VOL 33 NO 14 | MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2014

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32 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Sister wants Bae free “It’s hard. It’s all consuming. It overshadows everything. I’m always on the phone, always on the computer e-mailing someone, writing letters to someone. I feel bad. I feel like I’m not entirely present. I try to be. We try to maintain as much normalcy as possible. I try to go to their games.” Terri Chung said, referring to her two daughters, ages 6 and 13. Chung, 41, used to teach English composition at North Seattle Community College. She’s currently on leave because she found it impossible to cope with the emotional stress and struggles that came with dealing with the ebb and flow of the news cycle, which sometimes demanded all of her time and energy, on top of teaching responsibilities. “Sometimes it’s all over the news. It’s hard to ignore it. It’s like an ever-present absence.” Chung’s brother, Kenneth Bae, is an American charged

Photo courtesy of Terri Chung

By Stacy Nguyen Northwest Asian Weekly

The family of Kenneth Bae saw happier times when gathered together for this 2009 Christmas photo. In the back row is his mother, Myunghee Bae, sister Terri Chung, daughter Natalie, father Sung Seo Bae, son Jonathan Bae, and brother-in-law Andrew Chung. In the front is Kenneth and his nieces Caitlin and Ella.

and convicted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) of planning to overthrow its government. Arrested on Nov. 3, 2012, in the Rason Special Economic Zone, he was

sentenced April 2013 to 15 years of imprisonment and hard labor. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, no other U.S. prisoner of North Korea has been held longer. Before his imprisonment, Bae

had been living in Dalian, China, near the North Korean border. For about seven years he owned a business that led foreigners on {see BAE cont’d on page 16}

Marijuana is legal, now what? By Nina Huang Northwest Asian Weekly

You can buy a bottle of vodka in grocery stores in Washington state now. Soon, you’ll be able to buy a small amount of recreational marijuana from a shop, possibly as early as this summer. How did that all happen? With the privatization of the state liquor system, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) has gone through some tumultuous times, said board member Chris Marr. After the liquor privatization initiative by Costco was passed in 2011, the government went through an accelerated process to close its liquor stores. Washington Initiative 502, also known as “marijuana reform,” passed in November 2012. Along with Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) chair Sharon Foster, Ruthann Kurose and Marr are board members who were appointed by former Governor Christine

Tacoma man sentenced for murder plot claims it was just ‘a joke’

Photo from the Dept. of Homeland Security

VOL 33 NO 14

DIVERSITY MAKES A DIFFERENCE The final countdown » P. 7

system, the recreational marijuana stores will not be operated by the WSLCB. The private businesses will govern themselves. There will be 334 retail stores in the state, and 21 of them will be in Seattle. Marr said that the WSLCB would strictly have a regulatory, enforcement, and revenue collection role. The board will make sure the product is tested and tracked, and ensure that it doesn’t get diverted to the black market. It will also make sure that there is no use in facilities and retail stores. The board won’t be involved in the operations of the stores.

Kurose said that the Washington State Liquor Control Board has always maintained its top priority in ensuring public safety. “We believe that this can be achieved by creating a tightly controlled and regulated marijuana market,” she added. Legislators are looking for opportunities to increase revenues in education and healthcare, but cities and countries have argued that they should get some of the money generated from marijuana sales. One initiative calls for the direct revenue from sales to be used for prevention and education for youth. Many of those issues will be handled by the Department of Social and Health Services. Resources such as educational and community programs are the best ways to address the impacts from marijuana and other drugs on communities of color — impacts that are often disproportionally high compared to other communities,

Educating the public

{see I-502 cont’d on page 15}

Washington State Liquor Control Board members Sharon Foster, Ruthann Kurose, and Chris Marr. The WSLCB will have a regulatory, enforcement, and revenue collection role over marijuana sales.

Gregoire several years ago. Kurose has a long history of public service working on congressional legislative policy in Washington D.C., and on economic development policy in the cities of Seattle and Tacoma. Marr served as a State Senator for the 6th District in Spokane from 2006 to 2010. Prior to his election in the Senate, he spent 20 years as managing partner of the Foothills Auto Group in Spokane, after working in management at Ford Motor Company and McDonald’s Corporation. Recreational marijuana stores Unlike the previous liquor

Long Van Nguyen was photographed by Homeland Security agents outside a Tukwila Starbucks, where he unknowingly met with undercover agents.

By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly A University Place man, who pleaded guilty last September to federal conspiracy and solicitation charges for attempting to hire assassins to kill his own relatives in Vietnam, will serve 14 years in jail for his crime. Long Van Nguyen, 45, was sentenced on March 13 before the Honorable Robert Lasnik in the U.S. District Court of Western Washington. While federal prosecutors contend that Nguyen was serious about carrying out the plan, Nguyen contends that all of the talk of killing was “a joke.” A tip led to the discovery of Nguyen’s plan to kill relatives for mismanaging money he asked them to watch over in Vietnam while he was jailed on a previous drug conviction. Nguyen, a naturalized citizen, had led a “prolific marijuana trafficking organization” in Western Washington, according to court documents. Nguyen’s organization was one of the largest in Washington, importing marijuana — also known as “BC Bud”— from Canada to the {see NGUYEN cont’d on page on 15}

The Inside Story NAMES Doing this, doing that » P. 2

WORLD People on missing jet had rich lives » P. 5

SPORTS The Layup Drill » P. 8

BLOG Seattle Symphony Celebrates Asia » P. 10

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