Korean American Perspectives

Welcome to Season Two: Abraham Kim

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 important issues and challenges that they dedicated their lives to help address. Last season we talk with politicians, musicians, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. If you had not had the chance to listen to Season One, we point you to our website at councilka.org or search Korean American Perspectives on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other podcasting sites. 

We're glad to be back with a new season, ten episodes in all. We’re taking on some hot topics with leading Korean American experts and addressing some issues like mental health, shame, parent-children relationships and immigration issues to name a few. Looking ahead, we'll be kicking off the season with the release of three interview shows. One with celebrated pianist and music educator, Alpin Hong; the second, innovation corporate trainer, Monica Kang; and finally third, shame and vulnerability research expert and mental health counselor, Julia Park. Then each week afterwards we'll be releasing new episodes. I don't think the timing could have been better during this time of COVID-19 and all the uncertainties. I know many of you are indoors with your families and friends or perhaps just alone and as you exercise social distancing, this'll be a great time for you to listen to our many shows that are coming online. We're sending all of our love to you and we wish you safety, health, and also a bit of sanity. 

Key Insights into the Korean American Community: Taeku Lee

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 one of the preeminent social scientists who study the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Professor Taeku Lee points out that although Asian Americans will be the largest immigrant group by 2050, we can't wait around until then to make sure that Asian Americans are engaged and represented within the democratic process-- especially with the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election and census.

 

From the bimodal divide between the professional and working class the labor skills mismatch to the political leanings and mobilization of Korean Americans, Taeku shares his insights on demographic trends within the Korean and Asian American community and the importance of data and civic participation.

 

One thing Professor Taeku Lee tells all of his students: Don't think of democracy as a noun but as a verb. Not a stagnant idea to take for granted but an action we must continually nurture and participate in-- a way of life.

From Journalism to Foreign Policy: U.S.-Korea Relations: Duyeon Kim

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 Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Korean Unification Ministry to now providing analysis on issues of international relations and national security, Duyeon shares about her professional career journey and her perspectives on the world today.

 

Tune in as Duyeon shares her insights on U.S.-Korea relations, nuclear proliferation in North Korea, the possibility of Korean Reunification, and the state of affairs in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Role of Technology in Political Transparency: Tim Hwang

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 into the progress and future of the Asian American community and how we can build structural power within our country.

Tune in as Tim shares his journey to FiscalNote; its acquisition of CQ Roll Call for $180 million; the secret to getting what you want; and how to leverage politics, business, and media to build community influence.

A Minnesotan Adoptee's Search for Korean Roots: Jenny Town

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 Creative People in Business in 2019 for her role in co-founding and managing 38 North, a website devoted to providing policy and technical analysis on North Korea. Join us as Jenny’s recounts her diverse and accomplished career path and how she navigates the all-too-common scenario of being the only woman in the room.

The Transformative Power of Music: Angella Ahn

This week’s episode of Korean American Perspectives features Angella Ahn, violinist of the world-renowned Ahn Trio and Professor of Music at Montana State University. From being one of the fabled “Asian American Whiz Kids” on the 1987 cover of Times magazine to what it was like to perform at the White House, Angella recollects incredible stories of lessons learned from her travels and performances.

Find out what Angella means when she says “all politicians should play in a string quartet”, where she gets her kimchi in Montana, and much more.

The Future is Bright for Korean Americans: John Brougher

This week’s episode of Korean American Perspectives features CKA Associate Member John Brougher, Founder and CEO of Skyrocket Strategies (formerly Brougher Strategies).

John shares about his experience growing up as a Korean American transracial adoptee in McLean, VA, how his political awakening and passion for social justice came about, and his role in cultivating the next generation of Korean American leaders. Join us as John reflects upon the impact of social justice, civic engagement, and leadership development on both the individual and the Korean American community.

Harnessing the Power of Collective Philanthropy: Sylvia Kim

This week's episode of Korean American Perspectives features CKA Associate Member Sylvia Kim, Chief Innovation Officer of the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) and Founding Director of the National Asian American Community Foundation (NAACF).

 

From her Korean Canadian upbringing to her groundbreaking philanthropic efforts in Orange County to her inspirational path towards achieving work-life balance, Sylvia Kim shows us the importance of creating the future you want to see, both for our community as well as for our professional and personal success.

Reimagining Healthcare and Senior Living: Dr. David S. Kim & Bennett Kim

Our third episode of our ten-episode series features Dr. David S. Kim & Bennett Kim. Dr. David S. Kim is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA, Assistant Director for the OBGYN Department at Cedar-Sinai Medical Group, and Founder of Korean American Health Coalition. Bennett Kim is Managing Principal at Big Rock Partners Senior Housing and CEO of Sun Bay Senior Club.

Together, the duo discusses the systematic barriers for Korean American access to healthcare, and the innovative new steps are being taken to reimagine elderly living within LA Koreatown. Bennett Kim discusses the philosophy behind the Sun Bay Senior Club, a first-of-its-kind senior care facility catered towards middle-income families, and how it came to be. Dr. David S. Kim explores why Korean and Korean American views on preventative healthcare differ so drastically and what organizations like CKA can do to expand access to healthcare for the Korean American community.

Giving Back to Our Communities: Eugene & Carol Choi

The second episode of our new podcast Korean American Perspectives features Eugene and Carol Choi, a Korean American husband-wife team. Since 1993, the Choi's have led United Exchange Corporation, a leading global company that delivers quality private-label goods to mass retailers across the world. CKA Senior Director Jessica Lee flew to Irvine, California to sit down with the two of them at their headquarters building. From their incredible partnership as spouses and coworkers to their journey as second-generation Korean Americans to the world they wish to leave behind for their children, Eugene Carol Choi remind us of the importance of our Korean American upbringing and the communities that shape us. Eugene and Carol were both honored on June 14, at the National Asian American Community Foundation's 2019 ASPIRE Awards for the category of Outstanding Philanthropic Leadership.