2023 Korean film A Normal Family (보통의 가족) added to SCREENSHOT: ASIA film festival, September 28.

The 2023 Korean film A Normal Family (보통의 가족) will play in Pittsburgh on September 28, a recent addition to the SCREENSHOT: ASIA film festival.

Based on the novel The Dinner, the film explores the limits of personal morality in a time of familial crisis. Two brothers, Jae-wan and Jae-gyu, are worlds apart when it comes to their moral views. While Jae-gyu prioritizes his patients’ well-being, Jae-wan is a slick lawyer racking up successes wherever he can. Meanwhile, Jae-wan’s shy son and Jae-wan’s rebellious daughter get into their own legal troubles, which throws a wrench into each brothers’ worldview. Over several increasingly tense dinners, the brothers find themselves questioning their bond, their children, and their own senses of right and wrong in the world. This tense thriller pushes the limits of the men’s characters, and, as the nights progress, the brothers and their wives each reach surprising, different resolutions that set off an eventual catastrophe.

It will play at 2:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on the University of Pittsburgh campus (map) and tickets are available online.

Smile Thai & Sushi coming soon to Oakland.

Signage is now up for Smile Thai & Sushi, coming soon to Oakland in the spot long occupied by Spice Island Tea House. The new spot was hinted at in Spice Island's online goodbye message back in July, excerpted below:

We have vacated Atwood Street in Oakland, and new owners with a new Thai concept have taken over the space. Since we closed regular service back in September last year, we’ve been looking for a fitting restauranteur to take over the space so that Atwood Street would remain an interesting and diverse food destination in Oakland. We wish the new owners much success, and we hope that you will support them once they open for business.

Smile Thai & Sushi will be located at 253 Atwood St. (map).

Kpop group Loossemble (루셈블) in Pittsburgh, October 14.

The Korean girl group Loossemble will perform in Pittsburgh on October 14, part of a nine-city US tour this fall. Tickets for the show at Roxian Theatre are still available. The five-member group debuted in September 2023 but missed Pittsburgh on their inaugural eight-city tour last year.

Concert film TAEYONG: TY TRACK IN CINEMAS in Pittsburgh, October 16 and 19.

The upcoming concert film TAEYONG: TY TRACK IN CINEMAS, with Taeyong from the Korean group NCT, will play in Pittsburgh on October 16 and 19.

Experience the unparalleled talent of NCT’s TAEYONG in his first solo concert 'TY TRACK' on the big screen! Dive into the mesmerizing world of TAEYONG, experiencing his diverse music and captivating performances. 'TY TRACK' presents a stunning array of music and vibrant stages that showcase TAEYONG's unique artistic vision, all presented on a cinematic scale. Witness the journey behind the scenes as TAEYONG prepares for his groundbreaking concert. Step onto the stage with him, and hear the heartfelt stories he has longed to share. 'TAEYONG: TY TRACK IN CINEMAS' is a deep dive into the music, the artist, and the incredible journey that has shaped his path.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, though additional theaters are likely to be announced later. Tickets are available online.

Upcoming film Jung Kook: I Am Still in Pittsburgh, from September 18.

The upcoming film Jung Kook: I Am Still will play in Pittsburgh from September 18.

Jung Kook of BTS, the '21st Century Pop Artist,' ascended to global stardom with his debut solo single 'Seven (feat. Latto)' in July 2023. Achieving unprecedented success, Jung Kook became the first Asian solo artist to top the Billboard HOT 100, Global 200, and Global 200 Excl. US charts. His singles 'Seven,' '3D (feat. Jack Harlow),' and 'Standing Next to You' all reached the top 10 of the Billboard HOT 100, making him the only K-pop solo artist to achieve this feat. His album ‘GOLDEN’ also made history by staying on the Billboard 200 for 24 consecutive weeks. Through exclusive, unseen interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, alongside electrifying concert performances, this brand new film showcases Jung Kook’s eight-month journey, capturing his unwavering dedication and growth. Join Jung Kook as he shares his remarkable rise to fame and heartfelt moments with ARMY around the world in 'JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL'.

It runs select dates through September 29. Jung Kook: I Am Still is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

US Steel hiring Executive Assistant, remote based in Pittsburgh; "Japanese language skills a huge plus."

US Steel is hiring an Executive Assistant for a position remote but based in Pittsburgh. The ad identifies that "Japanese language skills are a huge plus."

U. S. Steel is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace culture and celebrate the diversity of our employees.

We are seeking a highly organized and proactive Executive Assistant to provide comprehensive support to the VP of Finance and Strategy, the Chief Labor Relations Officer, and the VP of Government Affairs. The ideal candidate will excel in managing complex calendars, coordinating travel arrangements, organizing events, and handling expense reports. This role requires exceptional attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.

