Catherine Hong:
Hello and welcome to K-Pod, the podcast about Korean Americans and arts and culture. I’m Catherine Hong, a writer and editor.
Juliana Sohn:
And I’m Juliana Sohn, a photographer.
Catherine Hong:
Today we’re very excited to interview manicurist Jin Soon Choi. If you’ve been a reader of fashion magazines in the last two decades, you know that Jin Soon is a very big deal. She’s not just a successful manicurist, she’s the nail artist working at the top of the industry. She’s backstage at New York Fashion Week. She’s on sets with Beyonce, Gaga and Gwyneth. She owns four salons in Manhattan as well as a line of her own polishes. And she’s totally beloved by her peers, not just for her creativity and artistry, but for her fun-loving spirit. She has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and in all her posts she seems to be radiating joy and laughing it up with her supermodel pals. All this from an immigrant who moved to New York City from Korea in 1991, knowing very little English, with just $400 in her pocket. We have so many questions for Jin and we are so pleased to be here with her today. Welcome, Jin!
Jin Soon Choi:
Hi guys.
Catherine Hong:
So Jin, we’re coming straight off New York Fashion Week. A lot of people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, but you are a fixture at the shows and you’ve been so for almost a couple decades now, right?
Jin Soon Choi:
Right. Yep.
Catherine Hong:
So tell us a little bit about what you did this week.
Jin Soon Choi:
As you know, I have my namesake brand JINsoon. So we sponsored some shows like TV, Philip Lim and also I worked on Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Longchamp in the role. Yeah, so pretty busy. Right?
Juliana Sohn:
Very impressive lineup there. So I’d like to go back and talk about how you came to this country and what your story is. Can you start from the beginning and tell us a little bit about your journey?
Jin Soon Choi:
Wow, there’s lots of story. You’re ready for that?
Juliana Sohn:
I’m ready.
Jin Soon Choi:
I came here… Oh my god, I can remember 28 years ago, my sister immigrated first to Olympia, Washington with her husband and then she invited us. And I really didn’t like Washington state. I was not happy to be there because I didn’t have anything to do. In Korea, I used to live in Seoul and I could walk the street and I could meet my friends. Just lots of things I can do because without spending money, still so much freedom I felt when I walked the street. So I feel like, “Oh my God, Olympia’s not for me.” And I told my sister, “I want to go to New York City,” and she lent me $400. So she thought if I ran out of the money then I could come back and that was her idea. But I survived.
Juliana Sohn:
So did you know anyone in New York?
Jin Soon Choi:
I actually called my friend in Korea if she knew anybody and she said, “Oh, my cousin is there, why don’t you keep in touch with her?” So I called her and then we became roommates because I don’t know anything about New York City.
Catherine Hong:
And I had read that you worked as a waitress for a time, you worked as a cashier. Is that right?
Jin Soon Choi:
Oh my God. Where did you read all these things? So my first job was actually at the Korean restaurant called Gammeeok.
Catherine Hong:
Oh my gosh. Yes. I love it.
Jin Soon Choi:
And guess what? I don’t even eat that beef soup! I’m a pescatarian.
Catherine Hong:
Seolleongtang, right?
Jin Soon Choi:
So first day I was so tired and I was so sad and I could not deal with it because a lot of waitresses, they just… Four hot pots, very heavy. They just walked around this, on one hand with heavy stuff and I could not deal with it. And I don’t know why, I was so sad, I cried in the middle of the day and the manager told me, “Oh, why don’t you take a rest?” So I said, “Okay.” I took a rest and I came home, my body was so painful. I took a Tylenol and stuff, but still I could not fall asleep because that painful. So I had to tell them I could not make it. So one day there was, and the second job was-
Catherine Hong:
One day?
Juliana Sohn:
You lasted one day at Gammeeok?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yep.
Juliana Sohn:
And you had a physical reaction to the job?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yes, all night long. I could not sleep from physical pain.
Catherine Hong:
What was your life like in Korea before you came?
Jin Soon Choi:
I had my own business in Korea. I don’t know if you guys know 시장, the public market, and people have small booths. And I designed and sold my line there for retail shops.
Juliana Sohn:
Line of clothing?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yes. Line of clothing. Almost like a kind of Gap style, what I’m thinking of now, a more unisex style. Yeah.
Catherine Hong:
So you thought of yourself as someone maybe becoming a fashion designer. Was that something you want to do?
