Yul Kwon, host of Link TV's LinkAsia, recently did a Red Chair Interview with CNN, in which he shares some key experiences in his life. Along with his on-air interview, Yul ellaborates further in an eloquently written essay posted on the CNN blogs about his Korean background, explaining how he turned to a career in television to overcome social stereotyping of Asian-Americans in the media and come to terms with his own cultural identity. Both video and essay can be seen here. Below is a moving excerpt from his essay:

"My parents immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1970 with big dreams, but little money. Since they couldn't afford to put my brother and me in daycare or preschool, they encouraged us to watch television as a way to learn English. Every morning, my brother and I watched "Sesame Street" on PBS, which taught us how to count and recite the alphabet. Not only did our TV become another caregiver, it became the primary medium through which I learned about the world. It allowed me to see and experience things I'd never seen before.  It helped me imagine a better future for me and my family. I studied hard and eventually made my way to Stanford University and then Yale Law School. For a poor kid like me, television helped provide the inspiration and vision I needed to realize the American dream.

But as much as television was a source of empowerment and inspiration, it was also a powerful source of constraint. Television defined the way I saw myself and my relationships with other people, and I didn't see a lot of people who looked like me. Asian-American characters were few and far between, and for lack of better alternatives, my favorite childhood hero was Big Bird. He wasn't real, of course, but I didn’t care. He was nice, had lots of friends and was yellow -- and hence, clearly, Asian..."

Read the complete blog post on CNN here.

About Yul Kwon

Yul Kwon is the host of Link TV's original Asian news program LinkAsia. Yul has had a diverse career spanning law, business, technology, and media. Although his multifaceted professional experience spans almost two decades, his rise to international acclaim began in 2006, when he became the first Asian American to win the CBS reality show, Survivor.

Prior to his Survivor victory, Yul held positions at both Google and McKinsey & Company. As an attorney, he clerked on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, practiced law at Venture Law Group and Wiltshire & Grannis, worked as a legislative aide in the US Senate, and most recently served as Deputy Chief of the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.

(Mosaic Video Alert: April 29, 2011) Syrian television releases its “Paltalk Leaks,” exposing the conspirators behind the Syrian revolution. The state-run channel reports that satellite phones, computers, and cameras were smuggled into Syria with the intention of fabricating news and spreading lies to the media about the protests in Syria.

These two videos both report on claims made by Libyan state TV that allied air strikes caused civilian casualties. The first, from ITN News in the UK, explicitly plays down the Libyan reports and shows only footage of the burning military base targeted in the raid. The second, from Russia Today, has no commentary, but includes more of the original report, including footage of the civilians Libya claims were killed and injured in the same attack.

Libyan Base 'Hit by Coalition Air Strike'

(ITN News: 0404 PST, March 24, 2011) Libyan television shows what it says is a military base in flames after coalition air strikes on Tripoli.

Libya TV Airs Images of Tripoli Bombing Aftermath

(Russia Today: 0309 PST, March 24, 2011) Libyan broadcasters claimed that an unknown number of civilians were injured and killed in coalition airstrikes in Tripoli late on Wednesday. Fresh explosions and gunfire have been heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli, with reports saying coalition forces are targeting major military facilities across the country. Allied forces have also conducted air strikes against troops loyal to the leader Muammar Gaddafi, in the country's western city of Misurata.

WARNING: This video contains some graphic images.

(Al Jazeera English: 1727 PST, March 1, 2011) With state television in Libya reporting that the situation in the country is normal, anti-government activists have taken to creating their own media outlets to get their message out. Several activists in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi have set up a radio station, getting updates from protesters on the ground and disseminating them to the wider public. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from Benghazi, eastern Libya.

(Euronews: 0837 PST, February 24, 2011) The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has given an extraordinary interview by phone with Libyan state television, blaming the revolt against his rule on al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden, he said, was the real criminal. Gaddafi said he himself had only moral authority in Libya and likened himself to Britain's Queen Elizabeth. He offered his condolences to those who had died in the fighting uprising.

(Al Jazeera English: 0830 PST, February 24, 2011) An excerpt from Muammar Gaddafi's speech on Libyan state television Thursday.

(Al Jazeera English: 1000 PST, February 22, 2011) In a lengthy televised address, Muammar Gaddafi variously blamed the media, the U.S., the UK, Italy, and hallucinogenic drugs forced on young protesters for causing the trouble in his country. The Libyan leader tried his hardest to appeal to anti-colonialist sentiment in the country but behind all the anger there seemed to be one key message: he has created Libya, and will never leave.

But pressure on Gaddafi is mounting. Several major cities across Libya are under the control of the opposition and the deadly crackdown on protesters seems to have been hardening the popular resolve. Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports.

(Al Jazeera English: 0700 PST, February 11, 2011) Thousands of protesters have laid siege to the building of Egypt's state television station in Cairo, as hundreds of thousands again turned out across the country to demand that Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, resign. Our correspondent Jacky Rowland in Cairo reports from the scene of the siege.

