List of Korean Americans
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The following is a list of notable
Korean Americans Korean Americans are Americans of Koreans, Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian ...
, including original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Korean American or must have references showing they are Korean American and are notable.


Art and design

*
Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dana Tai Soon Burgess (born February 26, 1968) is an American choreographer and dancer. In May 2016 Burgess was named the Smithsonian's first-ever choreographer in residence at the National Portrait Gallery. His work has tended to focus on th ...
, choreographer, cultural figure * Richard Chai, fashion designer * Frank Cho, comic book artist (''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...
'', ''The New Avengers''), writer, and creator (''
Liberty Meadows ''Liberty Meadows'' is an American comic strip and comic book series created, written and illustrated by Frank Cho. It relates the comedic activities of the staff and denizens of the eponymous animal sanctuary/rehabilitation clinic. The comic strip ...
'') * David Choe, abstract artist * Michael Choi, comic book artist ('' Witchblade'', ''
X-23 Laura Kinney (born X-23; codename Wolverine) is a fictional superhero appearing in media published by Marvel Entertainment, most commonly in association with the X-Men. The character was created by writer Craig Kyle for the '' X-Men: Evolutio ...
'' and '' X-Force'') * Doo-Ri Chung,
fashion design Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...
er *
Peter Chung Peter Chung (born April 19, 1961) is a Korean American animator. He is best known for his unique style of animation, as the creator and director of ''Æon Flux'' and '' Reign: The Conqueror (Alexander Senki)''. Early life and career Peter Chung ...
,
animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...
, creator of
cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. Thi ...
animated TV series ''
Æon Flux ''Æon Flux'' is an American avant-garde science fiction adventure animated television series that aired on MTV from November 30, 1991, until October 10, 1995, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered ...
'' * CYJO (Cindy Hwang), photographer, "KYOPO project" *
Dennis Hwang Hwang Jeong-mok ( ko, 황정목; born 1978), known professionally as Dennis Hwang, is an American-born South Korean graphic artist currently working for Niantic, who was the original designer of some of the festive logos for Google. Early life a ...
, artist, Google doodler, game designer and artist of
Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...
*
Derek Kirk Kim Derek Kirk Kim is a Korean-American writer, director, and artist. He is the recipient of the Eisner (2004), the Harvey (2004), and the Ignatz Award (2003) for his debut graphic novel ''Same Difference and Other Stories.'' (The contents of which w ...
, cartoonist and author of critically acclaimed graphic novel ''Same Difference and Other Stories'' * Nic Cha Kim, founder of Gallery Row in Downtown Los Angeles *
Scott Kim Scott Kim is an American puzzle and video game designer, artist, and author of Korean descent. He started writing an occasional "Boggler" column for '' Discover'' magazine in 1990, and became an exclusive columnist in 1999, and created hundreds of ...
, puzzlemaster, artist, computer game designer * Yu Yeon Kim, curator of art *
Grace La Grace La (United States, 1970; Korean: 나은영; Korean pronunciation: Na Eun Young) is a first generation, Korean-American designer, Professor of Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), and Principal of LA DALLM ...
, designer, principal of La Dallman, professor of architecture,
Harvard University Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...
*
Il Lee Il Lee (Korean: ) is a Korean-born American contemporary artist. He was born in South Korea and has been living in America since the mid-1970s. Il Lee is best known for his ballpoint pen artwork; large-scale abstract imagery on paper and canvas ...
, artist * Jae Lee, comic book artist (''
Namor the Sub-Mariner Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc ...
'', ''
Inhumans The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...
'') *
Jim Lee Jim Lee (Korean 이용철; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. He is currently the Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work, Lee has received a Harvey ...
, best-selling comic book artist (''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'', ''
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...
'', ''
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
'') and co-creator (''
Gen¹³ ''Gen¹³'' is a superhero team and comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell. It was published by WildStorm under the Image Comics banner, which went on to become an imprint for DC ...
'', ''
WildC.A.T.s Wildcats, sometimes rendered WildCats or WildC.A.T.s, is a superhero team created by the American comic book artist Jim Lee and writer Brandon Choi. Publication history The team first appeared in August 1992 in the first issue of their epon ...
''); co-founder of
Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-o ...
* Lela Lee (1974– ), actress and cartoonist, creator of the comic strip and animated cartoons ''Kim'', '' the Angry Little Asian Girl'' and ''Angry Little Girls''Lela Lee

"I am Korean American. My parents immigrated and I was born here. I was actually the only daughter to be born in the U.S. I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, an hour east of Los Angeles. When I grew up, there were probably two other Asian families and we were made fun of. They would say, "Oh are you Chinese?" And I would say, "No." And they would say, "Are you Japanese?" And I would say, "No." And they would say, "Well, what are you then?" I would say, "I'm Korean" and they would say, "Where is that?" My parents were probably part of the first influx of Koreans to come to the U.S. at that time in the early 70s." *
Jiha Moon Jiha Moon (born 1973) is a contemporary artist who focuses on painting, printmaking, and sculptural ceramic objects. Born in Daegu, South Korea, Moon is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia. Early life and education Moon was born in Daegu, South ...
, artist *
Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super h ...
, Korean-born artist; father of
video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting ...
* Greg Pak, writer, director, actor (''Robot Stories'') * Andy Park, comic book artist (''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, ...
'', ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'') *
Peter Shin Peter Shin is an American animator, director, and producer who served as supervising director of '' Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story'', the director of '' Big Bug Man'', the director of ''Family Guy'' episodes "Death Has a Shadow" (the series premi ...
, a director of ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...
'' * Peter Sohn, animator at
Pixar Animation Studios Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Califor ...
(''
The Good Dinosaur ''The Good Dinosaur'' is a 2015 American computer-animated adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film was directed by Peter Sohn (in his feature directorial debut) and ...
'') *
Amy Sol Amy Sol (born 1981) is an American artist of Korean ancestry, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a member in good standing of a loose knit community of artists practicing Lowbrow (art movement), Pop Surreal, Lowbrow (art movement), Lowbrow, or ...
, contemporary artist based in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
* Tommy Yune, comic book writer and artist (''
Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...
'', ''
Robotech ''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985. The show was adapted from ...
'') and animation director ('' Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles'')


Business

* Albert An, CEO of Tower Research Capital *
Nelson Chai Nelson Joosuk Chai (born 1965) is an American investment banker and financial executive. He formerly served as the chief financial officer of American financial services company Merrill Lynch and briefly as Bank of America's president for the As ...
, investment banker and former CFO of the
New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its liste ...
* Do Won Chang, founder of
Forever 21 Forever 21 is a multinational fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984,Forever 21History & Facts, n.d. Retrieved 27 April 2014 ...
* Charlotte Cho, esthetician, author and co-founder of Soko Glam *
Timothy Hwang Timothy Taeil Hwang (born February 20, 1992) is an American businessman, the current co-founder and CEO of FiscalNote, a global software, data, and media company. Early life Tim Hwang was born on February 20, 1992, in East Lansing, Michigan, t ...
, founder and CEO of
FiscalNote FiscalNote Holdings, Inc., or commonly FiscalNote, is a publicly traded software, data, and media company headquartered in Washington, D.C. The company was founded by Timothy Hwang, Gerald Yao, and Jonathan Chen in 2013. FiscalNote provides softw ...
and president of the National Youth Association (NYA) * Sabrina Kay, founder and chancellor of Fremont College * David Kim, former CEO of
Baja Fresh Baja Fresh is an American chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California in 1990 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, e ...
* Daniel J. Kim, founder of
Red Mango Red Mango FC, LLC is an American frozen yogurt and smoothie brand known for its all-natural frozen yogurt, fresh fruit smoothies, yogurt parfaits, and fresh juices. There are now more than 50 locations in over 15 states in the United States and Pu ...
* James Kim, founder of Amkor, billionaire *
Jim Kim Jim Yong Kim (; born December 8, 1959), also known as Kim Yong (/金墉), is an American physician and anthropologist who served as the 12th president of the World Bank from 2012 to 2019. A global health leader, Kim was formerly the chair ...
, founder of venture capital firm
Formation 8 Formation 8 was an American venture capital firm founded in 2011 by Joe Lonsdale, Jim Kim and Brian Koo. The company was headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was one of the most successful venture capital firms in the industry bef ...
* Moon Kook-jin, founder of Kahr Arms, manufacturer of the
Desert Eagle The Desert Eagle is a gas-operated, semi-automatic pistol known for chambering the .50 Action Express, the largest centerfire cartridge of any magazine-fed, self-loading pistol. Magnum Research Inc. (MRI) designed and developed the Desert Eagle ...
* Brian Lee, co-founder of Legalzoom.com, ShoeDazzle.com, and The Honest Company * Chong Moon Lee, founder of Diamond Multimedia * Curtis Lee, founder and CEO of Luxe * David Lee, real estate developer * Michael Choe, CEO of
Charlesbank Capital Partners Charlesbank Capital Partners is a private equity investment firm focusing on management-led buyouts and growth capital financing of middle-market companies. The firm typically invests $50 million to $250 million of equity per transaction in co ...
*
Kewsong Lee Kewsong Lee (; born August 12, 1965) is a Korean-American businessman who is the former chief executive officer (CEO) of private equity firm The Carlyle Group. Early life and education Lee was born in Albany, New York on August 12, 1965. His ...
, CEO of
The Carlyle Group The Carlyle Group is a multinational private equity, alternative asset management and financial services corporation based in the United States with $376 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, real assets, and ...
*
Young Lee Pinkberry is a franchise of frozen dessert restaurants headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. There are currently over 260 stores in 20 countries. The first store was opened in January 2005 by Hye Kyung (Shelly) Hwang and Young Lee. The restauran ...
, co-founder of
Pinkberry Pinkberry is a franchise of frozen dessert restaurants headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. There are currently over 260 stores in 20 countries. The first store was opened in January 2005 by Hye Kyung (Shelly) Hwang and Young Lee. The restaurant ...
*
Thai Lee Thai Lee (born 1958) is a Thai-born Korean American billionaire businesswoman, the co-owner, CEO and president of SHI International, reported by ''Forbes'' to be the largest woman-owned business in the US. In 2019, she was the 5th wealthiest Sel ...
, CEO and president of SHI International, billionaire * Ilhan New, founder of La Choy *
Jane Park Jane Park (born December 15, 1986) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Before turning professional, Park reached the finals of the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur and 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior, and won the 2004 U.S. Women's A ...
, founder of Julep, cosmetics company * James Park, founder and CEO of Fitbit * Sung Won Sohn, professor of economics at California State University, former president of LA Hanmi Bank * Daewon Song, co-founder of
Almost Skateboards Almost Skateboards is an American skateboard company founded by professional skateboarders and business partners Rodney Mullen and Daewon Song. The company manufactures skateboard decks using 7-ply, 8-ply, and carbon fiber constructions, while th ...
* James Sun, CEO and founder of GeoPage.com; ''
The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with various professional backg ...
'' finalist * Lisa Song Sutton, businesswoman, attorney, former Miss Nevada United States and former congressional candidate *
Michael Yang Michael Yang is a Korean American technology entrepreneur and investor. He was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to San Jose, California on April 2, 1976, with his family when he was 14 years old. After attending UC Berkeley and Columb ...
, founder and CEO of
mySimon Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...
, founder & CEO of Become.com and Michael Yang Capital Partners I LP *
Gideon Yu Gideon Lee Yu (born May 14, 1971) is a Korean-American technology, media and sports investor, executive and advisor. Yu is currently a co-owner of the San Francisco 49ers football team. He was previously the team president. In 2012, Yu became the ...
, co-owner of the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...
and Executive Chairman and CEO of
Bowers & Wilkins Bowers & Wilkins, commonly known as B&W, is a British company that produces consumer and professional loudspeakers and headphones. B&W was founded in 1966 by John Bowers in Worthing, West Sussex, England. In October 2020, B&W was acquired ...
*
Richard Yoo Richard Yoo is an American entrepreneur, the co-founder and former CEO of the web hosting company Rackspace, and the founder and former CEO of web hosting company ServerBeach. Richard Yoo was born in Houston, Texas. Life Born in Houston, Texa ...
, founder and former CEO of Rackspace


