Richard Chai. You may not have heard of him but you’ve probably seen his work. His resume includes interning for little known, itsy bitsy fashion houses such as Oscar de la Renta, Geoffrey Beene, Dior and working for Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs and even a stint as the Creative Director of all TSE’s brands before branching out on his own. Chai launched his own line in Fall 2004. Only four short years later Chai made it as a finalist in the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition.*

In a past NY Times article Chai concedes there’s a bit of Korean in his work:

‘I was brought up with a certain strict discipline and pride and respect for what one does: the need for things to be meticulous and the need always to move forward,’ says Chai, adding that Korea ‘is on a constant move, and I am always impressed with how much changes every year I go.’

The designer also believes that there are subliminal aesthetic ties.

‘There is something stark and pure about Asian culture,’ Chai says. ‘I feel that purity is something that binds Asian designers together. There is this real contrast of old world history and hyper-modern technology. It isn’t necessarily about our aesthetic being the same as it is our pure approach to design.’

Most recently Chai showed his Fall 2010 Ready to Wear LOVE collection during New York Fashion week (yay fashion week!) on Thursday, February 11. Stills from his show are available at the Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week website.

*The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has helped launched the careers of many now well-known designers such as Proenza Shouler, Derek Lam, Rag & Bone, Marchesa, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rodarte, Jason Wu (Michelle Obama’s Inaugural gown anyone?), Alexander Wang, and fellow Koreans, Doo.Ri and Jean Yu.

It’s the New Year and you’re finally back to work and back to your morning routine, but hopefully you’re watching Good Morning America because Juju Chang became the newsreader for ABC’s Good Morning America. For those of you who may not know, this is huge in the news media business. A job on the morning network shows is one of the most coveted roles and the next best thing is the national evening anchor seat and there are only three of them. It’s pretty awesome that Juju Chang, who started off in the news business as a producer is now firmly seated in front of the cameras every morning. Many folks here in New York know Juju Chang and the people who are most excited are here kids.  We hear through a very close confidant that according to her little boys, they’re now on the same sleep schedule because she goes to bed early just like her little ones. How cute!

This week, GMA did a get to know segment on Juju Chang. Did you know she’s a graduate of Stanford? She happened to be a nationally ranked swimmer at a young age and she got her name Juju because her swim coach couldn’t pronounce her Korean name. And William Shatner of Star Trek fame was part of her wedding proposal? So get to know Juju at Good Morning America’s website.

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=9479966

A little bit about Juju Chang from ABC.

Emmy Award-winning Correspondent Juju Chang debuts as the news anchor of “Good Morning America” in December 2009.

As news anchor, Chang joins Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Sam Champion in the Times Square Studios where she will bring viewers the news headlines from around the country. Chang will also regularly contribute news and feature stories to “Good Morning America.” Additionally, she will continue to contribute reports to ABC newsmagazine “20/20.” Chang’s most recent Emmy was for breaking news coverage of California wildfires. She previously won a Gracie for a “20/20″ story on gender equality in the sciences. Her other recent stories include an hour-long examination of the long-term impact of foreign adoptions; the struggles of people with Albinism globally, including the plight of Tanzanian albinos; and an in-depth portrait of one family as it deals with the gender transition of the dad. Chang has also reported on the case of Hannah Overton, a young Texas mother of five, sentenced to life in prison for the salt-poisoning death of her foster son Andrew Burd. She has reported for “Nightline” on a wide variety of topics including the Heparin tainting scandal, the diet wars and the state of the in vitro fertilization industry.

Chang also won a Gracie for a story about judicial activism on PBS’ “Now,” and a Freddie for a series she hosted, also for PBS, called “The Art of Women’s Health.”

From 1999 to 2000, she anchored the early morning newscasts of ABC News’, “World News Now” and “World News This Morning.”

Chang previously reported primarily for “World News Tonight,” covering such stories as the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya, Hurricane George, and the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Chang was based in Washington, D.C. from 1996-97 where she covered the White House, Capitol Hill, and the 1996 presidential election for NewsOne, ABC’s affiliate news service.

