KAs@Work is a new series that profiles Korean Americans and their jobs. Want to share what you do, or know of people with interesting jobs? Get in touch.

In our recent Top 5 Most Korean-American Cities series, we briefly mentioned Pastor Eugene Cho and his many ventures towards improving the local community in Seattle. We wanted to know more about Quest Church, Q Café, and One Day’s Wages so we decided to do a more in-depth profile on him. Read on to learn more about his inspirational work and see how you can get involved.

What do you do?

I’m a husband to my wife Minhee, a father to 3 wonderful children, a pastor at Quest Church in Seattle, the founder of Q Café – a non-profit cafe and music venue – and the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages – a movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty.” When I have some time left over, I write and travel as a speaker and keep pursuing my dreams someday of being an NBA point guard.

What’s the movement of One Day’s Wages, and how can our readers get involved?

One Day’s Wages is a non-profit organization and movement that my wife, our three children, and I felt compelled to start in 2009. We had a conviction to give up our year’s salary, and after three years of saving and simplifying our lives, we made this donation and started ODW. We made this decision, in part, because we didn’t want to ask people to do something we weren’t willing to do ourselves. In short, ODW is a movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. We try to mobilize and inspire people to fund grants and projects around the world to empower those who are living in extreme poverty. 100% of donations (minus credit card fees) go directly to people and projects and, thus far, we’ve raised $801,809.14 in less than two years.

People don’t realize how grassroots we are. We have 1 full-time staff, work out of a 250 square feet office, and are fueled by volunteers, interns, and our supporters from around the world. Because we place a heavy emphasis on human relationships and new media, we depend on YOU for sharing our stories and vision. Please join us.

• Join our Facebook page and share the page with your friends.
• Consider making a donation or better yet, donate your birthday. It takes 3 minutes to create your own birthday campaign and it will have a dramatic impact.
• Watch our video. It’s simple and explains our vision. And if you’re compelled, please share it.

You are also a pastor at Quest Church. What are Sundays like at Quest Church? And how is Quest different from other, more traditional churches?

I would rather not speak of Quest Church in terms of it being different, unique, or special. To be honest, there’s nothing really glamorous or special about Quest. We’re an urban, multicultural, and multi-generational church in Seattle trying to make our city and the larger world a bit more gracious, just, merciful, gracious, and beautiful.  On Sundays, we’re like “other” churches in that we gather, sing, read the Scripture, preach, celebrate Communion, etc. About 450-500 people gather over 3 services. But what makes Quest substantive is our emphasis not on Sundays, but the entire week. I would say that Quest is a group of people longing and seeking to live out our faith and convictions that God loves the world, and through Christ, he is restoring and reconciling all things. As a church, we want to be part of that great narrative by being agents of hope, beauty, and reconciliation.

We read that Q Café was “birthed” and funded by Quest Church. What made you want to start a community cafe?

Free coffee! Okay, that is indeed true, but more importantly, we just wanted to demonstrate our commitment and care for our neighborhood and city. Q Cafe is a non-profit and non-religious cafe featuring direct-trade espresso and tea, art live music, and community events. Simply, we started Q Cafe because we wanted “to be a good neighbor.”

We recently listed Seattle on our Top 5 Most Korean-American cities list. Do you think Seattle’s Korean community has grown / been more active in the past few years?

My family and I are approaching our 15th anniversary in Seattle. I was born in Korea, grew up in San Francisco, and spent some time in NJ/NY prior to Seattle. When we first arrived here, I was surprised how small and “passive” the Korean-American community was, but it has truly been a delight to see a beautiful and compelling emergence of Korean-Americans in all sectors of culture and not just your traditional or stereotypical Korean-American professions. In my opinion, a great mark of any ethnic culture is not only its willingness to engage its own ethnic “tribe,” but to resonate, influence, and bless the larger city and culture. This is what I see emerging in the Korean-American community in the larger Seattle area.