Community Leaders and Activists

*
Ahn Changho Ahn Changho, sometimes An Chang-ho (; , November 9, 1878 – March 10, 1938) was a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is also referred to by his pen ...
, early 20th century immigrant community activist and leader, member of
Korean independence movement The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, whic ...
*
Kenneth Bae Kenneth Bae (born Pae Jun Ho; born August 1, 1968) is a Korean-American Evangelical Christian Missionary convicted by North Korea on charges of planning to overthrow the North Korean government, including setting up bases in China for the purp ...
, imprisoned by North Korea for human rights activity * Emil J. Kang, non-profit arts administrator, curator, professor. Youngest president and first Asian-American to head a major symphony orchestra. First Korean-American to be nominated by the president of the United States for membership in the National Council on the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
* Angela E. Oh, attorney and social/political activist best known for her role as spokesperson for the Korean American community after the
1992 Los Angeles Riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in So ...
and her position on President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
's
One America Initiative One America in the 21st Century: The President's Initiative on Race , or the One America Initiative, was established by U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1997 with . The main thrust of the effort was convening and encouraging community dialogue thro ...
*
Park Yong-man Park Yong-man (); (2 July 1881 – 17 October 1928) was a Korean nationalist and independence activist who, after spending time in prison for reformist activities, immigrated to the United States of America. There Park was involved in the estab ...
, early 20th century immigrant community activist, member of
Korean independence movement The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, whic ...
* Song Oh-kyun,
Korean independence The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, whic ...
activist (Originally from Pyongyang, North Korea) * Song Yi-kyun,
Korean independence The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, whic ...
activist and aviator (Originally from Pyongyang, North Korea)


Criminals and murderers

*
Seung-Hui Cho Seung-Hui Cho (, properly Cho Seung-hui; January 18, 1984 – April 16, 2007) was a Korean-born mass murderer responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. Cho killed 32 people and wounded 17 others with two semi-automatic pistols on Apr ...
, murdered 32 people at Virginia Tech before committing suicide with a gun * Fullerton Boys, Korean gangsters


Culinary arts

* Danny Bowien, chef and owner of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco and New York *
David Chang David Chang (Korean: ; born August 5, 1977) is an American restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin stars, which the restaura ...
, chef, owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ko and Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York City * Roy Choi, co-founder and head chef of
Kogi Korean BBQ Kogi Korean BBQ is a fleet of five fusion food trucks in Los Angeles famous both for their combination of Korean with Mexican food and also for their reliance on Internet technology, especially Twitter and YouTube, to spread information abou ...
food trucks and restaurants in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
*
Judy Joo Judy Joo is a chef and television personality. She is best known as being the host of Food Network's "Korean Food Made Simple" and an ''Iron Chef UK'' and her restaurant Seoul Bird in London. Joo splits her time between New York City, London, and ...
, chef, owner of Jinjuu Restaurant (London and Hong Kong) Iron Chef on ''
Iron Chef UK ''Iron Chef UK'' is a British competition-based cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'' and Food Network's ''Iron Chef America''. It was produced by IWC Media and broadcast on Channel 4 in 2010. Summary The show aired during dayt ...
''; judge on ''
Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, w ...
'' and '' The Next Iron Chef''; host of ''Korean Food Made Simple'' Cooking Channel; judge on Kitchen Inferno * Ann Kim, chef and co-owner of Young Joni and popular pizzerias in Minneapolis, Minnesota *
Beverly Kim Beverly Kim is a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur who was a contestant on Top Chef in 2011 and co-owns the Michelin-starred Parachute in Chicago. In 2019, Kim opened neighboring restaurant Wherewithall with her husband Johnny Clark ...
, finalist on ''
Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional che ...
'' (Season 9); first winner of ''Top Chef Last Chance Kitchen''; chef-owner of Parachute, Chicago, Illinois *
Kristen Kish Kristen Kish (born December 1, 1983) is a Korean-born American chef known for winning the tenth season of ''Top Chef''. She was formerly chef de cuisine at Menton in the Fort Point neighborhood of Boston. She is the host of ''36 Hours'' on Trav ...
, winner of ''Top Chef'' (Season 10); chef at Stir, Boston, Massachusetts * Corey Lee, chef-owner of
Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and larg ...
-starred
Benu Benu may refer to: People * Benu Dasgupta (1928–2010), Indian cricket player * Benu Gopal Bangur (born 1931), Indian businessman * Benu Malla (8th century), 3rd king of the Bagdi Malla dynasty of Bishnupur * Benu Sen (1932–2011), Indian ph ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
; former head chef at The French Laundry * Edward Lee, contestant on ''Top Chef'' (season 9); host of television show Culinary Genius * Maangchi (Emily Kim, 김광숙), author, popularizer of Korean cuisine and its preparation


