Some of the Kaba Modern Dancers. The stiff one in the middle would be me.

Let me introduce to you  to Korean-American Day… well it was yesterday.  Yeah, apparently the US congress, in honor of the centennial anniversary of Korean immigration, appointed January 13 as Korean-American Day back in 2003.  

So, it’s not quite  St. Patty’s day the Irish got, but having a day to remember my heritage in America is pretty cool.  Actually, I could have never imagined such a day while growing up in California and Washington  during my youth.  Back then, I was always a “Jap” or a “Chink” — malicious labels that my children probably haven’t heard much growing up on Mercer Island.  Progress.  

I remember when childhood friends were appalled that I ate “rotted cabbage” (kimchi), dried seaweed (kim), or sushi (kimbap).  Ironically, most of my children’s friends now clamor for such foods when visiting.

Overall, though, I loved my experience growing up in America.  Sure, I always felt a little insecure about being different, but that just made me very competitive.  I pushed myself in ways that perhaps I would not have if our family had stayed in Korea.

Actress Moon Bloodgood

My parents taught me to appreciate America.  In fact, my father originally came to the states to thank the Americans for their support of the Korean War and for sending their missionaries to help the displaced people of then war-torn Korea.  The few experiences of being bullied pale in comparison to the overall awesome times with my friends, teachers and community. I was definitely treated well and fairly by most people in my life.

And where else would my brother and I have had the chance to start a company that would eventually go public on the NASDAQ in 1997 (ARIS Corporation)?  In the US, 47% of all venture-backed companies have the founder or a co-founder born outside the country.  How many successful companies in Korea do you think were founded by persons not born in that country?  Not many.

I’m proud to be a Korean-American: I love that hyphen.  I adore my heritage.  My Korean family gives me so much emotional security.  And quite frankly, I prefer Korean and other Asian foods over a burger (just personal taste).  At the same time, I appreciate my American upbringing that has made me most comfortable with English speakers.  I’m happy that I was encouraged to “think out-of-the-box” and not to be inhibited by traditional Korean conformity.  I’m thankful that I was taught to value meritocracy, and encouraged to be a leader by the American society.  

To me, being Korean-American is different than being Korean.  Yes, yes, I’ve been called a banana (an Asian who acts very Western).  But isn’t Korean-American Day for bananas?

So, I’d like to make sure that Korean-American Day is not just to expose non-Koreans to kimchi, or to just show off our traditional farmers’ dance. Those things are cool.  But this day should also be about the Korean-American history, starting with the sad stories of the  ”indentured servants” who came to work on the Hawaiian plantations more than a century ago.  The Korean-American Day should be about the LA riots and the lesson those disturbing moments taught us about participating within the larger community, especially where we own businesses.  The Korean-American Day should be about the debt we, and all minority groups, owe to the civil rights leaders of the ’60s, who were predominantly African Americans.  That is uniquely KOREAN-AMERICAN.

The Korean-American Day should be to celebrate that Anthony Kim can hit a golf ball a mile and walk with “western” swagger with the best golfers in the world.  The Korean-American Day should be to celebrate the fact that John Cho can play a goofy stoner on Harold and Kumar and we all still laugh about it.  

Our insecurities are dissipating slowly.  We don’t have to all be doctors and lawyers.  In a year when Barack Obama will become the first African-American president of our America, let’s celebrate the hope that his victory gives to following generations on this Korean-American Day.  And yes, by all means share kimchi and kalbi, and bang the farmer drums too.  That stuff is cool also.

Meet my favorite Korean-Americans:

Most Admired:  Ben Song (author, missionary, minister & my dad… so who said I can’t be biased)

Most Admired Businessman: Jeong Kim (President, Bell Labs)

Favorite Athletes:  Anthony Kim (PGA); Hines Ward (NFL)

Favorite Actor & Actress:  James Kyson Lee (Heroes) and Moon Bloodgood (Pathfinder)

Favorite Musican:  Grace Kelly (Saxophonist, only 14 years old)

Favorite Korean-American food:  Kimchi, spam fried rice (thought this would be Korean-American)

Favorite Dance Group:  Kaba Modern (thank my son for making me watch them against my will)

Meet Ben Chungho Song, my father. I was fortunate enough to spend Father’s Day with him and my two sons.

Although my father was never a businessman, his life story is quite interesting and has many lessons for all leaders – business and otherwise.

My father was the fourth son of six children to an educated government official in a small town south of Seoul. When the Japanese invaded Korea, my grandfather had a choice of either cooperating with the occupiers or being put to death. He chose to live.

After World War II, the locals labeled my grandfather as a traitor, forcing him into hiding. The locals ransacked the family house. Later, my grandmother died from the hardship of her family. She left behind six children, including a five-month old baby girl. Without her mother’s milk, the baby eventually died of starvation despite all the brothers’ efforts to feed her rice water as milk. Shortly thereafter, the family disbanded as the Korean War ensued.

My father was the rebel amongst the siblings, ending up alone in the streets rather than taking handouts from relatives. He survived following the US military camps so he could dig in the garbage for food. He was recruited by local street gangs but had the presence of mind to resist, at great risk to himself. Such fortitude, however, caught the attention of some American missionaries who took him to a Christian orphanage.

A kind, elderly American couple in Los Angeles decided to sponsor him in the orphanage and gave monthly to his benefit. Touched by the kindness of the missionaries and his sponsors, he decided to dedicate his life to God.

After seminary, he went to the US to thank his benefactors. Once in the US, he was disturbed by all the anti-government riots on the US college campuses during that time (1965). He wanted to tell his story about how he was helped by the American people. There was one big barrier, however. He didn’t speak English. He practiced in front of the mirror for days upon days. He first began speaking in churches with his broken English. Later, he ended up speaking in almost every college campus in the state of California, supported by then Governor Ronald Reagan and actors Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. He later worked with a writer, Cliff Christians, to publish a book about his life, “Born Out of Conflict”, which went into 9th printing, I believe.

For his efforts, my father became the first person ever to receive a missionary visa INTO the US.

Once the 60’s gave way to the 70’s, my father moved to Washington state and refocused his support on the influx of new Korean Immigrants who came after the US government repealed the “quota” on Asian immigrants. He started two of the largest Korean-American churches in Tacoma and handed those off to other pastors, before starting the original Federal Way Korean-American church (Federal Way Mission Church).

He’s retired now. I’ve seen him struggle with retirement. He’s never had much interest in hobbies. His passions are his work and his wife.

My father was a tenacious risk taker. He was passionate about his work, and had tremendous charisma. He was incredibly persistent. He was compassionate and liberal in his teachings within the church. The world wasn’t black and white to him, not after all he had been through. He never told me NOT to do something (other than fighting with my brother). He only told me to make decisions that I can live with. Although an accomplished and articulate orator, he always lead by example rather than words when it came to helping others and living modestly.

My brother, Paul, and I have been involved in various business ventures. Whatever success we may have had can be attributed to our propensity for taking calculated risks, being annoyingly persistent at times, emphasizing leadership by example, knowing how to maneuver in all the grey areas of business, as well as having constant passion and enthusiasm for what we are doing. For that, we can thank our father, who used to walk over dead bodies to dig through garbage for food, but was never bitter at the world.