Prior to her assignment in Washington, she was a reporter for KGO-TV in San Francisco, from 1995-96, where she covered a variety of state and local issues.

Before her on-air career, Chang served as a producer and off-air reporter for “World News Tonight.”

Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in California, Chang graduated with honors from Stanford University with a BA in political science and communication. At Stanford, she was awarded the Edwin Cotrell Political Science Prize.

She is married to Neal Shapiro and has three sons. She’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a founding board member of the Korean American Community Foundation.

The Godfather of Korean-American actors is still in his 30’s but it would be safe to say that John Cho is really the guy who paved the way for many young Korean-American actors into Hollywood.  John Cho had a real breakout year.  He was Sulu in this summer’s re-ignition of the Star Trek franchise, and he also found himself in a co-starring role in ABC’s FlashForward.  That’s not just big for being a Korean-American actor, but that’s big for anyone in Hollywood: to get a co-starring role in a large scale movie franchise and then a leading role in a network television show in a single year.  I’d call that a damn good year for any actor.  And to make things real interesting, he found himself stretching the racial boundaries as the fiance of Zoey, played by Gabrielle Union.  Big props to the writer for installing a Korean-American guy in a romantic relationship with an African-American gal.  Oh and btw, just to finish off the year, John was once again named as one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive for the second year in a row.

John’s been in Hollywood for a long time and all that pounding of the pavement is finally paying off.  When you think of Korean-Americans at the forefront of Hollywood, John Cho is probably the first guy that comes to mind.  He’s come a long way from being the guy who said “MILF” in American Pie and smoked pot in his pursuit of White Castle burgers in Harold & Kumar.  He’s really made it in Hollywood and has become truly recognized.  There’s a good number of up and coming Korean-American actors in Hollywood trying to make it big, but they can all thank John Cho for being the pioneer and showing the way.  And that’s why John Cho has beamed up to #4 as one our top ten most influential Korean-Americans in 2009.

Ken Jeong became “that” guy this year.  Y’know, the guy you keep seeing in a bunch of movies but you don’t know his real name.  Ken Jeong made a huge splash in the surprise summer hit, The Hangover, when he jumped out of a car’s trunk in his birthday suit.  He kept on rolling with roles in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, All About Steve, Couples Retreat and a co-starring role as the cantankerous Senor Chang in NBC’s new show Community.  He already has a full slate of work in 2010 and the future keeps looking brighter.  This is pretty incredible for a guy who gave up medicine to pursue a career in comedy and acting. Ken was a doctor in residency down in New Orleans, but he decided to give it up to go to Hollywood.  How many Korean parents would’ve rolled their eyes if their sons or daughters said that they were going to Hollywood after having gone through medical school and residency?  Ken defied a parent’s logic and believed in his comedic abilities.  Now he’s “that” guy that cracks people up in the hilarious character roles he plays.  What Ken Jeong showed us was that even in Hollywood, you can still make it even without looking like Brad Pitt.  As long as you have dedication and talent, the dream is possible.  There are many kids out there who are doing what they’re parents want them to do because it’s the most conservative route.  Ken just showed us that you can follow your passions and beat the odds, and that’s why he’s #5 on our list of top ten most influential Korean-Americans in 2009.

How did an all-girl pop group from South Korea find itself on one of the biggest concert stages in America?  They did it by sheer will and ignoring the critics.  It also helped that they had JYP working behind the scenes for them.  No one would have thought that these young ladies would get noticed in America, but they caught the attention of the Jonas Brothers and there they were on stage all summer with them, opening up for one of the biggest summer concert tours in 2009.  Along the way, they made a lot of fans and believers that Korean singers could be successful in the biggest music market.  A year ago, they were the cute girls who stormed South Korea with their singing and dancing to “Tell Me.”  Fast Forward to today, and they’ve toured all of America with the Jonas Brothers, made numerous appearances at different red carpets, and found themselves singing in front of a nationally televised audience on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance.”  If more Korean artists find their way into the American market, they can thank the Wonder Girls and JYP for figuring out a formula and laying the groundwork for a path across the Pacific.  The Wonder Girls sang their hit song “Nobody” all year, but in the end, they became somebody and have sang their way to #6 on our list of top ten most influential Koreans in 2009.