Entertainment

* Philip Ahn, actor * Ralph Ahn, actor * Amy Anderson, stand up comedian and actress * Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, actress (''
Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of th ...
'') * Fred Armisen, actor, comedian * Awkwafina, also known as Nora Lum, rapper, actress and comedian of Chinese and Korean descent * Nicole Bilderback, actress * Moon Bloodgood, actress *
Johnny Yong Bosch Johnny Yong Bosch (born January 6, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer, and martial artist. His first major role was the portrayal of Adam Park, the second Black Power Ranger and later, the Green Zeo Ranger and first Green Turbo Ranger i ...
, actor, best known as Adam Park in ''
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise '' Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS E ...
'' *
Steve Byrne Steve Byrne (born July 21, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known from his multiple stand up comedy hour specials, creating, writing and starring in ''Sullivan & Son'' and as the writer/director of the feature film ...
, comedian, actor * Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, author, video and filmmaker * Katie Chang, actress * Timothy Chang, comedian and actor * Karen Chee, comedian and comedy writer, ''
Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknigh ...
'' *
Arden Cho Arden Lim Cho (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress, singer and model known for portraying Kira Yukimura in the 2011 MTV television series ''Teen Wolf'' and Ingrid Yun in the 2022 Netflix television series ''Partner Track''. Early life ...
, actress, ''
Teen Wolf ''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is chang ...
'' * Henry Cho, comedian and actor *
John Cho John Cho (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the '' Harold & Kumar'' films, and Hikaru Sulu in the ''Star Trek'' rebooted film series. Early in his career, Cho also starred in the Asian A ...
, actor born in
Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 o ...
and raised in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
he appeared in the '' American Pie'' franchise and ''
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (released in some international markets as ''Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies'') is a 2004 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner, written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and starr ...
'' as well as the ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' reboot series as Hikaru Sulu; singer for the group Left of zed *
Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...
, comedian, former star of the
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
'' All American Girl'' *
Smith Cho Smith Cho is an American actress and realtor of Korean descent. She has appeared in movies, on television and in commercials. Career Acting Cho has appeared in such movies as ''Bad Boys II'', ''Norbit'', '' Fired Up'', and ''Blades of Glory'', a ...
, actress *
SungWon Cho SungWon Cho ( ; ; born December 9, 1990), also known by his internet pseudonym ProZD, is an American voice actor and YouTuber. On his YouTube channel, Cho produces short comedy skits, unboxing videos, and reviews of board games and snack foods. H ...
, actor, voice actor and
YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influe ...
*
Kelly Choi Kelly Choi (born February 7, 1986) is a Korean-American, Emmy-nominated television personality on NYC Media, the official broadcast service of the City of New York. A former host of Bravo TV's ''Top Chef'' spin-off, ''Top Chef Masters'', she has ...
, model, television presenter *
Kenneth Choi Kenneth Choi (born October 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for playing Henry Lin on the television series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014), Chester Ming in Martin Scorsese's '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013), and Judge Lance It ...
, actor * Justin Chon, actor * Alexandra Bokyun Chun, actress, filmmaker *
Daniel Chun Daniel Chun is a Korean American comedy writer. He has written for ''The Office'' and ''The Simpsons''. He received a Writers Guild Award nomination and an Annie Award for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was once head writer and an executive produ ...
, writer, co-producer (''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'') *
Charlet Chung Chihye "Charlet" Takahashi Chung (born February 16, 1983) is an American actress who is best known for her works in voice acting, as well as for her various roles throughout film and television. She voices the fictional character D.Va in the mul ...
, actress and voice actress *
Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her appe ...
, actress * Philip W. Chung, playwright, founder and Artistic Director of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble * Morena Corwin, model and ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
'' playmate *
Piper Curda Piper Joy Curda (born August 16, 1997) is an American actress and singer. She had her breakthrough with Disney Channel, portraying Kennedy in the comedy series '' A.N.T. Farm'' (2013–2014), Jasmine in the sitcom '' I Didn't Do It'' (2014–20 ...
, actress and singer * Joy Dietrich, film director *
Michaela Dietz Michaela Dietz (born November 1, 1982) is a Korean-American voice actress whose professional career started in 2005. She voiced the character of the lost 4th dinosaur member Riff on the PBS children's television series ''Barney & Friends'', Ameth ...
, voice actress (''
Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe ( Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral ...
'') *
Joanna Gaines ''Fixer Upper'' is an American reality television series about home design and renovation that aired on HGTV. The series stars Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines, a married couple who own a home renovation and redecoration business in Waco, Texas. The ...
, star of Fixer Upper *
Jon Gosselin Jonathan Keith Gosselin (born April 1, 1977) is an American former television personality, previously known for his appearances with former wife Kate Gosselin and their eight children on the American reality TV show '' Jon & Kate Plus 8''. Earl ...
, father of sextuplets; a subject of the reality show ''
Jon & Kate Plus 8 ''Jon & Kate Plus 8'', later known as ''Kate Plus 8'', is an American reality television series starring Kate Gosselin, Jon Gosselin, and their eight children, which ran from April 4, 2007 to July 24, 2017. History After the success of two ...
'' * Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), YouTuber and actor * Bong Soo Han, "father of American
Hapkido Hapkido ( , , also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do''; from Korean 합기도 ''hapgido'' ) is a hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other s ...
"; choreographed and performed in the fight scenes of '' Billy Jack'' *
Daniel Henney Daniel Phillip Henney (born November 28, 1979) is an American actor and model. He first came into international prominence with his television debut as Dr. Henry Kim on the Korean drama '' My Lovely Sam Soon'' (2005). He has gone on to star in ...
, model, actor in South Korea *
Gene Hong Gene Hong is an American writer and producer best known for his writing on TV series' ''Magnum P.I.'', ''Lethal Weapon'', ''Bones'' and '' Community''. As an actor, he may be best known for being in the original cast of MTV's ''Nick Cannon Prese ...
, producer, writer, and actor on ''
Wild 'N Out ''Wild 'N Out'' is an American sketch comedy and improv game show series that was created and is hosted by musician and comedian Nick Cannon currently airing on VH1. It debuted on July 28, 2005 on MTV. In April 2019, the series had been rene ...
'' * Chanel Iman, model *
Ken Jeong Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong (, ; born July 13, 1969) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, producer, writer and licensed physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the ...
, comedian, actor * Grace Jung, comedian, writer and director * Joseph Kahn, music video and movie director *
Angela Kang Angela Kang (born March 23, 1976) is an American television writer known for serving as showrunner on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' for the final three seasons. Early life Kang was born and raised in Irvine, California, th ...
, television showrunner, producer, and writer * Michael Kang, writer/director ('' The Motel'', ''
West 32nd ''West 32nd'' is a 2007 film directed by Michael Kang and starring John Cho, Jun-seong Kim, Grace Park, Jane Kim and Jeong Jun-ho. The plot concerns John Kim (John Cho), an ambitious young lawyer in New York, who takes on a pro-bono case involv ...
'') * Sung Kang, actor ('' The Motel'', ''
Better Luck Tomorrow ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' is a 2002 American crime-drama film directed by Justin Lin. The film is about Asian American overachievers who become bored with their lives and enter a world of petty crime and material excess. ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' i ...
'', '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'') * Tim Kang, actor (''
The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show f ...
'') * Alan Kim, actor, youngest nominee for
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film. Actors of all n ...
*
Daniel Dae Kim Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in '' Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the '' Saints Ro ...
, actor * Evan C. Kim, actor, best known for his role in the 1977
John Landis John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American comedy and fantasy filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed – such as ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' (1977), ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978 ...
comedy '' The Kentucky Fried Movie'' * Grace Kim, ''Playboy'' playmate * Irene Kim, model and fashion designer *
Jacqueline Kim Jacqueline Joan Kim is an American writer, actress, filmmaker and composer. She was nominated for a FIND Independent Spirit award for Best Supporting Actress in the film '' Charlotte Sometimes''. Early life Kim was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, t ...
, actress * Randall Duk Kim, actor *
Yunjin Kim Yunjin Kim (Hangul: 김윤진), also known as Kim Yun-Jin (born November 7, 1973) is a South Korean-American film and theater actress. She is best known for her role as Sun-Hwa Kwon on the American television series ''Lost'', and as the North K ...
, actress *
Esther Ku Esther Ku is a comedian, television personality and actress. Ku was a cast member on the MTV shows ''Girl Code'' and ''Wild 'N Out''. She was a finalist of ''Last Comic Standing'', Showtime’s AVN Awards Host, SAG Actor, host of ''Ku and the Ga ...
, comedian * Yul Kwon, contestant on '' Survivor: Cook Islands'' * Alexander Sebastien Lee, actor, filmmaker * Alice Lee, actress *
Becky Lee Becky Lee (, born 11 August 1978) is a Hong Kong TVB actress and host. She also is a vocal music artist. She graduated from the Music Department of Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tert ...
, contestant on ''Survivor: Cook Islands'' *
Bobby Lee Robert Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on '' MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series ''Splitting Up Together'' alongsi ...
, comedian, actor, podcaster * C.S. Lee, actor *
Chris Chan Lee Chris Chan Lee (born in San Francisco, California) is an American filmmaker. After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, California, Lee wrote/directed ''Yellow,'' an independently financed feature film about the har ...
, filmmaker * Christopher HK Lee, film director (''Fading Away'', ''The Last Tear'', ''Forgotten Victory'', ''Ayla'') * Ki Hong Lee, actor (''
The Maze Runner ''The Maze Runner'' is a 2009 young adult dystopian science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner and the first book released in ''The Maze Runner'' series. The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an ...
'') *
James Kyson Lee James Kyson (born December 13, 1975) is a South Korean-born American actor best known for his television work. Best known for his role as Ando Masahashi on the NBC television series ''Heroes'', his guest appearances on television series include ...
, actor *
Lee Ji-ah Kim Sang-eun (; born August 6, 1978), known professionally as Lee Ji-ah, is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame with her role in the television drama'' The Legend'' (2007), and has since further participated in '' Beethoven Virus'' (2008), ...
, actress * Justin Lee, actor * Lela Lee, actress and cartoonist *
Liz Lee Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Pul ...
, actress, ''My Life as Liz'' *
Patricia Ja Lee Patricia Ja Lee (born July 19, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles of Cassie Chan, the Pink Ranger on the television series ''Power Rangers Turbo'' and ''Power Rangers in Space,'' and as the voice and motion capture act ...
, actress, best known as
Cassie Chan This is a list of characters from the Power Rangers universe – including Rangers, villains and supporting characters. Minor characters (including Monsters, foot soldiers, cross-over characters, and spin-off characters) may not be listed. A * A ...
in ''
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise '' Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS E ...
'' * Raymond Lee, actor (''
Quantum Leap (2022 TV series) ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series aired on NBC. It is a revival of the series of the same name created by Donald P. Bellisario, taking place thirty years after the events of the original 1989 series. The origin ...
'') * Rex Lee, actor ('' Entourage'') *
Sung-Hi Lee Sung-Hi Lee ( Korean:이승희) is a South Korean model and actress based in North America. She has been featured in ''Playboy'' magazine as well as in many other magazines and some commercial advertising. Early life and education Born in Gi ...
, model who appears mostly in soft-core nude photoshoots *
Will Yun Lee William Yun Lee (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor and martial artist. He is best known for his roles as Danny Woo in the supernatural drama '' Witchblade'' and Jae Kim in the sci-fi series '' Bionic Woman''. He has also appeared in t ...
, actor (''
Die Another Day ''Die Another Day'' is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori. The fourth and final film st ...
'') *
Ma Dong-seok Ma Dong-seok (born Lee Dong-seok on March 1, 1971), also known as Don Lee, is a South Korean–American actor. With his breakout performance in '' Train to Busan'' and subsequent leading roles, he has become one of South Korea's most successful ...
, actor * Charles Melton, actor ('' Riverdale'', '' The Sun Is Also a Star'') *
Mike Moh Mike Moh (born August 19, 1983) is an American actor and martial artist of Korean descent. A sixth degree black belt in American Taekwondo, Moh is perhaps best known for his roles as martial arts legend Bruce Lee in the 2019 film ''Once Upon a Ti ...
, actor, martial artist, stuntman ('' Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight'') *
Leonardo Nam Leonardo Nam (born November 5, 1979) is an Australian actor. He made his breakthrough as Roy in '' The Perfect Score'' (2004), and gained further recognition for his roles as Morimoto in '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006) and Bria ...
, actor * Ricky Lee Neely, actor * Soon Hee Newbold, filmmaker, actress, martial artist *
Dennis Oh Dennis Oh is an American model and actor based in South Korea. Early life and education Oh majored in photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He is an artist whose hobbies include drawing, traveling, and photography. Career O ...
, actor *
Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005 ...
, actress * Soon-Tek Oh, actor * Dennis Joseph O'Neil, model and actor *
Joy Osmanski Joy Osmanski is a South Korean-born American actress. She is best known for her wide range of comedic roles on the TV shows '' The Loop'', ''Samantha Who?'', ''True Jackson, VP'' and ''Devious Maids''. Joy is also known for her recurring role on ...
, actress *
Hettienne Park Hettienne Park (born March 7, 1983) is an American actress and writer, having played roles in ''Year of the Fish'' (2007), ''Bride Wars'' (2009), '' Blindspot'' (2018), '' The Outsider'' (2020), her most notable role being Beverly Katz on the Psy ...
, actress (
Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Pu ...
) *
Ho Sung Pak Ho-Sung Pak (born November 8, 1967) is a Korean-American film actor, stunt performer, martial artist, action choreographer, game character, writer, and producer. Life and career Pak, a Korean American, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He playe ...
, actor, ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...
'', Liu Kang and Shang Tsung in ''
Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a ...
'' * Grace Park, actress, ''
Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series (''Galactica 1980''), a line of ...
'' *
Joon Park Joon Park (Korean name: Park Joon-hyung, ; born July 20, 1969) is a South Korean-born American singer, actor and entertainer based in South Korea. As a singer, he is best known as the leader and rapper of the Korean pop group g.o.d. Early ...
, actor *
Linda Park Linda Park (born July 9, 1978) is a South Korean-born American actress, best known for her portrayal of communications officer character Hoshi Sato in the television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life Park was born in South Korea and ...
, Korean-born actress (''
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...
'') *
Randall Park Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town * Randall, Iowa, a city * Randall, Kansas, a city *Randall, Minne ...
, actor (''
Fresh Off the Boat The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, ...
'') *
Soo Joo Park Soo Joo Park (born Park Suju; March 26, 1986), is an American fashion model and musician. She became the first Asian-American woman to be a L'Oréal spokesmodel. She is also known for her work with Chanel and is a Global Ambassador for the bra ...
, model * Steve Park, actor (''
In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...
'') * Sydney Park, actress (''
Spork A spork is a hybrid form of cutlery taking the form of a spoon-like shallow scoop with two to four fork-like tines. Its name is a portmanteau of spoon and fork. Spork-like utensils, such as the terrapin fork or ice cream fork, have been manuf ...
,
Instant Mom ''Instant Mom'' is an American sitcom produced for the NickMom block on the Nick Jr. channel. It was developed by Howard Michael Gould and stars Tia Mowry as a stepmother of three children alongside her husband. The series first aired on Sept ...
, The Walking Dead, Spirit Riding Free, Wish Upon, Lifeline, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists'') * Soon-Yi Previn, actress; wife of
Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
; adoptive daughter of Mia Farrow * Lindsay Price, television actress * Phillip Rhee, actor (''Best of the Best'' movies), Tae Kwon Do and
Hapkido Hapkido ( , , also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do''; from Korean 합기도 ''hapgido'' ) is a hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other s ...
master *
Eddie Shin Edward Andrew Yoon Beom Shin (born July 17, 1976) is an American actor. He played Dave Mendoza in the Netflix series '' Alexa & Katie'', and portrays characters named Agent Mike Li in the 2015 first season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ...
, actor *
Keong Sim Keong Sim is an American actor. He portrayed Dr. Sung Park in the TNT medical drama '' Monday Mornings'' and Pastor Wayne in the Netflix series ''Dead to Me''. He currently is living in Los Angeles. Early life Keong Sim was born in South Vie ...
, actor * Sonja Sohn, actress * Stephen Sohn, model * James Sun, first runner-up, ''
The Apprentice 6 ''The Apprentice: Los Angeles'' is the sixth installment of the US version of ''The Apprentice'' reality television show. It was confirmed on November 30, 2005. Like the other Apprentice seasons, Donald Trump is the executive producer and host in h ...
'' *
Brian Tee , known professionally as Brian Tee, is a Japanese film and television actor. He is known for playing Dr. Ethan Choi on the NBC medical drama ''Chicago Med'' and its spin-offs, and has starred in such films as '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo D ...
, actor ('' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'') *
Jenna Ushkowitz Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz (; born April 28, 1986) (born Min Ji []) is a South Korean-born American actress, singer, producer and podcast host. She is known for her performances in Broadway musicals such as ''The King and I'' and '' Waitress (musica ...
, actress and singer ('' Glee'') * Suzanne Whang, host of HGTV's '' House Hunters'', Polly on NBC's ''
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
'', award-winning stand-up comedian *
Eugene Lee Yang Eugene Lee Yang (born January 18, 1986) is an American filmmaker, actor, producer, author, director, activist and internet celebrity, best known for being a member of the YouTube group The Try Guys (2014–present) and his work with BuzzFeed (20 ...
, filmmaker, actor, and co-creator of the online comedy series
The Try Guys ''The Try Guys'' is an American online entertainment group and media production company which produces content for their YouTube channel. The group was founded by Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang. The Try Guys ...
*
Han Ye-seul Han Ye-seul (Hangul: 한예슬; born Leslie Kim on September 18, 1981) is an American-born South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in the sitcom '' Nonstop 4'' (2003), and has since played leading roles in television dramas such as ''Co ...
, actress * Steven Yeun, actor ('' The Walking Dead'') * Aaron Yoo, actor ('' Disturbia'') * Christine Yoo, scriptwriter and director of ''Wedding Palace'' * Johnny Yune, comedian and actor ('' They Call Me Bruce?'') *
Karl Yune Karl Yune (born April 16, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Maseo Yamashiro in the DC comics TV franchise ''Arrow'', as Tak Mashido in the sci-fi film '' Real Steel'', and as Koichi in the film '' Memoirs of a Geisha' ...
, model and actor (''
Memoirs of a Geisha ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and w ...
'', ''Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid'', brother of Rick Yune) *
Rick Yune Rick Yune (born August 22, 1971) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer and martial artist of Korean descent. His most notable roles have been in the movies '' Snow Falling on Cedars'', the first ''Fast and Furious'' film ''The Fast an ...
, model and actor (''
Die Another Day ''Die Another Day'' is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori. The fourth and final film st ...
'', ''
The Fast and the Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
'')