Jin Soon Choi:
No, it was not for me. I actually wanted to be a writer, that was my passion. And then also that’s why, you know what? I need to study and then I decided to come here. I really wanted to change my life very drastically but I happened to, now I became a manicurist.
Juliana Sohn:
So how old were you when you moved here?
Jin Soon Choi:
I was 28 years old.
Juliana Sohn:
So you immigrated at 28? Which you’re a full adult by then.
Jin Soon Choi:
Yes. That’s why it was not easy to learn English. I still have a heavy accent, but still I can get by.
Juliana Sohn:
And you came here, you went to New York and then you went to school?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yes. Actually, I started working first. I think about two years I was working as a manicurist and then after that, “You know what? I’m in New York City, I need to learn English.” So I went to school for two years and I didn’t finish college, so I just went back to work.
Juliana Sohn:
So were you studying with the aim of being a writer?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, I was studying English first and I didn’t even go to a major. Yeah.
Catherine Hong:
So tell us a little bit about your first experience working in a manicure salon. Where was it and who trained you? What was that like?
Jin Soon Choi:
I believe Upper East Side, I think the owner’s name was Sunny, but she was Korean. I studied at a really small salon, but there was good experience because people, the senior manicurist there, they were Koreans and they taught me how to do. And that was my beginning.
Catherine Hong:
Did you get a satisfaction from doing it? Did you think you had a talent for it? Was it just drudgery at first? What was it like for you?
Jin Soon Choi:
Well, at first I didn’t have chance to enjoy because again, I was here alone, so I had to survive and I just started working. And then later I found out that, “Oh, I could be able to do better.” And “Oh, okay. I discovered my own…” I don’t know, you can call it talent, but I found out I was good at it.
Juliana Sohn:
So I am really curious because I know that I’ve been to some nail salons where I’ve gotten a better manicure than other places where it’s maybe tighter or cleaner. But how do you differentiate yourself to a point where you have a following and you realize you have a talent? How do you go from one of the masses to such an individual star in your field?
Jin Soon Choi:
I think I learned from my own experience at working a few in salons what is lacking. So I went from there. So I tried to… When I opened my salon, the look was different because every salon was very clinical, white and kind of clinic-like. All white and no taste and you could not relax.
My husband is an architect, so when I met him I told him I wanted to use my background as Asian. So I told him I wanted to do a subtle Asian theme. I didn’t want to go for heavy Asian style because then, it is too heavy. So I wanted to have little bit like a light subtle Asian theme and use my background. And then on top of that, I remember I wanted to be a writer, so I named all the services poetry, like Breath of Milk and Honey. Essence of Soul. So I used that in my passion there and I researched a lot, and I made all the manicures and pedicures like spa treatments. Back then my friend was… pottery, somebody who makes pottery. Ceramicist, yeah! And she made all pedicure bowls for me, manicure bowls. So more special.
Juliana Sohn:
So you really made it a reflection of you?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yes, exactly. Kind of. Also, I believe in training. So a lot of salons, you come and just start taking clients but I had to train people. That was actually a big part and then from there, lots of salons also started training people.
Juliana Sohn:
I see. So you were able to carve out a space because you made it a reflection of you and the things that you cared about. And then the people felt that difference and they started coming to your salon. And then did the following just grow slowly?
Jin Soon Choi:
No, actually grows very fast. Grew very fast. Why? Because I learned about, how to do PR without learning. And when you worked on photoshoots, I could see what other brands do and then I learned how to send a press release. And my friend who was a writer, she wrote that for me. And then I put things nicely. I sent about 50 of them press release. And then one of them was Time Out New York. Back then the Time Out New York spa issue was a big deal. I don’t know if you guys remember that. One of our editors from Timeout New York, they sent people a secret way. They didn’t say they came.
Juliana Sohn:
Sort of reviewing a restaurant.
Jin Soon Choi:
Exactly, exactly. And they liked it and they wanted to take a picture of our flower petal floor pedicure because very visually, very beautiful. And they gave us almost a full page, maybe a three quarter. I mean I didn’t have any PR person, but it was good. And then after that, New York magazine, also they had some spa issue. They gave us a full page with a flower petal picture. So right after our shop was on New York Magazine and Time Out New York, boom. Right away, busy.
Juliana Sohn:
And what year was that? How long after you had opened?
Jin Soon Choi:
1999, though there was the first one. The small East Village Salon, only two manicures and two pedicures. I call it like hidden oasis.
