Kyung Bin Bae
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.