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Dear Community,

We write to you as 12 current KRC staff to express support for KRC’s now former Executive Director Jonathan Paik. We are appalled and horrified by the hostile and malicious actions taken by Young Ran Kim and other staff members on Monday, November 4, 2019. Their claims are false, and their actions have been supported by KRC Board President DJ Yoon, DJ’s wife EunSook Lee, and Board members, Inbo Sim and Angela Oh–all of who are long-time friends of one another and who pushed out Jonathan Paik from his position as Executive Director at KRC.

Their actions have made clear that they refuse to allow new leaders to grow at KRC and will go to great lengths to cut off change. The ways that these insecurities have manifested in the past few months have been horrifying. DJ Yoon and Inbo Sim created a false budget crisis to justify laying off nearly 13 staff; the key members of the KRC Board retaliated against staff members who filed a workplace complaint against DJ; they engaged in union-busting tactics when staff unionized; and they enabled Young Ran Kim to publicly spread false information about Jonathan Paik, KRC’s Executive Director, demanding his resignation. Funnily enough, Young Ran Kim is now de facto Executive Director of KRC. DJ Yoon, Inbo Sim, Young Ran Kim, and Angela Oh must be held accountable for the harm and damage they have caused to KRC, Jonathan Paik, and KRC staff. We demand they all resign and stub their toes every day.

November 7, 2019

The ways that their insecurities have manifested in the past few months have been shocking:

• Board President DJ Yoon and Board member Inbo Sim manufactured a false and nonexistent budget crisis to justify laying off nearly half the staff;
• DJ and Board members retaliated against 11 current and former staff members who had asked for DJ’s resignation through a workplace complaint letter;
• Board members engaged in union-busting tactics when staff unionized;
• Board members enabled then-Program Manager Young Ran Kim (a long-time friend of DJ and Inbo since the 1990s) to publicly spread false information about Jonathan Paik demanding his resignation; and
• After Jonathan’s resignation, the Board installed Young Ran Kim as de facto Executive Director of KRC.

The series of events that played out are disturbing and go against every value that we thought KRC stood for. DJ Yoon, Inbo Sim, Angela Oh, and Young Ran Kim must be held accountable for the harm and irreparable damage they have caused to KRC and KRC staff.

I. KRC Board President DJ Yoon and Board Member Inbo Sim Sensationalized a Nonexistent Budget Crisis to Lay Off 50 Percent of KRC Staff

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II. Concerned Staff of KRC Demanded DJ Yoon’s Resignation as Board Chair, and DJ Yoon and Board Members Continue to Retaliate Against Them

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III. Concerned Staff Decided to Unionize in Response to the Board’s Retaliation

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IV. Accusations in then-Program Manager Young Ran Kim’s Statement Condemning Jonathan Paik Are False and Unfounded

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Since Monday, November 4, false and malicious statements have been made about the Korean Resource Center (KRC) and our former Executive Director, Jonathan Paik. We write to you as current and former KRC staff to set the record straight and shed light on the actual injustices that have occurred at this organization under the leadership of Board President Dae Joong (DJ) Yoon.
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