On Thursday, June 20, 2019, RCKC hosted a talk on the "The Impact of the March 1st Korean Independence Movement on the Korean Community in the U.S." featuring Dr. Edward Taehan Chang of UC-Riverside as part of our regular ongoing seminar series. The event took place at Global Leadership Foundation (GLF), 46-20 Parsons Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11355.

Early Korean immigrants in the U.S. played an important role in the Korean Independence Movement of the early 1900s. Despite low income, harsh working conditions, and racial discrimination, Korean immigrants actively participated in and funded their homeland's fight for freedom against the Japanese Empire. When news of the March 1st uprising in Korea reached overseas Korean communities, it served as an impetus for active engagement in the movement. This talk focused on (1) the Hemet Valley incident, (2) how the movement ignited support for armed resistance against Japan, (3) the important role of Korean women in the movement, and (4) English-language newspaper coverage of the movement.

On Saturday, April 13, 2019, the MinKwon Center for Community Action and the Research Center for Korean Community at Queens College co-hosted a screening of "Tracing the 30-Year History of the MinKwon Center for Community Action," a Korean-language documentary film produced by Mr. Chang Jong Kim, who is the photographer and videographer for RCKC, a prominent and prolific photographer for various media outlets and the Korean community in New York and New Jersey, and one of the organizers of Open Forum. This film screening took place at Global Leadership Foundation (GLF), located at 46-20 Parsons Blvd, Flushing, NY 11355. After the film was shown, there was a discussion and a question-and-answer session with Chang Jong Kim (the filmmaker), Pyong Gap Min (director of RCKC), and Ju Bum Cha (long-time and prominent staff member of MinKwon).

This documentary is the first in a series that RCKC initiated last year with support from Overseas Koreans Foundation (OKF) to document the history and issues related to the Korean community in the New York and New Jersey area. This is the first film in this series, and it is fitting that it details the 30-year history of this very important and active social service organization, which has not only helped and advocated for the Korean community, but also other marginalized and under-represented communities.

On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, Dr. Young Mi Lee gave a talk on "Research Trends and Practical Application of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Foot Reflexology" at Global Leadership Foundation (GLF), located at 46-20 Parsons Blvd, Flushing, NY 11355. Approximately 30 people attended this seminar.

Foot reflexology, a field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, has recently emerged as a health care intervention. Foot reflexology stimulates the reflex zones and areas of the feet, which correspond to the organs of the human body. This includes 120 cells of the body, which respond to each reflector and have a corresponding reflexive effect on organs, muscles, and nerves. Reflexology also promotes blood circulation, relaxes tension, promotes psychological relaxation, improves sensory functions, controls pain, alleviates dyspnea, and reduces insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Dr. Lee will analyze the global research trends related to foot reflexology and discuss practical applications for health care.

Dr. Young Mi Lee is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatric Nursing at Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, South Korea. She is also one of RCKC's visiting scholars for 2018. She earned her Ph.D. from Catholic University of Korea in Seoul, and is the recipient of the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Her research interests include alternative medicine, addiction, stress, and a variety of gender-related health issues.

On Wednesday, August 15, 2018, Dr. Sou Hyun Jang gave a talk about "Korean Immigrants' Medical Tourism to South Korea" at Global Leadership Foundation (GLF), located at 46-20 Parsons Blvd, Flushing, NY 11355. Approximately 25 people attended the talk.

Dr. Jang presented findings from her recently published book, Medical Transnationalism: Korean Immigrants' Medical Tourism to South Korea (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018). Jang examines Korean immigrants' distinctive healthcare behaviors, contributing factors to their medical tourism, and their experiences and evaluations of medical tourism. By analyzing survey data and conducting interviews with Korean immigrants in the New York–New Jersey area, Jang found that Korean immigrants utilize three main behaviors to deal with their limited English and lack of US health insurance: (1) they depend on Korean co-ethnic doctors in the US, (2) they frequently utilize Hanbang (traditional Korean medicine) in the US, and (3) they travel to their South Korean homeland for medical care (i.e., medical tourism).

Sou Hyun Jang, Ph.D., is a post-doc fellow at the University of Washington (UW) and a former research associate at the Research Center for Korean Community at Queens College. She earned her doctoral degree from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) and her master’s degree from Columbia University. Her research areas include Asian Americans, international migration, medical transnationalism, and immigrants’ healthcare behaviors. She has published articles in Sociological Perspectives, Sociology of Religion, and Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Click the link below for a Korean-language version of this announcement:

(한국어) Korean-language Flyer for Dr. Sou Hyun Jang's Seminar)