Yul Julius Kwon (born February 14, 1975) is an American television host and former
government official
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...
,
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
, and
management consultant
Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultants ...
based in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. He first gained national recognition and popularity as the winner of the reality TV show ''
Survivor: Cook Islands'' in 2006. He appeared again in ''
Survivor: Winners at War'', where he placed 14th. Kwon hosted the 2012 four-part TV series ''America Revealed'' on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
as well as ''LinkAsia'' on
Link TV
Link TV, originally WorldLink TV, is a non-commercial American satellite television network providing what it describes as "diverse perspectives on world and national issues." It is carried nationally on DirecTV (ch. 375) and Dish Network (ch. ...
.
Early life and education
Kwon was born in
Flushing
Flushing may refer to:
Places
* Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom
* Flushing, Queens, New York City
** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens
** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens
** Flushing ...
in the
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n immigrants. He moved to
Concord, California
Concord ( ) is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 129,295 in 2019 making it the eighth largest city in the San Francisco Ba ...
and attended
Northgate High School, in
Walnut Creek
A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, ''Juglans regia''.
Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true bo ...
, where he graduated
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
and played varsity
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
and
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
.
Kwon attended college at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, graduating in 1997 with a B.S. degree in
Symbolic Systems
Computational linguistics is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the computational modelling of natural language, as well as the study of appropriate computational approaches to linguistic questions. In general, computational linguistics ...
and is a brother of
Lambda Phi Epsilon
Lambda Phi Epsilon (, also known as LPhiE and LFE) is the largest Asian-American-Interest fraternity in North America. Lambda Phi Epsilon is affiliated with the National APIDA Panhellenic Association, and is a former member of the North American ...
fraternity. As a student, he earned recognition for both academic achievement (
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
) and community service (James Lyons Award).
In his sophomore year, Kwon's childhood friend and roommate, Evan Chen, was diagnosed with a terminal case of
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
. Kwon organized an intense nationwide bone marrow campaign in an effort to find a bone marrow donor for his friend. Although the search was successful and Chen underwent a
marrow transplant
Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood in order to replicate inside of a patient and to produce ...
, the procedure ultimately failed and Chen died two years later. He continues to organize bone marrow drives and serves as a national spokesperson for the Asian American Donor Program.
After graduation from Stanford, Kwon attended
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...
, where he earned a J.D. in 2000 and was an editor on
The Yale Law Journal
The ''Yale Law Journal'' (YLJ), known also as the ''Yale Law Review'', is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students ...
.
Career
Kwon's professional career spanned a variety of roles across technology, law, business, and government. He worked at two law firms - Venture Law Group and Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis. He served a
judicial clerkship
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significan ...
with Judge
Barrington D. Parker, Jr. on the
Second Circuit Court of Appeals
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate juri ...
. He also worked as a legislative aide to
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Joseph Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for Vi ...
in
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
.
In 2009, Kwon was appointed Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC). In 2011, Kwon left the FCC and became the host of a new television series on PBS, ''America Revealed''. He became the host of a weekly news show, ''LinkAsia'', which airs on
LinkTV
Link TV, originally WorldLink TV, is a non-commercial American satellite television network providing what it describes as "diverse perspectives on world and national issues." It is carried nationally on DirecTV (ch. 375) and Dish Network (ch. ...
.
Kwon's private sector business experience includes working in
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
's business strategy group and as a
management consultant
Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultants ...
with
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm founded in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey, that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. McKinsey is the oldest and ...
and
The Trium Group. In February 2013, Kwon joined Facebook's Privacy product team, and in 2015, he moved into the position of Product Management Director. In June 2018, he left Facebook and is currently working at Google as a Vice President of Product Management.
Kwon became a lecturer for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
.
''Survivor''
''Cook Islands''
In 2006, Kwon was recruited to participate in the
thirteenth season of
Survivor, which took place in the
Cook Islands
)
, image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, capital = Avarua
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Avarua
, official_languages =
, lan ...
. This season was notable for the producers' decision to divide the contestants into tribes by their ethnicity, a decision that generated substantial controversy. When asked why he agreed to go on the show, he cited his desire to provide a positive role model for his community, and the lack of representation by Asian Americans on television.
Originally on the
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
Puka Puka tribe, Kwon led his tribe to dominate in the first two tribal
immunity
Immunity may refer to:
Medicine
* Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease
* ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press
Biology
* Immune system
Engineering
* Radiofrequence immunity desc ...
challenges, while winning rewards on both occasions. On Puka Puka, Kwon developed a long-lasting alliance and friendship with fellow Korean-American attorney Rebekah "Becky" Lee. In Episode 2, Kwon was banished to Exile Island by the Hispanic Aitutaki tribe, after Aitutaki intentionally lost the second immunity challenge. On Exile Island, Kwon was able to decipher the clues and find the hidden immunity idol, which would be very instrumental to his survival later in the game.