Activist Speaks from State TV in Cairo

(Al Jazeera English: 0700 PST, February 11, 2011) Alaa Abdel Fatah, a prominent activist, speaks to Al Jazeera from outside the state television building in Cairo where thousands of protesters gathered on Friday afternoon.

Watch Al Jazeera English's live broadcast stream, online now.

One of the challenges here at Link TV when it comes to distributing our content to local cable channels is the need to prove that what we have shared has actually gotten on the air. Recently, we spent some time contacting channels to find out how they feel about the content they have taken from us to see if it has been well received and put to good use. Here are some of my favorite testimonials:

Old Rochester Community Television in Marion, MA, writes in:

"explore programs are an essential part of our programming philosophy here at ORCTV. On a personal note it was like a gift from the heavens the day I came across your programming as I feel the world can only become a more peaceful place when we as people come to understand that there is more commonality across cultures than we are often led to believe. At the end of the day most of us here on this planet simply want a roof over our heads, food for our families and education along with a better and safer life for our children... Your programs express these ideas to our viewership better than any other programs currently available to Public Access outlets."

And from Artesia, New Mexico:

"[I am] absolutly thrilled and happy...with PegMedia.org AND Link TV. I've been downloading a number of shows that have really increased the viewership of the station, and explore is one of our crowning jewels. The quality of the show is outstanding and a number of people have commented to me directly on how happy they were to see something so well-made, timely and interesting on the station. I couldn't be happier with the feedback. A HUGE thank you to you, PegMedia, Link TV, and (especially) Charlie. You've made my life much easier, my station viewed more, AND the viewers much more educated!"

If you haven't yet had a chance to check out explore, you can visit to www.linktv.org/explorespecials or www.explore.org. explore has served as our front-runner since the beginning of our distribution efforts, and thanks to the compelling and high-quality content, every channel that saw it, liked it, and became an official Link TV affiliate. So, many thanks to the explore Team, and Charlie Annenberg who has always believed in the importance of independent media and community media. There is no way Link TV would have had the resources to share our content with all of our new friends in Public Access without Charlie's vision for us to do so, and the support to make it happen. To date, there are 16 full episodes of explore on PegMedia.org!

If you want to bring this show or any other Link TV programs to your local cable channel, contact us and select "Request Link TV in Your Area" from the drop down subject menu. Lastly, if you have seen Link TV on a local cable channel in your community, please post a note below to let us know!

It's amazing what a little controversy can do to the ratings of a mediocre television show: it drives them up through the roof. And that's exactly what happened to what used to be a "barely-watched" Turkish drama series called Ayrilik: a love story that develops between the lead characters during Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" on the Gaza Strip. The show, which airs on Turkey's state-owned TRT television, depicts Israeli soldiers murdering innocent Palestinian civilians. One particular segment showed images of Israeli soldiers shooting a smiling young girl in the chest, steamrolling a tank through a crowded street and lining up a firing squad to shoot at a group of Palestinians.

Ayrilik's producer owes some gratitude and thanks to Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who has recently complained to the Turkish government over its airing when he said on Wednesday that, "broadcasting this series is incitement of the most severe kind, and it is done under government sponsorship." Since then the show has been making headlines in both Turkish and global media, drawing more audience to TRT television and curiosity-seekers to YouTube to watch clips of the show.

This is not the first time a Turkish drama has caused a buzz in the Middle East. Last year a cheesy series called Noor (light) became a phenomenon when it captured an audience of 85 million viewers when it aired its last episode. The show's popularity increased when some Muslim Imams accused it of violating Islamic values and the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa against watching it.

The saga between Israel and Turkey is not about a television drama, although in reality it has unfolded like one ever since the rise of the Justice and Development Party in 2002. Turkey's ties with Israel have been deteriorating rapidly since Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter, which left hundreds of Palestinian civilians dead. However, tensions between the two allies hit a peak after Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stormed out of a conference during the Davos summit this year where he confronted Israel's President Shimon Peres over the Palestinian civilian casualties during its offensive on Gaza. Wagging his finger at Peres, an emotional Erdogan accused him of "murdering children on beaches" -- an outburst that made Erdogan a hero in the Arab world.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Turkey has recently banned Israel from an international air exercise in protest against its actions in Gaza, then announced that it will hold military exercises with its nemesis Syria. The announcement came after officials from Ankara and Damascus held the first meeting of a new co-operation council in the Syrian city of Aleppo aimed at ending years of tension between the two neighbors.

For decades Turkey has been looking to the West. It has been eager to please the United States, Europe, and NATO. It has been obsessed with membership to the EU, though snubbed thus far. What's more interesting is the fact that the Turkish military, which usually determines the country's strategic path, even when it goes against the will of the people, is keeping mum about the political decision which could signal a major shift in Turkey's future alliances.

For decades, Turkey has been Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world. It was the second Muslim majority country (after Iran) to recognize the State of Israel. The Islamic Revolution ended Iran's ties with Israel, and although Turkey's ties with Israel will not be severed, they have been permanently damaged.

Article first published in the Huffington Post.