I grew up in two “gated” neighborhoods all my life as my neighborhoods are suburbs near Seoul where middle-class families like ours, seeking stability live.
Thus, for the first 20 years of my life or so, I have not really known the world.
But military service changed everything because as a Military Police (MP), I must have seen over 60 demonstrations and rallies on the inequality, unfairness and on human rights as disabled people, LGBTQ community members, labor unions, victims of the Korean War and other marginalized and sidelined people marched and staged hunger strikes.
Group photo of Military Police squad members during training
Behind the police line at a demonstration, where I learned to listen to and understand the voices of marginalized groups fighting for their rights
Although I had to be on the other side of the picket line as I was there to keep order and maintain peace, ensuring no one gets hurt, still after almost two years of this non-stop exposure to their stories, really opened my eyes, while listening to their stories (often via megaphones) and seeing their pain and suffering in person as they shed tears, calling out the names of their daughters and sons (in case of the Sewol Ferry tragedy as the parents called for justice).
All these made me really think about the governments’ responsibilities to their people, citizenry, inclusion and the basic human rights (like the right to get married if they choose to do so in case of the LGBTQ members).
Although a product of a solid middle-class family, still I felt for them perhaps because of my father, a contributor. A Seoul National University and KAIST (“MIT of Korea” where he did his PhD) educated expert with years of experience at the leading car companies in Korea including Kia, he is a performer, working on countlessly many projects, often collaborating with scholars overseas. And today, he leads the department as its Dean, while he contributes non-stop externally as well at the two major automotive associations in Korea.
And until recently, he was in Ethiopia working with the KOICA (the “Peace Corps of Korea”) to establish the nation’s first, one and only self-driving car center where he was working day and night to write textbooks and build e-learning systems to train experts in Ethiopia.
And his message to his only child (me) was crystal clear – be useful and this I tried to be. During the military, even when free time is precious, I went to volunteer for the children with disability. And I felt alive – bringing back the memories of the same joy and sense of fulfillment I had felt when volunteering for the Seoul City Cerebral Palsy Welfare Center back in college, where I tutored math, helped to serve meals and assisted in organizing many events. Also back in high school, I helped to clean up the environment at a public park, helped to ensure the safety of young children as they crossed streets to go to school, assisted patients in a hospital and delivered free lunch boxes to the financially challenged senior citizens living alone.
Later, although I couldn’t volunteer as much I wanted to since my lab during my master’s required me to literally “live” there at the lab, I cannot wait to jump start this spirit of voluntarism at your school and community. Immediately after settling in, I am heading out to volunteer in any way possible by leveraging my strengths (teaching, for instance; I truly love teaching, which is why I will tutor children and teenagers).
But also I want to capitalize on my expertise in my field, to start meaningful projects like developing special vehicles customized for special needs of the disabled people, for instance.
And my work itself is a means to contribute as my field itself is very closely related to the safety of people.
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Precious winter memory with my father in the U.S. (2003)
Master's graduation photo with my father at the iconic entrance gate of Seoul National University (2024)
