Students from San Diego to Claremont will join UCLA’s international Korean student population Thursday in welcoming baseball legend Chan Ho Park to UCLA’s campus.
In the wake of the 1997 East Asian financial crisis, South Korean citizens looked to the popular Korean baseball player and his success on the field for inspiration and hope, said Taebin Park, a first-year undeclared student and club member of the Global Leaders Association. The association is an international student group aimed at promoting Korean culture worldwide.
The group currently has offices at 57 universities in eight countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, said Heesu Jang, a second-year political science student and member of the group.Worldwide, the coalition represents more than 40,000 Korean students.
The Global Leaders Association will host the event, its second annual Youth Concert series, on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Moore 100. Event organizers invite Korean speakers to talk to students every year during the Youth Concert series. The speakers share their life stories with students and give students advice about life after college.
This year’s lecture will feature Chan Ho Park, a former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and the first Korean player to pitch in Major League Baseball.
“The one thing that kept (South) Korea going (after the financial collapse) was baseball,” said Taebin Park.
Chan Ho Park’s 17-year-long career ended in 2010 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, after recording 124 career wins – the most among any Asian-born pitcher, according to Major League Baseball.
Jang said he thinks Chan Ho Park’s history will resonate with Korean international students because both Chan Ho Park and foreign students had to leave Korea to attain their goals.
“We are both pioneers … We both came thousands of miles to pursue our goals,” Jang said.
After a scout spotted him pitching as a teenager, Chan Ho Park moved from Korea to the United States to play baseball. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994 and wore the royal blue and white uniform for eight years, including one All-Star appearance in 2001.
Taebin Park said he thinks the Global Leaders Association’s structure differentiates itself from other cultural groups on campus. While other cultural groups do not expand past the “Westwood bubble,” Taebin Park said Global Leaders Association leaders hope to use the group’s global activity to influence Korean policy at home.
“The organization presented me with a tool to not only represent others, but also myself,” Jang said.
Sebastian Kim, the president of the group and a Korean international student, said he joined the Global Leaders Association to have a platform to express his opinions and help organize Korean international students into one loud political voice heard back in South Korea.
Until 2012, the South Korean government did not allow Korean expatriates to vote in national elections.
Taebin Park said he thinks the limited ability to engage in the political process made it impossible for South Korean expatriates to voice their opinions in their government.
Jang said he thinks as the Global Leaders Association incorporates more Korean students, it will continue its goal to further influence South Korean political policy.
The Global Leaders Association also co-hosts events with Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese cultural groups on campus, Taebin Park said.
Jang said many members speak at least two languages, and because of this cultural immersion, he thinks members joined the Global Leaders Association to gain a feeling of home.
“Even though we appreciate diversity, we value our heritage,” Jang said.