University of Pittsburgh hiring Instructor of Korean.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring an Instructor of Korean.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for the position of full-time instructor for its Korean language program, pending budgetary approval. The appointment will begin in the fall of 2025. The candidate must hold an MA degree in teaching Korean as a second language, foreign language teaching, applied linguistics, or a related field by the time of appointment and possess broad competence in teaching Korean language courses. The new hire will be expected to teach six Korean courses at all levels, including both lectures and recitations, per year. The successful candidate must possess native or near-native competence in all skill areas of Korean and English and should have at least two years of experience teaching Korean language courses at a North American institution of higher education, preferably in person. Other duties may include mentoring students, holding office hours, developing teaching materials as needed, performing normal service duties in the Department, and working with other Asia specialists in the Department and on campus.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, as well as an Interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree in East Asian Studies. We provide quality Korean language instruction to our students through a high number of contact hours (5 hours per week at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-year levels) and low maximum enrollments for our courses (maximum 12 students in recitation classes). Our programs are also supported by the University of Pittsburgh’s National East Asian Resource Center and Asian Studies Center.

Applicants should submit a letter of application, CV, teaching demonstration video of a Korean language class, evidence of teaching ability (e.g., student teaching evaluations), sample syllabus for one course, statements of teaching philosophy, and diversity and inclusion, and the names and contact information for three persons able to provide confidential professional letters of recommendation (we do not need the letters themselves at this time, but we do need the names of the recommenders). Questions may be directed to Kelly Britcher, Faculty Actions and Recruitment Coordinator (ksb85@pitt.edu). Deadline for the receipt of applications: November 8, 2024. 

More information is available on the full job ad.

I Bowl (一碗面) now open in Squirrel Hill.

A little while ago paper went up on the windows at 2209 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill, the home shared by Mr. Egg's Kitchen and Teppan BBQ (and, from 2006 to 2020, the home of Ka Mei). Signage recently went up for I Bowl (一碗面), a noodle restaurant currently open for take-out only. A look at their menu, via Fantuan delivery service; ordering in-store is done via a kiosk near the door.

Running Dish, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and revolving sushi place, coming soon to Pittsburgh / Homestead.

Local news has reported that Running Dish, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and revolving sushi place, is one of two new restaurants slated to come soon to the Waterfront, located in Homestead just across a bridge from Pittsburgh. WPXI says it "has signed a lease and is in the permitting phase" while Patch says it will be located across from Starbucks. Running Dish will be one of six all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ places that either opened in 2024 or are set to open in the near future, and will be one of three revolving sushi places in the area, besides Kura Sushi and the soon-to-open Atarashi in Robinson.

“Except for the Oriental slant to his eyes, he was American”: Asian American Adoptees and the Myths of Postracialism," September 13 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Communication will Carnegie Mellon University's Sarah Hae-In Idzik and her talk “Except for the Oriental slant to his eyes, he was American”: Asian American Adoptees and the Myths of Postracialism" on September 13.

The transnational adoptee, Eleana Kim (2010) has written, is often considered the figure of “postnational cosmopolitanism” (267) par excellence. Products of transnational movement and visible elements of “blended international families,” and yet almost invisibly absorbed into white US life, foreign adoptees have for decades been figures around which the hopes of postracial progressivism have coalesced. Yet just as scholars have critiqued attitudes of postracialism as continuing to perpetuate inequality through the liberal disavowal of racism as a structuring element of US life (see Watts 2021, Squires 2014, Bonilla-Silva 2018[2003], Omi and Winant 2015[1986], Halualani 2011, Eng 2010), so, too, have critical adoption scholars noted the limitations on these optimistic treatments of adoptees and their experiences of race in the US. This paper examines the contradictions of postracial discourse in the case of Asian American adoptees, asking what work the insistence in minimizing adoptees’ racial difference has done since the 1950s, when transnational adoption was institutionalized. Following Pate (2014) and Woo (2019), who note that the political project of racial tolerance in the form of Asian adoption, necessary for the US’ expansionist aims in Asia during the Cold War, was predicated on the absorption and assimilation of Asian adoptees into white families, I explore postracial and assimilationist ideology around adoption as a form of intimization of power, and further, as one significant way in which Asian Americans are racialized through discourse. This talk thus explores interdisciplinary connections between scholarship on postracialism, critical adoption studies, Asian American studies, and critical rhetorics of race.

The talk runs from 3:00 to 4:45 pm in 602 Cathedral of Learning.