Kevin Lim was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1961. The youngest of his family, he remembers being doted on by his three older brothers, three older sisters, and his mother; though he says his family was not particularly wealthy, he recalls having a rather comfortable childhood without much in the way of want or need. His family, concerned for his future, encouraged him to study something which paved the way to a stable career; although he held an interest in literature, he chose to study electrical engineering instead. During his time performing compulsory military service, he took an exam to serve as an air force officer on a whim and, upon passing the exam, spent the rest of his time in the Korean Air Force. After his service, he decided to work a corporate job as his family had envisioned for him, but he made sure to apply to a company with an overseas division. In 1992, after having worked at a trading firm, he moved to the United States to pursue business school; during this time, he also met his wife, whose family had immigrated to America in the 1980s. Though he never imagined he’d live in Palisades Park, he made himself unintentionally known to the community when one day he showed up to a school board meeting, leveraging his background in finance to ask questions about the district’s fiscal plans to renovate their schools. He now operates his own practice as a CPA in the area and is largely involved with the Korean American community of Bergen County, serving on the board of its school district. He feels that Pal Park is a unique place, comprised of over 50% Korean residents, and is eager find ways to better serve his community.

Soo Chung was born in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, in 1976. From an early age, she expressed a passion, as well as a natural talent, for the arts: she recalls how her mother would often have to hide her arts supplies because of how she’d scribble all over the walls and tabletops of their home. She feels fortunate that her parents encouraged her aspirations as an artist, even supporting her decisions to attend art school abroad in the United States; rather than returning back to Korea after completing her studies, she fell in love with the bustling diversity of New York and elected to stay a while longer to continue her career as an artist in America. From working at art galleries in Chelsea to promoting and selling her own artwork, she describes some of the initial difficulties she experienced as a career artist, at times feeling naïve in her endeavors. While working as a professional painter, she also began to work as a journalist for a Korean American broadcasting company which was based in New Jersey; from her apartment in Queens, she’d commute to her workplace which then sent her all around New York City to cover the news. Her work as a journalist, too, was a source of inspiration in mediating social issues through visual art, and she feels fortunate that she was able to do both. Today, she lives in Palisades Park and serves on the board of her child’s school district, and is active in other local and civic organizations while continuing her work as an artist.

Pastor Youngmin Jung was born in Busan, South Korea, in 1965. Growing up, he wanted to become a movie star; when he got the chance, he would talk to American GIs stationed near his home about his favorite movies and actors. As a child, he enjoyed taking part in the short skits his church put on, and when it came time for him to apply to university, he expressed a desire to study film or acting. But when his Sunday school teacher suggested that he go to bible school or seminary instead, he decided to take their suggestion to heart, and after many weeks of prayer and contemplation chose to attend the largest Presbyterian seminary in Korea. After completing his undergraduate studies, he studied abroad at Yale for an MDiv, initially thinking he would go on to become a seminarian, or a seminary professor. He worked as the director of Christian education at a number of Sunday school programs at Korean churches, something he realized provided him with a different kind of scholarship, one where he learned to communicate with younger peoples. Throughout his studies, he also worked as a college admissions consultant and a standardized testing tutor. Today, Pastor Jung is continuing to work as a pastor within his church, emphasizing an approach to faith which shifts away from institutionalized religion towards cultivating personal spirituality.

Young Hee Shon was born in 1953 in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, to parents who ran a successful business in the hospitality industry. At the time, workers who missed the last intercity bus out of the city would have nowhere to spend the night, so her parents operated a motel where late-night workers could spend the night. They also ran a restaurant directly next to their hotel called “Seong Buk Dong Gukbap,” which still exists today. Mrs. Shon immigrated to the United States with her husband and children when they were presented with the opportunity to obtain a green card. Upon hearing from her sister that L.A.’s Koreatown was a good place to find a job, the family chose to move to Los Angeles, where Mrs. Shon’s first job was in making banchan at the Korean market. From there, she switched jobs to work in the kitchen of the Palace Hotel, but after experiencing certain emotional hardships, found a job at the Rotex Hotel instead. After working there for a while, she began experiencing physical discomfort in her arms and shoulders, and so found work at a long-distance phone calling company, which she enjoyed. Yet the job she enjoyed most was in opening her own restaurant, which she named after the one her parents ran back in Korea: Seongbukdong. A beloved part of K-Town, she prepares each dish with love and care, knowing that the success of her restaurant isn’t dependent on advertisement space in newspapers, but in the reputation which is built in the mouths of her customers.

Janet Burt was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1967. When she was a junior in high school, her parents made the decision to move their family to the United States in hopes that their children might have access to better education. After a decade of navigating the hurdles of obtaining American visas, the family immigrated to Los Angeles in 1983, uprooting their life in Korea to join their relatives abroad. Because she moved to America a little later in life, she feels that she straddles the generational gap between Korean and American cultures, identifying as a 1.5th generation Korean American; her family speaks Korean and maintains certain Korean traditions while interacting and working within a larger, multiethnic American sphere. In the time since she’s moved to L.A., she’s gotten married and raised a family of her own; having lived in Los Angeles for over thirty years, she considers it to be her hometown. Today, she serves as the Director of Diversity and Business Development at the largest law firm in Los Angeles and is an active member in a number of community organizations in Koreatown, working to attract the younger generation of Korean Americans to engage more with the neighborhood while its elders hold down the fort.

Nancy Cho was born in North Pyongan Province in what is today North Korea, spending her early childhood there. At the age of six, she and her family moved to Seoul, and only two years later had to flee to Busan to escape the violence of the Korean War. She completed middle school in Busan before moving back to Seoul with her family to attend high school, after which she began college at Ewha. After graduation, she met her husband and had their first child, later moving to Houston where her husband had been attending business school. Restless, Ms. Cho studied to become a keypunch operator, passing her licensing examination at the top of her class. In December of 1968 she had their second child, and her husband began working at Houston Natural Gas, though as their family continued to grow, she couldn’t help but notice how barren of Koreans Houston was at the time. Four years after having their third child, the family decided to move to Los Angeles after hearing of its Korean community from a church elder. Living in Koreatown, she remembers thinking that “LA felt like Korea,” from hearing Korean being spoken on the streets to how she could get her hair done at a Korean salon. She worked with her husband at his CPA practice for forty-five years while taking care of their family, and today finds much joy in cooking at home following Korean recipes on YouTube.