Kimchi Mamas

Romi Haan of Haan Corporation Speaks at APEC Women & The Economy Summit

Recently, I attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation's Women & the Economy Summit in San Francisco.  One of the most impressive stories I heard was that of Romi Haan, a South Korean business leader and entrepreneur. It was wonderful to see a Korean woman sharing the world stage with business leaders from around the world. This is an excerpt of what I learned at the conference. ~Glennia

Romi Haan was a housewife in South Korea with a problem: how to keep the floors clean without spending hours a day doing it.  Because of the ondol tradition of heating homes through the floor, Koreans spend a great deal of time at home in a central room, on the floor.  As Romi says, "Koreans live on the floor. We sleep on the floor. We eat on the floor. We sit on the floor. We play on the floor." 

Keeping the floor clean is serious business for Korean women, and means daily washings, down on their hands and knees.  Romi wanted to free herself of this daily chore, or make it a little easier for herself and her friends.  So, she imagined a steam cleaner to do just that: clean the floor with less effort and cut the time spent on washing the floor in half. It was a way to get women up off the floor and out into the world.

When Romi approached a bank about a government loan program to get her product made, the bank officer asked her, "What company did your husband bankrupt that makes you now have to work?  Are you doing this for him?"

When she told him that her husband was not the reason she wanted to go into business, he didn't believe her. Her application was denied. Romi didn't take no for an answer, and persisted with her dream. She mortgaged her home and quit her job to pursue her invention.  She was able to get her business up and running in three years, but faced other hurdles. 

When Romi tried to market and distribute her product, she was met with skepticism and disdain by male buyers for department stores. She would go in to talk to them, and they would ask her, "Why do you need a steam cleaner when you have a vacuum cleaner?"

She explained that a vacuum cleaner would sweep the floor, but her cleaner would mop it. After an hour-long discussion the buyer would ask again, "Why do you need a steam cleaner when you have a vacuum cleaner?"

Ten years later, Romi Haan is now the CEO of a multinational, multimillion dollar appliance and beauty products company, Haan Corporation. She is one of the few female CEOs in South Korea, and her business is thriving. She represents a new breed of Korean women executives and a model of successful entrepreneurship. Her story is not atypical of the challenges that women face in the global economy, but her success is unfortunately too rare.

The APEC Women & the Economy Summit brought together women leaders, government officials, diplomats, and corporate innovators to discuss actions to improve the lives of women in the Asia-Pacific region, and by doing so, the world's economy. Recognizing that women are a vast, largely untapped resource for change and growth, the group spent a week in San Francisco working on plans for change.  This was one of several meetings around the Pacific Rim leading up to the APEC Summit in Hawaii in November, which President Obama will attend.
 
I was not able to stay very long at the Summit, but I was able to attend the Plenary Session in which Romi Haan appeared on a panel moderated by Tina Brown of The Daily Beast and Newsweek.  Also on the panel were Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; Susan Fleishman, Executive Vice President of Commincations for Warner Brothers Entertainment; Blanca Trevino, CEO of Softtek, a global Information Technololgy company based in Mexico; and Ilene Lang, President & CEO of Catalyst, a research and advisory firm that specializes in promoting women in business.

Greetings from Cheju-Do!

My family took a wonderful cruise vacation this month in Asia, starting out in Tianjin, China, with excursions to Cheju Island, Korea and Kagoshima, Japan.  The highlight of the cruise was viewing the total solar eclipse near Iwo Jima on July 22.  We ended our trip in Kobe, Japan and spend two days in Osaka before flying home.  It was a wonderful trip, and one of the highlights for me was our trip to Cheju-do.  I have been to Korea twice before to visit relatives in Seoul, Inchon, and Tongduchon, but had only heard about Cheju-do from my mom and family members.