Lastly, what’s next for Eugene Cho? Any future projects we should look out for?

Being a wannabe creative social entrepreneur and activist, the short answer is “yes and yes.” But rather than spilling all my beans, I would simply invite people to track with me through these mediums of communication: My Facebook page, Twitter, and/or by my blog.

One Day’s Wages
http://onedayswages.org/
Follow ODW on Facebook and Twitter
Quest Church
http://seattlequest.org/
Follow Quest on Facebook and Twitter
Q Café
http://www.qcafe.org/
Follow Q Cafe Facebook and Twitter

[Photos: Courtesy of Eugene Cho]

In a weekly series of posts, we will present the Top 5 Most Korean-American cities, selected not only for their numbers, but also for their visibility in mainstream America. Our research was guided by the following criteria: population, famous and/or influential locals, programs, and hotspots.

#4 Seattle, WA

We could begin this post with some witty blurb about Seattle, the rain, and Koreans. Like, “Koreans are raining down on Seattle like wild geese to bank on the good school districts and profitable real estate.” Or maybe even the simpler, “It’s raining Koreans in Seattle!” But let’s just get down to the real nitty-gritty. Here are the main reasons as to why Seattle is #4 on our list of top Korean-American cities.

Numbers

• 52,112 – Seattle metro area (population data compiled using the 2010 Census)

Visibility

• Eugene Cho, a Korean immigrant living in Seattle with his wife and three children, is the founder of Q Café, a neighborhood café and music venue, and the lead pastor and founder of Quest Church. He also co-founded One Day’s Wages—”a new grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty.” Cho’s work with ODW has received widespread media coverage in The New York Times, NPR, The Seattle Times, and other major news publications.
• Matt Kelley, a writer, speaker and communications consultant currently residing in Seoul, founded the Seattle-based MAVIN Foundation—”the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to redefining diversity by celebrating multiracial and transracially adopted youth”—when he was only in his early 20s. And, while he is largely recognized as an advocate for multiracial Americans, he was also the Seoul correspondent for Fridae, Asia’s largest gay and lesbian portal, and, last year, published a poignant piece on his “taboo” love life in South Korea.
• 21-year-old student, poet and organizer, Robin Suhyung Park, battles everyday to break the silence and confront the lack of response/support in her community by openly sharing her experience of being raped by her then boyfriend. She blogs at http://robinisalive.com/ and her first chapbook of poems is available here.

Programs

• The Korean American Historical Society is non-profit organization whose goal is to enrich the lives and experiences of Korean Americans by cataloging and transmitting the history of Korean culture. The KAHS publishes a bi-annual journal called Occasional Papers, conducts interviews with Korean Americans and expatriates, holds seminars and symposia, and also encourages Korean American studies in the world of academia.
• More and more college students are choosing to specialize in Korean studies, but UW’s Center for Korean Studies has always been in the forefront of Korean Studies in the academic world. Former UW professor of Korean History James Palais was the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Korean Studies, one of the few peer-reviewed academic journals that cover Korean Studies.
• The Korean Women’s Association (KWA) was established in 1972 as a non-profit organization to aid Korean wives of American servicemen. However, since it has expanded tremendously, its main focus now is providing a wide range of support to over 150,000 individuals of all different nationalities who are in need of help.
• Sahngnoksoo—meaning “evergreen” in English—is a Seattle-based grassroots organization working to “build political power for the self-determination and liberation of Koreans of all identities.”

Hotspots

 
• Revel—featured on our Korean Food USA series last month—offers a fresh modern take on traditional Korean cuisine. The husband-and-wife chef duo, Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, also own another restaurant in Seattle, Joule, that serves a cross-cultural blend of varying tastes that you’d never expect to combine in one dish.
• Voted ‘America’s Best Food Truck‘ by Good Morning America, Marination Mobile, co-founded by Hawaiian Korean Kamala Saxton, rocks Korean/Hawaiian fusion foods like kalbi tacos, kimchi quesadillas, spam sliders, and kimchi fried rice. After trying LA’s famous Kogi Truck, Kamala and other co-founder Roz Edison wanted to bring the same experience to those living in the Seattle area. And thus, Marination Mobile was born.

