The Billboard Project: “Don’t Let Our Culture Dye” is prominently displayed on the corner of University and Cleveland Avenues in St. Paul until October 21st. (Amy Doeun / HMONG TIMES)

For those driving on University Avenue in St. Paul, a unique sight can be seen on the corner of Cleveland and University. Kao Lee Thao, an artist, has, through a grant from the Jerome Foundation and Forecast Public Art, made great art available to all. She said of her interesting medium, "For years my interest in public art has grown and what better way to display art than on a billboard. It will expand my audiences far beyond art shows and create more visibility for my medium and culture."

Thao explained how she chose the location, "There were a handful of locations on University Avenue to pick from, but I had to wait for an opening between billboard clients to install my piece. I waited patiently for the billboard on University Avenue and Cleveland because the unique vertical shape complimented my artwork."

The subject matter is as interesting as the medium. This project is entitled, "The Secret War Billboard." Thao described her purpose, "Each year my birth is a constant reminder of those left behind who continue to fight for my freedom. My aspiration was to create a painted billboard that speaks out about the injustices of the remaining Hmong soldiers, called Freedom Fighters, who fought the 'Secret War' started during the Vietnam War and who continue to fight today."

The theme or "tag line" of the piece is: "Don't Let Our Culture Dye." "My vision was to split the billboard into two worlds. My spirit is still trapped in the Jungles of Laos while my soul is in America living out my dreams. I want to inspire young minds to pursue their passion, but remind us not to forget how we won our freedom to America. We should all strive to create change and bring peace to the continued struggle in the jungles of Laos."

Thao said, "Growing up in America and being different, made it difficult to fit in with certain crowds. I turned to art as an escape from reality, but in the end I think art chose me. I spent half my life studying psychology hoping to become a psychiatrist, but I threw it all away to pursue my passion - art. To tell you the honest truth I don't think any parents support the idea of their kid becoming an artist, but if you don't allow them to dream how will you ever know what opportunities are out there."

HMONG TIMES asked Thao, "What is your purpose in making art in general?"

She replied, "The purpose of creating art is to freely express my emotions leaving a part of my soul behind to inspire others to pursue their passion."

The Billboard will be up through October 21st. "My favorite part of the project was driving by and seeing it up on the billboard. It's not everyday you get a chance to create art that is the size of a billboard. Now I just need to find a 26x24 foot room for it's final home once the project is completed."

For more information about the project go to: www.echoingvoices.com.

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Some families long separated by the Korean War saw their loved ones Saturday for the first time in years near the border between North and South Korea.

Korean Yoon Ki-Dal, right, meets the children he left behind as babies during the Korean War.

Yoon Ki-Dal, 88, of South Korea thought such a moment would never come. After leaving his son and daughters when they were babies during the Korean War, he was able to hold the hands of his North Korean children on Saturday.

"Father, we thought you were dead, his daughter, now in her 60s, told him, her face trembling.

Their family was one of 97 reunited Saturday on Mount Keumgang, a North Korean resort near the eastern part of the border, after decades of separation by war and ideology. Watch video

And soon these families will be separated again. They are allowed to be together for a few days. Then the South Koreans must return home.

The reunions -- the first in nearly two years -- are taking place through October 1.

Millions of families were separated by the Korean War, which ended in 1953 with a cease-fire and no formal peace treaty. No mail, telephone or e-mail exchanges exist between ordinary citizens across the Korean border.

The agreement to hold the reunions came after North and South Korea held three days of talks, mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, last month, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported at the time.

About 10,000 people applied to take part in the reunion, but fewer than 200 families were allowed to participate. In addition to the 97 families who met Saturday, another 99 families are expected to meet next week, authorities said.

Participants are selected randomly, and there is no date set for a further reunion, which means the tens of thousands of others who were separated by the Korean War have no idea when they may get a chance to see their loved ones -- if ever.

For the many separated family members who are elderly, a reunion may never be possible.

Reunions between North and South have been taking place off and on since 2000 after an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, Yonhap says. The last reunion took place in October 2007.

Rapprochement talks between the two Koreas have hit a wall since conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office in early 2008 with a tougher stance toward the North than his liberal predecessor, Roh Moo-Hyun.

The two Koreas have remained in conflict since the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953.

