Chang Kyu Kim

His Story

Childhood story and dreams

Chang Kyu grew up in Gyeongsangnam-Do Jinhae with his 3 brothers and 3 sisters. He was a pretty active and extroverted child who was also very responsible enough to become the president of his whole grade in elementary school. Every Morning, he acted as the captain and led the salute to the elders/teacher before school started. This salute is something older schools gave to their teachers as a sign of hello and good morning in a respectful tone. Due to his very social life, Chang Kyu wanted to become a congressman and ultimately become the president. He had dreamed of leading South Korea and changing it into a great country. However, as he grew up, he continuously changed his mind on what he wanted to become. In high school, he was determined to become a soldier. Unfortunately, he did not end up pursuing any of the jobs he longed for in his youth, and ended up doing something else as an adult.

Childhood Memories

He most misses his best friend in elementary school. They were very close in elementary school, almost inseparable. They had been classmates for a long time, and went on journeys together, like to the temple in the mountains and the lake to fish. Every year, his school went on picnics and he created a lot of memories in these activities. However, in Middle school, this friend moved to a school in Busan, a big city right next to gyeongsangnam-do Jinhae. This was a moment he could not forget, for he could not see him that often afterwards. In addition to his memories with his friends, he also remembers going out to speech and debate competitions as a child and winning first place. This was a very big accomplishment that he valued as a child.

Immigration story

He immigrated from South Korea in 1985 to get his green card, and the next month he went back to South Korea to get married to his sweetheart, Hanna, and then he went back to America for better job opportunities and to start a family with his wife. He sent in a request to the immigration office to ask if his wife could come to America with him, and it was granted. In 1987, Hanna was able to immigrate to America, and they started to live together in America.