We arrived in Cheju (or Jeju) at 8:00 am on July 19, to cloudy skies. We had booked an excursion with the ship we were on, trying to cram in as many sights as possible into an 8-hour stop.  At the pier, we were met by Korean drummers in colorful costumes, welcoming us to the island.  Aside from the eclipse, this excursion was the thing that I was most looking forward to on the trip.  My mother had told me many times about Cheju-do, and how Koreans go to this romantic island getaway as a "honeymoon paradise."  Of course, while we were there, I had to call her to rub it in that I was here and she was not.  I'm nice like that.

 

Hats

The other day I literally collapsed from exhaustion.  I was in bed asleep by 10 pm, I hadn't done many of the things on my to-do list and when I woke up the next morning, I was still feeling tired . . . Maybe it was because I was on my period?  Maybe it's because I usually don't see the bed before 12:30 am? Maybe it's because I see the early side of 6 am almost every morning?  Go to work not just full-time, but all the time?  Try to be mom when I'm home?  Cook?  Driver?  Maid? Try to be helpful daughter/translator/liaison? Try to be great girlfriend to HSBF when he's in town? Try to be sympathetic sister?  And BFF to my friends, for whom I have soooo little precious time?  These are only some of the hats I (and YOU) wear.

Another Kimchi Mama for Obama

If you're an Obama supporter and having problems convincing your Korean parents or in-laws to vote for Obama, just let Annabel's mom do the talking for you in this video.

It's no secret that I support Obama.  I co-founded MOMocrats, along with fellow Kimchi Mama Stefania, and we have put heart and soul into making sure that a Democrat is elected in November (one reason we haven't been around here much lately).  This election is very personal to me.  I wanted to share with you some of the reasons I am voting for Obama, even though I know that it will offend some of you who prefer not to mix parenting and politics. 

I believe that the act of bringing a child into this world is a political act.  I believe that it's an affirmative statement to the future that you believe enough in ourselves as a species to keep it going, and will work to make the world better.  I believe that the choice you make on November 4 will be a testament to what you believe about the future and what it holds for them.

Celebrity Gawking at the AAPI Caucus at the DNC08

I spent last week at the Democratic National Convention, covering various events for MOMocrats.  One of the most interesting events I attended was the Asian-American Pacific Islander Caucus.  I had to extract myself from a wonderful event called "Unconventional Women" featuring Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, among other Democratic women luminaries.  It worth it to miss Nancy for my one and only opportunity to see Yul Kwon, winner of Survivor: Cook Islands.

I've written here before that I'm a Survivor fan, and Yul is probably my favorite Survivor of all time.  He was the first (and as far as I know only) Korean-American to win the show.  So, when I saw his name as moderator of a panel at the AAPI Caucus on "Reaching Out to the Youth Vote," I had to be there, despite the fact that I'm hardly a "youth."

The Caucus started with a surprise visit from DNC Chair Howard Dean, and was moderated by Caucus Chair Bel Leong-Hong.  There were a number of speakers from various AAPI communities, including elected officials on all levels of government and several individuals running for office.  It was inspiring to see so many different communities of Asians, South Asians, and Pacific Islanders coming together to support those in office and those who aspired to office.  Most of the attendees were delegates from across the country, and represented all parts of the US.  Congressman Mike Honda gave a very rousing speech about coming together to elect Asian-American Democrats.

Cry Me a River, Paul Hamm

I read today that US Men's Gymnast Paul Hamm will not be going to compete in the Beijing this year due to a hand injury.  This news upset many in the sports community,  who thought Hamm was essential to a US medal, but my thought was, "Karma's a bitch, ain't she, Paul?"

You may recall that four years ago, American Paul Hamm eked out a gold medal in the Men's All-Around competition, over South Korean Yang Tae Young. 

You win some, you lose some, right?  A Silver Medal is nothing to sneeze at.