In Episode Three, the four ethnically-divided tribes integrated into two tribes, and both Kwon and Lee became members of the new Aitutaki tribe. Kwon and Lee immediately developed a four-person alliance with
Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Lindsay Penner (born March 5, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, television personality, and film producer, known for producing and starring in the film ''The Last Supper'', as well as acting in the television series '' Rude Awa ...
and Candice Woodcock of the old
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
Rarotonga tribe. When Aitutaki lost the next immunity challenge and the opposing new Rarotonga tribe sent Candice to Exile Island, Yul's alliance became outnumbered and Lee became a target. However, Kwon and Penner were able to convince Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" Bui and Jessica "Flicka" Smith from their old respective tribes to side with them and voted out Cecilia Mansilla. After that, the new Aitutaki tribe enjoyed back-to-back immunity challenge wins in episodes 4 and 5.
In Episode Six, both tribes were informed they would have to vote someone out of their tribe, regardless of the challenge results. Despite being from the same original tribe, Kwon and his alliance voted out Cao Boi, seeing him as a loose cannon that could not to be trusted. It was around this point that Kwon, Lee, Penner and Woodcock recruited Sundra Oakley to their now 5-person alliance. In Episode 7, this new alliance targeted
Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth due to his strength in challenges. But when the Aitutaki tribe lost immunity, they voted out Flicka, admitting they needed Ozzy for future challenges. Both tribes were now tied at 6 members each.
In Episode Eight, all remaining survivors were given the chance to "mutiny" and defect to the opposite tribe. Woodcock, who saw this as an opportunity to get back to her old Rarotonga tribemates and friends, Adam Gentry and Parvati Shallow, mutinied to the Rarotonga tribe, and Penner would subsequently follow Woodcock. The mutiny left Kwon, Lee, Oakley and Lusth as a tribe of four against a tribe of eight, and were dubbed as the "Aitu 4" as such. Despite these odds, the new Aitu 4 were able to dominate in the challenges and win four challenges in a row, sending Rarotonga to tribal council where they voted out Brad Virata, Rebecca Borman and (in a twist where they had to vote out two members in one tribal council) Jenny Guzon-Bae. These three survivors became members of the jury.
At the Final Nine, the two tribes (Aitutaki and Rarotonga) merged into Aitutonga. The Aitu 4 were still outnumbered by the five Rarotonga members. However, Kwon devised a plan to use the Hidden Immunity Idol to blackmail former ally and mutineer Penner. By using his Hidden Immunity Idol to threaten to eliminate Penner at Tribal Council, Penner decided to defect from Rarotonga and join the Aitu 4 to save himself. The Aitu 4 and Penner surprised Rarotonga at Tribal Council and voted out Nathan "Nate" Gonzalez. In the Survivor Auction at the Final 8, Kwon revealed to the remaining Rarotonga members and the host
Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American reality show host and executive producer. He is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of the U.S. version of the reality television show '' Survivor'' since 2000. He was also the host of ...
that he held the Hidden Immunity Idol. The Aitu 4 and Penner continued to control the game and voted out their former ally and mutineer Woodcock.
At the Final Seven, Kwon, then dubbed the "Ringleader", "Puppet Master" and "Godfather", was constantly being pressured by the remaining Rarotonga members to vote out the traitor Penner. Knowing that their days in the game were numbered, Gentry and Shallow both threatened to vote against Kwon in the jury if Kwon refused to vote out Penner before them. Kwon made a deal with Gentry that if Penner was voted out ahead of him and Shallow, he would gain Gentry's vote in the jury, and Penner was voted out. In the next two Tribal Councils, Shallow and Gentry were voted out respectively, propelling the Aitu 4 into the final 4.
Once in the Final Four, Lee, Lusth, Oakley, and Kwon were shocked to hear that instead of a standard Final Two, the final tribal council would consist of three members. At the immunity challenge, Lusth continued to dominate, winning his spot in the Final Three. Kwon, still protected by the hidden immunity idol, was also safe. Both Lusth and Kwon agreed that the fairest decision would be a tie-breaker challenge between Lee and Oakley. Kwon offered his idol to Lee, but she declined. In the tie-breaker, neither Lee nor Oakley could start a fire with flint within a one-hour limit. Moving to matches, both still had trouble, and Oakley ran out of matches. Lee went on to win the challenge, moving her into the Final Three with Lusth and Kwon.
In the Final Tribal Council, Kwon was credited for his strategic prowess and his ability in the social aspect of the game, whereas Lusth was credited for his domination in the physical aspect of the game. In the end, Kwon beat out Ozzy Lusth and Becky Lee in a 5-4-0 vote to become the Sole Survivor, gaining the votes of Brad Virata, Candice Woodcock,
Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Lindsay Penner (born March 5, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, television personality, and film producer, known for producing and starring in the film ''The Last Supper'', as well as acting in the television series '' Rude Awa ...
, Adam Gentry, and Sundra Oakley.
