Chelsea Hawkins

Archives: Projects

  • Environmental Justice Abroad

    Environmental Justice Abroad

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    cnhawkins

    Wooksik Cheong, a representative of the South Korean NGO Peace Network, recently visited UC Santa Cruz to discuss the disputed construction of a South Korean naval base on Jeju Island, a South Korean island off the southernmost tip of the mainland. Jeju Island, much like Okinawa to Japan, maintains a unique dialect and culture separate…

  • Q&A With Rhea Suh, Asst Secretary of the US Dept of the Interior

    Q&A With Rhea Suh, Asst Secretary of the US Dept of the Interior

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    cnhawkins

    To Protect and Serve Rhea Suh, assistant secretary in the Department of the Interior, has dedicated her life’s work to safeguarding this country’s natural resources. by CHELSEA HAWKINSThis story originally published in KoreAm Journal March 2013. When Rhea Suh walks into the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, she is alone—there is no posse, no flocking press…

  • Chuck Kim Helps Youth Nurture a Passion for Music

    Chuck Kim Helps Youth Nurture a Passion for Music

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    cnhawkins

    At A Place Called Home in South L.A., Charles “Chuck” Kim is helping underserved youth retune their lives through music education. story by CHELSEA HAWKINSphoto by MARK EDWARD HARRISThis story originally published in KoreAm Journal August 2013. During a jam session in the middle of June, about 10 people are crammed into a small recording…

  • Theater Casting Controversy Highlights Inequality on Stage

    Theater Casting Controversy Highlights Inequality on Stage

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    cnhawkins

    Not Good Enough to Play Ourselves? A casting controversy at the prestigious La Jolla Playhouse reignites the debate on fair representation on stage. story by Chelsea Hawkinsillustration by Inki ChoThis story originally published in KoreAm Journal September 2012. While we’ve seen an increase in Asian Americans in television and films — John Cho, Lucy Liu and…

  • Keeping the Hanbok Tradition Alive

    Keeping the Hanbok Tradition Alive

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    cnhawkins

    Something Old, Something New An event at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles showcases famed South Korean designer Hyun-Sook Lee’s hanboks, in traditional and modern forms. story by CHELSEA HAWKINSThis story was originally published in KoreAm Journal in April 2013. Men and women slowly floated onto the stage, dressed head to toe in bright, silky…

  • Yebin Mok Returns to the Ice After Struggling with Eating Disorder

    Yebin Mok Returns to the Ice After Struggling with Eating Disorder

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    cnhawkins

    The Performer Yebin Mok competed alongside such famous figure skaters as Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes, striving for medals and that big Olympic dream. But that striving soon turned into an obsession with perfection that sent the young skater on a path toward self-destruction. It would take leaving the sport—which literally was her life—for her…

  • Stuntman Ilram Choi Doubles for Spider-Man

    Stuntman Ilram Choi Doubles for Spider-Man

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    cnhawkins

    All the Right Moves Hollywood stuntman Ilram Choi likes to defy the laws of physics. In his latest project, he gets to do just that while donning the Spider-Man outfit. story by CHELSEA HAWKINSphotographs by YANN BEANThis story originally published in KoreAm Journal August 2012. When asked what superhero he’d most like to be, stuntman Ilram Choi answers: Superman. “Why not? Why…

  • A Look at Same-Sex Marriage in the Korean American Community

    A Look at Same-Sex Marriage in the Korean American Community

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    cnhawkins

    Even as the rest of the nation seems to be moving toward greater acceptance of same-sex marriage, polls show that Korean Americans chart some of the highest rates of opposition to it. With the U.S. Supreme Court possibly issuing a landmark ruling on same-sex marriage this month, KoreAm revisits the controversial topic, examining a community still clearly…

  • Pushing the Boundaries of Documentary Storytelling

    Pushing the Boundaries of Documentary Storytelling

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    cnhawkins

    Caught in the Act Co-director Christine Cynn’s new film about the 1965 Indonesian genocide pushes the boundaries of documentary storytelling. STORY by CHELSEA HAWKINSThis story originally published in KoreAm Journal July 2013. As a curtain of flames burns behind them, men, women and children violently clash with uniformed men.  There are cries and indecipherable yells. You…

  • The Amazing Underwater Photography of Kevin Lee

    The Amazing Underwater Photography of Kevin Lee

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    cnhawkins

    A Whole New World Underwater photographer Kevin Lee’s “hobby” has taken him to all seven continents, as he plunges the ocean depths to capture images of awe-inspiring sea life. By CHELSEA HAWKINSThis story originally published in KoreAm Journal June 2013. When I meet Kevin Lee at his office in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., he is limping…