Catherine Hong:
One thing I think I remember from when I worked in magazines is that before you even opened your first salon, you were very hot person to have on a shoot. In the industry, maybe not among New Yorkers generally, you were part of this little A team and if we’re doing a cover shoot, we have Steven [Meisel], we have Pat McGrath, we have Tom Pecheaux, or whoever, you were part of that team. They want Jin on that team, and they would put you on a major fashion shoot with celebrity. Tell us a little bit about what it was like working on editorial shoots. And don’t you think that that was a big part of also why magazines were interested in you? Because you had a name.
Jin Soon Choi:
I think though, my biggest break to become who I am now, actually I’m very thankful for New York Times magazine, that’s 2002, something like that. So in the history of a New York Times magazine, first time they put seven spreads of nail arts pages there and I did the nails. And the funny thing is even though sometimes you didn’t feel like doing something, I did actually a test shoot first before the images were, seven images were on.
Juliana Sohn:
This is for the magazine?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, because actually we didn’t know we were going to be on New York Times Magazine. The photographer, Carlton Davis, he saw my work on one of magazines and then he said, “Oh, could you do a test shoot with me?” I said, “Sure.” And then we met together and then we got an idea. We did American Flag with hotdog and all the beads on the nails and the Chinese character on the nails like teabag. So we did fun seven different kind of images, nail art images. And then he showed them to lots of different publications. And then New York Times magazine got us and we re-shot them with the jewelry. So that was actually a big deal. And back then nail art was not very popular and there was no social media. So you have to check through only magazines, print. And then that was actually a big deal that gave me the break in my life.
Juliana Sohn:
I see. Yeah. I did not realize it was that and that was in 2002.
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah.
Catherine Hong:
I think we should also make it clear for people that when we’re talking about Jin’s creativity, it’s not just a perfect solid monochromatic nail. What Jin started doing, which is also kind of what became a trend, is nail art, which is very creative using the fingernail like a canvas with designs.
Jin Soon Choi:
I’m not sure I can say that, I’m not that talented. I don’t think I’m that talented, but I tried.
Catherine Hong:
And you get your inspiration from all kinds of things, right? Modern art and…
Juliana Sohn:
When you think of nail art and what that category and what that looks like, it’s very different. It’s evolved tremendously in the past 20, 30 years. When I was a kid, it was all solid colors and nobody ever wore things like green or blue and black was very much a punk thing. It’s really grown and involved into a whole industry on its own.
Jin Soon Choi:
I call it like a nail heaven right now. Seriously. Yeah, because like you said, everybody, people were just doing only solid color on the nails, like monochrome color only. But now you can get to every single nail material, whatever you want to, from gel, jewelry, and sticker and then hand painting and so many things you can have.
Catherine Hong:
So Jin, can we go back a little bit to your early history? We’re curious to know a little bit about your family, your parents, your brothers and sisters in Korea.
Jin Soon Choi:
Actually I was born as the youngest of three. My sister was the first one, oldest. Oldest one. And my brother was the middle. Of course he got the special treatment. He was a son and I was rebellious because of that. And then I didn’t understand why, but you cannot get away from that. Son was treated better in Korea back then. And my parents actually moved to Olympia, Washington state through my sister, my sister who came to Olympia, Washington after she got married.
Juliana Sohn:
Why did she come?
Jin Soon Choi:
Husband was already in Olympia, Washington. So she got married and then he brought her to Washington State.
Juliana Sohn:
And how did they meet?
Jin Soon Choi:
In Korea. They were already dating and then he came to US first and then he went back to Korea, got married and brought her back.
Catherine Hong:
And what sort of business or occupation was your family in. Your dad… When you were a kid.
Jin Soon Choi:
My dad was a more a construction worker, more like a physical labor. My mom, although she has a very strong spirit and because my father actually left home when I was born and I didn’t know who my father was. And he came back when I was at the first grade. And that’s why probably my mom had a strong spirit or a more resourceful and more energetic because she had to…
Juliana Sohn:
She was a single parent for…
Jin Soon Choi:
Yes.
Juliana Sohn:
A good five years.
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, seven years, eight years, like that. She had a hard life.
Juliana Sohn:
How did she take care of you all? Does she have family who helped?
Jin Soon Choi:
No, she did it by herself.
Juliana Sohn:
Amazing.
