Korean immigration to Hawaii
Encyclopedia
Koreans in Hawaii came in two distinct waves have occurred in the last century. The first cohort arrived in Hawaii
between 1903 and 1924; the second wave began in 1965. On January 13, 2003, President George W. Bush
recognized the contributions of Korean Americans to the nation in a special proclamation honoring the Centennial of Korean Immigration to the United States.
from Korea
, the group was diverse in age and background and included fifty-six men recruited as laborers for sugar plantations located on various island in the Territory of Hawaii
, as well as twenty-one women and twenty-five children. Within two years of their arrival the number of Koreans who had migrated to Hawaii grew to more than 7,000.
Many of the early immigrants have had some contract with American missionaries in Korea. For some Western-oriented Korean intellectuals, immigrating to the United States was considered useful in part to help them in the modernization of their homeland.
Consequently, the recruiter for laborers for the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association
(HSPA), David Deshler, had no trouble finding Koreans from a wide range of social classes willing to sail to Hawai'i.
King Gojong (1852–1919) reigned in Korea at the time of the first migration to America and played a crucial part in the lives of Koreans abroad. Christian missionaries had found their way to Korea during King Gojong's reign. By the 1890s, American missionaries were the most influential in the Christianizing of Korea. Dr. Horace Allen
, missionary-turned-diplomat, was embroiled in Korean politics and in effect was the representative for American trade. The missionaries brought not only Christianity, but also capitalism, Western learning, and Western culture. Many of the immigrants had converted to Christianity.
Protestant evangelism in Korea was predominantly Methodist and Presbyterian. The two Protestant groups decided not to overlap their evangelizing activities; it was agreed among the Protestants that the Methodist mission in Hawai'i would minister to the Korean immigrants.
Korea's first formal treaty with America was in May 1882, the decade when most of the early Korean immigrants to Hawai'i were born. The treaty was preceded by America's forgotten "little war" of bloody exchanges between the two countries. The little-known episode in American history involved a heavily armed American ship, the Colorado, entering Korean waters and landing its soldiers on Ganghwa Island
. A battle ensued in which more than three hundred Koreans and three American soldiers were killed.
The Americans later returned pursuing a treaty, resulting in the Treaty of Amity and Commerce
in 1882. Among other things, the treaty contained a provision allowing Korean immigration to America. The first group of immigrants came from Rev. George Heber Jones
' Methodist parish in Jemulpo (Inchon).
He was born in 1916 to Korean immigrants who worked in Hawaii's sugar plantations. Choy received his BA from the University of Hawaii
in 1938; and his JD from the Harvard Law School
in 1941. He was the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to practice law in the United States.
From 1946 to 1947, Choy worked as Army Judge Advocate General. After leaving the service he began work with the private law firm of Fong Miho Choy & Robinson from 1947 to 1957, where one of his partners was the future U.S. Senator Hiram Fong.
From 1957 to 1958, Choy served as attorney general for the Territory of Hawaii. In 1971, at the urging of Senator Fong, President Richard Nixon
appointed Choy to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. At the time of Choy's appointment, there were no Asian Americans serving anywhere on the federal bench. Choy was the first individual from Hawaiʻ'i ever appointed to the court.
Choy actively served until 1984, when he took senior status. He was a native of the Hawaiian island of Kauai and had chambers in Honolulu. In 2001, one of Choy's former law clerks, Richard R. Clifton, became the second judge from Hawaii to serve on the Ninth Circuit.
Choy authored many significant opinions, upholding the constitutionality of a law allowing child sexual abuse victims to testify via closed-circuit television, allowing a Muslim inmate to sue Phoenix-area jail officials for imposing discriminatory security measures at Muslim services, and upholding California’s “green advertising” law regulating advertisers’ claims about “biodegradable” or “recycled” products.
actor, perhaps best known for playing Jin-Soo Kwon on the television series Lost
.
Kim or DDK (as most of his fans call him) was born in Busan
, South Korea
and moved to the United States with his family at the age of two, growing up in Easton, Pennsylvania
, in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Kim is a graduate of Freedom High School
in Bethlehem
, Pennsylvania and Haverford College
in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a dual major in political science and theatre. His theatre major was completed at the neighboring Bryn Mawr College
in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Prior to his casting as Jin in Lost, he was probably best known for numerous recurring roles in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Although his character in Lost speaks mainly in Korean
and has almost no ability to speak English, English is actually Daniel's primary language and he is not fluent in Korean. He has been seen in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as a treasury agent as well as Angel, 24, Star Trek
: Voyager
, Star Trek: Enterprise, Power Rangers, Crusade,Charmed,The Shield and other shows. He also made guest appearances on Seinfeld, NYPD Blue
, and ER
. He also had a small part in Spider-Man 2
as a scientist working in Doctor Octavius' laboratory.
