On Thursday, November 13, 2014, a book release party for Korean Americans Who Have Empowered the Korean-American Community (재미 한인사회에 힘을 실어준 한인들) was held at KCS (Korean Community Services) in Flushing, NY. This edited anthology, which is published in both Korean and English by Bookorea Publishing Company, features biographical essays by 18 prominent Korean-American politicians, administrators, and advocates. This is the third completed book project by the Research Center for Korean Community, and it was co-edited by Pyong Gap Min, Thomas Chung, and Young Oak Kim, and was translated by Dongho Cho. 

KCS (Korean Community Services), located at 35-56 159th Street, Flushing, NY 11358, was founded in 1973 as the first community-based service agency in the Korean community in New York City. KCS is a voluntary, non-profit, community service agency supported by government agencies, foundations, corporations, and concerned individuals. Its objectives are to develop and deliver a broad range of services to meet the various needs of the community. To achieve these objectives, KCS provides various professional community services within the areas of Aging, Community, Workforce Development, and Public Health.

Many RCKC events, including lectures and book parties, are held at KCS. We would like to thank KCS for their continued support and generosity. 

We would like to announce the publication of another book produced by the Research Center for Korean Community. This edited book, titled Second-Generation Korean Experiences in the United States and Canada, was co-edited by Professor Pyong Gap Min (RCKC) and Dr. Samuel Noh (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at the University of Toronto). This edited anthology was published by Lexington Books, and it features studies on a wide variety of topics related to Korean Americans and Korean Canadians. Many of the chapters were culled from presentations from the Fourth Annual Conference of the Research Center for Korean Community. The book is currently available in hardcover, and the paperback will be available in the spring or summer of 2015.

Click the link below to purchase this edited anthology from the Lexington Books website:

Second-Generation Korean Experiences in the United States and Canada

On Tuesday, September 30, 2014, Pyong Gap Min—Director of RCKC and Professor of Sociology at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York—was the featured speaker at the 2014 Frederick A. Shippey Sociology of Religion Lecture at the Theological School of Drew University. Many Korean graduate students attend Drew, which has a strong Methodist tradition and connection to South Korea, and many Korean Methodist pastors have completed their training and education at the highly-rated liberal arts school. Professor Min's talk was titled "Immigrants' Religious Organizations and Community Social Services: Korean Churches in the New York-New Jersey Area." He had the opportunity to speak to many students and faculty members before and after his presentation. Over 100 people attended the talk, and the response from both the spectators and Professor Min was very positive.

 (Left to Right: Choon Taek Lim, Peggy Chung, Dr. James Muyskens, Hae Min Chung, Pyong Gap Min, Yung Duk Kim)

The 2014 Gala of the Research Center for Korean Community (RCKC) and the Research Foundation for Korean Community (RFKC) was held on Thursday, September 25, 2014, in the Ballroom of the Student Union building at Queens College. Approximately 150 people attended the gala.

This gala was organized by Research Foundation for Korean Community (RFKC), the non-profit organization that supports the activities and operation of the Research Center for Korean Community (RCKC). We would like to offer special thanks to members of RFKC who served as members of the Gala Organizing Committee, in particular Hae Min Chung, Henry Hong Kyun Jung, and Jea-seung Ko. We would also like to thank Jiwoon Kristine Choi (winner of RCKC's essay contest) for coming all the way from Amherst College to present her wonderful essay, and Dr. James Muyskens (former president of Queens College) for delivering a moving keynote address. And last but not least, we would like to thank everyone who attended the gala for supporting RCKC.