American Korean Friendship Society Announces 2025 American Heros and AKFS Lifetime Achievement Award Winners

American Korean Friendship Society Announces

Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm for 2025 New American Heroes Award and

Brigadier General Mike Siegl for 2025 AKFS Lifetime Achievement Award

The American Korean Friendship Society (AKFS) presents the New American Hero Award (NAHA) each year to an American of Korean ancestry who has made a significant and noteworthy contribution to the United States. Immigrants from Korea and other Asian countries have contributed much to our country but they are seldom recognized as patriots. Since 2000, AKFS has recognized fifteen (15) American patriots of Korean heritage with the NAHA. The award will be presented with a prize of $25,000 cash which the awardee donates to one or more nonprofit organizations. www.USKorea,org.

The American Korean Friendship Society also recognizes Americans of Korean heritage for their volunteer work and effort for the Korean American community's advancement with the Lifetime Achievement Award each year. The recognition is to honor their contributions to the community and nation. The award will be presented with a prize of $5,000 cash which AKFS donates to one or more nonprofit organizations of the awardee’s choice.

Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm for 2025 New American Hero Award

 The Board of Directors of the American Korean Friendship Society (AKFS USKorea.org) honors former Chairman of Commodity Future Trading Commission for the 2025 New American Hero Award. The Award comes with $25,000 prize that will be presented to one or more non-profit organization of the honoree's choice on May 10, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm is the former Chairman of the Board of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and founder of the Regulatory Studies Program at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. 

She holds a B.A. degree from Wellesley College and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, both in economics. She started her career at Texas A&M University, where she taught economics for over 8 years.

Wendy served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 1988-1993. 

She was Administrator for Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget from 1985-1988 and before that the Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Economics.

Dr. Gramm is married to former Senator Phil Gramm, and they have 2 sons and 5 grandchildren.

The American Korean Friendship Society wishes to recognize Dr. Wendy Gramm's remarkable contributions to the United States. She served the nation as an American patriot, an economist, a mentor to countless students to be better leaders, and as a leader of a government agency. As a Korean American, she enhanced the public image of Americans of Asian ancestry.

Brigadier General Mike Siegl for the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award

 Brigadier General Michael B. Siegl has nearly thirty years of global logistics and leadership experience in the U.S. Army. His roles have been diverse, including serving as the Director of Logistics and Engineering for U.S. Central Command, where he facilitated and synchronized logistics and engineering operations in support of U.S. service members across the Middle East and Central Asia.

His command and staff roles have spanned leading large-scale units in wartime and peace, with assignments and deployments in the Pentagon, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Korea. He also served as the 57th Quartermaster General and Commandant, managing the Army’s largest logistics branch and contributing to the modernization of logistics systems and programs. He is a published author in military publications. His educational background includes a bachelor's degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and a National Security Fellowship at Harvard University.

The American Korean Friendship Society is honored to recognize Brigadier General Siegl’s sacrifices and outstanding leadership in the U. S. Army. As a leader in the U. S. Army, BG Siegl and his colleagues provide Americans peace and safety each day. Additionally, he inspired and motivated all Americans of Asian ancestry to serve the U. S..

NEW AMERICAN HERO AWARD LAUREATES

Tom Kim of Knoxville, TN, who established the Free Clinic for Working Poor and has been running the clinic for over twelve years.

·      Lieutenant Colonel John Oh, medical doctor and U.S. Army general surgeon, for his heroic service for his country in the war fields in Afghanistan, including risking his own life to perform an emergency surgery removing an unexploded rocket propelled grenade (RPG) protruding from a wounded soldier.

·      Samuel “Sammy” Lee  (1920 –2016), the first Asian American to win an Olympic Gold Medal for the United States, and the first man to back-to-back gold medals (1948 London and 1952 Helsinki) in Olympic platform diving. He practiced as a podiatrist and coached Olympics diving athletes at US Olympics Training Camps and University of Southern California. Dr. Lee had to practice diving at a beach sand grounds or a swimming pool a night before the pool water to be drained because the discriminations for minority which didn't prevent him to quit practicing.

·      Jason Pak, Captain, US Army retired is West Point graduate, Captain of the U.S. Army (Ret.) and an elite Ranger, who was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan and serves an inspiration for veterans and civilians alike by sharing his story; 

·      The late James Suh, (1977-2005) a U.S. Navy SEAL, who was part of a dedicated Naval Special Warfare team fighting the Taliban and volunteered to go on a mission to rescue his fellow SEAL members who were trapped by insurgent fire. He was part of one of sixteen troops killed when a MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.