Jin Soon Choi:
And she worked at a food farm and she worked there. And then we were very poor because my father left and then she had to feed us by herself. And my sister had a hard time too because she was the oldest and she had to take care of us when my mother went to work.
Juliana Sohn:
How old was your sister when you were born?
Jin Soon Choi:
We were like eight years apart. Yeah. So she was eight years old.
Juliana Sohn:
Your eight year old sister took care of you while your mom went to work?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, she started taking care of me when I was born right after my father left and she brought me to her school. Because no one… She put a string on me and then I was playing outside of her classroom and then she was still studying. So my sister was almost like a mother, second mother.
Catherine Hong:
And how much younger is your brother?
Jin Soon Choi:
Four years older than me. So he was in the middle.
Juliana Sohn:
And then what happened when your dad came back?
Jin Soon Choi:
You know what? I still remember that moment, believe or not. So I was playing in the front yard and then somebody came in and asked about my mom. I said, “Yeah.” And he goes, “I’m your father.” I said, “Really?” I don’t know…
Juliana Sohn:
Because you’d never seen him.
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, never seen him. And when he came he brought us to Jeongseon and started all new life.
Catherine Hong:
And when you were a teenager, what kind of teenager were you? Were you interested in, I guess writing or reading or arts.
Jin Soon Choi:
I was actually rebellious, I have to tell you, because back then the teachers were kind of not nice to kids from poor family. I still remember and I thought that was not so fair. But I was good at studying and also I was good at writing some poetry here and there, but I didn’t pursue as a writer.
Catherine Hong:
What did you dream you would be? Did you imagined you’d be living in Korea still? Did you think one day I want to come to the States?
Jin Soon Choi:
I don’t know, it was different back then. Our generation and new generation knows. So surprised that these new generations know what they want to do but back then, we? Us? No! Okay, just play and go home and eat and sleep and study. That’s about it.
Juliana Sohn:
Also in Korea at that time it was not the same kind of culture it is in America where you can be whatever you want to dream you can be, you know? I think in Korea, that’s why our parents came over here. It’s my parents because they wanted opportunities for their kids.
Jin Soon Choi:
Right.
Juliana Sohn:
So I think it’s interesting to point out that there you maybe didn’t even dream.
Jin Soon Choi:
No, I didn’t also even have chance or I didn’t have that kind of life to think about, “Oh, I can dream this and I could become this.” We didn’t have that, actually. And it-
Juliana Sohn:
A luxury to think of, to have that opportunity.
Jin Soon Choi:
To probably just, we live day by day probably. And especially in my household, my father was very strict and he was too strict that we could not do anything. We couldn’t have freedom and just was not really good. That’s what probably I became rebellious.
Juliana Sohn:
So was that a really strange thing for a seven year old child to all of a sudden have a dad in your life and then they were really strict in making the rules?
Jin Soon Choi:
Inside, I feel sad. Sadness in my side because lot of time– when John was my husband, made fun of me. He saw my junior and high school pictures, school pictures, and I was always frowning when I took pictures and he goes, “What’s wrong with you?” Probably my circumstance didn’t make me happy, and I was not happy because my father was always not nice to us and I hardly remember I was happy with my father.
Catherine Hong:
It’s so interesting for me to learn this because I feel like your persona or for those who know you, follow you, you radiate this happiness. Your Instagram’s full of-
Juliana Sohn:
I was just thinking the exact same thing.
Catherine Hong:
You’re doing the [Instagram] boomerang, and you do look like you know how to enjoy life. And maybe it’s because you remember.
Jin Soon Choi:
Probably because I was pressed down my emotion probably back then. And then now I’m a free person probably. And also my husband is a very happy person and he kind of made me also. And no children I guess!
Yeah, we have three cats, and three cats made us happy. But I don’t know, I think people evolve. I have to tell you that, people evolve and they kind of discover their own self. That’s how I feel when I sit in here. I felt amazing, that finding my own capability, “Oh my God, I could do this. I could that!” It’s not about money making, but it’s about how I discovered my own self. I didn’t realize I had that kind of creativity inside and oh my God, I love it. I enjoy it and probably that made me so happy.
Catherine Hong:
And thinking about your mom, I know upstairs at the spa right now you have origami that she’s made, so it seems like you’re really close to your mom. Was she here recently making this origami with you?