• If you’re looking to get your NRB fix, check out Xanadu Karaoke in Lynnwood. Its rooms come in various sizes to accommodate groups of all sizes and are well furnished with big, comfy couches. Drink some beers, pick out your favorite K-pop song, and let the good times roll.
• Open late until 2am, Cockatoo in Federal Way is a great option for those who want to relax on some Hite beer or knock back a couple soju shots. Cockatoo’s menu specializes in yangnyum, or deep-fried chicken, which you can get plain, glazed with a sweet chili sauce, or super spicy. Their happy hour extends from 5-8pm during which you can get $5 fried chicken, ddeokbokki with kimchi, odangtang, and other anju favorites.

Locals

 
• Heartthrob, b-boy extraordinaire and musical artist Park Jaebom, a.k.a Jay Park, was formerly the leader of the K-pop band, 2PM, until his departure in 2009 after a comment on Park’s MySpace was misinterpreted by Korean netizens. Park returned to Seattle, where he was born and raised, to continue working on his music as a solo artist, and released his first mini-album in April 2011, Take a Deeper Look.
  
  
  
  
• Gowe, or Gifted on West East, is a Seattle-reppin’ rapper who was adopted and raised by a Chinese family. Gowe didn’t find out he was adopted until he was 18 years old, and has since wanted to find his biological mother, for whom he wrote the song, “I Wonder.”
• The singing talents of 18-year-old, Erin Kim were mostly unknown until she claimed her victory at last year’s Kollaboration Seattle. Erin will be attending college in Los Angeles where she hopes to continue pursuing her passion for music.
• Other Seattle natives include stand-up comedian Suzanne Park and Chris Kwak of rock band New Heights.

Look out for #3 next week!

UPDATE: Check out our Top 5 Most Korean-American Cities Map!

Melissah Yang and Mink Choi contributed to this post.

Korean Food USA is a new series that showcases Korean and Korean-inspired eateries all around the nation.

Seattle’s newest Korean-American fusion restaurant Revel just opened late last year, but it has already been garnering rave reviews. During his recent visit to Seattle, food writer extraordinaire Frank Bruni took the time to pay a visit, and described it as a “sleeker, sexier Momofuku Ssam bar.” The Seattle Times also praised it as trademark Korean street food gone upscale. Run by husband and wife chef duo Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, the restaurant joins their two other establishments, Joule and Quoin. The menu is pared down, with roughly 18 items, but there is also another menu exclusive to brunch, a popular dining option at Revel.

The small menu is carefully curated, with 3 different types for each category: salad, pancake, dumpling, rice, noodle, and sweet sandwich. Stand out items include the short rib dumpling with scallion and shallot, a pork belly, bean sprout, and kimchi pancake, and a bibimbap garnished with asparagus, pistachio olive chutney, and radicchio. Brunch offers equally innovative and tempting dishes, particularly the chocolate pancake with salted peanut brittle and chili cream.

The restaurant offers a fresh, modern take on traditional Korean cuisine, and is definitely on our list of top eateries to check out.

Revel
403 N 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103
246-547-2040
http://www.revelseattle.com/

[Photos: Revel]

More of BoA because she’s everywhere.  Who is her PR company because she’s in more places than Waldo. Funny thing is that the radio station didn’t know she was coming in and when BoA first arrived at the radio station, no one was there to receive them. Doh!

The Seattle Times posted some great pictures from the 4th annual Han Woo-Ri Korean Festival, which celebrates “culture and sports,” was held at the Federal Way in the Seattle area.  Go see more pictures>

Nice little blog entry about the Korean Cuisine Corp up in Seattle for late night drinks and food.  Read>