Y.E. Yang made a big splash this year by doing the impossible and that was take down Tiger Woods (when Tiger wasn’t with a lady of the night).  When we mean the impossible, we’re referring to his unbelievable defeat of Tiger Woods at a major golf championship: The PGA Championship at Hazeltine.  To put this into perspective, Tiger Woods had never lost a major championship when leading in the final round of a major golf tournament. However, it was Y.E. Yang of all Korean golfers (Anthony Kim, K.J. Choi) that stared down the greatest golfer of our generation and maybe of all time, and executed one of the greatest shots on the final hole (72nd) of a major golf championship.  He perfectly landed a hybrid shot that set up the birdie to bring down the hammer on Tiger Woods on the 18th hole.  No one east of Hawai’i would have predicted that Y.E. Yang would be the first Korean golfer to win a major golf tournament and no one in their right mind would have bet on Y.E. Yang beating Tiger head to head in the final group of a golf major.  Y.E. Yang is #7 on our top ten list of most influential Korean-Americans because he not only broke through to victory on one of golf’s biggest stage, but he showed the whole world that Tiger was beatable and that you could go toe to toe with the greatest golfer in the world.  And now the rest of the golf world knows that you can beat Tiger (on the golf course .  He made believers out of everyone!

Big news on the morning news shows as Juju Chang will be replacing Chris Cuomo on ABC’s “Good Morning America” as the newsreader. Juju Chang would become the first Korean-American to be in a prominent role in the morning news shows. She will be joining George Stephanapolous, Robin Roberts and weatherman Sam Champion as the new “GMA” team. That’s diversity people! Love it! So who is Juju Chang? Check out her bio from the ABC News website.

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Juju Chang is a New York-based, Emmy Award-winning correspondent for ABC News’ “20/20,” “Good Morning America” and “Nightline.” She also posts a weekly Web log called “JUJUJUGGLE” about work, motherhood and the madness of everyday living.

Chang recently won another Emmy for her breaking news coverage of California wildfires. She has previously won a prestigious Gracie award for a “20/20″ story on “Women and Science,” a profile of transgender neurobiologist Ben Barres. Her other stories include an hourlong look at the long-term impact of foreign adoptions through the eyes of one American family and an inspirational advocate who champions their cause.

Chang has also recently reported on the case of Hannah Overton, a mother who is spending life in prison for the salt-poisoning death of her foster son, Andrew Burd.

She has reported for Nightline about lead poisoning in toys and trinkets, the Heparin tainting scandal and the in vitro fertilization industry.

Chang has also won a Gracie for a story about judicial activism on PBS’ “Now,” and a Freddie for a series she hosted — also for PBS — called “The Art of Women’s Health.”

From 1999 to 2000, she anchored the early morning newscasts of ABC News’ “World News Now” and “World News This Morning.” From 1998 to 1999, Chang reported primarily for “World News Tonight,” covering such stories as the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya, Hurricane George and the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Chang was based in Washington, D.C., from 1996-97, where she covered the White House, Capitol Hill, and the 1996 presidential election for NewsOne, ABC’s affiliate news service.

Prior to her assignment in Washington, she was a reporter for KGO-TV in San Francisco from 1995-96, where she covered a variety of state and local issues.

Between 1991 and 1995, Chang served as a producer and off-air reporter for “World News Tonight.”

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Chang graduated with honors from Stanford University with a BA in political science and communication. At Stanford, she was awarded the Edwin Cotrell Political Science Prize. She is married to Neal Shapiro and has three sons. She’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a founding board member of the Korean American Community Foundation.