Last month, officials from both sides had the first high-level, cross-border contact in nearly two years when South Korean Unification Minister Hyun In Taek met with North Korean unity leader Kim Yang Gon.

The meetings and reunions are in stark contrast to the tense public statements each side made about each other earlier this year.

Tensions between the two were heightened in July when North Korea launched seven short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan, also referred to as the East Sea. The launches came after North Korea conducted a nuclear test on May 25 and threatened U.S. and South Korean ships near its territorial waters.

South Korea condemned the action, calling the launches "unwise."
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While promoting his drama The World They Live In in Yokohama on September 26, Hyun Bin mentioned the topic of crying scenes. He explained that he’d been advised early on that “Your tears should be produced of your own accord. I believe that means you have to become that immersed in the emotions. That’s why from the beginning of my acting career, I’ve never used eye drops to make tears.”

The statement caught my eye not because it’s remarkable for Hyun Bin to think that, but because it makes me super curious to know who HAS had to resort to eye drops. It’s a practice I’ve heard about jokingly but haven’t really heard actors refer to as a serious thing, so now I wonder how common it actually is. (Who else began mentally compiling a list of possibilities when they first read his comment? The first two faces that popped into my mind were Han Ga-in and Yoon-ah. Don’t kill me, SNSD fans!)

Hyun Bin’s last drama was MBC’s Friend, Our Legend, but now he’s busy with Japanese promotions for World. I believe the main reason the drama is drawing belated notice is because his romance with co-star Song Hye-gyo went public after the drama had wrapped in Korea. No doubt his Japanese fans will be watching with eyes focused on the romance between their characters.

Hyun Bin also held a fanmeeting-cum-birthday party in Yokohama on the previous day, September 25. The event was sold out and attended by a crowd of 5,000.
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While most people are usually sleeping at two-thirty in the morning, there are girls already lining up on the streets of Times Square to enter MTV’s Total Request Live studio. Despite the chilly weather and (probably) their mother’s disapproval, they stand waiting… and waiting for a good six hours. So who are these diehard fans here for? Is it Michael Jackson? Justin Timberlake? David Beckham? No, no and no. It was – drum rolls please – Se7en.

The Korean popstar decided to stop by MTV to finally give his American fans a taste of what he is all about. Approximately 100 lucky audience members were able to watch him perform hit songs such as Crazy, I Know, and Come Back to Me. From his amazing dance moves to impressive vocal skills, his good looks to even just a simple greeting – he made all the girls in the audience squeal and melt with joy. Some even got the chance to hug them! Jealous? Maybe a little.

In between his performances, MTV’s SuChin Pak had the opportunity to talk to him about his world tour with the rest of the YG Family to celebrate the record label’s 10th anniversary. They also discussed his upcoming English album that is set to debut next year in the US. When a female fan asked him how it is different performing in the States and in Asia, he jokingly replied that there is no difference because the sounds of girls screaming are all the same. Wow. He even has a sense of humor. What more can girls ask for in a guy?

Also in the studio to support Se7en was the Korean hip-hop group, Jinusean. Jinu and Sean may be a bit older and married (unfortunately), but they still received a lot of love and respect from the crowd – especially the girls. Left and right, the female audience members screamed out “oppa” and “sarang hae.” Jinusean felt the love and just smiled. While on stage with Se7en, they performed together for a hot remix of Passion. For a moment, the TRL studio became the hottest club – at nine in the morning. The whole audience and the backstage crew were wilding out and shaking what their mama gave them. It was definitely some good times. It got even better when Jinusean announced that they invited two surprise guests from the YG Family to the studio. R&B singer, Gummy, belted out her tunes in a soulful hit. Big Bang, the newest hit sensation in Korea, performed La-La-La off their second single, Bigbang is VIP.

While Se7en said he felt blessed to be performing right in the middle of Times Square for MTV, Asiafinest felt blessed as well for getting the back stage pass to cover this exclusive showcase. Catch this documentary in November on MTV K. But until then, you can look out for his fourth Korean album that is set to come out at the end of October!
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During the PC, the young Bruce Lees were introduced. A 10-year old from Henan was handpicked by director Wilson Yip to play the small Bruce Lee and another young chap will play the teenage lives of Bruce Lee.

Huang Xiaoming will be playing Ip Man's first disciple Wong Jun after he sets up a Wushu school to teach Wing Chun.
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