney King, who was black, during an arrest after a high-speed chase for driving while intoxicated. The unrest lasted six days and would become the most destructive civil disruption in US history, leaving 63 people dead, thousands injured and a billion dollars in property damage.\ 7 Korean Americans guarded Koreatown during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Wikipedia Advertisement LA Koreans felt particularly vulnerable; tensions with the black community were at an all-time high. A Korean shop owner in South Central the previous year shot and killed 15-year-old Latasha Harlins following a struggle when the woman accused the girl of trying to steal a bottle of orange juice. The shopkeeper was found guilty but sentenced only to probation, enraging the black community. In response, that year rapper Ice Cube released 'Black Korea,' a track full of anti-Asian racial epithets and threats of violence against Korean shopkeepers. 'It was lawless. A lot of us wondered if this was going to be a full-on attack on the [Korean] community. You could have pretty much gotten away with anything,' Moon recalls. Advertisement 7 Tony Moon is now a suburban family man — with an edge. Courtesy of Tony Moon But with riots returning to Los Angeles in recent years — Black Lives Matter in summer 2020 following George Floyd's death and again to a lesser extent last week protesting federal immigration enforcement — Moon sees few, if any, similarities to 1992. 'When the Rodney King verdict came through, there was genuine anger and frustration from that community. And I felt it, too,' Moon tells The Post from his home outside Los Angeles. 'These are not organic. There's no groundswell support from the community. Having gone through the 2020 BLM-Antifa riots and seeing how those were organized, we know that these are all manufactured, and they need to pay these people to show up,' he says. He accuses 'dark-money NGOs' of bankrolling the unrest, pointing for instance to Neville Singham, a China-linked tech tycoon who's under House probe. 7 Moon was a Rooftop Korean at 19, trying to prove himself to his father. Courtesy of Tony Moon 'Another good example would be the Tesla protests that you saw not that long ago, where they would show up at a specific time and they're out of there a couple hours later. If you're really passionate about your cause you would probably stay from sunup to sundown, but you can tell these people were on the clock.' His experiences in 1990s LA, in part, led to Moon's early, enthusiastic support for Barack Obama — until the Democrat's presidential term wore on and Moon became disillusioned with the Washington establishment. Advertisement 'I have a heart for the black community because I grew up with that culture. My hope was, with Obama, that with the black community, there would be a real, genuine change. Because as a country, we're only as strong as our weakest link. And right now, those areas are, I consider, our weakest link. Because they are the least educated, have the most crime. But I didn't see that change with Obama. And I saw how everything was just business as usual. Obama was just a neocon elitist, like everyone else,' Moon says. 'That's what communism is, which most people don't understand. These kids that are pushing for socialism, communism think that the people on top are going to be generous and kind to them, but they're not. They're just being used as useful tools. It's a feudal system again.' 7 A Los Angeles Korean shopping mall burns on the second day of the 1992 riots. AP While he was born in West Germany and immigrated to America at age 5, Moon grew up with horror stories of life under the communist North Korean regime. Advertisement In one family tale, his grandfather — suspected of having ties to anti-revolutionaries — was marched into a field to be executed by North Korean soldiers. A chance flyover of American helicopters spooked the troops, and he escaped. That's when the family decided to leave, eventually landing in the United States. 7 More than 1,000 Korean Americans rallied at LA's Admiral Park in 1992 to call for healing between the Korean and African-American communities. AP But at 19 years old, when Moon found himself standing guard outside a shopping center on Olympic Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue carrying the Remington 870 shotgun he'd bought himself with his first paycheck, he wasn't thinking of any of that. Advertisement He always thought of himself as an Angeleno first — being Korean had little to do with it. At the time, 'I was kind of a screw up. I didn't finish high school. My dad was on to me,' Moon recalls. He got his act together and went to the University of Southern California, where he studied business. He began working as a mortgage lender and started a family; his kids are now 14 and 16. 'I became just a Joe Schmo citizen.' As COVID-19 restrictions intensified in 2020, Moon began to suspect the authorities were lying about the illness' severity. Then he started following bizarre behavior from vote-counting precincts on election night that year. 7 Moon became a meme again in 2001. @PplsCityCouncil/X Advertisement He joined Twitter to have a place to vent his political frustrations and was shocked to discovere he'd become a meme: The younger generation had stumbled upon 1992's 'Rooftop Koreans' (a term Moon had never heard before) and, from 2020 riots' ashes, had sent out the bat-signal beckoning their return. 'They understood the call went out. A lot of the Korean guys were saying, 'Yeah, I'll go out again,'' Moon remembers. (Turns out they weren't needed; Koreatown was left untouched in 2020, as if someone had already gotten the message.) By now the mild-mannered suburban father was rapidly becoming a full-on political activist. On Jan. 6, 2021, Moon showed up in Washington, DC, to express solidarity with election-integrity protesters — though he didn't go inside the Capitol that day. 'I would fight for anyone's right to protest and speak their mind regardless of whatever side of the issue you're on,' Moon says, taking a swig from an orange water bottle — the very same bottle that in July 2021 led him to become another meme. That month he joined a protest outside Wi Spa in LA's Koreatown in support of women who'd complained about a nude male in their changing room, clashing with pro-transgender activists. As Moon was giving an interview a woman approached and kicked him in the groin. He reacted by bonking her with the water bottle, a moment that went viral. With more anti-Trump protests being organized across the country, does Moon think we're in for a repeat of 1992? Or a sequel to 2020's 'Summer of Love'? Not really. 'You can't fool people a hundred percent of the time. You can't use the same playbook over and over again. People have a certain degree of pattern recognition,' he says, believing the unrest is more theater than heart. 'I think everyone's going through riot fatigue.' Maybe even the ones being paid for it.