Journalism

*
Virginia Cha Virginia Cha is a Korean American news anchor for KGTV-TV, San Diego. She was formerly employed at HLN based in Atlanta, and as an NBC News correspondent based in New York. Cha graduated from Princeton University and is a Fulbright Scholar. ...
, CNN News anchor * Juju Chang,
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...
anchor and reporter *
Alina Cho Alina Cho is an American journalist who was a television correspondent and former host of CNN's "Fashion: Backstage Pass", and is an Editor at Large at Ballantine Bantam Dell, a division of Penguin Random House. Cho is responsible for developing ...
, CNN News correspondent * Liz Cho,
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...
anchor and reporter *
Sophia Choi Sophia Choi (born March 5, 1971) is an American news broadcaster at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. Biography Sophia Choi was born in Daegu, Korea. She moved to the U.S. at the age of seven, and attended Hollywood Elementary School in Hollywood ...
, former
CNN Headline News HLN is an American basic cable network. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the network primarily carries true crime programming. The channel was originally launched on January 1, 1982 by Turner Broadcasting as CNN2 (later renamed Headline News ...
anchor, now at
KVBC-DT KSNV (channel 3) is a television station in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside dual CW/ MyNetworkTV affiliate KVCW (channel 33). Both stations share studios on Foremaster L ...
*
Sarah Jeong Sarah Jeong (; born 1988) is an American journalist specializing in information technology law and other technology-related topics. A member of the editorial board of ''The New York Times'' from 2018 to 2019, she was formerly a senior writer f ...
, journalist specializing in
information technology law Information technology law (also called cyberlaw) concerns the law of information technology, including computing and the internet. It is related to legal informatics, and governs the digital dissemination of both (digitized) information and so ...
and other technology-related topics; former member of the editorial board of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' *
Jay Caspian Kang Jay Caspian Kang is an American writer, editor, television journalist and podcast host. He is a staff writer at the ''New York Times Magazine'' and the opinion section of ''The New York Times''. Previously he was an editor of ''Grantland'', then ...
,
Vice News Tonight ''Vice News Tonight'' is an American news program currently broadcast on Vice on TV and originally broadcast on HBO as the channel's first-ever daily series, premiering October 2016. HBO cancelled the series after three seasons, ending September ...
correspondent * Arnold Kim, founder of
MacRumors MacRumors.com is a website that aggregates Mac and Apple-related news and rumors. The site launched on February 24, 2000, in Richmond, Virginia, and is owned by Arnold Kim. By consolidating reports and cross-referencing claims, MacRumors aims to ...
* James Kim, former senior editor at CNET * Lee Ann Kim, anchor and reporter for
KGTV KGTV (channel 10) is a television station in San Diego, California, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on Air Way in the Riverview-Webster section of San Diego, and i ...
; executive director of the
San Diego Asian Film Festival The San Diego Asian Film Festival ( SDAFF) is an annual event organized by Pacific Arts Movement (formerly the San Diego Asian Film Foundation) that takes place every November in San Diego, California. Background SDAFF is the flagship event for ...
* Lisa Kim,
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's v ...
news anchor for NBC11 * Michael Kim,
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
anchor * Seung Min Kim,
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
correspondent for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' *
Kyung Lah Kyung I. Lah ( ko, 나경, ; born August 27, 1971) is a South Korean-American journalist and correspondent for CNN based in the U.S. Early life and education Lah was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Streamwood, Illinois, Lah gradua ...
, CNN News correspondent * Jean H. Lee, former
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
bureau chief in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
and
Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...
*
Michelle Ye Hee Lee Michelle Ye Hee Lee (born June 13, 1988) is an American journalist who is currently serving as the Tokyo bureau chief of '' The Washington Post''. She previously served as the president of the Asian American Journalists Association. Early li ...
, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' reporter and current president of the Asian American Journalists Association * MJ Lee, CNN News political correspondent * Corina Knoll, ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' reporter *
Suchin Pak SuChin Pak ( ko, 박수진, born August 15, 1976) is a South Korean-born American television news correspondent and podcaster, best known from her early days working for MTV News. She joined MTV News as a correspondent in May 2001. Life and car ...
,
MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
anchor and reporter * Amara Sohn-Walker, CNN News correspondent * Eun Yang, NBC4/WRC-TV News anchor and reporter, Washington, DC *
Phil Yu Phil Yu (born 1978), also known as Angry Asian Man, is a Korean-American blogger. Early life and education Yu's parents are immigrants from Korea. Yu grew up in the Bay Area in California. Yu graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Radio/TV/F ...
, founder and owner of the Angry Asian Man blog *
Eunice Yoon Eunice Yoon is China Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent with CNBC based in Beijing. She is host of the network's feature program ''Inside China'' and contributes to NBC News and MSNBC. Previously, Yoon was a correspondent and anchor with CNN ...
, China Bureau Chief and Senior Correspondent for
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk s ...
*
Young Jean Lee Young Jean Lee is an American playwright, director, and filmmaker. She was the Artistic Director of Young Jean Lee's Theater Company, a not-for-profit theater company dedicated to producing her work. She has written and directed ten shows for Yo ...
, New York Times writer


