Jaehoon Ahn
Encyclopedia
Jaehoon Ahn was a North Korea
n-born American
journalist
and researcher
. Ahn worked as a researcher
for the Washington Post for more than twenty-five years, until 1996. He was also the founding director of Radio Free Asia's
Korean language
service in 1997 and a board member of U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
.
Ahn was born on May 13, 1941, in Pyongyang
, Japanese-occupied Korea
, present-day North Korea
. He fled with his family from their home in Pyongyang, where his family had lived for generations, to South Korea
during the night when he was five years old to escape Communism
. In 1960, he obtained a bachelor's degree
from Seoul National University
.
Ahn took a position as a reporter for JoongAng Ilbo
, where he covered the Six-Day War
as a foreign correspondent
for the newspaper. He moved to the United States
during the late 1960s and settled in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He joined the staff of the Washington Post in 1969 as an assistant librarian
for the newspaper's research department.
Ahn retired from the research department of the Washington Post in 1996. He worked for a Seoul
-headquartered daily newspaper, where he helped to create the newspaper's style section and reorganize the structure of the newsroom.
In 1997, Ahn was hired as the founding director of Radio Free Asia's
fledgling Korean language
service. Ahn helped to build the service from the beginning. He launched the RFA's Korea language service's first half hour of programming and hired the service's first five staff members and journalists. Ahn expanded the half-hour format to a longer show and managed to report directly from North Korea
during his tenure as director. He retired from Radio Free Asia in 2007. In addition, Ahn served as a board member for the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
.
Ahn moved to Sandbridge Beach
in southern Virginia Beach upon his retirement.
Jaehoon Ahn died from complications from a bleeding ulcer at a hospital in Virginia Beach, Virginia
, on June 1, 2011, at the age of 70. He was survived by his wife, Soonhoon Lee Ahn, whom he had been married to for 42 years; two daughters, Soomie Lee Ahn and Yoomie Lee Ahn; four sisters; one brother; and three grandchildren. His father died in June 1997.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
. Ahn worked as a researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
for the Washington Post for more than twenty-five years, until 1996. He was also the founding director of Radio Free Asia's
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
service in 1997 and a board member of U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea also known as HRNK was founded in October 2001. The group's aim is to "raise awareness about conditions in North Korea and to publish research focusing world attention on human rights abuses in that country...
.
Ahn was born on May 13, 1941, in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, Japanese-occupied Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
, present-day North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. He fled with his family from their home in Pyongyang, where his family had lived for generations, to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
during the night when he was five years old to escape Communism
Communism in Korea
The Communist movement in Korea emerged as a political movement in the early 20th century. Although the movement had a minor role in pre-war politics, the division between the communist North Korea and the anti-communist South Korea came to dominate Korean political life in the post-World War II era...
. In 1960, he obtained a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
.
Ahn took a position as a reporter for JoongAng Ilbo
JoongAng Ilbo
JoongAng Ilbo is a conservative newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "big three newspapers" in South Korea. It has a circulation of 1.96 million copies in South Korea . Its average page count per copy is around 52...
, where he covered the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
as a foreign correspondent
Foreign correspondent
Foreign Correspondent may refer to:*Foreign correspondent *Foreign Correspondent , an Alfred Hitchcock film*Foreign Correspondent , an Australian current affairs programme...
for the newspaper. He moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the late 1960s and settled in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He joined the staff of the Washington Post in 1969 as an assistant librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
for the newspaper's research department.
Ahn retired from the research department of the Washington Post in 1996. He worked for a Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
-headquartered daily newspaper, where he helped to create the newspaper's style section and reorganize the structure of the newsroom.
In 1997, Ahn was hired as the founding director of Radio Free Asia's
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
fledgling Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
service. Ahn helped to build the service from the beginning. He launched the RFA's Korea language service's first half hour of programming and hired the service's first five staff members and journalists. Ahn expanded the half-hour format to a longer show and managed to report directly from North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
during his tenure as director. He retired from Radio Free Asia in 2007. In addition, Ahn served as a board member for the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea also known as HRNK was founded in October 2001. The group's aim is to "raise awareness about conditions in North Korea and to publish research focusing world attention on human rights abuses in that country...
.
Ahn moved to Sandbridge Beach
Sandbridge Beach
Sandbridge Beach is in the southern part of the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. Its location is like that of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, with the Back Bay of the Currituck Sound to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Located at the very end of the beach is the city park,...
in southern Virginia Beach upon his retirement.
Jaehoon Ahn died from complications from a bleeding ulcer at a hospital in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, on June 1, 2011, at the age of 70. He was survived by his wife, Soonhoon Lee Ahn, whom he had been married to for 42 years; two daughters, Soomie Lee Ahn and Yoomie Lee Ahn; four sisters; one brother; and three grandchildren. His father died in June 1997.