Young Koreans United (YKU)

[Download YKU flyer in PDF] [YKU Flyer in Korean]

Young Koreans United of USA is a national organization founded in 1984 and has five chapters throughout major U.S. cities. YKU works to promote peace, human rights and social justice in Korea and the United States through education, grassroots organizing and advocacy. YKU activities are supported by individual members and supporters.

Our Mission

Build a progressive voice in the Korean American community through education, action and grassroots organizing.

Advocate for the civil rights of Korean Americans.

Contribute to the movement for peace, justice and disarmament in the Korean peninsula.

Advocate for just and peaceful U.S. policies towards Korea.

Our Activities

YKU activities range from grassroots mobilization and legislative advocacy to popular education and cultural events on local and global human rights issues. We also work to build broad coalitions with progressive communities in the United States.

Program Areas - Korea Issues

Peace, Reunification & Disarmament

YKU has worked for the establishment of permanent peace and demilitarization in the Korean peninsula through various campaigns and projects. In the past, YKU gathered 100,000 signatures in a national petition drive to the U.S. Congress calling for the removal of nuclear weapons in Korea, co-organized the International Peace March and Study Tour for Peace and Reunification of Korea and supported peace and environmental organizations based in South Korea. High profile cases such as the U.S. military dumping of toxic chemicals into the Han River and the brutal rape and murder of Yoon Geum Yi by a U.S. soldier are indicative of the daily problems resulting from the U.S. military presence in South Korea. For this reason, YKU is currently advocating for more just and equal relations between the U.S. and South Korea through revision of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). YKU also supports an end to practice bombings in the area of Maehyang-Ri.

Quest for Justice

In 2000, YKU played a major role in coordinating Quest for Justice: The Story of Former Comfort Women As Told Through Their Art. This North American tour generated much needed international attention to this issue. Building on that success, YKU will continue to support the comfort women's seven official demands, including an apology and redress.

Food Aid to North Korea

North Korea is on the verge of yet another severe food crisis in 2001. From 1995 to 1998 over 220,000 died of hunger. And, children under the age of 6 years are chronically malnourished. In 1996, YKU first initiated a grassroots food aid campaign that has raised $300,000 in the past 4 years. In 2000, YKU and the Friends of the World Food Programme (WFP), the official food aid arm of the United Nations launched Feed the Hungry Children of North Korea to enable WFP to buy raw materials for nutritional, high-energy biscuits that will be distributed to children throughout North Korea.

Human Rights & Democracy

On-going efforts include the Campaign to Repeal the National Security Law and annual commemorative events on the Kwangju People’ s Uprising of 1980. YKU also extends solidarity to labor movement organizers in South Korea and the United States.

Program Areas - Korean American Issues

Political & Civic Participation

YKU encourages active political participation of Korean Americans. YKU regularly publishes and distributes educational materials on political candidates, ballot initiatives and other election issues based on its impact to the Korean American community. YKU also endorses political candidates and policy positions.

Civil Rights

YKU actively organizes, mobilizes and advocates on major civil rights issues including immigrant rights, hate crimes, affirmative action and police brutality.

Leadership Development & Education

YKU has an extensive and well-developed curriculum for small group studies on Korean history, U.S. People’s History, Asian American Studies, Korean American Studies and current issues. Since our founding more than 15 years ago, we have trained a new generation of young Korean American activists on grassroots organizing, international solidarity, leadership skills and political consciousness raising.