Kim was named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2005. Kim is the voice of the character Johnny Gat in the Xbox 360
game Saints Row
. He also provided his voice for 24: The Game in which he played his character from the show, Tom Baker
. He also provided the voice for Metron in the final two episodes of Justice League Unlimited
.
is the mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii
, United States
. He was elected in 2000. Kim grew up in Keaau (also known by its older name of Ola'a). He attended Ola'a School and Hilo High School
. He then attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo
and Southern Oregon University
. He served in the U.S. Army as a medic and was a teacher and coach. Kim was best known for his longtime position as County Director of Civil Defense
, a relatively high-profile position which, with his frequent trademark radio broadcasts, gave him broad name recognition as the "Voice of Doom".
After sixteen years as Civil Defense Director, Kim ran for Mayor. The 2000 campaign was noted (like Kim himself) for its humility, refusing to accept any donation over $10, and printing bumper stickers reading "Applicant for Mayor". To run in the election he was required to choose a political party and opted to run as a Republican. Also on the ballot that year was a provision rendering future Hawaii County political races non-partisan. The initiative passed, and Kim has since disavowed his connection to the Republicans. After defeating Republican Harvey Tajiri in the primary, Kim won the general election, receiving 50% of the vote. His opponents, Democrat Fred Holschuh and former Green Party county councilwoman Keiko Bonk
received 30 and 20 percent, respectively.
In 2004, Kim ran for a second term, easily defeating a plethora of candidates including Dominic Yagong and "cannabis sacrament" minister Roger Christie. During his time in office, Kim has advocated, among other initiatives, recycling projects and the creation of a new County office complex in the place of the defunct Kaiko'o Mall. In July 2005 Kim announced he was considering running for governor as a Democrat. On July 22, 2006, shortly before the filing deadline, he took his name out of consideration.
(Korean name: 문대양 born 1940-09-04) is the Chief Justice
of the Hawaii State Supreme Court
in Honolulu, Hawaii
. He served his first term from 1993 to 2003. He is currently serving his second term from 2003 to 2013. Moon studied at Coe College
towards bachelor degrees in psychology and sociology. He went on to the University of Iowa
where he obtained his doctorate of jurisprudence. He returned to Honolulu in 1965 and became law clerk to United States District Court Judge Martin Pence. He served under Pence for a year. In 1966, Moon joined the staff of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu where he was deputy prosecutor until 1968. He left public service to become a partner in the law firm Libkuman, Ventura, Moon and Ayabe where he stayed until 1982. It was from the law firm that Governor George Ariyoshi appointed Moon to the Hawaii State Judiciary
as a circuit court judge. Governor John Waihee then elevated Moon to the office of Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court in 1990. In 1993, Moon was once again elevated to become chief justice.
Moon is of Korean descent. His grandparents were among the first Korean immigrants to Hawaii.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Korean-born parents, Wie began playing golf at the age of four. Upon turning professional at age 15 she said, "The first time I grabbed a golf club, I knew that I'd do it for the rest of my life."
In the summer of 2000, at the age of ten, she became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. In 2001, at the age of 11, she won both the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play Championship and the Jennie K. Wilson Women’s Invitational, the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur tournament in Hawaii. Also at age 11, she shot a personal-best 64 from the 5,400-yard tees at the Olomana Golf Links course in Hawaii. That year, Wie became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship and advanced into match play at the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
Wie played her first professional event while still an amateur in April 2002. As of May 8, 2008, she had played in a total of 56 professional events as either an amateur or a professional: 43 against women on the LPGA Tour and 13 against men: 7 on the PGA Tour, 2 on the Japan Golf Tour, 1 on the European Tour, 1 on the Asian Tour, 1 on the Nationwide Tour, and 1 on the Canadian Tour.
November 15–17, 2002: Hawaii State Open, Women's Division (Wie's last stroke-play victory) (67-71-70—208 (8 under), 13 strokes over Cindy Rarick)
Wie won several other Hawaiian local and junior events during the years 2000 through 2002.
June 17–22, 2003: U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (Stroke play: 73-71—144 (even par); 18-hole matches: 2&1, 2&1, 5&4, 6&5, 5&4; 36-hole final: 1 up over Virada Nirapathpongporn)
She has never won a 72-hole stroke-play event at any level.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
between 1903 and 1924; the second wave began in 1965. On January 13, 2003, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
recognized the contributions of Korean Americans to the nation in a special proclamation honoring the Centennial of Korean Immigration to the United States.
