About Us

KAC-Chicago ... “Building Chicago’s Korean American Legacy”

KAC-Chicago (KACC) started in November 2002 and has established itself as one of the leading organizations for Korean American young professionals (1.5 and 2nd generation) in metropolitan Chicago.

Our mission is to promote the civic participation of Korean Americans through advocacy, community service, leadership development, and cultural education.

Our GOAL is to create a strong, vibrant community which embraces the best of our Korean heritage and the potential of our future in America.

Our event & initiatives history includes the following:

• 2006 4th Annual KAC National Convention (September 21-24, 2006)
• 2005 KACC Community Forum (First event of its kind involving 14 KA community organizations)
• Organized & presented career panels at UIC and local-area Korean language schools.
• Co-organizer of KA Vote 2004
• Participated in Needs Assessment for 1.5 & 2nd generation Korean Americans in 2003
• 2003 KACC Centennial Gala (Celebrating the KA centennial; premiere of “Arirang”)
• KACC Get Connected! (Networking socials)
• KACC Speaker Series
• Community partnerships with the Korean Consulate General of Chicago, Korean American Scholarship Foundation (KASF), Korean American Women in Need (KANWIN), and Korean Americans United to Serve Equality (KAUSE – UIC’s Korean American student organization)
• Supporter of annual Korean Street Festival and other KA cultural events
• Supporter of Asian American events & initiatives in Chicago (eg. 2006 Asian American Coalition of Chicago New Year Celebration)
• KAC National Conventions: 2003 – Hawaii; 2004 – Washington DC; 2005 – Denver, CO; 2006 – Chicago, IL; 2007 – Atlanta, GA

What makes us unique from other community organizations is the fact that not only do we offer an opportunity to be involved on a local-level, but equally as important, a broader national-level:

KAC-National – “Educating, Organizing & Empowering”

The Korean American Coalition (KAC) is a leading community-based advocacy organization dedicated to educating, organizing and empowering the 1.5 million people of Korean heritage living in the United States.

Headquartered in Los Angeles since 1983, KAC is a bilingual, non-partisan, non-profit organization with an ever-growing membership across the nation. While the Korean American community recently celebrated its Centennial Anniversary in 2003, Korean Americans still face many challenges in their pursuit of full participation in American society. KAC galvanizes first, second and third generation Korean Americans into action. Members work on various civic, legislative and political affairs to educate and empower themselves and the community.

KAC operates a national network of 14 chapters:

• Alaska (Anchorage)
• Arizona (Phoenix)
• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Chicago, IL
• Colorado (Denver)
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
• Hawaii (Honolulu)
• Los Angeles, CA
• Orange County, CA
• Sacramento, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• South Bay, CA
• Washington, DC

(Chapters in progress)

• Cleveland, Ohio
• Dayton, Ohio
• Fort Lee, New Jersey
• Houston, Texas
• Kansas City, Kansas
• Miami, Florida
• New York City, New York
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Portland, Oregon
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• San Diego, California
• Seattle, Washington
• Seoul, South Korea

The National Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from each KAC chapter and Appointed Directors of renowned Korean Americans including:

• Shinae Chun, Director, Women’s Bureau of Labor – The highest-ranking Korean American in the Bush administration
• Paul Shinn, Washington State Senator
• Tong Soo Chung, Director, Invest Korea (KOTRA)
• Robert Yi, Operations Vice President, State Farm Insurance Companies
• David L. Kim, Director of Asian Marketing & Community Relations, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

We have a stellar range of future projects in mind:

• Chicago Korean American Community Survey
• Chicago Korean American Mediation Center
• Metropolitan Chicago Korean American Directory & Resource Guide
• KACC Future Leaders Program (Networking, internships, etc. for college, high school and elementary KA’s)
• KACC Bridge Builders (Partnerships with African-American, Latino and Asian American organizations)
• KACC Campaign One Voice (Database of Chicago’s KA Community)
• KACC “Korea in Chicago” Series

We need YOU to make all this possible! Please contact us and become a member today:

Jane Lee-Kwon
President
janejlk@yahoo.com

Dr. Jong-Yoon Yi
Korean Spokesperson
jyheart@gmail.com

Lend your voice & story to “Chicago’s Korean American Legacy”.