BIO
Nam Young Park was born 1931 in North Korea. However, at the age of 6, he and his family moved to Mokpo as a result of his father’s job. Park grew up under three different cultural influences: His native Korean culture, the colonial Japanese government, and American Christian missionaries. In 1956, he came to the United States as an exchange student under a full ride scholarship. He met his wife, Alina Park, in college and they had two sons and three grandchildren. Throughout this interview, Nam Young Park recalls his life growing up in Korea under Japanese colonial rule. He describes violence, a mixture of cultural and religious practices, and the pain his family went through. He then describes his educational journey in America, starting at Davidson college, and his job search which took him to Houston. He describes the changes he’s seen to the Korean community in Houston, citing the church and H-Mart as one of his great joys. He also talks about the Korean-American identity and the progress that has been made. (Interview is split into two parts below)