Origins
Koreans' voyage just completed for their immigration to Hawaii at the dawn on January 13, 1903. When steamed into Honolulu HarborHonolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor, also called Kulolia and Ke Awa O Kou, is the principal seaport of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii in the United States. It is from Honolulu Harbor, located on Mamala Bay, that the City & County of Honolulu was developed and urbanized, in an outward fashion, over the course of the...
from Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, the group was diverse in age and background and included fifty-six men recruited as laborers for sugar plantations located on various island in the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
, as well as twenty-one women and twenty-five children. Within two years of their arrival the number of Koreans who had migrated to Hawaii grew to more than 7,000.
The beginnings of Koreans in America
The first large immigration of Koreans with passports to live in America occurred between 1903 and 1905. There were 7,226 immigrants disembarking from 65 ship arrivals: 6,048 were men, 637 were women, and 541 were children.Many of the early immigrants have had some contract with American missionaries in Korea. For some Western-oriented Korean intellectuals, immigrating to the United States was considered useful in part to help them in the modernization of their homeland.
Consequently, the recruiter for laborers for the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association
Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association
Founded in 1895, the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association was an unincorporated, voluntary organization of sugar plantation owners in the Hawaiian Islands. Its objective was to promote the mutual benefits of its members and the development of the sugar industry in the islands. It conducted...
(HSPA), David Deshler, had no trouble finding Koreans from a wide range of social classes willing to sail to Hawai'i.
Decades of new hope, hardships and barriers
Within a century the Korean population in America exploded from seven thousands to about two million.King Gojong (1852–1919) reigned in Korea at the time of the first migration to America and played a crucial part in the lives of Koreans abroad. Christian missionaries had found their way to Korea during King Gojong's reign. By the 1890s, American missionaries were the most influential in the Christianizing of Korea. Dr. Horace Allen
Horace Newton Allen
Horace Newton Allen was a Protestant medical missionary and a diplomat from the United States to Korea at the end of the Joseon Dynasty.-Biography:He was born in Delaware, Ohio on April 23, 1858. He lreceived his B.S...
, missionary-turned-diplomat, was embroiled in Korean politics and in effect was the representative for American trade. The missionaries brought not only Christianity, but also capitalism, Western learning, and Western culture. Many of the immigrants had converted to Christianity.
Protestant evangelism in Korea was predominantly Methodist and Presbyterian. The two Protestant groups decided not to overlap their evangelizing activities; it was agreed among the Protestants that the Methodist mission in Hawai'i would minister to the Korean immigrants.
Korea's first formal treaty with America was in May 1882, the decade when most of the early Korean immigrants to Hawai'i were born. The treaty was preceded by America's forgotten "little war" of bloody exchanges between the two countries. The little-known episode in American history involved a heavily armed American ship, the Colorado, entering Korean waters and landing its soldiers on Ganghwa Island
Ganghwa Island
Ganghwa Island is an island in the estuary of the Han River, on the west coast of South Korea. Ganghwa Island is separated from Gimpo, on the mainland, by a narrow channel, which is spanned by two bridges. The main channel of the Han River separates the island from Gaeseong in North Korea.About...
. A battle ensued in which more than three hundred Koreans and three American soldiers were killed.
The Americans later returned pursuing a treaty, resulting in the Treaty of Amity and Commerce
Treaty of Amity and Commerce
There have been several treaties named the Treaty of Amity and Commerce:* 1778 – Treaty of Amity and Commerce * 1782 – Treaty of Amity and Commerce...
in 1882. Among other things, the treaty contained a provision allowing Korean immigration to America. The first group of immigrants came from Rev. George Heber Jones
George Heber Jones
George Heber Jones was an American Christian missionary in Korea. Jones, who grew up in Utica, New York, is notable as the first Protestant missionary in Korea who took an academic approach to the research of Korean religions...
' Methodist parish in Jemulpo (Inchon).
- Immigrants prior to 1903: Historical statistics of Hawai'i indicate there were sixteen Koreans in the Territory of Hawai'i in 1902. Some are said to have been ginseng merchants in disguise who came using Chinese passports. One of these ginseng merchants was Choo Eun Yang, who came to Hawai'i and transmigrated to San Francisco around 1898. He became active in the Korean community there, became prosperous, and lived to the age of 102. Among other immigrants, Sung Pong Chang worked for the Circuit Court of Hawai'i and for the Honolulu Police Department as an interpreter until he died in 1949.