Law and government

* Judge Herbert Choy, appointed to the U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; first Asian American appointed to the federal bench * Julie J. Chung, diplomat, Acting
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs within the United States Department of State, the foreign affairs department of the United States federal government. The A ...
* Judge Donna Ryu, magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court of Northern California * Judge Michael Hun Park,
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 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 ju ...
* Judge Kenneth K. Lee,
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...
* Wendy Lee Gramm, former head of the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent agency of the US government created in 1974 that regulates the U.S. derivatives markets, which includes futures, swaps, and certain kinds of options. The Commodity Exchange Act ...
and the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA ) is a Division within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which in turn, is within the Executive Office of the President. OIRA oversees the implementation of government-wide polici ...
(OIRA); wife of former United States Senator
Phil Gramm William Philip Gramm (born July 8, 1942) is an American economist and politician who represented Texas in both chambers of Congress. Though he began his political career as a Democrat, Gramm switched to the Republican Party in 1983. Gramm was a ...
* Yumi Hogan, First Lady of the State of Maryland; first Korean American first lady of a
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
and the first
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 peopl ...
first lady in the history of Maryland * BJ Kang, FBI agent, lead investigator of insider trading case against
Raj Rajaratnam Rajakumaran Rajaratnam (born June 15, 1957) is a Sri Lankan-American former hedge fund manager and founder of the Galleon Group, a New York-based hedge fund management firm. On October 16, 2009, he was arrested by the FBI for insider trading ...
*
Young Woo Kang Young Woo Kang (6 January 1944 – 24 February 2012) was a disability rights advocate, author, and speaker. He was known for his work in developing a braille alphabet for the Korean language. He was the Vice Chair of the World Committee on Disabil ...
, policy advisor of the National Council on Disability of the US White House in 2001 * Harry Kim (politician), mayor of Hawaii * Michael Kim, trial lawyer *
Harold Hongju Koh Harold Hongju Koh (born December 8, 1954) is an American lawyer and legal scholar who served as the legal adviser of the Department of State in the Obama administration. He was nominated to this position by President Barack Obama on March 23, 20 ...
, dean of
Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a 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.S. News & World ...
and former Assistant Secretary of State during the Clinton administration *
Lucy H. Koh Lucy Haeran Koh (born August 7, 1968) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is the first Korean American woman to serve on a federal appellate court in the Unit ...
, judge, US District Court for the Northern District of California, appointed 2010 *
Ronald Moon Ronald T. Y. Moon (September 4, 1940 – July 4, 2022) was the Chief Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court in Honolulu, Hawaii. He served his first term from 1993 to 2003, and his second term from 2003 until retiring in August 2010. Moon ...
, Chief Justice of the Hawai'i Supreme Court *
Annabel Park Annabel Park ( ko, 박수현) is a Korean Americans, Korean American documentary filmmaker, political activist and community volunteer. Early years Born in 1968 in Seoul, South Korea, Annabel immigrated to the United States with her family wh ...
, founder of Coffee Party USA * Meroe Park, associate deputy director of the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
from 2013 to 2017 *
John Yoo John Choon Yoo (; born July 10, 1967) is a Korean-born American legal scholar and former government official who serves as the Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Yoo became known for his legal opinions ...
, Berkeley law
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...
and former Deputy
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
in the
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...
*
Sung Kim Sung Yong Kim ( ko, 김성용; born 1960) is an American diplomat of Korean descent serving as the United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy since 2021, and previously from 2014 to 2016. He has also served as the acting Assist ...
,
US Ambassador to the Philippines The ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Sugo ng Estados Unidos sa Pilipinas) was established on July 4, 1946, after the Philippines gained its independence from the United States. The ambassador ...


Elected officials

* Martha Choe, city councilmember in Seattle * John Choi, county attorney of
Ramsey County, Minnesota Ramsey County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 552,352, making it the second-most populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat and ...
and former
Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
City Attorney *
Jun Choi Jun H. Choi (born May 17, 1971) is an American entrepreneur and politician and the former Mayor of Edison, New Jersey, a community of over 100,000 people and the fifth largest municipality in the state. He was sworn in on January 1, 2006 as th ...
, former mayor of Edison, New Jersey * Dr. Steven Choi Ph.D,
California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The ...
man, 68th District *
Christopher Chung Christopher Chung Shu-kun, SBS, JP (; born 31 March 1957, commonly known as "Tree Gun") was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 2012, representing the Hong Kong Island constituency. He is also former chairman of Eastern Distri ...
, the first elected mayor of Palisades Park, New Jersey, where Koreans constitute the majority of the population * Hoon-Yung Hopgood, member of Michigan State House of Representatives, first Korean American elected to public office in Michigan *
Sam Park Samuel Lauderdale Park (born October 1, 1985) is an American politician and lawyer, who was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in the 2016 elections.Sukhee Kang, former Mayor of
Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...
* Mark L. Keam, member of the Virginia House of Delegates * Andy Kim, US Congressperson from New Jersey (Democrat), former US diplomat and national security official * Harry Kim, former Mayor of Hawaii County *
Jane Kim Jane Kim (born July 9, 1977) is an American attorney and politician, and the first Korean American elected official in San Francisco. She represented San Francisco's District 6 on the Board of Supervisors between 2011 and 2019. She is a member o ...
, Supervisor in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
*
Jay Kim Jay Chang Joon Kim (; born March 27, 1939) is a Korean-American politician and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California and ambassador for Korean-American relations. He was the first Korean American to be elected to ...
, former Republican
Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
from
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
* Patty Kim, State Representative of
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
* Ron Kim, first Korean American elected in New York State * Young O. Kim, Republican Congresswoman from
California's 39th congressional district California's 39th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, and includes Fullerton, La Habra, La Habra Heights, Brea, Bu ...
(2021–present) * Maria Robinson, member of
Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
, representing the 6th Middlesex District (2019-present), first Korean-American to be elected to the General Court of Massachusetts * Cindy Ryu,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...
, first female Korean-American Mayor in the U.S.A. *
David Ryu David E. Ryu (Korean: 유은석; born 1975) is an American politician, who served as the Los Angeles City Councilman for District 4 from 2015 to 2020.Paull Shin,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
state senator; Korean adoptee * Anna Song, trustee on the Santa Clara County Office of Education *
Michelle Steel Michelle Eunjoo Steel ( Park, born June 21, 1955) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district since 2023, previously representing the 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A ...
, Republican Congresswoman from California's 48th congressional district (2021–present) *
Sam Yoon Sam Sang Yoon (born Yoon Sang-hyun on January 10, 1970) is a former at-large member of the Boston City Council. He later served as the executive director for the Council of Korean Americans in Washington, DC. He was the first Asian American to ho ...
, Boston City Councillor (2005–2009), first Asian American to be elected to the position in the city *
Marilyn Strickland Marilyn Strickland (born September 25, 1962) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district. The district is based in the state capital of Olympia, and also includes much of eastern Tacom ...
, Democrat Congresswoman from
Washington's 10th congressional district Washington's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in western Washington. The district is centered on the state capital, Olympia, and includes portions of Thurston and Pierce counties (including parts of Tacoma). It was cre ...


Literature

See Korean American writers for a more extensive list. * Matthew J. Baek, illustrator, children's book author, and graphic designer * Steph Cha, novelist * Leonard Chang, novelist, short story and TV writer * Alexander Chee, fiction writer, poet, journalist, and reviewer * Kah Kyung Cho, philosopher and writer * Franny Choi, poet * Mary H.K. Choi, author *
Sook Nyul Choi Sook Nyul Choi (born 1937) is a Korean American children's storybook author. Writing Choi's native language is Korean. Choi writes about her own experiences as a young refugee from North Korea during the Korean War through her heroines in h ...
, children's storybook writer *
Susan Choi Susan Choi (born 1969) is an American novelist. Early life and education Choi was born in South Bend, Indiana to a Korean father and a Jewish mother. She attended public schools. When she was nine years old, her parents divorced. She and her m ...
, novelist *
Jenny Han Jenny Han is an American author of young adult fiction and children's fiction. She is best known for writing the '' To All the Boys'' series and ''The Summer I Turned Pretty'' trilogy, which were adapted into a film series and TV series, respec ...
, author of children's and young adult novels, including the '
To All the Boys I've Loved Before ''To All the Boys I've Loved Before'' is a 2014 young adult romance novel by American author Jenny Han, first published by Simon & Schuster and released on April 15, 2014. Han was inspired to write the book based on her own habit of writing lov ...
Series' *
Euny Hong Euny Hong is a Korean-American journalist and author, based in France. Biography Hong is the author of three books. The novel ''Kept: A Comedy of Sex and Manners'' was published by Simon and Schuster in 2006. ''The Birth of Korean Cool: How One N ...
, journalist and author of ''The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World through Pop Culture'' * Hyun Yi Kang, scholar and writer * Minsoo Kang, historian and writer * Younghill Kang, early Asian American writer; has been called "the father of Korean American literature" * Crystal Hana Kim, author * Elaine H. Kim, writer, editor and professor in Asian American Studies * Elizabeth Kim, journalist and novelist * Eugenia Kim, author * Mike Kim, author * Myung Mi Kim, poet * Nancy Kim, author, lawyer * Richard E. Kim, author, professor of literature * Suki Kim, author, investigative journalist, novelist *
Suji Kwock Kim Suji Kwock Kim (also S. K. Kim) is a Korean-American-British poet-playwright. Life She was educated at Yale College, the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, Seoul National University and Yonsei University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, ...
, poet, playwright, author of ''Notes From The Divided Country'' * Corina Knoll, editor, journalist * Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee, writer and artist *
R. O. Kwon R. O. Kwon is a South Korean–born American author. In 2018, she published her nationally bestselling debut novel ''The Incendiaries'' with Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Early life Kwon was born in Seoul, South Korea, and ...
, author * Don Lee, author, editor *
Ed Bok Lee Ed Bok Lee is an American poet and writer. He is the author of three books of poetry, including ''Mitochondrial Night'' (2019), ''Whorled'', the recipient of a 2012 American Book Award and a 2012 Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, and ''Real Karaoke P ...
, poet, writer * Min Jin Lee, novelist *
Mary Paik Lee Mary Paik Lee (August 17, 1900 – February 14, 1995"California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, ''FamilySearch'' (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP3M-MY4 : 26 November 2014), Mary Paik Lee, 14 Feb 1995; Department of Public Heal ...
, author of Quiet Odyssey(1990) * Walter K. Lew, poet and scholar * Nami Mun, novelist *
Gary Pak Gary Pak (born 1952) is a writer, editor and professor of English at University of Hawaii. Pak has been noted as one of the most important Asian Hawaiian writers. Biography Gary Pak was born and raised in Hawaii. Pak graduated from Boston Unive ...
, writer, editor and professor of English, noted as one of the most important Asian Hawaiian writers *
Ty Pak Ty Pak (born Tae-Yong Pak in 1938) is a writer and speaker on Korean/Asian American affairs and literature. Biography Born in Korea shortly before World War II, Pak witnessed Japanese colonial rule, Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, its ...
, writer; speaker on Korean affairs and literature *
Linda Sue Park Linda Sue Park (born March 25, 1960) is a Korean-American author who published her first novel, ''Seesaw Girl'', in 1999. She has written six children's novels and five picture books. Park's work achieved prominence when she received the prestigi ...
, American-born writer *
T. K. Seung T. K. Seung was a Korean American philosopher and literary critic. His academic interests cut across diverse philosophical and literary subjects, including ethics, political philosophy, Continental philosophy, cultural hermeneutics, and literar ...
, philosopher and literary critic * Cathy Song, poet *
Jane Jeong Trenka Jane Jeong Trenka is a Korean American activist and an award-winning writer. She is the president of the organization TRACK (Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea). Early life Trenka was born in Seoul, Korea in 1972. When s ...
, author of ''The Language of Blood'' * Monica Youn, poet, National Book Award finalist *
Young Jean Lee Young Jean Lee is an American playwright, director, and filmmaker. She was the Artistic Director of Young Jean Lee's Theater Company, a not-for-profit theater company dedicated to producing her work. She has written and directed ten shows for Yo ...
, playwright and director * Ji-Yeon Yuh, reporter, writer, editor and professor in Asian American history


