Tag: business

Grace Lyo was born in 1946 in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. While attending elementary school, she moved in with relatives in Seoul, and after completing high school found work first as a government employee of the Treasury Department, then in the actuarial industry where she met her childrens’ father. In 1981, Grace immigrated to Baltimore with her family, which by then included young children. Opening up a store nearby, Grace and her husband worked to sustain their new lives in the U.S. Grace, who had always wanted to pursue higher education, enrolled in the local community college; her husband, who was against the idea, demanded she quit school. The couple separated and sold the store, which allowed Grace to open a new business, starting anew. Soon after, she opened a second store, and then another: at one point, she was running three businesses alone, one of which she gave to her brother when he too immigrated to the area. In 2015, during the Baltimore Protests, one of her stores suffered an arson attack which led to its permanent closure. Despite this setback, Grace talks about all the love that local residents have given her and her businesses throughout the years she’s lived in Baltimore, and how she herself harbors nothing but gratitude and a desire to give back to her community and its youth.

Paul Kim was born in Seoul and immigrated to the United States in 1996. His family settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, fulfilling his father’s dream of moving to America. When Paul entered middle school, the family moved from St. Paul to the surrounding suburbs, which Paul recounts as having much better schools than the city, albeit being much less diverse than the city itself. Education was of utmost importance in the Kim family, and Paul chased what he believed was, at the time, the natural pipeline that was getting good grades, getting into college, and landing a high-paying job. Paul graduated from university convinced he wanted to become a businessman, so he moved to Chicago to work as a trader. After two years in Chicago, he relocated to Portland, where he worked as the only Asian worker at his workplace, to trade grain with Asia. While in Oregon, he received an offer from a different firm in Chicago, but it wasn’t until after he moved back to the Midwest that he learned his offer had been reneged. He eventually found work again as a trader but was compelled through his faith to find a higher calling in philanthropy. In partnership with a church in South Korea, Paul leveraged the skills he’d gained in industry to buy grain and ship it to North Korea, over time expanding the type and scale of the humanitarian efforts he found himself involved in.

Jason Cho was born and raised in Houston, Texas, in the Aleaf area. His father owned a Taekwondo School business and was the first to do so in the 70s in their respective area. All his life he trained in Taekwondo at the Dojang which helped him develop strong qualities that show in his leadership. Jason’s introduction to the hospitality industry is owed to his sister and his love for food. While visiting his sister in New York, he tried Korean Fried Chicken for the first time and decided to bring it into Houston after realizing that he would be the first one to do so. It was an all-in situation for Jason and he persevered through his journey through the lessons he learned with Taekwondo. Discipline, structure, leading by example, and being a man of action are only some of what he learned. Jason now aspires to be a representation of Korean concepts in Houston through his restaurant Dak & Bop and carry on his father’s dream of buying land and building a community by creating a Koreatown in his city in the future.

Kaein Oh was born in Korea in 1954 and immigrated to Chicago in September 1985, joining her extended family who had already been here earlier. Originally an Estee Lauder staff member in Korea, she could have chosen to be transferred to another job in the US. Despite this, she decided to follow a sudden urge to open a Korean restaurant, going against the opposition from her sisters. Owning a restaurant was not easy, as she was met with constant work and rough times. But a newfound faith in Christianity and a strong trust in her employees helped her persevere; the work never overwhelmed or scared her. Her 24/7 work days turned into 20 years in the blink of an eye and her once 9-item long menu at the very first opening grew to 85 when they closed down. After closing her restaurant, she started a catering business which she believes is her calling: “making food honestly and in turn making her proud of what she makes.” Her son now follows in her footsteps and also has a food business of his own, in which Oh helps make kimchi. Meeting God and peace led her to feel constant happiness, which her sons could see radiating from her.

Kyung Bin Bae was born in Seoul in 1953, at the heels of the Korean War. In childhood, he recalls growing up without financial worry, though his family’s fortunes would soon run out as he began to prepare for his college entrance exams. While in university, Kyung Bin studied journalism and, following the advice of his professor, decided to pursue graduate studies after college. After graduate school, he completed his mandatory military service and made the move to Michigan State University to continue studying journalism, which was where he met his wife.