Jin Soon Choi:
No, actually I went there. She lives in Olympia, Washington State. So because I don’t live with her and I don’t see her often, maybe maximum twice a year I saw her and all of a sudden I saw this colorful origami she made. She started from her eighties and when she went to the senior citizen center and somebody taught her, my mom was a… I I think probably I got her character. She’s a character. And then she said, “Oh, I learned this one. She showed me only once, but look what I did.” Kind of a girl, almost like I was her mother. So when I saw that, wow, this is something else and before that she was doing collage. She had a exhibition. My sister had a hotel in Olympia, so she exhibited my mother’s collage at the hotels and she was so happy. She was sitting next to collage and sitting down to be recognized by people. So cute.
Catherine Hong:
And what does she make of your career? What does she think of what you’ve built here and she sees your picture and your name of the magazines, what does she say?
Jin Soon Choi:
Well, funny thing she doesn’t know. She just know, “Oh, okay, Jin is successful. Okay, Jin became famous.” That’s about it.
Juliana Sohn:
You don’t send her the magazine clips?
Jin Soon Choi:
I don’t. I’m not bragging about myself because when it comes success, there are lots of people, successful people, I’m very shy about that. So I don’t talk to my mom about that.
Juliana Sohn:
So it seems like you probably did not have a typical… like, your mom wanted you to be a lawyer and then she was really disappointed that you went into nail art. She was just really happy that you had a job. So there was none of that sort of having to prove yourself to your mom and that you’re successful, correct?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yep. Yeah, well, so we didn’t have that kind of lifestyle like, “Okay, you should have become lawyer. You should become a doctor.” We’re poor. Not from a amazing a background. Our family was not from there, so we didn’t have to think about that part.
Catherine Hong:
Yeah. I’m curious to know if you’ve made friends with any other Koreans in the fashion, beauty world, how Korean you feel these days.
Jin Soon Choi:
Before, actually I didn’t have any Korean friends. Since I’ve been working on photo shoots, I got to meet lots of Korean people, good people. And for example, I don’t know you guys know Nana Lee? So she’s an art dealer, plus she has been taking care of her father’s business in meat packing industry. There is a boutique, Lie Sang Bong Boutique. So she’s an amazing person, I got to work with her. We sponsored one show many seasons ago when he was showing his show. And also lots of mothers.
I was so happy when I got to meet Korean mothers like, “Oh my god, it’s time to party.” I can talk to them in Korean, I can have fun and I can ask them what’s going on with Korea. Yeah, so Soo-Joo, she’s like a top Korean model. She’s Korean-American actually. And then now lots of Koreans, actually Korean-Koreans come to New York or Europe for fashion week, and I got to meet a lot of Korean mothers and it made me so happy. At first they didn’t know I was Korean. Like, “Oh, I saw from call sheet, the name.” Okay, this is Korean, so I, Korean and yes. “Oh, me too. 우리 한국말 해요. Let’s speak Korean,” and then yeah…
Catherine Hong:
Nice. And you go back to Korea very often, I think you have a business there, right?
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, I actually got to launch the exclusive JINsoon gel line. We sell JINsoon nail polish in Korea as well, the part of Shinsegae stores. And so I got to go there and kind of promote JINsoon products, I think about three times. Yeah, that was good.
Catherine Hong:
How does it feel for you to go back to Korea? Does it feel like home? Or does it feel like, “I’m a New Yorker now”?
Jin Soon Choi:
At first, I got a culture shock. I went there 18 years after I came here, so totally I got a culture shock. And then second time, third time, first time I went to NYC, okay. I found my Korean inside more and more, and now I miss Korea. Except the bad air.
Juliana Sohn:
I feel like you’ve mentioned your husband a few times, and it feels like he has been pretty instrumental in some of your work because of the architecture, the way your shops are so different, and feel and look very intimate. Can you tell us about how you met him and how he’s been part of your business?
Jin Soon Choi:
Wow, there’s a fun story. So I actually got the space in East Village from my friend who was a writer. She was a director on a non-profit organization. And then one day she told me, “Jin, do you want to have a business?” “No, I don’t have money.” I’m very straightforward. And she goes, “No, you don’t need lots of money. This is a nonprofit organization, you can apply for it.” I said, “Okay.” And she applied for me even. How lucky am I?
Juliana Sohn:
What did… she applied?
Jin Soon Choi:
For the space.
Juliana Sohn:
Through her nonprofit?
Jin Soon Choi:
Because that nonprofit organization was taking care of lots of buildings that city owned. So she applied and two years later I got the storefront.
Juliana Sohn:
Oh my gosh. Two years.
