Charles Yangkoo Lee

We offer these words of remembrance to honor the late Mr. Charles Yang Koo Lee, a beloved father and husband, who passed away on July 29, 2022. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mrs. Grace Young Lee, and their three offsprings — Jennifer, Andrew, and Helen — as well as many relatives in South Korea and the United States.

Born on April 15, 1938 in Gunsan, Jeonbuk Province, South Korea, he grew up as the privileged first-born heir to a prosperous family during the Japanese occupation. From a young age, he stood up to injustice when he witnessed it and confronted others regardless of their age or size. This tendency, which often resulted in scuffles, sowed the seed for the future black-belt master of Tae Kwon Do he would become as an adult.

Fearless and adventurous, he took a big boat across the wide Geumgang River to attend middle school everyday, proud to do it on his own without any chaperon. At the age of sixteen, he sought permission from his parents to travel alone to the capital city of Seoul in pursuit of a better education.

Putting his intelligence to work, he studied with perseverance to catch up to the “city kids,” and was accepted by the esteemed department of the most prestigious university in the country, Seoul National University’s College of Business Administration.

After graduating in 1964, he served as a public official at the Economic Planning Board of Republic of Korea until 1981, before immigrating to the United States.

In 1968, he met his beloved wife-to-be Grace, with whom he married the following year in 1969 and had three children. With an aspiration to offer them better education and more opportunities, he decided to bring his family to the United States and start a new life as an entrepreneur.

After arriving in Southern California in 1982, he and his wife worked tirelessly without break for the following nine years until 1991. Having purchased an Italian restaurant with no previous experience, he learned all aspects of the business from managing employees and handling the accounting ledgers to making pizza dough and delivering food. He encountered countless challenges as an immigrant assimilating to new language and culture, all the while shouldering the responsibility of protecting and providing for his family.

Those years were fraught with financial woes and physical exhaustion. Nevertheless, he never missed a day driving his three children to school in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon. He helped them with homework and prepared food for them before returning to the restaurant in the evenings. At every opportunity, he instilled in them the value of hard work, integrity, and morality. He taught them to be objective and methodical, emphasizing “Haste makes waste.” Impressing upon them that education and knowledge are key to success in life, he often repeated his favorite motto: “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

After selling the restaurant in 1991, he moved with his wife to San Clemente and began the golden years of their lives, finally enjoying the hard-earned fruits of their labor. With more leisure and resources, he acquired and managed a shopping center in Los Angeles; invested in real estate; and worked in construction as a general contractor.

Ever a scholar at heart, he continued to pursue new knowledge and earned many certificates, among which several proved to be useful.

Encouraged by his wife, he became increasingly more involved in the Korean-American community of Southern California. He was tireless and passionate about making a positive impact on the community and dedicated countless hours to improve the lives of fellow Korean-Americans. Here are notable examples of his accomplishments:

In 1998-1999, he served as the Chairman of Korean Institute of Human Rights of the Los Angeles Chapter, and from 2000-2002, as the Founding President of the Orange County Chapter.

From 1999-2004, he served three consecutive terms as Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter of The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC) and the President of the Orange County Chapter of the same organization.

In 2002-2004, he served as the 17th President of the Korean American Federation of Orange County. During his term, he laid the foundation for the construction of the Korean American Federation Hall by establishing bylaws for fundraising and managing funds for the construction of the Hall. Moreover, he established scholarships for immigrant families through personal donations and contributions from others.

Many awards and special recognitions followed throughout the years. Most distinguished among them were from members of the U.S. Congress, and the California State Assembly and Senate.

More details are provided in the July 31st issue of The Korea Daily and the August 1st issue of The Korea Times.

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중앙일보 | The Korea Daily | 사회

[Los Angeles] 입력 2022.07.31. 20:59

[삶과 추억] 이양구 전 OC한인회장…한인회관 건립 기틀 다져

오렌지카운티 한인회관 건립의 기틀을 다진 이양구 전 OC한인회장이 지난달 29일 오전 9시 숙환으로 별세했다. 84세.

고인은 지난 2002년부터 2004년까지 OC한인회 제17대 회장으로 재임하며 한인회관 건립을 위한 모금과 기금 관리를 위한 건축위원회 시행 세칙을 마련, 한인회관 건립의 기틀을 다졌다.

고인은 자신의 기부금 4만 달러와 17대 이사, 임원의 기부액을 포함한 4만2000달러, 샬롬합창단이 기부한 창단 기념 공연 수익금 1만 달러를 모아 역대 한인회의 적립 기금 규모를 총 23만7000달러로 크게 늘렸다.

고인은 또 민주평통 OC지회장을 지내면서 OC지회를LA협의회로부터 독립시키는 안과 재외동포법 개정 진정안을 한국 정부에 제출했다. 당시 고인의 OC지회 독립 제안은 2009년 민주평통 오렌지샌디에이고협의회가 출범하며 열매를 맺었다.

1939년 전북 군산에서 태어난 고인은 서울대학교 상과대학을 나와 경제기획원에서 근무하다 1982년 미국에 왔다. LA한국인권문제연구소 이사장, 민주평통 LA협의회 부회장, OC한미인권연구소 회장 등을 역임했다.

고인은 이영희 현 민주평통 오렌지샌디에이고협의회 수석부회장과 슬하에 딸 둘, 아들 하나를 뒀다.

임상환 기자

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미주한국일보 | The Korea Times | 사회

[Los Angeles] 2022-08-01

[부음] OC회관 건립 초석마련 이양구 전 한인회장

이양구 전 OC한인 회장이 지난달 29일 오전 9시 별세했다. 향년 84세.

제17대 한인회장(2002-2004)을 역임한 고인은 오렌지카운티 한인회관 건립을 위한 모금과 건축위원회 시행 세칙을 마련해 회관 건립의 초석을 다졌다.

고인은 또 민주평통 OC 지회장을 맡으면서 LA협의회로부터 독립시키는 안과 재외동포법 개정 진정안을 한국 정부에 제출해 2009년부터 민주평통 오렌지카운티 협의회로 개편된 시발점이 되었다.

서울대 상대를 졸업하고 경제 기획원 근무 후 1982년 이민 온 고인은 LA인권문제연구소 이사장, 민주평통 LA 협의회 부회장, 민주평통 OC 지회장을 역임했다. 고인은 유족으로 부인 이영희 전 OC한인회 이사장(샬롬 합창단 명예 단장)과 사이에 1남2녀를 두고있다. 장례 일정은 추후에 발표할 예정이다.

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이양구 회장님 학력 및 경력

1938년 4월15일 군산에서 출생

1964년 서울대학교 상과대학 졸업

1966년 경제 기획원 근무

1982년 미국 이민

1983-1990년 이태리안 레스토랑 경영

1991-2015년 쇼핑센타 경영. 부동산업. 건설업.

1998-1999년 Los Angeles 한국 인권문제 연구소 이사장

1999-2004년 제 9기. 10기. 11기 Los Angeles 민주평통 부회장 Orange County 지회장 역임

2000-2002년 Orange County 한국 인권문제 연구소 설립 초대 소장

2002-2004년 Orange County 한인회장

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주요 포상

이한동 국무총리 감사패

월드컵 정몽준 축구협의회 회장 감사패

Ed Royce 미연방 하원의원 감사장

Silver Spoon 상 (Garden Grove 상공회의소)

Loretta Sanchez 미연방 하원의원 감사장

신호범 의원 상원부의장 감사패

민주당 한화갑대표 감사패

LA 이윤복 총영사 공로패

민주평통 LA협의회장 감사패

OC 한인회 회장 감사패 등등 다수