- Four famous Korean immigrants: Dr. Philip JaisohnPhilip JaisohnPhilip Jaisohn was the anglicized name used by Seo Jae-pil, a noted champion for Korea's independence, and the first Korean to become a naturalized citizen of the United States.-Political activist:...
(1866–1951), Dr. Syngman RheeSyngman RheeSyngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
(1875–1965), Dosan Ahn Chang Ho (1878–1938), and Young Man Pak (1877–1928). See also List of notable Korean Americans in Hawaii.
Herbert Young Cho Choy
Herbert Young Cho Choy (born 1916-01-06, Makaweli, Hawaii–2004-03-10) was the first Asian American federal judge in the history of the United States, as well as the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to practice law in the United States.He was born in 1916 to Korean immigrants who worked in Hawaii's sugar plantations. Choy received his BA from the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
in 1938; and his JD from the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1941. He was the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to practice law in the United States.
From 1946 to 1947, Choy worked as Army Judge Advocate General. After leaving the service he began work with the private law firm of Fong Miho Choy & Robinson from 1947 to 1957, where one of his partners was the future U.S. Senator Hiram Fong.
From 1957 to 1958, Choy served as attorney general for the Territory of Hawaii. In 1971, at the urging of Senator Fong, President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
appointed Choy to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. At the time of Choy's appointment, there were no Asian Americans serving anywhere on the federal bench. Choy was the first individual from Hawaiʻ'i ever appointed to the court.
Choy actively served until 1984, when he took senior status. He was a native of the Hawaiian island of Kauai and had chambers in Honolulu. In 2001, one of Choy's former law clerks, Richard R. Clifton, became the second judge from Hawaii to serve on the Ninth Circuit.
Choy authored many significant opinions, upholding the constitutionality of a law allowing child sexual abuse victims to testify via closed-circuit television, allowing a Muslim inmate to sue Phoenix-area jail officials for imposing discriminatory security measures at Muslim services, and upholding California’s “green advertising” law regulating advertisers’ claims about “biodegradable” or “recycled” products.
Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim (born 1968-08-04) is a KoreanKorean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
actor, perhaps best known for playing Jin-Soo Kwon on the television series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Kim or DDK (as most of his fans call him) was born in Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and moved to the United States with his family at the age of two, growing up in Easton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Kim is a graduate of Freedom High School
Freedom High School (Pennsylvania)
Freedom High School is a public high school, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. Freedom is one of two public high schools in the Bethlehem Area School District. It is located at 3149 Chester Avenue, Bethlehem Township.The total...
in Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
, Pennsylvania and Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a dual major in political science and theatre. His theatre major was completed at the neighboring Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Prior to his casting as Jin in Lost, he was probably best known for numerous recurring roles in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Although his character in Lost speaks mainly in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and has almost no ability to speak English, English is actually Daniel's primary language and he is not fluent in Korean. He has been seen in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as a treasury agent as well as Angel, 24, Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
: Voyager
Voyager
-Technology:*LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics*NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation*Voyager , a computer worm affecting Oracle databases...
, Star Trek: Enterprise, Power Rangers, Crusade,Charmed,The Shield and other shows. He also made guest appearances on Seinfeld, NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, and ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. He also had a small part in Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
as a scientist working in Doctor Octavius' laboratory.
Kim was named one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2005. Kim is the voice of the character Johnny Gat in the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Saints Row
Saints Row
Saints Row is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. It is the first title in the Saints Row series and is succeeded by Saints Row 2. A PlayStation 3 port was cancelled after protracted development time...
. He also provided his voice for 24: The Game in which he played his character from the show, Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
. He also provided the voice for Metron in the final two episodes of Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
.
Harry Kim
Harry KimHarry Kim (politician)
Harry Kim is a former mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii. Hawaii County is the government of Hawaii island, known as the Big Island. He was elected in 2000, and served until 2008.- Life :...
is the mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was elected in 2000. Kim grew up in Keaau (also known by its older name of Ola'a). He attended Ola'a School and Hilo High School
Hilo High School
Hilo High School is a public, co-educational high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education, and serves grades nine through twelve. Established in 1906, its first class graduated in 1909. Hilo High School is near the Wailuku River in Hawaii County on the Big Island of Hawaii. The campus...
. He then attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo
University of Hawaii at Hilo
The University of Hawaii at Hilo, UHH, or UH Hilo is one of the ten branches of the University of Hawaii system anchored by the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii...
and Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University
is a public liberal arts college located in Ashland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1926, it was formerly known as Southern Oregon College and Southern Oregon State College . SOU offers criminology, natural sciences, including environmental science, Shakespearean studies and theatre arts programs...