Over his first summer in America, he bought a used car and drove to New York City to find work and start building savings before returning to school; it was in the Big Apple that he’d begin his career in the clothing industry. Returning back to Michigan, he got married and had a change of heart with his journalistic aspirations, choosing to instead move to NYC after his wife’s graduation to continue work in the clothing business. Throughout the decades, he worked in a variety of operational roles for a variety of companies, sporting a variety of work cultures, but is currently enjoying retirement, which has finally afforded him the time to spend more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Mike Kim was born in Korea but grew up in the United States. After struggling to find a job during the 2008 recession, his cousin invited him to live in Korea for a year. Initially intending it to be a temporary move, Mike eventually sold all of his belongings and has now been living in Korea for the past 14 years.

Since moving to Korea, Mike has constantly taken visiting friends to good restaurants, which ignited his passion for exploring and trying new Korean cuisine. Today, he has founded a food tour business that provides tourists with a delicious Korean food experience. Through food, he wants to share the beauty of Korean culture with as many people as possible.

In the beginning of 2021, Mr. Baik and his family made the decision to close down their drop store in Midtown, NYC. March 26, 2021 was the last day. It’s been a year since we followed Mr. Baik, videotaped by his daughter, Deborah, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second and final part of their story.

For our final episode of Perilla Diaries, we asked Thomas and Andrew where they got the resilience to carry on throughout all these pandemic challenges. Without hesitation, they pointed to the strongest people they know – their mothers. We asked the two restaurateurs to phone them for a short interview about their respective journeys starting new jobs and lives in America.

Jeannie Wang was born in Busan, growing up in the middle of the Korean War during which she recalls sharing food and resources with refugees fleeing from the combat up North. Ms. Wang’s dreams of becoming an international ambassador eventually led her to America, where she worked at a wig shop while still studying in school. Due to financial difficulties, she had to quit her ambassador dreams, but soon found another path in tutoring and education through her children. Putting all her energy into her children’s future inspired her to start a Kumon tutoring business with her husband, where they worked together for over 20 years. Ms. Wang shares with her daughter her gratefulness in that her children were able to adjust and live well in America despite the cultural differences and difficulties they went through.

James Jin-Han Wang was born in 1940 in what is now the capital of North Korea, Pyeongyang. Mr. Wang recalls the long and difficult journey of fleeing on foot to the South with his family when he was just ten years old. When the Han River Bridge was bombed down in an attempt to prevent North Korean soldiers from further invading the South, Mr. Wang’s father was separated from the rest of the family. His pregnant mother was left alone with three young children, of which one died shortly after contracting polio, and her newborn son died shortly after birth due to starvation. After graduating from Seoul National University, Mr. Wang worked in Korea for a few years before coming to America with big dreams of a new life for himself. Now having owned various different businesses and retiring, his biggest wish is for his daughters and granddaughter to simply be happy.

Taneka Hye Wol Jennings, born in Cheongju, South Korea, was adopted at 3 months old into a white American family in New Jersey. Growing up, she sometimes felt alone navigating her life as a Korean adoptee and not having a community to identify with. Taneka speaks about her journey to find community and belonging to where she is today, being deeply involved in Asian American and adoptee human rights work. Taneka is currently the Deputy Director at HANA Center in Chicago, IL and is also involved in KAtCH: Korean Adoptees of Chicago.

Los Angeles-based siblings Jeanne Yang and Ben Yang have both made their mark on the fashion world, but in very different ways. Jeanne Yang is a highly sought-after stylist known for her work with Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr. and Christian Bale.

KC Kye is the founder of K-Mama Sauce, a Korean hot sauce company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. KC initially was preparing to go into ministry but pivoted into starting a business after a conversation with his mentor and pastor, Reverend Dr. Jin.  Like many small businesses, KC and his team faced challenges and had to adapt to new rules and restrictions due to COVID-19. KC has found much love and support from his church and hopes that K-Mama Sauce will continue to grow to support the greater Minneapolis community.

On May 31st, 2020, many stores in Chicago fell victim to looters and vandalism following the murder of George Floyd. Venus Fashion, a women’s fashion store, was one of them. Owner Dae O Yang has operated the store in the south Chicago area for over twenty years and had already made plans to re-open since the COVID-19 lockdown but in the blink of an eye, everything was taken away from him. 

Late May, Downtown Chicago took an unexpected hit from the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. When things started to get violent near Perilla, Thomas and Andrew were left trying to figure out what to do next. With concerns for the safety of their staff in mind, they subsequently paused delivery services and boarded up the restaurant’s windows for protection.

When New York City began to reach its peak of coronavirus cases in April, Sung Book Dong, a Korean restaurant in Little Neck, began delivering discounted meals to the hardest-hit hospitals in NYC as a way of honoring and supporting the healthcare workers for their service.

