Korea - 1980's

To anyone else, this story may just seem like a simple memoir about my grandpa’s work, but I know he came to America, a place with no guarantees, with nothing but hope. He tells this story with a sense of nostalgia and a smile on his face, but each time I hear this story, my eyes can’t help but fill with tears and my heart overflows with admiration.

My grandpa lost his dad at a young age during the Korean War and was raised by his grandparents. Korea at this time was, in simple terms, a mess. The aftermath of the Korean War meant economic devastation and tension due to its geographic location between Japan and China. My grandpa still lived out his life and had a stable job at a big automobile corporate in Korea. One day, his friend, who had heard the news about opportunities in America, suggested that my grandpa go to the U.S. with him.

So, on July 1st, 1984, my grandpa and his friend decided to come to America in order to seek out a better future for their families. On the plane ride, the two men met another friend, a watch peddler, who let my grandpa and his friend stay with him for 10 days. My grandpa decided to follow his watch peddler friend to his work, selling watches, and learned how he ran his business. His peddler friend had an older brother who ran a vegetable store, and recommended that my grandpa work there, while the friend he came to the U.S. with found a job in a laundromat. After two months working in the vegetable store and working various jobs in factories, his friend’s (the one who came to the U.S. with him) nephew suggested becoming peddlers together. And for 6 years, the two of them worked together. Through rain or shine, my grandpa worked extremely hard. Eventually, he was able to build his own company from the ground up.