Bong Joon-ho film Parastie (기생충) in Pittsburgh from November 1.

Tickets just went on sale for Pittsburgh screenings of the acclaimed 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parastie (기생충), which will play locally from November 1.

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

Parasite won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It will play at the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill (map) from November 1 and tickets are available online.

BTS World Tour film Love Yourself: Speak Yourself [The Final] in Pittsburgh for live-streaming event, October 27.

The final installment of the BTS concert film series Love Yourself: Speak Yourself [The Final] will play in Pittsburgh on October 27. It will be simulcast live throughout the US and Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. The three-and-a-half-hour concert will play locally at the Southside Works Cinema and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

The concert movie BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul was released in Pittsburgh in January 2019, and their film Bring the Soul: The Movie played here through the summer.

Unexpected Korean fortress at Chuck E. Cheese's.

It pleases me that the Ken Chuck-e-Derby at Chuck E. Cheese's has a course through a Korean fortress.



These particular shots were taken in the North Hills, though you'll find videos of this level around YouTube as well. Details about the particular game are scarce. The Chuck E. Cheese's version seems to be a modification of the "Junior Jockey" program by Christer Kaitila installed on a horse-riding game by Universal Space.

English-Korean Language Social Hour, October 11 at Pitt.

via travel oriented (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's English Language Institute and Asian Studies Center will present its next English-Korean Language Social Hour on October 11.

Join us for an evening of language and cultural exchange between Pitt students and international students.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Tickets now on sale for Amber Liu show in Pittsburgh, February 9.

Amber Liu will perform in Pittsburgh on February 9, 2020 as part of her North American "X" Tour, and general admission tickets went on sale at 10:00 am. The concert will also feature Meg & Dea and Justin Park and will be at Rex Theater in the Southside (map) from 7:00 pm.

Amber Liu coming to Pittsburgh, with Meg & Dia and Justin Park, as part of North American "X" Tour in February.

A concert with Amber Liu, Meg & Dia, and Justin Park was recently announced for the Rex Theater on February 9, 2020.

Presale VIP ticket packages are available now, but general admission tickets will go on sale on Friday, October 4, from 10:00 am.

Free Chinese, Japanese, Korean classes in Pittsburgh in October.

via @japangov


The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will continue to offer free Chinese, Japanese, and Korean classes at some of its branches this October. Check out the class information below in addition to its language resources on the shelves and online.

As the library notes: these classes are free; registration is not required; no materials are needed and nothing needs to be bought; new participants are welcome at any time; classes are for adults (unless otherwise noted) but well-behaved young people are welcome to join as well.

2018 film Swing Kids (스윙키즈) at Pitt, September 30.

The University of Pittsburgh chapter of Liberty in North Korea and the Pitt Korean Student Association will present the 2018 Korean musical film Swing Kids (스윙키즈) on September 30.

Come join KSA and LiNK as we watch Swing Kids, a Korean musical drama film that focuses on a North Korean soldier (Rho Ki-Soo) and his fight for freedom. The theme will be SAUNA NIGHT - we'll be selling face masks and giving massages by the one and only, Phillip Lok, as well as cookies and drinks. BRING YOUR OWN RAMEN - we'll be supplying hot water.

It runs from 9:00 to 11:00 pm in 203 Lawrence Hall (map).

English-Korean Language Social Hour, October 11 at Pitt.

via travel oriented (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's English Language Institute and Asian Studies Center will present its next English-Korean Language Social Hour on October 11.

Join us for an evening of language and cultural exchange between Pitt students and international students.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:30 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Chuseok (추석) at Pitt, September 15.

The Daehwa Korean Conversation Group at the University of Pittsburgh will present a Chuseok (추석) celebration on September 15.

Join the Daehwa Korean Conversation Club in celebrating one of the most important Korean holidays: Chuseok (추석)!

Chuseok aka mid-autumn festival, is a day for families to gather and give thanks to their ancestors for plentiful harvest. We will have Korean games, opportunities to learn more about Korean culture and most important of all there will be FOOD! Come out and celebrate with us!!

It runs from 1:30 to 4:00 pm in the William Pitt Union Kurtzman Room.

Made to Dance II - Sori Na Tour in Pittsburgh, September 19.

Kamoflage Entertainment will bring Korean choreographer Sori Na to Pittsburgh on September 19, one of five US dates part of this fall's tour.

With the major success of “Made to Dance Tour” 2018, Kamoflage Entertainment’s aims to bring back a more refined and exciting session year after year for its fans. MTD is THE unique opportunity to experience dancing and learning alongside South Korea’s top choreographers. K-Pop fans, cover dance teams and dance enthusiasts will get their hands on a privately curated class with your instructor Sori Na all in the comfort of their cities. We bring the artist to you!

. . .

Sori Na is a widely recognized South Korean choreographer boasting a Youtube audience reach of 140k+ with each videos garnering thousands of views. She has worked with famous musicians such Jay Park and Tyga.

It will be held in the Simmons Auditorium in the Tepper Quad at Carnegie Mellon University and tickets are available online.

NPR profiles Yummyholic and Jasmine Cho.

National Public Radio (NPR)'s "The Salt" profiled Jasmine Cho and her Yummyholic brand on August 31.

Jasmine Cho knows the power of a good cookie. "Cookies," she says, "can make anything more palatable." Including conversations about race and social justice in America.

