SuChin Pak
Encyclopedia
SuChin Pak is a South Korea
n-born American
television
news correspondent, frequently appearing on the cable networks of MTV
.
SuChin Pak joined the MTV News
Team as a correspondent in May 2001. She has covered the MTV Movie Awards
, the Sundance Film Festival
, and the MTV Video Music Awards
. She also co-hosted, with Kurt Loder
, MTV's pre-Grammy show. As a correspondent for "MTV Daily News", she has interviewed Mariah Carey
, *NSYNC, P. Diddy, George Lucas
, Jane's Addiction
, Mary J. Blige
, Billy Idol
, Vinnie Potestivo
and Fred Durst
. Pak hosted her own MTV documentary about multicultural young people called My Life (Translated). She currently narrates MTV Cribs
as well.
, South Korea
, Pak immigrated along with her parents to California when she was five years old. She grew up in Union City, California
, a suburb
southeast of San Francisco. Her parents own a small restaurant in downtown Oakland, California
.
Pak never planned on a career in television. While attending James Logan High School
, she volunteered for Youth in Government, an organization aimed at involving and educating young people in the political process. She was also a member of the school's forensics team, in which she did expository speaking. In 1992, she placed 8th in the state of California. She was interviewed for the news by KGO-TV
, the ABC
affiliate in San Francisco for the show Straight Talk 'N Teens. The program director for another station happened to see the piece and approached her to host the teen-based magazine show First Cut on KRON, the then-NBC
(now MyNetwork TV) affiliate in San Francisco. This "after-school job" became Pak's introduction to the entertainment world. Her first big interview for the show was Ice-T
.
While attending the University of California, Berkeley
as a political science
major, Pak was once again discovered, when the producer of a PBS
science show called Newton's Apple
saw a tape of her. Following graduation, she was approached by ZDTV (first changed to TechTV
, now called G4
), a cable network devoted to technology and the Internet. After a year working on Internet Tonight
, a daily half-hour show at ZDTV (now G4
), she was recruited to be a correspondent on KRON. Looking to move on from San Francisco, she sent in a tape to the start-up cable network Oxygen
. After a year-long audition process, she was hired as a host for the show Trackers and moved to New York City
. From there, MTV
spotted her and she was soon the first Asian
face of MTV.
In 2004, Pak was behind the firing of fellow MTV VJ Iann Robinson.
In 2007, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, revealing that she has struggled with confidence
and beauty
issues for many years. She mainly spoke about her epicanthal fold
s, and explained how her family and other Asians believe a double eyelid is crucial to beauty. She also mentioned how epicanthoplasty is the top form of plastic surgery
being done in Asia.
More recently, in 2008, Pak had left MTV News for Planet Green to host G Word, which is co-hosted by Daniel Sieberg.
In 2010, Pak returned to MTV News and hosted the VMAs Pre Show.
Recently, Pak has been the host for the National Constitution Center's "The Exchange," a program in which high school students discuss their views on relevant constitutional issues.
Most recently, Pak has been hired as the new on-air correspondent for Daily Candy, an email newsletter based in New York.
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...
n-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
news correspondent, frequently appearing on the cable networks of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
SuChin Pak joined the MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
Team as a correspondent in May 2001. She has covered the MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
, the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, and the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
. She also co-hosted, with Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder is an American film critic, author, columnist, and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at Rolling Stone, during a tenure that Reason later called "legendary". He has contributed to articles in Reason, Esquire, Details, New York, and Time. He has also made cameos on...
, MTV's pre-Grammy show. As a correspondent for "MTV Daily News", she has interviewed Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, *NSYNC, P. Diddy, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
, Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, Vinnie Potestivo
Vinnie Potestivo
Vinnie Potestivo is an American casting director and television producer.He is currently the President of Vinnie Potestivo Entertainment, Inc which began as a full-service talent and casting agency dedicated to finding talent solutions for all media platforms including broadcast, digital and print...
and Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
. Pak hosted her own MTV documentary about multicultural young people called My Life (Translated). She currently narrates MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
as well.
Life and career
Born in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed 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...
, Pak immigrated along with her parents to California when she was five years old. She grew up in Union City, California
Union City, California
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1959, combining the communities of Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado was the original county seat of Alameda County, and the site of the first county courthouse is a California Historical Landmark . The city...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
southeast of San Francisco. Her parents own a small restaurant in downtown Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
.
Pak never planned on a career in television. While attending James Logan High School
James Logan High School
James Logan High School is a public secondary school in Union City, California, United States. The school is administrated by the New Haven Unified School District and has an enrollment of more than 4000 students.-Demographics:...
, she volunteered for Youth in Government, an organization aimed at involving and educating young people in the political process. She was also a member of the school's forensics team, in which she did expository speaking. In 1992, she placed 8th in the state of California. She was interviewed for the news by KGO-TV
KGO-TV
KGO-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, based in San Francisco, California...
, the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate in San Francisco for the show Straight Talk 'N Teens. The program director for another station happened to see the piece and approached her to host the teen-based magazine show First Cut on KRON, the then-NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(now MyNetwork TV) affiliate in San Francisco. This "after-school job" became Pak's introduction to the entertainment world. Her first big interview for the show was Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
.
While attending the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
as a political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
major, Pak was once again discovered, when the producer of a PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
science show called Newton's Apple
Newton's Apple
Newton's Apple is an educational television program distributed to PBS stations in the United States that ran for fifteen seasons from 1983 to 1998. Targeted at younger viewers, it was highly regarded...
saw a tape of her. Following graduation, she was approached by ZDTV (first changed to TechTV
TechTV
TechTV was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. In 2004, it merged with the G4 gaming channel which ultimately dissolved TechTV programming...
, now called G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
), a cable network devoted to technology and the Internet. After a year working on Internet Tonight
Internet Tonight
Internet Tonight was a television program on the cable network ZDTV . The show combined the "effervescent moxie" of Michaela Pereira with the "dry wit" of Scott Herriott, to bring the viewers the latest in Internet trends, humor, and news...
, a daily half-hour show at ZDTV (now G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
), she was recruited to be a correspondent on KRON. Looking to move on from San Francisco, she sent in a tape to the start-up cable network Oxygen
Oxygen (TV channel)
Oxygen is an American cable television specialty channel with television programming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.- History :...
. After a year-long audition process, she was hired as a host for the show Trackers and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. From there, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
spotted her and she was soon the first Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
face of MTV.
In 2004, Pak was behind the firing of fellow MTV VJ Iann Robinson.
In 2007, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, revealing that she has struggled with confidence
Confidence
Confidence is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself. Arrogance or hubris in this comparison, is having unmerited...
and beauty
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
issues for many years. She mainly spoke about her epicanthal fold
Epicanthal fold
An epicanthic fold, epicanthal fold, or epicanthus is a skin fold of the upper eyelid, covering the inner corner of the eye....
s, and explained how her family and other Asians believe a double eyelid is crucial to beauty. She also mentioned how epicanthoplasty is the top form of plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
being done in Asia.
More recently, in 2008, Pak had left MTV News for Planet Green to host G Word, which is co-hosted by Daniel Sieberg.
In 2010, Pak returned to MTV News and hosted the VMAs Pre Show.
Recently, Pak has been the host for the National Constitution Center's "The Exchange," a program in which high school students discuss their views on relevant constitutional issues.
Most recently, Pak has been hired as the new on-air correspondent for Daily Candy, an email newsletter based in New York.