We are living in a tumultuous world. On one side, people die almost daily in a controversial war whose end seems nowhere in sight. Some of the casualties of the Iraq war — Korean Americans who died serving in the armed forces — you have read about in these pages. Meanwhile, on our side of the world, we confronted Hurricane Katrina, whose wrath of destruction on the Gulf Coast was astounding in scale. Equally astounding was our government’s reaction. People around the globe witnessed how the richest nation in the world was not taking care of its own.

KAs were not shielded from this most recent crisis, but it was difficult to find their faces and voices in all the mainstream news coverage. That’s why we sent Corina Knoll, our senior editor, to find these stories. She returned with touching tales of loss of businesses and homes by immigrants, many of whom had no insurance. Most relied upon their own ethnic community (mainly, churches) for support and aid during and immediately after the hurricane — not on the government. They seemed better off for it, too.

You can read our cover stories on Katrina, starting on page 67.

We do not own this disaster, as African Americans populated 70 percent of New Orleans, but KoreAm exists in part to give voice to those often ignored in the English-language media. At the same time, we hope KAs recognize all victims — no matter their race or ethnic background — of this unprecedented disaster. Those who lived through the 1992 L.A. Riots know something about the daunting task of “rebuilding” after tremendous loss and trauma. It is not an easy road ahead.

From this experience, we should know that the struggle of victims to rebuild their lives will be playing out for a long time, even as the media spotlight wanes and moves on to the next big story.

On a much lighter note, KoreAm threw its annual “Unforgettable” celebration in August, and photos from which are featured in this issue. We were fortunate to showcase the talents of comedian Dr. Ken Jeong, singer Susie Suh and the Ahn Trio. Our emcees for the evening were actor Daniel Dae Kim from the hit TV show “Lost” and San Diego news anchor Lee Ann Kim. We owe Lee Ann a big debt of thanks for substituting at the last minute when our original co-emcee, actress Yunjin Kim, canceled. We also thank our gold sponsor, Hyundai, for helping make this event — which brings together readers, sponsors and KA talent — possible.

And, of course, we thank you, the readers, for your continuing support.

James Ryu

Editor in Chief