. He served in the U.S. Army as a medic and was a teacher and coach. Kim was best known for his longtime position as County Director of Civil Defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
, a relatively high-profile position which, with his frequent trademark radio broadcasts, gave him broad name recognition as the "Voice of Doom".
After sixteen years as Civil Defense Director, Kim ran for Mayor. The 2000 campaign was noted (like Kim himself) for its humility, refusing to accept any donation over $10, and printing bumper stickers reading "Applicant for Mayor". To run in the election he was required to choose a political party and opted to run as a Republican. Also on the ballot that year was a provision rendering future Hawaii County political races non-partisan. The initiative passed, and Kim has since disavowed his connection to the Republicans. After defeating Republican Harvey Tajiri in the primary, Kim won the general election, receiving 50% of the vote. His opponents, Democrat Fred Holschuh and former Green Party county councilwoman Keiko Bonk
Keiko Bonk
Keiko Cecilia Bonk is a Hawaiin American activist, artist, musician and politician.-Life:Born July 13, 1954 in Honolulu, her mother was Fumie Matsuoka and father was William Bonk, an archeologist who died in 2008...
received 30 and 20 percent, respectively.
In 2004, Kim ran for a second term, easily defeating a plethora of candidates including Dominic Yagong and "cannabis sacrament" minister Roger Christie. During his time in office, Kim has advocated, among other initiatives, recycling projects and the creation of a new County office complex in the place of the defunct Kaiko'o Mall. In July 2005 Kim announced he was considering running for governor as a Democrat. On July 22, 2006, shortly before the filing deadline, he took his name out of consideration.
Ronald T. Y. Moon
Ronald MoonRonald Moon
Ronald T. Y. Moon 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 studied at Coe College towards bachelor degrees in psychology and sociology...
(Korean name: 문대양 born 1940-09-04) is the Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Hawaii State Supreme Court
Hawaii State Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions of the trial courts in which appeals have been granted...
in Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. He served his first term from 1993 to 2003. He is currently serving his second term from 2003 to 2013. Moon studied at Coe College
Coe College
Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa...
towards bachelor degrees in psychology and sociology. He went on to the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
where he obtained his doctorate of jurisprudence. He returned to Honolulu in 1965 and became law clerk to United States District Court Judge Martin Pence. He served under Pence for a year. In 1966, Moon joined the staff of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu where he was deputy prosecutor until 1968. He left public service to become a partner in the law firm Libkuman, Ventura, Moon and Ayabe where he stayed until 1982. It was from the law firm that Governor George Ariyoshi appointed Moon to the Hawaii State Judiciary
Hawaii State Judiciary
The Hawaii State Judiciary is the official name of the judicial system of Hawaii in the United States. Based in Honolulu, the Hawaii State Judiciary is a unified state court system that functions under the Chief Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court who is its...
as a circuit court judge. Governor John Waihee then elevated Moon to the office of Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court in 1990. In 1993, Moon was once again elevated to become chief justice.
Moon is of Korean descent. His grandparents were among the first Korean immigrants to Hawaii.
Michelle Sung Wie
Michelle Sung Wie is a Korean-American professional golfer. In 2006, she was named in a Time magazine article, "one of 100 people who shape our world."Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Korean-born parents, Wie began playing golf at the age of four. Upon turning professional at age 15 she said, "The first time I grabbed a golf club, I knew that I'd do it for the rest of my life."
In the summer of 2000, at the age of ten, she became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. In 2001, at the age of 11, she won both the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play Championship and the Jennie K. Wilson Women’s Invitational, the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur tournament in Hawaii. Also at age 11, she shot a personal-best 64 from the 5,400-yard tees at the Olomana Golf Links course in Hawaii. That year, Wie became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship and advanced into match play at the Women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
Wie played her first professional event while still an amateur in April 2002. As of May 8, 2008, she had played in a total of 56 professional events as either an amateur or a professional: 43 against women on the LPGA Tour and 13 against men: 7 on the PGA Tour, 2 on the Japan Golf Tour, 1 on the European Tour, 1 on the Asian Tour, 1 on the Nationwide Tour, and 1 on the Canadian Tour.
November 15–17, 2002: Hawaii State Open, Women's Division (Wie's last stroke-play victory) (67-71-70—208 (8 under), 13 strokes over Cindy Rarick)
Wie won several other Hawaiian local and junior events during the years 2000 through 2002.
June 17–22, 2003: U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links (Stroke play: 73-71—144 (even par); 18-hole matches: 2&1, 2&1, 5&4, 6&5, 5&4; 36-hole final: 1 up over Virada Nirapathpongporn)
She has never won a 72-hole stroke-play event at any level.