Five Stories Stand Out

Messages on notes were displayed in the Seoul City Hall, South Korea, on July 12, 2020, to express sorrow and condolences about the Mayor Park Won-soon passed away. Photo Courtesy of Keunhyun Oh / Shutterstock

South Korea is Determined Not to Let a Mayor's Death Lay Calls for Justice to Rest

Published on Jul. 15, 2020, in VICE World News

Park Won-soon, a former Mayor of Seoul who was known for being a proponent of women's rights, was found dead on Jul. 9, 2021. It was a day after his former secretary filed sexual harassment claims against him.

With my skills to use computer languages like Python, I collected social media postings and analyzed how South Koreans reacted to the Seoul mayor’s suicide. I also fact-checked and filtered local news and social media postings because some local newspapers reported based on unidentified information.

K-Pop Stars Are Finally Speaking Out Against Racism, Thanks to Their Fans

Published on Jun.9, 2020, on VICE World News with Therese Reyes

The K-Pop industry has been notorious for keeping silent on social issues. But after the death of George Floyd, some of the industry’s biggest names started to speak up for the Black Lives Matter movement.

I wrote about the same topic in two languages, English and Korean, but I targeted content for different audiences. With my analysis of SEO data about VICE World News audience reach, I focused on the cultural connection between K-pop and Black culture and expanded global fandom in the English article.

Dogs are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Hongseong, South Korea, on Feb. 8, 2020. Photo Courtesy of Jean Chung/For HSI

Over 100 Dogs Were Saved from Dog Meat Farms in South Korea. They’re Now Up for Adoption in the US

Published on Jul. 17, 2020, in VICE Asia

Although less common today, dog meat consumption is still a serious issue in South Korea. Animal activists continue to fight against it, and one group rescued 100 dogs from being slaughtered. The activists sent dogs to the U.S. for adoption.

I also changed my focus, tone and style in the English article for a broader audience group. I tried to give more context about why freed dogs came to the U.S. to find their new families for global readers.

The Pandemic Is Ending, but Its Boost to the Online Farmers’ Market Will Last

May. 20, 2021, in the Times Square Investment Journal

The pandemic has boosted organic and local food sales with rising attention to healthy lifestyles. Now, the pandemic is close to the end but its boost to the organic and local food movement will be long-lasting, notably in one retail channel: the online farmer’s market.

This article is my capstone project for the MA in Journalism at Craig Newmark Graduate School of journalism. I added a short motion graphics video to help readers to understand what online farmers’ markets are. Also, I used maps, charts and graphs to give readers additional information about the organic and local food market.

Lululemon Grows Fast Thanks to the Digital Sale Boost But Its Rivals Do Not Stay Stagnant

Dec. 17, 2020, in the Times Square Investment Journal

Lululemon, which acquired the at-home workout equipment maker Mirror early in 2020, has reported huge sales growth during the pandemic, as people worked out at home and adopted sportswear as their daily wardrobes. Its stock also outperformed Nike, a sportswear giant. But Lululemon may not be able to maintain its strong sales growth momentum because of intensifying competition in the industry.

Throughout the story, with charts and graphs, readers can easily understand how rapid Lululemon’s growth has been and compare it with Nike’s performance.