Military

* JoAnne S. Bass, 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, first female senior enlisted service member of any United States military branch, first Asian American to hold the senior enlisted position in the Air Force *
Daniel Choi Dan Choi (born February 22, 1981) is an American former infantry officer in the United States Army who served in combat in the Iraq War during 2006–2007. He became an LGBT rights activist following his coming out on ''The Rachel Maddow Show' ...
, U.S. Army officer and gay rights activist *
Susan Ahn Cuddy Susan Ahn Cuddy ( ko, 안수산, Hanja:; January 16, 1915 – June 24, 2015) was the first female gunnery officer in the United States Navy. She was the eldest daughter of Korean independence movement, Korean independence activist Ahn Chang-ho an ...
, first female gunnery officer in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
* Major Gen. Sharon K.G. Dunbar, Commander of the Air Force District of Washington (AFDW); Commander of the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing, headquartered at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland * Jeff Hwang, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and 1999 winner of
Mackay Trophy The Mackay Trophy is awarded yearly by the United States Air Force for the "most meritorious flight of the year" by an Air Force person, persons, or organization. The trophy is housed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museu ...
* Andrew Kim, former head of CIA's Korea Mission Center *
Richard C. Kim Richard C. Kim is a retired United States Army brigadier general. Biography Kim graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In May 1988, after his graduation he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the infantry. Kim has served on staff at ...
, U.S. Army brigadier general, Deputy Commander of
United States Army North The United States Army North (ARNORTH) is a formation of the United States Army. An Army Service Component Command (ASCC) subordinate to United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), ARNORTH is the joint force land component of NORTHCOM.
* Colonel
Young-Oak Kim Young-Oak Kim (, 1919 – December 29, 2005) was a United States Army officer during World War II and the Korean War and a civic leader and humanitarian. He was a member of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and a ...
, highly decorated
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
combat veteran of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and the
Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
; first non-white to command an Army combat
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
in US history * Fred Ohr, World War II ace fighter pilot * Peter M. Rhee, trauma surgeon and military veteran * Sue Mi Terry, CIA intelligence analyst specializing in East Asia


