Our seventh and final episode of season 3 of the Korean American Perspectives podcast features Jennifer Koh, Internationally-Acclaimed Violinist and Founder & Artistic Director of ARCO Collaborative. To speak with her, we have world-class concert pianist and music educator Alpin Hong as our guest host.   In this interview, Ms. Koh shares with us her many musical accomplishments as a gifted violinist and how her own family history and Chicago upbringing have shaped her tireless efforts...

In our sixth episode of season 3 of the Korean American Perspectives Podcast features Marshall Cho, Head Boys Basketball Coach at Lake Oswego High School.   In this interview, Marshall recounts how an early career in teaching coupled with a childhood love of sports first introduced him to the world of coaching. Later, he describes his endeavors in Mozambique where he participated in high-profile international basketball programs with the NBA and Nike before returning to the States to...

In our fifth episode of season 3 of the Korean American Perspectives Podcast, we speak with Debbie Shon, Chief Strategy Officer of USA Gymnastics, legal and political advisor, NBA registered agent, and Vice Chair of the Smithsonian National Asian Pacific American Center.   Debbie Shon is a third-generation Korean American and a woman of many firsts. In this interview, she shares with us her fond memories of growing up on USC’s campus, the towering influence of her mother, and the detours in...

In our fourth episode of season 3 of the Korean American Perspectives Podcast, we sit down with Dow Kim, a former leading Wall Street financier, philanthropist, and loving father.   In this interview, we discuss how Dow leverages his talents and love for finance, his tenure at Merrill Lynch & Co, and his philanthropy work as the President of the Dow Kim Family Foundation.   Join us as we explore the life of successful financier and philanthropist, Dow Kim. We dig deep into his life and...

Our third episode of season 3 of the Korean American Perspectives Podcast features Tammy Kim, Vice Mayor of the City of Irvine and Founder & Managing Director of the Korean American Center in California.   In this interview, we explore Tammy’s successful career path as a former Fortune 500 company executive, nonprofit leader, and now Vice Mayor. Despite her career success and achievements, Tammy shares with us the challenges and adversity she faces all the way from early in her life as a...

Our second episode of season 3 of the Korean American Perspectives Podcast features Chang-Rae Lee, a celebrated Korean American novelist. To speak with him, we have guest host, Stephanie Han, Ph.D. who is an award-winning author, educator, and speaker.   In this episode, Chang-Rae Lee and Dr. Stephanie Han take a deep dive into his latest novel, My Year Abroad. They explore the novel’s themes, its colorful characters, and adventures, as well as how food plays a role in Chang-Rae’s writing....

We’re glad to be back with Season Three of our podcast, Korean American Perspectives.   This season, we’re introducing three new initiatives. First, we will be bringing in Korean American leaders within the Arts, Culture, Entertainment, and Sports (ACES) space. Second, we will introduce discussions around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) by bringing in subject matter experts and other Korean American leaders dedicated to this work.   Lastly, we are introducing a new video format so...

Our first episode of Season Three of CKA's Korean American Perspectives podcast series features Steve Park, the Founder and Executive Director of Little Lights Urban Ministries here in Washington, D.C.   Since its founding in 1995, Steve Park dedicates his time and energy to serving those especially in need within the African American community. However, it was not always a walk in the park for Steve. In this interview, Steve paints a picture of his upbringing as a Korean immigrant, his...

Our eleventh and final episode of Korean American Perspectives features Dr. Stephanie Han, award-winning author of Swimming in Hong Kong. Many of us grew up reading books and novels, often very strongly identifying with the characters or stories we grew up with. But it’s difficult when we don’t see ourselves represented in books or literature, and for many Asian American writers and authors, it’s intimidating to be the first. Stephanie tells us that we must be brave and make that leap, both...

This week’s episode of Korean American Perspectives features Eugene Cho, Founder and Visionary of One Day’s Wages and President-Elect of Bread for the World. You can’t talk about the Korean American community without mentioning faith and spirituality. For many of us growing up in immigrant families, the church often served as the bedrock that grounded our Korean American society here in the United States. Pastors would serve dual-purpose as family counselors, social workers, language...

This week’s episode of Korean American Perspectives features Jinhee Ahn Kim, CEO and Co-Founder of UYU E-Sports Team.   Jinhee Ahn Kim is a serial entrepreneur who has allowed her insatiable curiosity and her amazing ability to find gaps in the marketplace to lead her career from management consulting, fashion, law, education software, and now eSports. In our interview, Jinhee shares about rapidly-expanding gaming scene and what it’s like to work with pro gamers, as well as how she first got...

This week’s episode of Korean American Perspectives features David Chun, CEO and Founder of Equilar, the top provider of critical data on corporate executives, including 70% of the Fortune 500 companies. With his company, Equilar, having a unique view into the makeup of C-suites and board rooms, David discusses current executive hiring trends and the need to fix the lack of gender and ethnic diversity at the highest levels of corporate governance. If you’ve ever thought about what CEOs are...

