ALIST_Anniversary2017_Final (2)

The walk-in at the Palos Verdes Public
Library in California was the most
memorable because the children’s librarian
there, Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada,
who’s also the president of the Asian/
Pacific American Librarians Association,
was really gracious, warm, and utterly kind
to me. I can’t imagine any child meeting her
at the library and leaving without a love for
literature.
AM: What does being Korean mean to you?
GK: Being Korean means so many things
to me, and I also believe that being Korean-
American adds another element and has
a different connotation. The meaning of
being Korean or Korean-American has also
evolved over time. Currently, being Korean-
American means that I have a responsibility
to my community to be cognizant of my
actions so that we continue to improve
and progress. For me personally, this stems
from the oppression in Korea with gender
equality being the lowest in all OECD
countries, Korea being known as the mecca
for plastic surgery, Korea’s pedagogy system
where children are put under excruciatingly
intense academic pressures starting from a
very young age and end up as runaways, the
high number of Korean women who are
trapped in sexual exploitation, and Korea
having prospered so quickly in such a short
span of time but always in fear of basically
going back to what it was before. We reap
so many benefits from a flourishing nation,
but we also see the ugliness rear its head
through the growing pains of the country.
Despite the great accomplishments Koreans
have achieved in the past few decades, Korea
is still ranked in the top three nations with
the highest suicide rates in the world. I really
do love my mother country, and having been
born in the U.S., I feel more empowered
not only as a Korean, but also as a Korean-
American to contribute in influencing both
societies simultaneously. This doesn’t mean
go out and change everyone. It means start
by looking within yourself and what you’re
doing to represent your side of humanity and
the values that God expects us to uphold.
AM: Have you visited Korea?
GK: I have visited Korea many times. I’ve
lived there multiple times throughout my
life as well: almost a year during my middle
school years and then another few years in
my late twenties to early thirties. One of the
best parts of my experience of living abroad
in Korea is that I met my husband there. He
was born and raised in New York but was out
in Asia finishing a short program related to
his thesis while getting his masters at MIT. I
was out there doing non-profit work fighting
sex trafficking. We met through a mutual
friend unexpectedly.
AM: What advice would you give to an upand-
coming writer today that you wish you
had known?
GK: Not all readers write, but writers must
read constantly, so it’s imperative that you
figure out what you like to read. Don’t waste
time reading what you don’t enjoy. I read a
lot of books I didn’t enjoy when I was young
and this made me go through a period
where reading was agonizing. Secondly,
write what you would want to read and share
with others. It took me many incomplete
manuscripts to come to that realization.
When I was in my mid-20s, I would start
working on stories that I thought the reader
would like versus what I wanted to explore
and share with them. I was never able to
finish them. I think it’s important to take
your audience into consideration, but it can
also stifle the creative process if you’re only
looking to please. The writer Toni Morrison,
once said: “If there’s a book you really want
to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then
you must write it.” I think this a good mantra
to write by.
AM: Do you have a favorite author?
GK: Since “Please Love Umma” is a
children’s novel, I’ll name my favorite
children’s authors. I had quite an obsession
with the works of Kate DiCamillo and
Eleanor Estes as a child. Many of their
stories touch upon philosophical topics
relating to death, prejudice, forgiveness,
friendship, racism, judgment, and religion.
I am moved and fulfilled by studying the
depths of humanity.
AM: What was the last book you read?
GK: The last book I read was “Everything,
Everything” by Nicola Yoon.
AM: If you had to write your own
biography, what would you title it and why?
GK: If I had to write my own biography,
I would title it: “Life of a Gyopo Girl.”
“Gyopo” refers to Koreans who were born or
live outside of Korea.
AM: You are also an activist with a
nonprofit fighting against sex trafficking
in the Korean community; why is this
important to you?
GK: This is very important to me as a
Korean American because of the enormity
of the situation in Korean society. I believe
that I have a responsibility to serve the
community with humility, acknowledging
that we are all broken people who are in need
of love, and also respecting others without
judging different backgrounds, religions,
family dynamics, educational levels, careers,
skin colors and interests.
In 2009, I lost a very close childhood friend
who was exploited and trafficked by her own
aunt and eventually ended up losing her life
in the industry at the age of 24. This incident
prompted me to start working out in the field
fighting the pandemic of sex trafficking for
many years in Asia and South America. In
2014, I decided to start my own organization,
Light in the Night, in my hometown of
Koreatown, Los Angeles. Today, we conduct
regular outreach to locations of sexual
"Today, we conduct regular outreach to locations
of sexual exploitation and trafficking in the Korean
community."
exploitation and trafficking in the Korean
community. We build relationships with the
owners, pimps, drivers, and workers, and
we’ve been involved in shutting down and
transforming many locations through the
grace of God. We also speak at conferences
and instill education to the younger
generations for prevention. Last year, my
team of volunteers and I went to Asia where
we partnered with other organizations in
fighting child sex trafficking in Cambodia.
AM: What is your next project?
GK: On the artistic side, I am working on
a film that will hopefully be a contribution
to Asian American artistry when it comes
to fruition in about a year or so. I’m also
working on my second children’s book for
the same age group (9-12) as “Please Love
Umma.” I can’t reveal the title yet, but the
premise is set around two Korean-Americans
and their friendship. On the non-artistic
side, I will be starting my own consulting
company this November, Light Consultancy,
which will offer certification and training
programs for HR departments and
corporations struggling with issues related to
the sex industry here in the U.S. and while
traveling abroad.
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