I was glad to see Park Chan Ho on the cover (of the July 2005 issue). I just read the article, and I wanted to share a little story. I’m from New York, so whenever the Dodgers came to play the [New York] Mets, my friends and I would go see Chan Ho pitch. I went to see him pitch three times over the years. I recall Shea Stadium and his fans screaming out: “Park Chan Ho! Park Chan Ho!” The games were amazing. My friends and I would go to the games with L.A. hats, Korean newspaper clippings of Chan Ho, Park Chan Ho balls, and signs that read “Chan Ho for Cy Young” and “Park Chan Ho Fighting” in Hangeul. The Dodgers photographer even took a picture of us and posted it on the Dodgers Web site. The picture was titled “The Chan Ho Chowder Band.” I still don’t know what that means.

We had so many chances to meet him. We saw him after a game and screamed, “Chan Ho hyung, sign haejusaeyo!” We even saw him on the field jogging, and he jogged right past us. We were a mere 5 feet away from him. He ignored us even with the signs and Chan Ho paraphernalia. When we saw him after the game and asked for a signature, he said coldly in English, “I gotta go,” and headed for the bus. His English seemed pretty good then. Ever since that day, I had a certain animosity against him. But, I would still find myself watching him pitch on TV and read his outcomes in the newspaper. I even had him on my fantasy baseball team. Though it seemed like he gave us the cold shoulder, my friends and I still cheered him on. Those were the best days of my life.

Two of my friends who used to go see the games with me passed away four years ago, and I just wish they knew that although he didn’t appreciate the fans before, now he does. We did help him. Good to know that he acknowledges it now. He just got traded to San Diego. I hope he does well there. “Park Chan Ho Fighting!”

> Gary Lee, Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

Go North

I’ve been reading your magazine for the past two years. I have been married to a Korean-born woman for 32 years, and our niece gave me a gift subscription. I enjoy reading about Korean Americans and issues in your magazine. However, I must say that I am deeply disappointed that you do not feature stories concerning the brutal treatment and the starvation that the Korean people suffer in North Korea. I find it shameful your magazine ignores the plight of millions of Koreans, who live under the most repressive totalitarian government in the world. It is a scandal that 23 million live under virtual slavery, and many young Korean Americans choose to ignore the plight of their brothers and sisters, suffering under their dear leader. Why don’t you bring attention to this real issue, instead of glossing over it with sophomoric articles, such as “Partying in Seoul”? You owe it to your readers to enlighten them of the tragic human rights violations that go on each day in Korea and that you ignore.