Music

*
Ahn Trio The Ahn Trio is a classical piano trio composed of three sisters: Angella (violin), Lucia (piano), and Maria (cello) Ahn; Lucia and Maria are twins. Born in Seoul, Korea, they moved to New York City in 1981, and began their training at the Juilli ...
,
Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
-educated classical music trio, featured in print and television ads for Gap * Priscilla Ahn, alternative/folk singer *
Ailee Amy Lee (born May 30, 1989), known professionally as Ailee, is an American singer and songwriter based in South Korea. Amassing digital sales success in South Korea, she has released four studio albums, six extended plays, and twenty one singles, ...
, singer based in South Korea *
AleXa Alexa may refer to: Technology *Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon * Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service * Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera People * Alexa (name), a given name a ...
, singer based in South Korea * Amerie, R&B singer-songwriter, actress *
Anderson Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...
, singer, rapper and multi-instrumentalist * Aaron Kwak, also known as Aron, member of South Korean boy band
NU'EST NU'EST (; short for New Establish Style Tempo) was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun and Ren. They debuted on March 15, 2012, with the single ti ...
*
Sarah Chang Sarah Chang ( ko, 장영주; born Young Joo Chang; December 10, 1980) is a Korean American classical violinist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. ...
, classical violinist and recipient of the
Avery Fisher Prize The Avery Fisher Prize is an award given to American musicians for outstanding achievement in classical music. Founded by philanthropist Avery Fisher in 1974, it is regarded as one of the most significant awards for American instrumentalists. Th ...
*
Arden Cho Arden Lim Cho (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress, singer and model known for portraying Kira Yukimura in the 2011 MTV television series ''Teen Wolf'' and Ingrid Yun in the 2022 Netflix television series ''Partner Track''. Early life ...
, model, actress who also displays her singing and songwriting talents on YouTube * David Choi, singer-songwriter and YouTube sensation * Jae Chong, music producer, formerly of R&B group Solid *
Clara Chung Clara Chung (born October 31, 1987), known by her stage name CLARA (previously Clara C), is an American singer-songwriter, producer and composer. She is a music artist who rose to fame on Youtube when she won numerous talent competitions in a ...
, singer *
Dumbfoundead Jonathan Edgar Park (born February 18, 1986), known by his stage name Dumbfoundead (), is an Argentinian-born American rapper and actor. He began his career in the 2000s as a battle rapper in Los Angeles and has since become one of the most prom ...
, rapper *
Dia Frampton Dia Frampton (born October 2, 1987) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. Frampton is the lead singer of the band Meg & Dia, was the runner-up in the inaugural season of ''The Voice,'' and is perhaps most known for her presence and co ...
, musician, younger sister of
Meg Frampton Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton before becoming a five-piece act (renamed Cowards Courage and released the CD ''Straight Out of a Story Book in Las Vegas'') where they started, w ...
*
Meg Frampton Meg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton before becoming a five-piece act (renamed Cowards Courage and released the CD ''Straight Out of a Story Book in Las Vegas'') where they started, w ...
, musician, older sister of
Dia Frampton Dia Frampton (born October 2, 1987) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. Frampton is the lead singer of the band Meg & Dia, was the runner-up in the inaugural season of ''The Voice,'' and is perhaps most known for her presence and co ...
*
Shinik Hahm Shinik Hahm (born 1958) is a Korean American conductor and a professor in the Practice of Conducting and Music Director of the Yale Philharmonia. Hahm has led North American, South American, European, and Far Eastern orchestras. Recent appeara ...
, conductor, professor *
Joe Hahn Joseph Hahn (born March 15, 1977) is an American musician, DJ, director and visual artist best known as the DJ of the American rock band Linkin Park, doing the scratching, turntables, sampling, and programming for all seven of Linkin Park ...
, founding member of
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
band
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drumm ...
, multi-platinum and
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winner * Heejun Han, singer and ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'' finalist (season 11) * Laine Hardy, singer and ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'' winner (season 17) * Hei-Kyung Hong, soprano with The Metropolitan Opera Company * Kim Samuel, former Produce 101 Contestant & Soloist * Danny Im, member of South Korean hip hop group
1TYM 1TYM (Korean: 원타임, pronounced as "One Time") was a four-member South Korean group. They were Teddy Park (also known as Park Hong-jun), Oh Jinhwan, Song Baekyoung, and Danny Im (also known as Im Taebin). History In the late 1990s, YG CE ...
, R&B singer based in South Korea *
Yuna Ito is an American-born former singer and actress who was active in Japan. She was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Hawaii. Ito made her musical debut in Japan with the single, " Endless Story", which was used as one of the theme songs for the ...
, Korean-Japanese, America-born
J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...
singer and actress *
Jessi Jessi may refer to: People * Jessi (musician) (born 1988), Korean-American rapper, singer, and songwriter * Gianluigi Jessi (born 1945), Italian basketball player * Jessi Alexander (born 1976), American country music artist * Jessi Colter (bor ...
, singer and rapper * Brian Joo, member of South Korean duo
Fly to the Sky Fly to the Sky ( ko, 플라이 투 더 스카이) is a South Korean R&B duo consisting of Brian Joo and Hwanhee. Initially marketed as K-pop idols, the duo later developed a more mature image and became one of the most popular R&B groups in S ...
, R&B singer based in South Korea * Jessica Jung, singer, musical actress of the South Korean version of '' Legally Blonde: The Musical''; former member of group
Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ens ...
; sister of Krystal Jung *
Krystal Jung Chrystal Soo Jung (born October 24, 1994), professionally known as Krystal, Krystal Jung or Jung Soo-jung (), is a Korean-American singer and actress based in South Korea. She debuted in 2009 as a member of the South Korean girl group f(x) and ...
, singer, dancer, actress, model; member of South Korean group f(x); sister of Jessica Jung * Nicole Jung, singer, dancer, rapper and former member of KARA *
Crystal Kay is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, " Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...
,
J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...
(
Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from Sout ...
) singer * Bobby Kim (Ji-Won), SMTM Season 3 winner, rapper, singer, composer with
IKON iKon (), stylized as iKON, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2015 by YG Entertainment, consisting of six members: Jay, Song, Bobby, DK, Ju-ne and Chan. Originally a seven-piece band, leader B.I departed from the group in June 2019. Ini ...
, MOBB * David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra * Dennis Kim, concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra * Eun Sun Kim, conductor of the San Francisco Opera * Earl Kim, pianist and composer;
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
professor * Eli Kim, member of South Korean boy band
U-KISS U-KISS ( ko, 유키스; ja, ユーキス) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2008. Their name is an acronym, standing for Ubiquitous Korean International Idol Super Star. The group's current lineup is composed of Soohyun, Hoon, Kiseop and ...
* George Han Kim (also known as Johan Kim), singer and member of former R&B group Solid * Paul Kim, classical pianist * Rebecca Kim, rapper, ex-member of band After School *
Stephanie Kim Kim Bo-kyung (born October 16, 1987), better known as Stephanie Kim or Stephanie, is a Korean-American singer, ballerina and musical actress based in South Korea. Born and raised in California, she went to South Korea and joined SM Entertainm ...
, singer, dancer and member of South Korean girl group The Grace *
Soovin Kim Soovin Kim (born 1976) is a Korean American violinist. Early life Kim was born in Iowa City, Iowa on April 10, 1976 to South Korean parents who had met and married in Korea, then moved to the U.S. together. When Kim was 2, his family moved to ...
, violinist from New York City * Andy Lee, singer, actor, and member of South Korean boy band Shinhwa *
JinJoo Lee JinJoo Lee ( ko, 이진주; born November 15, 1987) is a Korean–American musician and singer. She is best known as the guitarist for the pop rock band DNCE. Life and career Early life JinJoo Lee was born in Incheon, South Korea on Novemb ...
, guitarist and member of DNCE. *
Kodi Lee Kodi Taehyun Lee (born July 7, 1996) is a Korean American singer-songwriter and pianist. He rose to fame after participating in, and ultimately winning, the 14th season of ''America's Got Talent''. In 2019, Lee auditioned for ''AGT'', and w ...
, pianist and singer-songwriter *
Megan Lee Megan Lee (born September 18, 1995) is a Korean-American singer-songwriter and actress best known for her role as Sun Hi Song on ''Make It Pop'' and her singing talents on YouTube. From February 2013, Megan Lee was signed to Kim Tae-woo's (lead ...
, singer, actress * Sean Lee, violinist, four-season concertmaster and teaching assistant at
Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
*
Sunny Lee Sunny Lee is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Hany Lee. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 April 2009. Sunny was created by executive producer Susan Bower in res ...
, singer, radio host, member of South Korean group
Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ens ...
*
Kevin Kwan Loucks Kevin Kwan Loucks is a Korean–American classical pianist, arts entrepreneur, and nonprofit executive. In September 2021, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Chamber Music America in New York City. He previously served as Director of ...
, pianist and arts entrepreneur * Nancy McDonie, singer and member of South Korean group Momoland * Lucia Micarelli, violinist *
Eric Mun Eric Mun (born Mun Jung-hyuk on February 16, 1979) is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and actor. He is a member and leader of the South Korean boy band Shinhwa. He is also well known for several dramas such as '' Phoenix'' (2004), ''Super R ...
, rapper, actor and leader/member of South Korean boy band Shinhwa * John Myung,
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
player of
progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...
band
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out o ...
* Eric Nam, singer and TV host based in South Korea * Soon Hee Newbold, composer, conductor and violinist * Karen O, lead singer of the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...
* Eugene Park, electric violinist in South Korea * Jae Park, singer-songwriter, composer, and guitarist for South Korean band
Day6 Day6 (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean pop rock band under the label JYP Entertainment. The group debuted on September 7, 2015, with the EP ''The Day,'' which peaked at No.2 on ''Billboard''s World Album Chart a week following its r ...
* Jay Park, hip hop singer, rapper, b-boy, dancer, and former ex leader of
2PM 2PM (; romanized; ''Tupiem'') is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Jun. K (formerly known as Junsu), Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Junho and Chansung. Originally a seven-piece group, for ...
* John Park, singer and first runner up of '' Superstar K2'', Korean version of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'', semi-finalist on American Idol. * Park Joon-hyung, rapper and leader/member of South Korean pop group g.o.d * Lena Park, K-pop, R&B singer, songwriter, composer * Mike Park, ska and punk musician, founder of
Asian Man Records Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
*
Teddy Park Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978), is a Korean–American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. When he was 17 years old, ...
, member of
1TYM 1TYM (Korean: 원타임, pronounced as "One Time") was a four-member South Korean group. They were Teddy Park (also known as Park Hong-jun), Oh Jinhwan, Song Baekyoung, and Danny Im (also known as Im Taebin). History In the late 1990s, YG CE ...
, singer/rapper/producer based in South Korea. *
Todd Park Mohr Todd Park Mohr (born October 19, 1965) is the singer and guitarist for the American rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, as well as being their namesake and primary lyricist. A founding member of the band, he also occasionally provides keyb ...
, lead vocals/guitars/keyboards/saxophone of Big Head Todd and the Monsters * Peniel Shin, rapper, and member of South Korean boy group
BTOB } BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Origi ...
*
Son Hoyoung Son Ho-young (; born March 26, 1980) is a Korean-American singer and musical actor based in South Korea. Best known as a member of g.o.d, he made his debut in the entertainment industry with the group in 1999 and pursued a solo career as a singe ...
, singer and member of South Korean pop group g.o.d *
Susie Suh Susie SuhProfile and Interview
by NPR is an American singer and songwriter. < ...
, singer-songwriter, signed with
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...
* T, R&B singer based in South Korea *
Nosaj Thing Jason W. Chung (born January 27, 1985), better known as Nosaj Thing, is an American artist, record producer, and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. He has produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Kid Cudi, Julianna Barwick, and is ...
(Jason Chung),
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...
ian * Tiger JK, musician * Tim, R&B singer based in South Korea *
Kevin Woo Kevin Woo (born November 25, 1991), also known mononymously as Kevin, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and television host based as a Korean in New York City. He is primarily known as a former member of South Korean boy band U-KISS from ...
, singer, dancer and member of South Korean Boy Band
U-KISS U-KISS ( ko, 유키스; ja, ユーキス) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2008. Their name is an acronym, standing for Ubiquitous Korean International Idol Super Star. The group's current lineup is composed of Soohyun, Hoon, Kiseop and ...
* Steve Seung-Jun Yoo, singer and dancer formerly based in South Korea * Scott Yoo, conductor, host of ''Now hear this'' on the PBS network. *
Tiffany Young Stephanie Young Hwang (born August 1, 1989), known professionally as Tiffany or Tiffany Young, is an American singer-songwriter. Born and raised in California, she was discovered by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment at the age ...
, singer, musical actress '' Fame'' as Carmen Diaz; member of South Korean group
Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ens ...
* Michelle Zauner, singer and songwriter who performs under the name
Japanese Breakfast Japanese Breakfast is an indie pop band headed by Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner. Zauner started the band as a side project in 2013, when she was leading the Philadelphia-based emo group Little Big League. She has said that she named ...
*
Tokimonsta Jennifer Lee, known professionally as Tokimonsta (stylized as TOKiMONSTA), is an American record producer and DJ based in Los Angeles. She has collaborated with artists such as Anderson .Paak, Earthgang EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an Amer ...
(Jennifer Lee), electronic music artist, producer, and DJ


Religion

* Su Bong, Soen Sa Nim in the Kwan Um School of Zen and the designated heir of
Seung Sahn Seungsahn Haengwon (, August 1, 1927November 30, 2004), born Duk-In Lee, was a Korean Seon master of the Jogye Order and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen. He was the seventy-eighth Patriarch in his lineage. As one of the early ...
's lineage * Peter Ahn, translator of the
New American Standard Bible The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is an English translation of the Bible. Published by the Lockman Foundation, the complete NASB was released in 1971. The NASB relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew and Gre ...
* Eugene Cho, President of
Bread for the World Bread for the World is a non-partisan, Christian advocacy organization based in the United States that advocates for policy changes to end hunger. Bread for the World provides resources to help individuals advocate to end hunger, which might inc ...
* Hae Jong Kim,
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...
*
Julius Kim Julius Jason Kim is a Korean-American theologian and president of The Gospel Coalition. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Kim spent part of his childhood in South Korea before returning to California at the age of 12. He received a BA from Vanguard ...
, President of
The Gospel Coalition The Gospel Coalition, or TGC, is a union of evangelical and Reformed churches. History It was founded in 2005 by theologian D. A. Carson and pastor Tim Keller. TGC describe their mission as being “deeply committed to renewing our faith i ...
* Walter Kim, President of
National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...
* James A. Lee, President of Southern Reformed College and Seminary * Michael Oh, CEO of Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization * Andrew S. Park, theologian *
Angela Warnick Buchdahl Angela Warnick Buchdahl ( ko, 앤절라 워닉 북달; born July 8, 1972) is an American rabbi. She was the first Asian-American to be ordained as a rabbi, and the first Asian-American to be ordained as a ''hazzan'' (cantor). In 2011 she was name ...
, rabbi