With talk arising about the upcoming shortages in the food supply industries, Andrew and Thomas share how that would affect Perilla and their future. Still adapting to the challenges brought on by COVID-19, Andrew and Thomas give us an update about the changes they’ve made like becoming delivery drivers, creating an online shop, and adding pantry items to their menu.

It’s been about two weeks since our last video with Perilla. Since then, Thomas and Andrew have come up with a solution to streamline their services in order to support the business and the little staff they have left. But now they are faced with another obstacle – how can their business survive solely on delivery services? 

Seung Ku Baik is a manager at a dry cleaner store still operating in Manhattan, New York. With his daughter Deborah videotaping, Mr. Baik leads us through his typical day at the cleaners during the coronavirus pandemic and shares with us how it has impacted him.

Andrew Lim and Thomas Oh of Perilla | Korean American Fare in Chicago are just one of the few restaurant owners greatly impacted by the global shutdown. They lead us through how they’ve been battling throughout the current food industry crisis and lend their personal insight with us in this series. KoreanAmericanStory.org will continue following their story and update with regular content.

When Daniel Chung found himself surrounded by eight soldiers on the border of North Korea and China, he knew he had to figure his own way out somehow.

Jay Yoo came to Chicago, Illinois in 1977, leaving behind his grandparents and friends in Seoul, Korea.

“I remember getting a phone call from my dad saying, ‘Min died.'”

As a youngster growing up in the Mid-West he was frequently bullied by his peers for being Asian and was at a loss understanding how he was different

As the mother of a third-generation Korean American daughter, Nancy Choi has faced coming to terms with the different styles of parenting that have come from her own mother.

In this #NotYourAverage, Athina and Florence share with Julie Young how they started from just a simple idea to being met with overwhelming demand from their Kickstarter that launched them into establishing their own company.

Fears of the unknown and uncertainty have never stopped Jinhee Ahn Kim from having her own adventure.

Get to know our very own Executive Director, HJ Lee, who co-founded KoreanAmericanStory.org with his wife Theresa Choh-Lee 9 years ago. HJ shares with Julie Young his intimate and personal experiences growing up that helped foster his vision for KoreanAmericanStory.org and ultimately led him to where he is today.

Born in Seoul, Hyun Joon Lee grew up in Indonesia, went to Yonsei University, and ended up in the Bronx working as a medical resident.

In this episode of #NotYourAverage, Julie Young chats with Jae Lee – a Korean American chef based in New York with 12 years of culinary experience under his belt. From working unpaid as a budding cook to becoming executive chef of NYC Rice & Gold, Lee is now promoting his new pop up restaurant Him 힘 which was inspired by his family’s immigrant journey from Korea.

When Ilse Marques Kim, a former model from Brazil, was laid off from Korea Air’s cargo department at LAX, she struggled to find work for over a year.

Duk Sun Chang struggled all his life working as a gemcutter, a back-breaking occupation.

This past July, Karen was elected President of KALAGNY. In her short time in the position, Karen has already brought a renewed energy and vision to the over 30 year old association.

Paired with succulent visuals of prime steak, watch Julie Young and Simon Kim, restaurateur and owner of Cote, talk about the trials and triumphs of making it in the fine dining industry. “Never in a million years had I thought that I would get a Michelin star.”

Moul Kim, owner of Keki Modern Cakes, which sells sensational jiggly cheesecake, talks about how traveling around Asia inspired him to open up his own dessert shop in Chinatown, NYC. Learn how his Korean grandparents helped him to come up with the name.

Chris Cho, chef and owner of Seorabol Korean Restaurant, went from dropping out of high school to being featured in various media platforms for showcasing authentic Korean cuisine. Chris’ father has also worked as a chef and has over 40 years of experience; Chris credits his father as the one who empowers him to keep going.

Bomsinae Kim, the Executive Director of the Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) could easily be described as outgoing. But according to Bomsinae, this was not always the case.

Julie Young sits down with Raymond John, CEO and co-founder of 12+, a non-profit organization that has a vision to “increase educational equity” by shifting school cultures and empowering students to achieve their goals of post-secondary education. Watch the video to learn how Raymond went from being a pre-med college student to becoming the CEO and co-founder of this awesome organization!

In this month’s KoreanAmericanStory on KRB 87.7 FM, Angie Kim, Community Organizing Fellow at Minkwon Center for Community Action, talks about her experience as a DACA Dreamer and her involvement in advocacy for young immigrants.

Hyepin Im, an MBA student in 1992, recalls how the media falsely portrayed Korean Americans as the main aggressors during the LA riots.

Richard Choi is the current vice chairman of Radio Korea, and was the vice president of Radio Korea in 1992.