Our seventh episode of Season Two of CKA’s podcast, Korean American Perspectives, features Dr. Kee B. Park, Accomplished Neurosurgeon and Paul Farmer Global Surgery Scholar at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Park has practiced and taught neurosurgery in operating rooms across the world, from Ethiopia to Cambodia-- even North Korea.    Dr. Park is also the Director of the North Korea Program at the Korean American Medical Association (KAMA). He leads the collaboration between U.S. and North Korean...

Our sixth episode of Season Two of CKA’s podcast, Korean American Perspectives, features Chil Kong, Artistic Director of Adventure Theater MTC. Chil has a long award-winning career with major theater companies across Boston, San Diego, Seattle, and L.A. and is currently the only Korean American aristic director of a major theater company in the United States. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic’s turbulent effects on the performing arts industry, Chil shares how some performing arts centers are...

Our fifth episode of Season Two of CKA's podcast, Korean American Perspectives, features Jeanie Chang, Founder of Your Change Provider, PLLC, as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist. This week, we're back with Jeanie to discuss burnout seen in both students and professionals and how to address it. We delve into intergenerational trauma, cultural barriers, and societal pressures faced by today’s youth. We also touch upon health communication between college and high school students...

Our fourth episode of Season Two of CKA's Korean American Perspectives podcast series features Jeanie Chang, Founder of Your Change Provider, PLLC, as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist. Jeanie is passionate about serving people, couples, and families alike through a holistic culturally competent approach. She shares valuable insight into navigating the perils of parenthood, as well as how we can be empowered to take care of our own mental health. Jeanie reminds us that our...

Our third episode of Season Two of CKA's Korean American Perspectives podcast series features Julia Park, Founder of Relationship365, a well-being clinic for people to learn and apply research and evidence-based solutions that would enhance the quality of everyday relationships. Julia Park is a licensed marriage and family therapist who’s worked with people from all walks of life. In the interview, she discusses how vulnerability is more often a power rather than a weakness, and how the...

Our second episode of Season Two of CKA's Korean American Perspectives podcast series features Monica Kang, Founder and CEO of InnovatorsBox, as well as a creativity expert and corporate culture influencer. Monica Kang is a creative educator transforming today’s workforce through the power of innovation. She believes that everybody has creativity— it just needs to be noticed, nurtured, and allowed to grow. Monica reminds us that exploring outside of what we know is crucial for chasing new...

Our first episode of Season Two of CKA's Korean American Perspectives podcast series features Alpin Hong, an Internationally Renowned Concert Pianist and Music Education Advocate.  Alpin Hong isn’t your typical classically-trained piano virtuoso. He is a larger-than-life figure with a captivating personality and spellbinding music performances. Rooted in extensive classical training and a background in extreme sports, martial arts, and video games, Mr. Hong is a creative force unmatched in...

Welcome to Season Two of the Korean American Perspectives podcast. My name is Abraham Kim. I'm the Executive Director for the Council of Korean Americans and I'm also your host for this show. This podcast seeks to share the inspirational life stories of Korean American leaders and explore the complex issues that shape this community. On the show, we interview innovators, trailblazers, thought leaders and artists about their lives, their immigration story, their career journeys, and the...

Our final episode of Season One of CKA's Korean American Perspectives podcast series features Taeku Lee, a George Johnson Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley and CKA Member. Taeku is also a co-Principal Investigator of the National Asian American Survey, co-Principal Investigator of the Bay Area Poverty Tracker, and Managing Director of Asian American Decisions. He is on the National Advisory Committee for the U.S. Census Bureau.   As...

Our second-to-last episode of the first season of Korean American Perspectives podcast features Duyeon Kim, an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for New American Security, a columnist at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum in Seoul. She is also a CKA Associate Member.   From her abrupt leap into journalism as a correspondent of the Korean Unification Ministry to now providing analysis on issues of international...

This week's episode of Korean American Perspectives features Tim Hwang, Founder and CEO of FiscalNote, a rapidly growing Washington-based company that tracks and analyzes legislation at the local, state, and federal levels. Elected to Montgomery County Board of Education at the age of 17, Tim has always been interested in public service and maximizing impact. From the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to how data and information is consumed in the modern day, Tim provides insights...

This week’s episode of Korean American Perspectives features Jenny Town, a Stimson Fellow, Managing Editor of Stimson’s 38 North, and Associate Member of CKA. From growing up in Northern Minnesota to learning Korean at Ewha Womans University to the drawn-out search for her biological parents, Jenny shares her personal experience as a Korean American adoptee and why we as a community must be invested in adoptee and immigration issues. Jenny was also recently named one of Fast Company’s Most...