Continuing our top ten of most influential Korean-Americans in 2009, we meet a man who stormed America with his food truck.  How influential was Roy Choi and his Kogi Truck?  The Zagat guide for 2010 began including the ratings of food trucks and it would be safe to say that the Kogi truck made the most influence on the Zagat guide to include this new category.  How many restaurateurs can say they were profiled in the New York Times, LA Times, Newsweek, ABC News and many other national media outlets?  Not many if any, but a little truck that zooms around southern California with Twitter followers may have made the biggest news in the food world in all of 2009.  New trucks were popping up all around the country and this was a direct correlation to the success and popularity of the Kogi Truck.  Of course David Chang is the most famous of Korean-American chefs, but it was Roy’s grassroots efforts and guerrilla mentality that got Kogi Truck on the American map.  Roy Choi has a pedigree – a La Bernardin alum and Culinary Institute of America valedictorian - but he chose to do something very innovative with the invention of Korean Kogi Tacos and delivering them on wheels.  No one else out there used Twitter and social media as a marketing tool better than the Kogi Truck.  Roy Choi and the Kogi Truck were honored at this year’s prestigious Bon Appetit Awards, where he spoke in front of America’s top chefs and restaurateurs.

He (Roy Choi) spoke of delivering cheap, healthy, sustainable fast food to kids and adults in underprivileged neighborhoods who from birth to death eat nothing but fast food. (Later Choi explained to Eater that what they do would be the equivalent of an NYC truck going into the South Bronx or Bed Stuy at midnight). He spoke of starting with $1,500 and a family of co-workers and growing it into a 53 person company. He got a standing ovation. Ten minutes later, reps from both the Today show and the Food Network were scheduling spots with Kogi.

Roy Choi and the Kogi Truck is #9 on our list of top ten most influential Korean-Americans in 2009.

If you don’t know about the Kogi truck, then you’ve been living under a rock. Roy Choi and buds started humbly with a truck and an idea to cook and sell kogi tacos on the streets of LA. It’s taken the country by storm and it seems like everyone is trying to start-up a truck. Who would’ve thought that truck food could be so popular. It caused such a craze that now food trucks are covered for the first time by the new Zagat guide for 2010. We covered these guys back in January and who would’ve thought they would explode onto the food scene like they have. Walk down memory lane with a video from the Kogi guys on how it all started.

Starting today we count down the top ten most influential Korean-Americans from 2009.  It’s been an incredible year with Korean-Americans becoming more prominent in every facet of life from entertainment to politics.  Till the end of the year, we’ll showcase these Korean-Americans who really stood out in 2009 and  today we begin the countdown with Mr. Justin Chon at #10.

When we looked at our web analytics logs, Justin Chon was one of the most searched people on our website and the two interviews we conducted with him had some of the highest traffic this past year.   Justin Chon had a breakout year with a key role again in the wildly popular Twilight Saga film (New Moon), which may end up being the highest grossing film this year.  He also had big roles in the movie Crossing Over, and the indie film Turbo.  Justin’s one of the rising stars in Hollywood and that can definitely be attributed to his work ethic.  Did you know that his role “Eric Yorkie” in Twilight wasn’t written for an Asian guy?   He obviously impressed enough for the casting agents of Twilight to cast him in the role of Eric.  In the film Crossover, he acted along side legendary actors Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd.  Justin is as Californian as they come but he portrayed a Korean immigrant struggling to adopt to America in Crossover. We had the opportunity to talk to him over the course of the year and he is truly a nerd when it comes to acting and we know he has range. Though his father was an actor in South Korea and he has the acting genes, he knows how much more he has to work.  It was obvious to us how much he respects his craft and how hard he works at honing his skills.  He’s very appreciative of the Twilight fame but his ambition is to work harder and to challenge himself with bigger roles.  Justin had a great year in 2009 and we know you’ll see more of him in 2010 and beyond.