John Lim, then president of the Korean American Bar Association, recalls his experience of SaIGu and how he was moved to mobilize a team of over 80 lawyers to provide pro bono legal services for Korean Americans in the aftermath of SaIGu.

In this month’s KoreanAmericanStory on KRB 87.7 FM, Executive Director of Restore NYC, Jimmy Lee, talks about his personal journey of passion, faith and social change, starting from working on Wall Street, discovering a need to help women with AIDS in Africa, and coming back to the U.S. to start an NGO that brings shelter and aid to sex-trafficking victims in New York.

Executive Coach and Consultant, Caroline Kim Oh is one of those people who radiates goodness. Like her bright smile, her presence and energy seem to light up a room

When you hear about an ice cream flavor that’s named “Sweet as Bae,” you might think that Hannah Bae, the ice cream maker and founder of Noona’s Ice Cream, is just as whimsical and fluffy. But this ice cream master is calm, grounded, and motivated by a deep sense of love and family.

In this week’s KoreanAmericanStory with KRB 87.7 FM, Kyung B. Yoon, Executive Director and co-founder of KACF, talks about how to advance as a Korean American community by a new definition of success.

In this week’s episode of KoreanAmericanStory with KRB 87.7. FM, Matthew Oh, founder of FOREFRONT, talks about how he started the organization to develop sustainable communities in India with his background in water engineering and passion to help people.

In this week’s KoreanAmericanStory with KRB 87.7.FM, Linda Lee, Executive Director at Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York (KCSNY), talks about the services provided by the organization, her own Korean American experience and how to bridge the gap between 1^st and 2^nd generation Korean American leaders.

In this week’s KoreanAmericanStory with KRB 87.7 FM, Diana Yu, Staten Island native, talks about the concept of virtual law, and the importance of wills for the Korean American community.

Chef Hooni Kim (of restaurants Hanjan and Danji in NYC) talks with Julie Young on winning a Michelin star, striving to please customers first, leaving medical school to become a chef with the support of his wife, and more.

Julie chats with Charlotte & David Cho, co-founders of the online K-beauty shop Soko Glam. The couple shares about their life prior to starting their successful business, their passion for bringing Korean beauty and skincare products to mainstream America, and Charlotte’s book The Little Book of Skin Care.

In this week’s Korean American Story with KRB 87.7 FM, Joy Lieberthal Rho, adoptee, mother, and social worker, talks about discovering her multi-faceted identity, and how she was able to reunite with her birth mother along the way. Learn about her work with Camp Sejong, an organization where Korean American adoptee and American-born Korean youth learn about Korean culture and identity, as well as the mentoring program she’s involved in with Also-Known-As.

Korean American Story, in partnership with KRB 87.7 FM, invites Katherine Kim Bradke to talk about 325kamra.org, an organization dedicated to reuniting lost families through DNA. Born in Korea in 1957 and adopted to the U.S. at 3 years-old, Katherine talks about her experience growing up and discovering her unique identity as a Korean-American adoptee.

Steve Choi grew up as that nerdy-looking Asian kid who was always overlooked or looked down upon in school—giving him a “chip on his shoulder” that motivated him to excel and prove people wrong.

Julie and Rekstizzy sit down with Eddie Song, founder of Korilla, New York’s first Korean BBQ truck. The proud owner shares on Korilla’s inception and his personal background & aspirations.

Julie takes rapper Rekstizzy and her cousin August to Mokbar (먹바)—a hot spot for modern Korean cuisine located in New York’s Chelsea Market—where they meet chef and owner Esther Choi.

In our first “Not Your Average” video, Julie Young interviews Jaeki Cho, a Korean American hip hop artist based in Flushing, NY. Jaeki was born in Korea, grew up in Nanjing, China, and immigrated to the US—first to Seattle, later to Elmhurst, New York. Jaeki discusses hip hop, rapping in Korean, and his documentary about Asian American rappers titled “Bad Rap”.

Lisa came to the US when she was 2 years old. Her mother left the family at age 5, then she was sent back to Korea at age 11, only to return to her father in Los Angeles at age 14.  

I never want to forget the look on my mom’s face when the cashier rang up the sneakers and we realized that they were not on sale. I never want to forget picking up a TV that was thrown out on the street in Williamsburg for my first apartment in NYC,

To see Hyun Kim in person, one might think he seems to fit the part of the hip, well-styled and good-looking marketing industry insider. Follow him on Twitter and you see that he, appropriately so for his profession, has his finger on the pulse of all that is current.