Kowin News

The KOWIN DC Chapter hosted a holiday gala to celebrate the closing of a wonderful year at the Cosmos Club on December 10, 2011. The evening"s emcees were Sami Lauri and Jung-Sil Lee. The opening remarks were made by Junghee Lee, the Banquet Committee Chair, which were followed by welcome remarks by Lucy Nam, KOWIN DC President. Two guest speakers, Soongu Yoon, Consul-General from the Korean Embassy, and Jay Kim, Former U.S. Congressman, delivered congratulatory remarks. Two members were honored with KOWIN DC Awards: Mia Kim received the Outstanding Service Award and Sue-Kyong Shin Vittas the Distinguished Member Award. Part I of the evening program ended with Young-Key Kim-Renaud giving a brief introduction of the Cosmos Club, of which she is a member, Estella Kyung Mi Lee"s singing "O Holy Night," and Reverend Thorn W. Myung"s benediction. Part II of the gala had performances including the KOWIN DC choir singing "Arirang." Erika Shin performed piano pieces. These performances were followed by games, raffles, competitions for the best-dressed member, and the best dancer, etc.

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On November 19, 2011, KOWIN DC hosted our Second Annual Leadership Seminar for Korean-American Women with over 50 participants. The theme was Beyond Boundaries: Mentoring Women for Leadership Roles. This year, the Sejong Society co-hosted the seminar, which was held at SAIS (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies). Moderated by Balbina Hwang, our Seminar Chair, the two panel sessions included those in "traditional" career sectors such as law, medicine and government, and "non-traditional" sectors such as the arts and entrepreneurship. Panelists included: Judy Rhee Alloway, CEO of So Venture In; Florence Lowe-Lee, Founder of GABI (Global America Business Institute); Jong Joo Lee, Unification Attache at the Korean Embassy; Jung-Sil Lee, Founder of ArTrio; Myong Ho (Lucy) Nam, Medical Director at Inova Fairfax Hospital; Silvia Park, Founder of SilTek; Sue Pender, Accountant; Sue-Kyong Shin Vittas, Senior Information Technology Officer (Team Leader), IMF; and Yun Jung Yang, Managing Partner at Yang & Ullman. A common theme was that despite the typical barriers and obstacles faced by women of Korean heritage in pursuing professional careers, perseverance and the passion to succeed are important to achieve success. This theme was reinforced by our keynote speaker, Eun Yang, TV-anchor for local NBC-news. The seminar concluded with an opportunity for participants to break out into small mentoring groups, which allowed for further discussions with the speakers.

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The KOWIN DC Chapter"s 3rd Membership Meeting was held on Tuesday October 4th at Woo Lae Oak. The main topic was the Leadership Seminar, which was held jointly with the Sejong society of DC at the SAIS auditorium; Balbina Hwang was the Seminar chair and invited Keynote Speaker, Eun Yang, a Channel 4 news anchor. Several items were decided, ie theme of the seminar, mentor list and the career tracks to be represented, time frame, food catering, etc. Other topics included financial report, update on website project, presentation by Jina Kim and Ji-young Cho on the Korean Service Foundation"s Fund Raising Banquet in 2012 Spring, and KASF"s Scholarship Award Banquet. These events are led by KOWIN DC Chapter Members, and KOWIN DC will support the activities.

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This summer, from August 30 to September 1, the annual KOWIN International Convention was held in Ulsan, Korea. Approximately 500 Korean women leaders (both from Korea and overseas) participated. The government of Ulsan metropolitan city, the Overseas Korean Foundation (OKF), the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the Maeil Economy News sponsored the event. Under the theme “Global Korean Women Leading Green Korea,” environmental and progressive issues were discussed. Other notable activities in the event included the book donation program, whereby participants gave about 350 children’s books and novels in their local languages to the Ulsan Multicultural Family Support Center, and the special outings to Ulsan Hyundai Manufacturing Industry, the Bulguk Temple, and Taehwa Riverside Park. The convention concluded with a tea time at Cheongwadae (the Blue House) with First Lady Kim Yoon-ok.

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The 2nd KOWINNER International Convention was held from June 24 to June 26, 2011, at Harbour Plaza North Point Hotel in Hong Kong. There were 120 participants representing 20 countries, including 20 young next-generation leaders. The theme of the convention was “My KOWIN, our KOWINNERs! Let’s work together to achieve our health, wealth, and growth in the coming years.” From the KOWIN DC Chapter, Jennifer Ahn, Jung Hee Lee, and Sue-Kyong Shin Vittas attended. Jennifer Ahn and Jung Hee Lee were among the 24 successful businesswomen who were awarded for their achievements during the convention.

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The KOWIN DC Chapter participated in and supported the 5th KOWIN Eastern Regional Leadership Conference at the Union League Club of Chicago on June 18, hosted by the KOWIN Chicago Chapter. The conference advocated to instill confidence, positive mentorship and leadership for young Korean American women. The honorary co-chairs of this conference consisted of Congresswoman Jan Shakowsky; the Korean Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Paik Hee-young; and the 4th Regional Director of KOWIN U.S. Eastern Region, Dr. Jinhwa Suh. The KOWIN DC Chapter contributed $500 for the event, where approximately 180 people participated including four KOWIN DC members: Kwang Ja Kim, Eun Ae Lee, Sue-Kyong Shin Vittas, and Myong Ho Nam.

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From April 23 to May 7, the KOWIN DC Chapter hosted its second art show, Jewelry & Art Show, at MK Gallery in McLean, VA. It was to benefit the 2011 KOWIN DC activities, such as the Young Professionals Leadership Seminar and the Fellowship Program. It featured two speeches, one by Professor Komelia Hongja Okim of the Montgomery College, a KOWIN member, and one by Professor Sukjin Choi of James Madison University.

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On March 22 at Han Gang Restaurant in Annandale, VA, this year"s first general membership meeting was held. The highlight of the meeting was Mihae Kim’s demonstration of the draft of the KOWIN DC Chapter website. The members mainly reviewed better networking methods, including the website, Facebook activities, and new standing committees (functional and professional). In addition, junior membership, membership fees, and tax-deductible sponsorship from members were discussed. Furthermore, Dr. Yongsook Victoria Suh and Moon-Sook Shin were all welcomed to the KOWIN DC Chapter as new members.

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The KOWIN DC Chapter held a special dinner meeting on women’s leadership on February 25. The guest of honor was the Korean Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Paik Hee-young. The audience consisted of KOWIN members as well as Korean American women leaders representing various social and professional sectors in the Washington Metropolitan Area. A total of sixty people attended this event, including ministry officials and local Korean news reporters. During the meeting Minister Paik was presented with a pin created by Professor Komelia Hongja Okim. The dinner was held at Sea Catch Restaurant in Georgetown.

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