🍵 Squid Game is Back

In case you missed it:

• Suni Lee got bronze on the individual all around, making this her 4th Olympic medal

• Yufei Zhang of China got bronze in the women’s 200m butterfly with a time of 2:05.09

• Jiayu Yang of China got gold in the women’s 20km race walk

• Team USA got gold in women’s team foil

Olympics

Internet falls in love with South Korean Olympics sharpshooter

Social media users are swooning over South Korean sharpshooter Kim Ye-ji after pictures of her at the Paris Olympics went viral on X this week. The photos show the 31-year-old competing in the 10-meter air pistol women's event on Sunday, striking a pose similar to that of an anime protagonist, with her 5-year-old daughter's elephant plush strapped to her pants.

Badass video: Subsequently, an older video of her competition in Azerbaijan in May has also gone viral on X, receiving over 35.4 million views. One X user described the South Korean sharpshooter as having a “main character energy,” adding in another post, “’Unrealistic expectations in a spouse’ just got a new category, guys.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk commented that Kim “should be cast in an action movie. No acting required!”

The Olympics: Kim won a silver medal at the event, while her teammate, Oh Ye Jin, 19, won a gold medal, setting an Olympic record of 243.2. The victory reportedly marked the first time Korean women sports shooters have taken the top two spots in an international competition. Kim will next compete in the 25-meter pistol event on Friday, alongside her teammate Yang Ji-in. Both are considered strong contenders in the event.

Olympics

China says more Chinese swimmers failed doping tests due to tainted hamburgers:

Since the start of the Paris Olympics, Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei has already won two bronze medals, but her victories are under scrutiny due to doping allegations. Zhang, along with nearly half of the Chinese team, had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but they were eventually cleared to compete this year. 

Controversy: The situation sparked backlash, with prominent figures questioning the integrity of the anti-doping system. Recent revelations of two additional doping cases from 2022 have deepened the controversy, and the issue has garnered significant attention in China, where the swim team enjoys widespread support. The rigorous testing regime imposed on Chinese athletes has also been criticized, with claims of unfair treatment and disruption to training routines. “I feel so wronged,” Zhang told CNN, denying any wrongdoing.

Investigation: China's Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) attributed the newly revealed positive tests to food contamination likely from a hotel restaurant’s burgers, a conclusion accepted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). WADA noted that Chinese authorities detected the banned steroid in meat samples and stated it had been unfairly caught in geopolitical tensions, referencing pushback from the U.S. Despite the controversy, WADA maintains that its actions were justified, while CHINADA defends its findings and handling of the cases, criticizing news reports for “distorting facts” and emphasizing that meat contamination is a global issue.

Olympics

Chinese gold medalist accuses competitors of disrespect after record-breaking swim

Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle accused Australian Kyle Chalmers and other competitors of disrespect following Pan's record-breaking 100m freestyle win at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. Pan claimed gold over Chalmers by clocking in at 46.40 seconds, shattering his own world record at the February world championships in Doha. 

Pan details perceived snubs: Despite being cleared of wrongdoing in a 2021 doping incident that involved other Chinese swimmers, intense scrutiny faced by the Chinese swimming team may have contributed to the friction between Pan and his competitors. Pan cited specific instances where he felt disrespected, including being ignored by Chalmers after the 4x100m freestyle relay. “When we were training, our coach was standing by the poolside and he turned in such a way that the water splashed right onto the coach,”  the 19-year-old athlete said in the post-match interview as transcribed by Reuters. “I felt he looked down on us a little.” 

Chalmers rejects accusations: Chalmers denied the accusations, stating that he had positive interactions with Pan, including a fist bump before the relays and a laugh during warm-down. “I find it a bit weird, I gave him a fist pump before the relays,” Chalmers said in a statement. “And then my focus went to my teammates and my own racing. We had a laugh together at warm down last night - but no issues from my end.”

Crime

San Diego student pelted with frozen eggs in anti-Asian attack

Christian Palayo, a 27-year-old Filipino American graduate student at the University of California San Diego, was attacked while walking a friend's dog near Mesa College campus on the evening of July 25. 

What happened: While walking by Marlesta Drive, Palayo heard a car pull up behind him.  “Suddenly, something hard hit the side of my head … Felt ringing in the left side of my face. A hard object, hard enough for my glasses and earring to come off,” he told ABC News 10. Palayo then heard an anti-Asian slur and was struck twice more by frozen eggs before the attackers sped off in a black sedan, causing the student to suffer bruising.

Police report: Concerned about the rise in anti-Asian crimes, Palayo reported the incident to school police. “I feel like in a post-COVID world and seeing crimes against Asians, I worry about someone like my little sister walking around and being targeted for these things… I felt comfortable in my skin around here. Now it's like, ‘Should l be watching my back every time I hear a car pull up?’” Palayo said. Campus police stated this is the first such incident reported. Anyone with information is urged to contact the San Diego Community District Police.

