I turned 21 in 1982. My family had just moved to California from Ohio. Waiting to get in-state residency status so that I wouldn’t have to pay out-of-state fees, I took a year off from school to work. I had a bunch of odd jobs, preparing sushi in the morning, selling plastic bags for an import company in the afternoon, and during the evening, working as a handyman at a movie theater. Obviously, I had a lot more energy back then.
Almost 30 years later, I own my own company, which turns 21 this month. Though I have one job title now—publisher—I still find myself juggling many duties: selling ads for KoreAm and our sister magazine Audrey, planning large-scale events like the KoreAm Pro-Am and Unforgettable, and supervising those who work so hard (and also wear multiple hats) to bring you, the readers, an engaging product. It’s a job, unlike the odd jobs of my younger days, that I view as a privilege and responsibility.
I’m glad we stuck it out through all the trying times in our 21-year history so that we could chart this extraordinary journey Korean America has been on. Take, for example, cover girl Jamie Chung, who was 21 when she debuted on MTV’s The Real World: San Diego. Seven years later, she’s starring in big-budget mainstream Hollywood films including Sucker Punch and The Hangover Part II.
In this issue, we also see Korean Americans who are crossing boundaries (as in buzz-worthy tattooist Jun Cha), journeying to the ocean depths (as in journalist Brenda Paik Sunoo’s exploration of the legendary Jeju Island divers) and and growing their businesses (as in Kabuki owner David Lee). These stories inspire and keep me going.
So, at 21, KoreAm may now be old enough to drink, but that doesn’t mean we’re all grown up. That’s a good thing because it means we’re going to keep finding ways to grow our content, relevance and reach. Despite challenges that continue to shrink our industry, our print and online readership numbers are on the uptick. Our website, charactermedia.com, receives over 100,000 unique hits each month. I want to figure out how to get to 500,000. After all, if there’s anything I’ve learned from the people profiled in KoreAm, it’s that you gotta dream big.
Thank you to all of our readers and supporters. We couldn’t have reached No. 21 without you!