Science, technology and education

* Tae-Ung Baik, professor of law at the University of Hawaii Manoa
William S. Richardson School of Law The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is named after its patriarch, former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice William S ...
; legal scholar of international human rights law and Korean law * Victor Cha, professor in Asian studies, former Director for Asian Affairs in the White House's National Security Council * Dennis Choi, neuroscientist at Emory University, member of the
Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Eng ...
of the National Academies, former executive vice president for neuroscience at Merck, former chairman of the department of neurology at
Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
School of Medicine in St. Louis * Howard Choi,
spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...
specialist * Esther Choo, emergency physician and professor at the
Oregon Health & Science University Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon ...
*
John Chun John M. Chun (Jeon: 全/전명준) (August 3, 1928 – July 6, 2013) was a Korean automotive engineering designer born during the Japanese colonial occupation of then-called, Choson/(Joseon). He was the first known Korean car designer. Born in p ...
, designer of
AC Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the Unite ...
and Shelby Mustang GT350 and GT500 models;
Tonka Toys Tonka is an American producer of toy trucks. The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes diecast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of ...
designer * Jefferson Han, one of the main developers of "multi-touch sensing" technology, owner of
Perceptive Pixel Perceptive Pixel is a division of Microsoft specializing in research, development and production of multi-touch interfaces. Its technology is used in fields including broadcast, defense, geo-intelligence, energy exploration, industrial design and ...
company * Moo-Young Han, physicist * Dennis Hong, professor and the founding director of RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) of the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department at UCLA * Waun Ki Hong, Division Head and Professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and pioneer in field of cancer chemoprevention and cancer medicine. * Hyun Yi Kang, scholar and writer; chair of Women's Studies and Associate Professor in Comparative Literature and English at University of California, Irvine * Minsoo Kang, historian and writer at
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...
* Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang, chancellor of
University of California, Merced The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) is a public land-grant research university and Hispanic-serving institution located in Merced, California, and is the tenth and newest of the University of California (UC) campuses. Establish ...
; former professor of electrical and computer engineering at various institutions * Larry Kwak, world-renowned physician and scientist who has pioneered breakthrough innovations in immunology and cancer vaccines; and named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2010. *
Jaegwon Kim Jaegwon Kim (September 12, 1934 – November 27, 2019) was a Korean-American philosopher. At the time of his death, Kim was an emeritus professor of philosophy at Brown University. He also taught at several other leading American universities d ...
, William Herbert Perry Faunce Professor of Philosophy at
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
*
Jeong H. Kim Jeong Hun Kim ( ko, 김종훈; born August 13, 1960) is a South Korean-born American academic, businessman, and entrepreneur in the technology industry. In 2004, Kim was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for contributions t ...
, president of
Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mul ...
*
Jim Yong Kim Jim Yong Kim (; born December 8, 1959), also known as Kim Yong (/金墉), is an American physician and anthropologist who served as the 12th president of the World Bank from 2012 to 2019. A global health leader, Kim was formerly the chair of ...
, Francois Xavier Bagnoud Professor Health and Human Rights at Harvard University; former director of HIV/AIDS at the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
; 17th president of
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
; president of the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
*
June Huh June Huh (full name: June E Huh, ; born 1983) is an Korean-American mathematician who is currently a professor at Princeton University. Previously, he was a professor at Stanford University. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 2022 and a MacArth ...
, 2022 Fields medalist mathematician, professor at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
*
Peter S. Kim Peter S. Kim (born April 27, 1958) is an American scientist. He was president of Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) 2003–2013 and is currently Virginia & D.K. Ludwig Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford University, Institute Scholar at Stanfor ...
, president of Merck, former MIT- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research biochemist, member of
National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...
* Howard Koh, professor of the Practice of Public Health; associate dean for Public Health Practice at the
Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard- MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's firs ...
; former Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health *
Bandy X. Lee Bandy Xenobia Lee is an American psychiatrist whose scholarly work includes the writing of a comprehensive textbook on violence. She is a specialist in public health approaches to violence prevention who consulted with the World Health Organizatio ...
, psychiatrist with
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
and the co-author of the book, '' The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump'' * Benjamin W. Lee, theoretical physicist (influenced development of the
Standard Model The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces ( electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. It ...
) * Chang-Rae Lee, professor of creative writing at Princeton University; novelist * David Oh, NASA engineer and lead flight director of the Mars Curiosity rover * Andrew S. Park, Methodist theologian *
Gary Pak Gary Pak (born 1952) is a writer, editor and professor of English at University of Hawaii. Pak has been noted as one of the most important Asian Hawaiian writers. Biography Gary Pak was born and raised in Hawaii. Pak graduated from Boston Unive ...
, professor of English at University of Hawaii; one of the most important Asian Hawaiian writers * No-Hee Park, Dean of the School of Dentistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. *
Mark L. Polansky Mark Lewis "Roman" Polansky (born June 2, 1956, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American aerospace engineer and research pilot and a former NASA astronaut. Polansky received the nickname "Roman" as a joke, because he shares a last name with direc ...
, NASA astronaut * Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of
District of Columbia Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter ...
; education reform advocate * Sebastian Seung, computational neuroscientist, brain and cognitive sciences professor at MIT, and author of ''Connectomes'' * Nam-Pyo Suh, doctor of engineering of Carnegie Mellon University, 14th president of KAIST in South Korea * Jeannie Suk, assistant professor of law at Harvard Law School; award-winning writer * Meredith Jung-En Woo, dean of the college and graduate school of arts and sciences at the University of Virginia, professor of political science and Korean studies * Ji-Yeon Yuh, professor in Asian American history and Asian diasporas at the Northwestern University * Joon Yun, radiologist; founder of Palo Alto Institute


Sports

* Kenny Allen Former NFL player; Father is from Korea * Darwin Barney, MLB player; grandfather is from Korea and grandmother is from Japan *
Marissa Brandt Marissa Brandt (born December 18, 1992), also known by her birth name Park Yoon-jung (; also stylized as Park Yoon Jung or Park Yoonjung), is a Korean-American ice hockey player who plays with the South Korean national team. When competing in ...
, Olympic ice hockey player *
Eugene Chung Eugene Yon Chung (born June 14, 1969) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League from 1992 to 1997. He is also a former American football coach. Professional playing career The New England Patriots ...
, former NFL player, first Korean American to be drafted in the 1st round, played
offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...
*
Simon Cho Simon Cho (born October 7, 1991) is a retired Korean American short track speed skater who was a member of the US Olympic Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Simon Cho is currently the head coach at Potomac Speed Skating Club. Since ...
, Olympic speed skater; won the bronze medal in men's 5000 meter relay at the 2010 Vancouver Games * Hank Conger, MLB player * Emily Cross, Olympic fencer; won the silver medal in foil team at the 2008 Beijing Games * Toby Dawson, Olympic skier, won the bronze medal in men's freestyle skiing at the 2006 Torino Games *
Bill Demong William Demong (born March 29, 1980 in Vermontville, New York) is an American former Nordic combined skier and Olympic gold medalist. Demong is a five-time Olympian, having competed in Nagano, Salt Lake City, Torino, Vancouver and Sochi. Career ...
, Olympic skier; mother is half Korean * Marcus Demps, American football player * Will Demps, American football player *
Dane Dunning Dane Anthony Dunning (born December 20, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2020. Career Amateur career After graduating ...
, MLB Player * Jake Dunning, MLB player *
Tommy Edman Thomas Hyunsu Edman (born May 9, 1995) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born in Pontiac, Michigan, and raised in San Diego, Edman played college baseba ...
, MLB player, mother is from Korea. *
Tom Farden Thomas Farden (born Man-Ki Park; March 28, 1974) is an American college gymnastics coach. A native of Dayton, Minnesota, he began his career as the assistant coach of his alma mater the Southeast Missouri Redhawks women's program in 1999 until ...
, head coach of the
Utah Red Rocks The Utah Utes women's gymnastics team, also known as the Red Rocks, represents the University of Utah and competes at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Pac-12 Conference. Home meets are ...
*
Marcus Freeman Marcus Freeman (born January 10, 1986) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is currently the head coach at the University of Notre Dame. He previously served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Notre Dame in ...
, head coach of Notre Dame Football, former NFL player * James Hahn, professional golfer * Kyle Hamilton, First-team All-American Notre Dame football player *
Benson Henderson Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes for Bellator MMA, currently competing in their Lightweight division. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. As of November ...
, mixed martial artist, former UFC lightweight champion * John Huh, professional golfer *
Vicky Hurst Vicky Hurst (born June 19, 1990) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She turned professional as a 17-year-old in 2008, while still in high school. Playing on the Futures Tour that year, she won five times and s ...
, professional golfer * Anthony Kim, professional golfer *
Chloe Kim Chloe Kim (born April 23, 2000) is an American snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal when she won gold in the women's snowboard halfpi ...
, elite snowboarder, Winter X Games gold medalist (superpipe, 2015) Olympic gold medalist (halfpipe, 2018) *
Christina Kim Christina Kim (born March 15, 1984) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour and on the Ladies European Tour (LET). She is known for her animated style of play, flamboyant dress, and outgoing personality. Kim compet ...
, professional golfer * Kevin Kim, tennis player * Jessica Pegula, tennis player; daughter of Terry Pegula, Terry and Kim Pegula * Kim Pegula, businesswoman and co-owner of Pegula Sports and Entertainment (Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, and other teams) alongside her husband Terry; born in Seoul and adopted by an American family at age 5 * Younghoe Koo, American football player * Tae Man Kwon, Hapkido Grand Master; 9th degree Black Belt *Brandun Lee, professional boxer * Jeanette Lee (pool player), Jeanette Lee, pool player, nicknamed "The Black Widow" for her tendency to wear black * John Lee (placekicker), John Lee, former football player * Sammy Lee (diver), Sammy Lee, diver, first American-born male Asian Olympic gold medalist * David Lipsky (golfer), David Lipsky, professional golfer; mother is from Korea * Moon Tae-jong, professional basketball player * Kyler Murray, NFL quarterback * Kevin Na, professional golfer * Naomi Nari Nam, figure skater * Jim Paek, NHL hockey player * Angela Park, professional golfer *
Jane Park Jane Park (born December 15, 1986) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Before turning professional, Park reached the finals of the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur and 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior, and won the 2004 U.S. Women's A ...
, professional golfer * Richard Park (ice hockey), Richard Park, NHL player * BJ Penn, mixed martial artist and former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion * Rob Refsnyder, MLB player; born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted by a couple from Southern California when he was five months old. * Jhoon Rhee, taekwondo master and entrepreneur * Terrmel Sledge, MLB player * Daewon Song, professional skateboarder * Sonya Thomas, aka "Black Widow," competitive eater, holder of 29 world titles * Hines Ward, football player, Super Bowl MVP, MVP of Super Bowl XL * Michelle Wie West, professional golfer * Alex Yi, soccer player * Cameron (wrestler), Ariane Andrew also known as Cameron, professional wrestler * Mia Yim also known as Jade, professional wrestler * Jimmy Yang, James Yun, professional wrestler *Ben Leber, NFL Linebacker


Other

* Emma Broyles, Miss America 2022, as Miss Alaska#Winners, Miss Alaska. * Philip Jaisohn, first Korean to become an American citizen; first Korean American to receive an American medical degree (Originally from Boseong County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea)


References


External links


Council of Korean Americans
– a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of Korean American leaders
KAPS
– Korean American Professionals Society

– selection of Korean-American literature
KoreAm Journal
– news, stories, and issues of Korean Americans nationwide
Korean American Literature
– comprehensive bibliography of Korean American authors and their books
Arirang
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927061412/http://www.arirangeducation.com/ , date=September 27, 2011 – interactive history of Korean Americans American people of Korean descent, * Overseas Korean groups, Americans Lists of American people of Asian descent, Korean Americans Lists of American people by ethnic or national origin, Korean Lists of people by ethnicity, Korean