Entertainment

“Squid Game” Season 2 gets release date

Netflix announced that "Squid Game" is set to return for its highly anticipated second season on Dec. 26, with several key cast members returning. The Emmy-winning series, which holds the record for the most-watched season of television in Netflix history, will conclude with its third and final season in 2025.

What to expect: Season 2 picks up three years after the events of the first, following Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), the survivor of the deadly Squid Game, as he embarks on a mission to bring down the organization behind the games. Lee will be joined by returning cast members Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun and Gong Yoo, as well as new additions like Yim Si-wan and Kang Ha-neul.

Thrilling conclusion: Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who also directs and executive produces the series, promises a thrilling conclusion to the “Squid Game” saga. In a letter to fans, he wrote: “I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in creating a new Squid Game grow and bear fruit through the end of this story.”

Politics

Where Kamala Harris, Donald Trump stand in newest polls

Vice President Kamala Harris is ahead of former President Donald Trump in multiple recent polls. Among them, a Leger poll conducted from July 26-28, shows Harris leading Trump by seven points (48% to 41%) in a five-way race, her largest margin yet. In a head-to-head matchup, she maintains a three-point lead over Trump (49% to 46%).

Poll results: Harris’ lead over Trump is supported by other new polls, including an Economist/YouGov poll showing her ahead by two points (46% to 44%), a Morning Consult poll where she leads by one point for two consecutive weeks and a Reuters/Ipsos poll where she also leads by a point, albeit down two points from last week. Conversely, Trump leads Harris in other new polls, such as a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll and a Wall Street Journal poll, where he is ahead by three and two points, respectively.

Battleground states: Interestingly, Harris shows strong performance in key battleground states. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll conducted from July 24-28 indicates she leads in four: Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada. Trump, on the other hand, leads in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. They tie in Georgia.

Meet ZiBEZI- Behind the Art in “Parasite”

ZiBEZI originally started off as a rapper and spent 17 years in the music business before pivoting to visual arts and freestyle painting. His work gained recognition from the 2019 Oscar-winning movie 'Parasite,' directed by Bong Joon Ho.

In the Oscar-winning film, ZiBEZI’s art is shown during the scene when Ki-jung poses as an art therapist to land a job within a wealthy Korean household. Ki-Jung analyzes the drawings of the family’s child Da-song.

Final Bites

“AANHPI Men for Kamala Harris” Zoom call set for Aug. 7: San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is co-organizing an “AANHPI Men for Kamala Harris” Zoom call, featuring actors Ken Jeong and BD Wong, to support Harris’ presidential campaign. The event, scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST, will also include appearances by Olympic diver Greg Louganis, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu. The call follows a series of successful demographic-specific online fundraisers for Harris. Participants are required to register here.

“Top Chef” star Shirley Chung reveals cancer diagnosis: “Top Chef” Season 11 finalist and Season 14 competitor Shirley Chung, 48, revealed in an Instagram post on July 26 that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer, which has already spread to her lymph nodes. In her post, the Chinese American chef shared that ulcers erupted in her mouth in May and that she was diagnosed with the illness when her oral surgeon found “a hidden tumor” under her tongue. Chung has been undergoing a combination of radiation and chemotherapy as her treatment plan, sharing that her tumor “is shrinking,” her “speech is much better” and she can “eat most normal food now” after six weeks of chemotherapy. “I have a tough long road to recovery in front of me. Your love and support will carry me through. Cheer me on, Shirley Chung 2.0 will be reborn in 2025,” Chung wrote.

Blackpink's Jisoo to lead K-zombie thriller: Jisoo of Blackpink takes the lead in "Newtopia," a highly anticipated Korean zombie thriller coming to Coupang Play in 2025. The 29-year-old K-pop star plays a resourceful engineer separated from her boyfriend (played by Park Jung-min) during a devastating zombie outbreak. The series boasts a powerhouse writing team with Han Jin-won, co-writer of the Oscar-winning "Parasite," and Ji Ho-jin, the creator behind the gripping Disney+ series "A Shop for Killers."

How Bini made history as the first P-pop act at KCON LA: Initially invited only as panelists, Bini was unexpectedly given the chance to perform their latest single, “Cherry On Top,” at the K-pop festival, marking a significant milestone for P-pop. Flaunting their signature denim blue and pink looks, the group’s “herstoric” performance drew unexpectedly loud cheers in the arena from their fans — known as “Blooms” — many of whom attended KCON LA 2024 solely to support the girls. In an interview with NextShark, Blooms reveal the lengths they went to support Bini at the event and share their hopes for the group as they make their mark on the international stage.