A baker based in Pittsburgh, Cho creates intricate, hand-drawn cookie portraits of Asian-American figures as a way to increase representation and raise awareness of Asian-American history and identity.

2019 Korean Music Festival, November 16 at University of Pittsburgh.

The 2019 Korean Music Festival will be held on November 16 in Oakland. Presented by the Korean Association of Greater Pittsburgh and the Korean Heritage Room, it will begin at 7:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on the University of Pittsburgh's campus (map). Tickets are $10 for adults, free for students and children, and half-price for guests dressed in hanbok. For more information, please contact 310-909-3280.

K-pop lecture at Pitt, September 5.

The University of Pittsburgh Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Suk-Young Kim and her keynote speech on K-pop on September 5 to kick off the start of its Asia Pop course this term.

The Asian Studies Center is pleased to present our new Asia Pop Series where we explore a different facet of Asian popular culture. In this first year, we will focus on the global legacy of Asian popular music including K-pop, Idol Pop, Canto and Mando Pop.

The talk starts at 5:30 pm in 125 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium.

"Building Asia," September 4 at Pitt.

via tokyoform.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Maohong Bao and his talk "Building Asia" on September 4.

The steel industry has historically held a central place in the development of all modern industrial economies. Supporting the rise of East Asia in the postwar world, the rise of resource import-dependent steel industries in Japan, Korea and China has emerged alongside export-oriented mining industries in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India and South Africa, etc., and steel products exported to the rest of world. These processes formed the global production network of East Asia’s iron and steel industry. This talk will address its global environmental history from four aspects: The development of iron and steel industry in postwar East Asia; East Asia’s iron ore and coal import and the environmental impacts of resource extraction in the producing areas; environmental consequences of iron processing in East Asia; East Asia’s Steel product export and its recycling in the consuming areas.

The talk runs from 12:00 to 1:30 in 4430 Posvar Hall (map) and is free and open to the public.

BTS's Bring the Soul: The Movie still in Pittsburgh this Saturday and Sunday.

The latest BTS concert film, Bring the Soul: The Movie, will stay in Pittsburgh this weekend, August 17 and 18, at the Cinemark in Robinson.

Following their landmark “Love Yourself” tour, boy band sensation BTS is headed to Pittsburgh’s largest screen in Bring The Soul: The Movie.

Shining brighter than any light on the stage, now the group invite us behind the spotlight. The Rangos Giant Cinema will transport you to the final concert of their Europe tour, on a rooftop in Paris, where BTS tells their very own stories from experiencing new cities to performing in front of thousands of ARMY across the globe.

A glimpse into BTS’ world away from the stage, featuring intimate group discussions alongside spectacular concert performances from the tour, this is a cinema event not to be missed.

It plays at 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, in Korean with English subtitles, and tickets are available online. The Cinemark Robinson Township is located in the Mall at Robinson (map).

Korean cyclists raising awareness of "comfort women" in US bike tour will be in Pittsburgh on August 14 and 15.

Passing through in 2018, via 3A Project.

The 2019 iteration of the 3A Project will hit Pittsburgh on August 15, according to the itinerary posted online. The 3A Project is an annual nationwide tour by two Korean university students to raise awareness of "comfort women" and the contentious politics surrounding their legacy. The group is arriving in Los Angeles on June 24, heading east through the summer, and leaving Detroit for Pittsburgh on August 12. The cyclists have made Pittsburgh part of its national bike tour the last two years.

Library orientations for new Chinese, Japanese, Korean students at Pitt: August 14 - 16.

The University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library will host library orientations for new Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students from August 14 - 16.

Would you like to know...

• A librarian who speaks your native language?
• The difference between academic libraries in the U.S. and libraries in your home country?
• The many wonderful services that the library offers to help your area of study and research at Pitt?
• If so, please come to attend one of the library orientation sessions.

Chinese sessions:

• August 14: 11 - 12 pm
• August 14: 3 - 4 pm
• August 15: 11 - 12 pm
• August 16: 2 - 3 pm

Japanese session

• August 14: 2 - 3 pm

Korean session

• August 16: 2 - 3 pm

Sessions are free but seating is limited and registration is required (and can be completed online).

(G)I-dle's "Senorita" at next (and final) K-pop Dance Class, August 10.

The weekly K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy will do (G)I-dle's "Senorita" for its tenth and final meeting on August 10. The class is held each Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, and the cost is $18 for a drop-in session. Yanlai Dance Academy is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd. in the North Hills (map).

Chengdu Gourmet, Sichuan Gourmet, Umami, and Bae-Bae's Kitchen, NIcky's Thai Kitchen voted "Best" by readers of Pittsburgh City-Paper.

via ChengduGourmet.net

Some variety in this year's Pittsburgh City-Paper Best Of readers' poll.

• This year's Pittsburgh City-Paper Best Of poll featured a Best Asian Food category, with Squirrel Hill's Chengdu Gourmet taking first place, Banh Mi & Tea second, and Thai Gourmet third.
• Sichuan Gourmet was voted Best Chinese, upsetting perennial winners Sesame Inn.
• Umami was voted tops in both Best Japanese and Best Sushi over Nakama, which had received some notoriety for its annual victories.
• Bae-Bae's Kitchen was voted Best Korean, a new category for this year.
• Nicky's Thai Kitchen was voted Best Thai.