ASIA Families Stories: Presidential Awards for contribution to promoting Korean National Education Development

The former President of the National Association of Korean Schools (NAKS), Sunmi Kim, and the representative of ASIA Families, Grace Hwakang Song, received the Presidential Awards for their contribution to promoting Korean National Education Development. The award ceremony took place on the 16th of Febuary, 2023 at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington, DC. Ambassador Tae-yong Cho presented the National Medal to former President Sunmi Kim and the Presidential Commendation to Representative Hwagang Song.

Sunmi Kim, who has been educating Korean language and culture to Korean and American descendants since 1997, and served as the President of NAKS from 2020 to 2022, was recognized for her significant contributions to the NAKS standard curriculum revision and the introduction of teacher certification, which greatly contributed to the development of Korean schools in the United States.

Representative Grace Hwakang Song founded ASIA Families, a post-adoption support organization, in 2009. Through the operation of Korean Culture Schools for adopted children and their adoptive parents, as well as services for adoptees to trace their roots and scholarship programs, she has been recognized for her efforts to ensure that adoptees do not forget their Korean identity and can grow while embracing their Korean heritage.

Ambassador Tae-yong Cho expressed his congratulations and gratitude to the two individuals who have dedicated themselves in lesser-known ways to the education of Korean culture, language, and identity for Korean-American youth growing up in American society. Education Attaché Han Sang-shin and Director Kang Kyung-tak of the Washington Korean Education Center attended the award ceremony.

<Reporter Jung Young-hee>

Link: http://dc.koreatimes.com/article/20230220/1454021