Charlie was adopted from Korea when he was a few months old and raised by his family in Hawaii before moving to rural Georgia, where he grew up with limited exposure to Korean culture outside of his Korean mother. Navigating his identity in that environment was challenging, particularly as a Korean mother and a white father raised him.

Charlie did not learn that he was adopted until adulthood, when his father became seriously ill during the COVID-19 pandemic. Until then, he had always been told he was half Korean and half white and had accepted that as his truth. Discovering the reality later in life reshaped his understanding of himself, his family, and his past.

Charlie moved to California in 2021, where he works in recruiting. He is active in the Korean adoptee community and is honored to serve on the AKA-LA Board, where he hopes to contribute to the continued growth of the AKA-LA community.