Not this time.  Paul Hamm won, despite a vault that landed him on top of the judge's table.  Yang Tae Young was originally declared the winner, based on a nerves-of-steel flawless performance, in which he never once landed on the judge's table.  Then, remarkably, that decision was revoked and the gold went to Hamm based on a "scoring error" that gave Hamm a .012 advantage over Yang, the closest in Olympic history.  The score was later challenged, and found to be another error. 

I am the first to admit that I don't know anything about the intricacies of world-class gymnastics scoring.  It all looks like Shakespeare and voodoo to me.  What I do know is that part of the score is derived from how the gymnast lands, and no extra points are given for taking out a judge along the way from horse to floor. 

My Korean Mom, The Sitcom: Easter Redux

Mom: Guess what?  I'm in a play for Easter.
Me:  Again? Are you dancing and falling on the ground this year?
Mom:  What? No, not that.  I'm playing an angel.  You believe that?
Me: So you're playing against type?
Mom:  What is that supposed to mean?
Me:  Never mind.  What's the play about?
Mom: Well, there's these two groups, and people have to decide.  You go with one group, and you go to Jesus.  You go with the other group, you go to the Devil.  One group drinks and does drugs and has a good old time, and the other group, you know, does nice things.

New York Times Features Korean Art & Culture in NY

Today's New York Times features an article about all things Korean in New York, from the Korean Art in the Metropolitan Museum to the row of Korean restaurants on West 32nd Street. 

I'm curious to know what our New York Kimchi Mamas and Papas think of this list.  Are these places you recommend to visitors?  Or do you know of other hidden gems?

I went to college in New York many (*cough* many *cough*) years ago, and back then I didn't know anything about the Korean community.   It's nice to see that it's getting some focus and attention by the Times.

--Glennia

Book Review: New Clothes for New Year's Day

The very nice people at Kane Miller Publishing sent me two books to review a while back, and I published a review of one of them, Yellow Umbrella here.  I loved the second book, New Clothes for New Year's Day by Hyun-joo Bae as well, but sort of forget to post my review.  I was going through some of my son's books today, and came across this lovely book, and thought that it  would make a great holiday gift for a child with a Korean heritage, or for any child or family interested in cultural traditions.

This beautifully illustrated book from South Korea chronicles a young girl's excitement over her family's Lunar New Year celebration. As she dresses for the event, she shows each piece of her elaborate clothing, from the "rainbow-striped jacket" of the hanbok to the silk pouch on a string for luck.  The drawings start out simply, and build in their richness of design and detail as the little girl adds a new piece of clothing.  At the end, the author explains Korean New Year celebrations, including the ceremonial soup that makes everyone a year older.  It is gorgeous book, and one I hope to pass along to my grandchildren some day.

My family didn't celebrate Korean New Year in the traditional way, so this was new to me.  It's wonderful to find a book that explains some of our cultural traditions in a way that both my son and I can enjoy.

Interestingly, when my son interviewed my mother for a school project, he asked her what her favorite holiday memory was, and she said, "New Year's, because I got to wear pretty, new clothes."  Now I know what she was talking about. I think my mother would enjoy this book just as much as I did.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book to review.  Cross-posted at The Silent I.

--Glennia

Paris Hilton in Korea

Evidently, Paris Hilton was not getting enough attention in the US, so she decided to invade visit Korea. According to Korea Times, she's currently in Seoul to pimp for Fila Korea Sportswear. 

In this photo, she shows off the latest trends in ajummah-inspired tracksuits and puffy metallic vests.  Seriously, can't you just see your mom or MIL in this get-up?  I can.   All she needs is a short, permed hairdo that I like to call the "Asiafro" to go with it and complete the ensemble. 

I have to admit, I'm oddly attracted to the fuscia purse.  I don't know why, I just am.  Wonder if that's actually Fila?

Come on home, Paris.  All you need to do is run a redlight like Britney Spears, and you're back in the celebrity spotlight again.  Then again, that might violate her parole and land her back in the celebrity slammer.

--Glennia

Photo:  Korea Times