Saturday Night Live (SNL) had a hilarious skit with Simu Liu and Bowen Yang competing for the title “First Asian”. The skit starts normal with a chat about First Asian Marvel Lead and First Asian Cast Member on SNL. Then Simu and Bowen start to compete for the most “First” titles and it gets outrageous to First Asian Panera and First Asian Cher Impression.
The SNL skit inspired me to list all the First Koreans that have made their mark in US History. Recently there have been quite a few, which always causes quite the stir. I had mentioned in my book review of Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim when I was growing, it was so rare to see Korean culture in American media, it was always BIG NEWS when it happened. No matter how small.
Though it happens more frequently now, Korean culture in the spotlight is still EXCITING! It’ll never be blase to me.
I chose subjectively headlines to list below in chronological order. There are so much more to list. Please let me know which ones have inspired you to keep updating my list!
Oh Yeong-su Makes History as the First Korean to Win Golden Globe for Squid Game
January 10, 2022
Hyeon Jung Makes History as the First Korean on Vogue Cover Solo
January 7, 2022
Emma Broyles Makes History as the First Korean to Win Miss America
December 17, 2021
Ji-Yeong Makes History as the First Korean Muppet on Sesame Street
November 15, 2021
My kids didn’t latch on to Sesame Street, and I hoped. Like many of us, Sesame Street and PBS was a childhood stable. After seeing this headline, I was surprised it had taken this long for an Asian-American muppet, though there have been Asian-American characters.
Nevertheless, to quote my friend, Ed, it’s good to know Sesame Street is still doin’ their thang.
I watched the first episode debuting Ji-Young multiple times and made my kids watch twice, back-to-back. Though the episode featured a lot of fun aspects of Korean and Asian culture, they also addressed the issue of racism head-on.
I appreciate and admire how elegantly the show considers their children audience as intelligent and capable of processing serious issues that need our attention. There was no sugar-coating Ji-Young’s experience when a stranger yelled out to “Go back home!”. Alan, Sesame Street’s shop owner, clearly explains some people do not things Asians belong in this country.
Our feelings are universal. This show fuels my passion for sharing childrens stories we can relate to and better understand each other.
Yuh-Jung Youn Makes History as the First Korean to Win Academy Award
April 26, 2021
Hearing an American film icon, Brad Pitt, announcing a Korean name made me a little emotional. From the beginning, Yuh-Jung Youn does not disappointed with her wit and delivering a sincere and humble speech. Best of Korea lists the best quotes!
BTS Makes History as the First Korean Pop Band to Receive Grammy Nomination
November 25, 2020
Young Kim, Michelle Steel, and Marilyn Strickland Make History as First Korean Women Elected to Congress
November 15, 2020
Marilyn Strickland gives a triple punch as one of the first elected Korean-Americans, the first elected African-American of her state, and the first to wear a traditional hanbok at the swearing-in ceremony.
Parasite Makes History as the First Korean Film to Win an Oscar for Best Picture
February 10, 2020
Jonny Kim Makes History as the First Korean-American Astronaut
January 14, 2020
When this headline came out, I joked he’d become the new standard for Korean parents everywhere to compare with their kids. Harvard grad, Navy Seal, M.D., NASA. I can hear my parents now, “If he could do it, you can…”
A few months later, I came across an interview in which Dr. Jonny Kim shared his relationship with his abusive father, who tragically died in an encounter with the police. My jealous resentment changed to respect. It’s hard not to admire someone who can share their complex story to help and inspire others.
Linda Sue Park Makes History as the First Korean to Win the Newbery Medal for A Single Shard
July 1, 2002
Linda Sue Park sent Bong Joon Ho a cute tweet congratulating him as a fellow Korean making US history!
I’ll have a book review on A Single Shard posted soon.