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, two years. And then I still didn’t have enough money, but my sister helped me and then I went to John’s, my husband’s office to get a copy of blueprint. And then he was very nice. He was wearing a hat, small hat. I still told him, “You cheated on me with your hat,” because he was bald, but he didn’t want to admit. He said, “I was balding.”
Juliana Sohn:
So how did you pick his architecture firm?
Jin Soon Choi:
No, actually he was working for that nonprofit organization. So he renovated, renovated all the buildings. So the nonprofit organization renovated all the buildings and gave them back to the tenants. And then, but, they could rent out the storefronts. So I got one of them, and then he happened to work there, and I went to him to get a copy of blueprint and I could see he was very nice. He was really nice to me and he followed me. He measured storefront inside and this and that. I said, “Oh, nice guy.” And then after that I had a friend who, her boyfriend back then was architect, not licensed yet, but he was becoming architect. He said, “Oh, Jin, I’ll do it for free because I need a portfolio.” And I said, you know what? Thank you very much.” And then when you get something you want to give back.
So I actually got him a job through my client and then he didn’t have time and he had to prepare for his exam to be an architect. And also he could not juggle my project with in a low budget. So he kind of bailed out. He said, “Jin, I’m sorry, I cannot do it.” And then I asked my husband, “Can you do this for me?” And he knew I didn’t have budget. He goes, “Okay, I’ll do it for you. And then, my fee will be 12 massages.” Because back then we put massage on the menu, service menu. And then because he didn’t know me enough, so he didn’t want me to take advantage, but he wanted to help me. So he said 12 massages. Yeah. I don’t think he got all 12 massages, but yeah, that’s how I met him. And then after that he was involved everything. Renovation, interior and everything because I put all a scrapbook from my friends, interior design magazines, Architectural Digest, Interior Design magazine, all I check everything.
If I like something, I cut it out. I wrote down color for the door, color for the pedicure bowl color for the manicure book, color for the wall. So I made a script book and he was very impressed. And then I told him I wanted to have a subtle Asian theme. He gave me that. I was very impressed because if we didn’t have a look, that look, I could not be as successful as now because he gave me the look. He create this. I respect so much for architects. Yes, because they create from nothing. I really respect writers, same thing. They just invented something from nothing. So I was very impressed by John.
Juliana Sohn:
It’s pretty amazing how you’ve pioneered and made just fearlessly started new ventures and freelancing, going from client to client and then doing magazines. But I know living it day to day, it must have been kind of crazy to think, “This is happening now. This is happening,” and look where you ended up.
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah, I enjoyed all the steps, but the number one thing actually I’m very grateful and thankful for is to have good people around. Like I said, my writer friend who used to be my client, we actually exchanged our services. So I do manicure for her, she teach me English. And then other, the Andrea Pomerantz, beauty director, she got me an agent. And my husband who actually did a really good job for the store interior and everything. So I think I learned when you work hard, and then people were willing to help you. So I was lucked out to have lots of good people around me. So yeah.
Juliana Sohn:
You could call it luck, but you’re right. I think you showed them that you were somebody who was willing to work hard and you can deliver.
Jin Soon Choi:
Yeah. Yeah. But now I don’t work that hard, but there was a good time, and I called them Luck Charms, and my husband said, “Don’t do that. It’s so corny, like so Korean.” I said, “Well, I’m Korean. I can be corny.”
Juliana Sohn:
Thank you so much, Jin. We love speaking with you.
Jin Soon Choi:
Me too. Thank you for having me. I had a good time.
Juliana Sohn:
Can you tell us how people can follow you or keep up with you, what you’re doing next?
Jin Soon Choi:
Oh, I have an Instagram @jinsoon for the brand, @jinsoonchoi for personal. And I do lots of fun Boomerang, I’m a Boomerang queen! Follow jinsoon and jinsoonchoi.
Juliana Sohn:
Very good.
Catherine Hong:
Thank you.
Juliana Sohn:
Thank you.
Jin Soon Choi:
Thank you.
Juliana Sohn:
K-Pod is a production of KoreanAmericanStory.org. Our producer is Kevin Park. Our editor is AJ Valente, and our executive producer is HJ Lee. You can email us with comments and suggestions at Kpod@koreanamericanstory.org. You can see my portraits of all our podcast guests at koreanamericanstory.org. You can follow me on Instagram @juliana_sohn. For news and updates on Kpod, follow @KoreanAmericanStory on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