·      US. Army Colonel Young-Oak Kim (1919 – 2005), a highly decorated U.S. Army combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War and a civic leader and humanitarian. He was a member of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and a combat leader in Italy and France during World War II. 

·      Peter Meong Rhee, Chief of Acute Care Surgery and Medical Director of the Marcus Trauma Center, is an American surgeon, medical professor at Arizona State University, and military veteran. During his 24 years in the United States Navy, Rhee served as a battlefield casualty physician in Afghanistan and Iraq.

·      Byung J. “BJay” Pak is U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia during an executive session. The district includes 46 counties in Georgia, the cities of Atlanta, Gainesville, Rome and Newnan, and a population of more than six million.

·      Steve Stirling, a Korean-born American, who is the President/CEO of the Medicine Assistant Program (MAP) International, a Christian global health organization that provides medicines, prevents disease and promotes health in some of the world’s poorest countries. MAP International has provided more than $6 billion in medicines and health supplies to communities in need since its inception in 1954.

·      Daniel D. Yoo, Major General, USMC Retired assumed command of the Marine’s elite U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). MG Yoo has also served as Director of Operations (J3), United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). He was the highest ranking Korean American US military officer.

·      Henry Cho is an American comedian of Korean ancestry famous for his unique brand of clean comedy. His work can be heard nationwide at comedy clubs, SiriusXM Radio, and the Grand Ole Opry. Henry is one of most popular American comedians, entertains Americans all over the US with clean jokes over three decades.

·      Victor Cha, Dr. Cha chairs in Asian Studies in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), and former Director for Asian Affairs in the White House’s National Security Council.

·      Jim Yong Kim, Dr. Kim is Vice Chairman and Partner at Global Infrastructure Partners, a fund that invests in infrastructure projects across several sectors around the world. He is a compassionate physician, the 17th President of Dartmouth College, the 12th President of the World Bank Group, former Director of the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS department, co-founder of Partner in Health.

·    Ambassador Sung Kim, Ambassador Kim  is an American diplomat of Korean ancestry serve the United States as the US Special Representative for North Korea Policy since 2021, and previously from 2014 to 2016. He has also served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Kim joined Hyundai Motor Group as President as he retired December 2023. Kim was Ambassador to the Philippines from 2016 to 2020. In 2020, Kim was appointed by President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Indonesia. Ambassador Kim retired in December 2023 and joined Hyundai Automobile Group as senior advisor.

AKFS Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Han Choi: A passionate leader for community services over two decades. Han assisted State of Georgia by Korean companies to invest in Georgia, and still out for hunt. Han’s volunteer works includes College Football Hall of Fame, Atlanta International Women's House, Georgia Center for Nonprofits, and Decatur Education Foundation.

Jay K. Eun: Mr. Eun is one of most respected Korean American leaders in Georgia. He served local Asian American community as President of the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta for two terms and as board member and executive committee member and led the Global Business Council of Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce. Jay Eun has served the board of American Korean Friendship Society since the year 2000.

Baik Kyu Kim: Mr. Kim has served Atlanta’s Korean American community as a volunteer and an effective leader. He is chair of the Korean Grocers Association, which he has led for the last 30-plus years. Mr. Kim led the successful fundraising drive to purchase the Atlanta Korean American Community Center in Norcross, Georgia—the largest Korean American community center in the world, outside of Korea.

Dr. Abraham Kim: Abraham Kim, Ph.D., is the Executive Director at the Council of Korean Americans (CKA). He comes to CKA with 20 years of experience in foreign policy analyses, leadership development, and innovation consulting. Previously, Dr. Kim served as Executive Director at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center located on the campus of the University of Montana, where he oversaw 50 staff, faculty and affiliates. During Dr. Kim’s tenure, the Center became one of the foremost U.S.-Asia policy and leadership development institutes in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies region.

Dr. Edward Taehan Chang: Dr. Edward T. Chang is Professor of Ethnic Studies and founding Director of the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies at the University of California at Riverside. He earned his B.A. (1982) in Sociology, Ph.D. (1990) in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and M.A. in Asian American Studies at UCLA.