''Winners at War''
Kwon returned to the game on ''
Survivor: Winners at War'' after a 14-year and 27-season hiatus. He was originally a member of the Dakal tribe where he aligned himself with
Sophie Clarke,
Nick Wilson, and
Wendell Holland. The four of them began targeting old-school players. Kwon then became a part of the Sele tribe following a tribal swap. He had a hand in voting off
Amber Mariano
Amber Joy Mariano ( née Brkich; born August 11, 1978) is an American television personality and winner of '' Survivor: All-Stars'' with its $1,000,000 prize, after appearing as a contestant on one of its predecessors, '' Survivor: The Australian ...
,
Tyson Apostol
Tyson Apostol (born June 17, 1979) is an American reality television personality, best known for his appearances on multiple seasons of the CBS reality television show '' Survivor''. Apostol originally competed on '' Survivor: Tocantins'' in 2009 ...
, and
Parvati Shallow
Parvati Shallow ( ; born September 21, 1982) is an American television personality and was the $1 million winner of the reality television series '' Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites''. She had previously competed in '' Survivor: Cook I ...
during the first three tribal councils he attended, but he later became the ninth person voted off and placed 14th on day 35 after not earning the right to return to the game from the Edge of Extinction. As a juror, Kwon cast his vote for eventual winner
Tony Vlachos
Anthony Vlachos (born September 10, 1973) is an American police officer, best known for competing on the reality television competition series '' Survivor'', of which he is the second person to win two seasons. He won the show's 28th season, '' Su ...
.
Other media appearances
![KoreAm February 2007 cover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/KoreAm_February_2007_cover.jpg)
Shortly after winning ''Survivor'', Kwon appeared on several talk shows, including ''
Live with Regis & Kelly
''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
''. He received positive media coverage for his strategic and honest gameplay, as well as for breaking stereotypes about Asian American men in the media.
In 2015, in the official issue of ''
CBS Watch
''CBS Watch!'', also called ''Watch! Magazine'', is a bi-monthly magazine commissioned by Paramount Global and published by Manifest. The glossy print magazine, covers celebrity, fashion, beauty, travel, culture and wellness through articles main ...
'' commemorating the 15th anniversary of ''Survivor'', Kwon was voted by viewers as the 9th greatest contestant in ''Survivor'' history. At the time, he was one of only two one-time contestants to appear in the top 10, the other being
Tony Vlachos
Anthony Vlachos (born September 10, 1973) is an American police officer, best known for competing on the reality television competition series '' Survivor'', of which he is the second person to win two seasons. He won the show's 28th season, '' Su ...
of ''
Survivor: Cagayan'' (who has since played again on ''
Survivor: Game Changers'' and ''
Survivor: Winners at War'' alongside Kwon). In a 2015 interview shortly before the premiere of the
30th season, host
Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American reality show host and executive producer. He is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of the U.S. version of the reality television show '' Survivor'' since 2000. He was also the host of ...
declared Kwon to be one of his top 10 favorite ''Survivor'' winners ever, and one of his top 6 favorite male winners.
Kwon made several notable lists in 2006/2007, including
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...
's Sexiest Men Alive, People Magazine's Hottest Bachelors, and Extra TV's Most Eligible Bachelors. He was profiled in
VIBE
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
Magazine's "Juice" issue as part of the New Power Generation, consisting of people who will shape the future. An online poll by ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' also found Kwon to be the favorite ''Survivor'' winner among its readers. In 2017, the magazine also had fans rank the 34 winners of ''Survivor'' and Kwon was ranked 9th.
In 2007, Kwon worked as a special correspondent for
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
on a series exploring issues affecting the Asian American community. The series, ''Uncovering America'', aired on CNN's ''
American Morning''. The topics Kwon examined included the portrayal of Asian Americans in the media, the glass ceiling in the corporate workplace, and affirmative action. He was also interviewed regarding these issues on
Anderson Cooper 360
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson R ...
. In July 2022, Kwon competed on the
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
's reality competition series, ''
Snake in the Grass
''Snake in the Grass'' is a 2002 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. The play is about a middle-aged older sister who returns to the family home where her younger sister still lives, shortly after their abusive father's death. It was wri ...
''.
Personal life
Kwon proposed to his girlfriend, Sophie Tan, in April 2008. The couple had been set up by one of Kwon's ''Survivor'' tribemates, Brad Virata. The couple were married in 2009 at Clos La Chance winery in
San Martin, California
San Martin or San Martín (Spanish for Saint Martin) is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Clara County, California, in the southern Santa Clara Valley. Located to the south of Morgan Hill and north of Gilroy, San Martin is ...
. The ceremony was televised and aired on the
TV Guide Channel
The American cable television, cable and satellite television network Pop (American TV channel), Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized electronic program guide, channel and program listings ...
. Kwon and his wife have two children.
References
External links
*
Yul Kwon biographyfor ''
Survivor: Cook Islands'' at
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwon, Yul
1975 births
American management consultants
American people of Korean descent
California lawyers
Living people
McKinsey & Company people
Participants in American reality television series
People from Concord, California
People from Queens, New York
Stanford University alumni
Survivor (American TV series) winners
Yale Law School alumni