Legacy Project

Kevin Yoo, whose Korean name is Yoo Kun-bae, was born in a small rural village in South Chungcheong Province, Korea, in 1949. Growing up poor, he tells us that his dream was to escape poverty and live a simple life; in the first grade, he moved from the countryside to Daejeon to begin his primary schooling.

Alex Hahn was born in February 1941 in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, the fourth of eight children. From his childhood, he remembers that his parents were businesspeople, selling rice and other grains—an entrepreneurial spirit which he inherited.

Yonsuk Dallas was born in Tokyo, Japan, in May of 1940. She and her family resided in Japan until she was six years old; during World War II, she recalls hiding inside the closet of her kindergarten class as air sirens warned of planes flying overhead. In 1946, her family moved to Seoul, which she considered her second hometown.

Yonsuk Dallas was born in Tokyo, Japan, in May of 1940. She and her family resided in Japan until she was six years old; during World War II, she recalls hiding inside the closet of her kindergarten class as air sirens warned of planes flying overhead. In 1946, her family moved to Seoul, which she considered her second hometown.

Jung Won Jung is a longtime volunteer of over 20 years for Korean American Family Service Center in Queens, New York. She began volunteering with KAFSC after seeing a brochure for the organization at her local post office, and ever since, she has worked to secure survivors both logistic, emotional, and practical support during their times of need. As an advocate, she meets with women and children survivors of domestic abuse, accompanies them to court, and files protection orders at the precinct offices. She has also led classes on computer literacy, a crucial skill in the step towards survivors’ self-sufficiency and independence.Nowadays, she tells us that much of her work has been in outreach, connecting with community members and local politicians to stress the urgency of KAFSC’s mission. Stressing that financial independence is key for survivors to remove themselves from abusive environments, Jung Won tells us that the work of the organization builds in their clients the courage to say, “I can do this.” 

Jeehae Fischer serves as the Executive Director of Korean American Family Service Center in Queens, New York. Beginning her career as a self-sufficiency coordinator, Jeehae describes that the work KAFSC does is multifaceted: coordinating transitional housing, emergency housing, case management, a 24/7 hotline, and job training programs, among countless other services. She urges us that during these particularly trying times, we must rely on friends and allies, who can lend their support through volunteering and sponsorships, to ensure the safety of our community’s most vulnerable constituents. “We’re Korean American,” she says, “we never give up, we are persistent.”

Kevin Kreider is a model, actor, and entrepreneur who was adopted from Korea and raised in Philadelphia by German-Irish Catholic parents. Growing up in a community where adoption was normalized but identity was rarely discussed, he struggled to understand where he belonged—facing racism, confusion, and the feeling of never being “Asian enough” or “American enough.”

Stephen Park is an actor who was born in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, to Korean immigrant parents seeking to relocate their family away from the busy city. When he was a child, his family moved to a small town called Waverly before eventually settling in Vestal, New York. Stephen describes how he became a class clown during his school days—popular among his peers, but often made fun of or taken advantage of by the same “friends,” some of whom targeted him for his ethnicity.

Charlotte Koh is the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for the Motion Picture Group at Lionsgate. She was born in Utah to Korean parents who immigrated to the United States in the late ’60s and early ’70s; they had gotten engaged in Korea before her father left for America to pursue graduate studies. The young family moved from Utah to Chicago shortly after Charlotte was born, as her mother’s brother lived in the city, and from early on, her parents emphasized the importance of education.