Professor Chang has studied and been a voice of the Korean community for more than 25 years. He is a leading expert on the Los Angeles Riots, race relations between Korean and African American communities, and Korean Americans. Professor Chang lectured on the topics of Korean African American Relations and the Los Angeles civil unrest and its impact on the Korean American community at many universities around the country.

TABLE SPOSORSHIP WANTED

The award gala will be held on Friday at 6:00 p.m., May 10, 2025, at Westin Perimeter North Hotel, 7 Concourse, Sandy Springs, Georgia.

AKFS encourages table sponsors. Table sponsorships for the AKFS Award Gala are available at $25,000, $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 levels.

All donations of a table sponsorship will be used to strengthen the US-Korea Alliance and advocate American patriotism in the Asian American community. Please contact Michael Park at mikepark78@gmail.com.

2025년 이민자 영웅상 수상자 발표

미국 전국 규모의 비영리 단체 한미우호협회는 우리들이 선택하고 이민한 새나라 미국에 혁혁한 기여를 하여 우리 한인 이민자들을 자랑스럽게 한 분들을 매년 발굴하여 그 공로를 치하 하고 이를 "이민자 영웅 상" New American Hero Award로 표창과 포상을 하고 있습니다.

이민자들, 더욱이 아세안의 모습을 가진 이민자들은 미국에 충성도가 낮고 이웃에 기여도가 작다는 편견속에 이민 생활을 하고 있습니다. 이러한 오해는 우리와 우리들의 후세들에게 장애조건으로 부각됩니다. 우리 한인들은 비록 소수이지만 엄연히 미국의 주권 시민이며 납세 등 국민의 의무를 다하고 이웃에 기여를 하고 있기에 안타까운 현실을 가지고 있습니다.

이민자 영웅 상 수상자들의 헌신적인 봉사 기록은 한인 이민자들의 미국에 대한 기여를 고취하여 보다 많은 한인들이 이웃에 봉사하고 충성하도록 자극합니다. 우리 모두의 노력으로 한인들이 미국에서, 이방인의 이미지를 벗어나, 미국 발전에 기여하는 미국민으로 인정을 받게 됩니다. 이를 지속적으로 성공시킴으로써 우리 후세들은 미국의 명실 공한 실세로 부각될 것으로 우리는 믿고 있습니다.

한미우호협회는 2025년 이민자 영웅 상 수상자로 웬디 리 그램 전 선물 거래 위원회 위원장을  선정하였으며, 이를 자랑스럽게 생각 합니다. 그램 박사는 경제학자로서 Texas A&M 대학과, George Mason 대학에서 강의와 연구를 하였고, 미국 연방 정부의 장관급 각료로서 미국 선물 거래 위원회 회장을 역임하면서 혁혁한 공로를 세웠습니다. 웬디 그램 박사는, 전 상원의원이자 1996년 대통령 예비선거 후보로서 활약한 텍사스 출신 필 그램 상원의원은 부인으로서 지대한 공로를 쌓았습니다.

이민자 영웅 상수상자는 $25,000의 부상을 받아, 이를 자신이 지정하는 미국 비영리 단체에 기부를 하게 됩니다.

한미우호협회는 2025년 평생 업적상 수상자로 마이크 시글 미 육군 준장을 선정하였으며 이를 널리 알리고자 합니다.

마이클 시글(Michael B Siegl) 미 육군 제57대 ‘병참감이자 병참학교 교장이다. 현재 미 육군에 현역으로 있는 한국계 장성으로는 시글 장군이 유일하다.

싱가포르에서 고등학교를 졸업한 시글 장군은 스탠퍼드대에서 역사학 학사 학위를 땄으며 조지타운대에서 정책 관리 석사 학위를 취득했다. 시글 장군은 1999년 2월 헬리콥터 추락 사고로 인해 함께 탑승한 두 명의 조종사가 사망하는 일을 겪고 자기 자신만을 위하는 삶을 넘어 더 큰 목적을 향해 나아가기로 한 것으로 전해졌다.

한미우호협회는 시글 장군의 공로와 뛰어난 지도력의 영향으로 미국 육군이 더욱 발전하였으며 이로 인해서 한인들의 위상 또한 높아졌다고 확신한다.

평생업적상은 $5,000의 부상이 주어지며, 수상자가 선택한 비영리 단체에 그 부상이 전해진다.