Videos

In Hwan Rheem was born on November 10th, 1928 near Pyongyang, raised in a pastoral family where faith and education were deeply intertwined. Despite a frail childhood that delayed his start in school, he would go on to study at the prestigious Pyongyang High School before attending college and later seminary, honoring his family’s insistence that he complete his college education before entering the ministry. His early years were shaped by the constraints of Japanese occupation—where the Korean language was relegated to a single weekly lesson—and the profound joy of liberation.

Tae-hyok Kim is joined by his children, Michelle and Harold, as well as his granddaughter Nicole, in a conversation on the archival, therapeutic, and familial importance of passing down stories. For Tae, the story began seventy-seven years ago when he left his village, Cheong-duk-gol, for Seoul, not realizing that his departure from home would become permanent amidst the backdrop of the Korean War. Embedded into this story are accounts of cold, harsh winters which prevented his family from collectively crossing into the South, alongside memories of home-cooked meals shared with family in his rural farming community.

Michelle Kim Rogers was born in Seoul in 1961, her early years divided between the discipline of her uncle’s home and the rustic warmth of her grandmother’s farm in Inchon. While her parents worked to establish a foothold in the United States, Michelle spent her childhood in Korea drinking fresh goat milk and wearing hand-knit wool leggings, envisions the United States as a place where “dollar bills were plastered on walls.”

Dr. Su Yon Pak and Mudang Sung Park share the story of how they met, the philosophies that guide their work and identity, and how seemingly ordinary people—which both Su and Sung insist they are—leave legacies of hope and perseverance for the generations that follow.

Emmett, Andrea, and Ahri sit down for a conversation on family and joy, as well as their journeys in finding—and making—them. They begin their story in 2017, which Ahri and Andrea describe as a hectic but fulfilling year when their family began to come together. Andrea and Emmett had met through their work in trans advocacy in Texas, with Ahri occasionally accompanying Emmett to the state Capitol in Austin. 

Rev. Sulkiro Song, pastor of HA:N UMC, joins congregants Lia and Paul in a conversation about their faith, their experiences with the Korean American church, and their journeys in navigating what can often feel like an interstitial space between queer identity and Christianity.

Won Yun is joined in conversation by his daughter-in-law, Cristina, and his granddaughter, Emily, in a reflection on the enduring cost of war and the fragile threads of family connection. Born before the outbreak of the war in North Korea, Won’s childhood in Pyongyang was a landscape of contrast, where the joy of skating on the frozen Daedong River was eventually eclipsed by the nightly raids of the Korean War.

In a conversation between parents and daughter which is at once raw, poignant, and hopeful, Rosa Kwon sits down for a heart-to-heart with her parents, David and Jean Yoon Kwon, to navigate the untranslated geography of their family’s history.

Ninety-year-old Chang Soon Lee sits before a computer to write a letter to the father he hasn’t seen in seventy-five years, a man who remained a distant but precious memory after their separation during the Korean War. Joined by his children, Bora and Bob, Reverend Lee recounts the deep-rooted courage of his own father—a minister who defied Japanese authorities to protect his parish—while grappling with the silence that defined his family’s history. 

​​Won Yun was born in 1940 in Sariwon, Hwanghae Province, later moving to Pyongyang where his ministerial father was called to serve. He spent a childhood filled with simple joys, like skating on the frozen Daedong River and eating his grandmother’s mung bean pancakes and naengmyeon, foods representative of his locale.

Chung Kun Lim was born in 1944 in Jeonju, her childhood shaped by the displacement of the Korean War and the constant threat of bombings. As the seventh of eight daughters, she was raised under strict discipline in a society that traditionally prioritized male heirs—a reality she felt deeply when her mother’s hard-won educational legacy was eventually inherited by male relatives rather than the daughters who helped build it. A talented soprano, Chung Kun majored in vocal music at Sookmyung Women’s University—she jokes about how all her crying must have trained her vocal chords—before immigrating to the United States in 1966.

Jean Yoon Kwon was born in Seoul, Korea, during the Japanese occupation. Although she was born in Seoul, Jean Yoon spent her early childhood in Pyongyang, where her father worked as a regional manager for a bank; she recalls playing with her siblings by the banks of the Taedong river, as well as accompanying her father on night strolls to Morangbong hill.

Part of an annually released mini-documentary series that paints vivid, visual stories of unique Korean Americans and their passions for their craft, NAYA (나야): Shaman Mudang dives into the journey of Jennifer Kim, a practitioner of musok from New York. As she processes her own childhood traumas and experiences, Mudang Jenn shares a story of the spiritual challenges which propelled her towards working on her relationships with family, as well as the active choice to meaningfully work towards healing within her communities. Cultivating tradition to respond to contemporary anxieties, she focuses her talents and calling to address the han latent throughout the Korean diaspora.

Welcome to the whimsical world of Beyond Costumes, owned and operated by Yon Yuh Zweibon for the past 20 years in Yonkers, NY. A Wharton MBA graduate and former accountant, how did this spunky woman end up owning one of the largest independent costume collections on the east coast? In this episode of NAYA, Yon takes us through infinite rows of costumes as she shares her story and the drive behind her passion for running this magical warehouse.

Meet classical violinist David Kim. A child prodigy since the age of six, David fiercely trained to be a world-class violinist under his mother’s intense supervision. In this first installment of NAYA, David graciously invites us to his home and the music hall where we explore his passion for music and the journey that led him to become the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. NAYA (나야), produced by KoreanAmericanStory.org, is a mini-documentary series that paints vivid, visual stories of unique Korean American individuals and passion for their craft.

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.

Julian Kim is an editor, producer, filmmaker, and father of Ian, his 20-month-old son. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many families have experienced a dramatic change within their household when it comes to parenting, especially for those with young children.

Mikey Fresh is the Senior Artist Relations Manager at Genius, a digital media company known for providing unique insight about the stories behind the most popular songs. From showing up awkwardly to a hip-hop magazine interview in a full suit and a fake resume, Mikey Fresh is now one of the top experts in the hip-hop industry. Mikey shares with Julie how he fell in love with hip-hop culture growing up as a young Korean American in New Jersey and how he’s found his way creating a unique career out of his nontraditional passion.

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.

Marcus Hahm, also known as Avec Plaisir, is an award-winning sound designer, mixer, and music producer who’s worked with national brands and major labels doing commercial work, songwriting and music supervising.

2017 was an extraordinary year for KAS. Here’s a look back at some of our highlights from last year.

What would it be like for 3 generations to travel together in Korea? Walk through one family’s journey of discovering and revisiting where they come from, while passing through the natural landscapes of the countryside and modern city of Seoul.