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김영삼 전 대통령의 서거 소식을 들으니 그분이 미국의 한인들에게 당부한 말씀이 새삼 생각난다. 그분과는 백악관 만찬에서 잠시 만난 게 전부지만 미국 한인들의 장래를 걱정하며 과감하게 대화를 이끌던 모습이 생생하다. 그는 한국 정가를 기웃거리던 한인의 일부가 줄기차게 제기한 '교민청' 설치 요청에 확실하게 결론을 냈다. "이민 갔으면 그곳에서 뿌리내리고 잘살아라. 모국에 기대 걸어봐야 '국물'도 없다." '고국 발전에 기여하고 싶다'는 일부 한인의 희망에 대해서도 "'미꾸라지'급인 현재의 한인 사회로는 용도 미달이니 '잉어'급 정도로 커진 다음에 보자"고 했다. 그는 한인들과 만날 때마다 "현지에서 뿌리내리고 충실한 미국 국민으로 살아가라"고 당부했다. 재미 한인의 '응석'을 단호하게 거절하며 이민자로서 긍지를 갖고 살라고 주문하는 그에게 실질적 지도자라는 인상을 받았다. 지금 미국 한인 사회에서는 한국 국회의원 선거를 위한 선거인 명부 등록 캠페인이 벌어지고 있다. 머지않아 각 정당의 입후보자들이 나타나 한인회와 향우회 등을 동원해 득표 활동을 벌일 것이다. 그러면 이른바 '한인 사회 지도자'들도 덩달아 활동할 것이다. 지금 미국은 내년 대선 캠페인이 한창인데 많은 이의 관심이 이곳 생활과 직접 관련 없는 한국 총선에 가있는 듯하다. 많은 한인이 볼 때 한인 사회에서의 한국 선거운동은 우리 이민자들이 미국에 뿌리내리고 사는 데 오히려 장애가 되고 있다. 우리들이 가진 몇 표를 얻기 위해 동포 사회를 한국에서처럼 동과 서, 그리고 남과 북 출신 그룹으로 분열시키는 한국 정치인들의 염치없는 행태를 서거한 김영삼 대통령이 보았으면 무어라고 할까 궁금하다. 이민 온 우리 같은 사람들이 우선시해야 할 일은 현지 정착과 동화이다. 고국이 잘되길 바라는 마음이야 누구나 같지만, 이민을 했으면 이민자답게 그 나라 국민으로서 성숙한 모습을 보여야 한다. 우리 한인 사회의 진정한 발전을 걱정하는 한국의 정치 집단은 없다고 본다. 함량 미달 '지도자'들이 대표하는 오합지졸 한인 사회를 자신의 이익을 위해 이용하려는 자들만 있을 뿐이다. 후세를 위해 다시 한 번 결심하자. 올바른 소속감을 갖지 못하면 어디서건 쓸모없는 집단으로 남는다. 우리가 애지중지 키우고, 빚내서 공부시키는 아들 딸에게도 악영향을 준다. 출처: https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2015/12/15/2015121503961.html

박 회장, 대학 졸업식에서 축하 연설

Join us this Friday to welcome Atlanta Rotarian Sunny K. Park, Chief Executive Janitor of General Building Maintenance, President of Global Sun Investments and a member of Georgia Banking Company Board. You can join in person at Le Meridien or via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86202979419 Sunny is a 2000 USO Patriot Award recipient and one of Most Influential Atlantans by JAMES Magazine and Atlanta Business Chronicle in multiple years. He is an Executive in Residence of Georgia State University, lecturing regularly. Mr. Park immigrated to the United States in 1974 with no money. Today, as an indicator of his business acumen, he has successfully achieved his goal of paying $1 million in income tax annually. A native of South Korea, served as Commissioner of the White House Advisory Commission and Vice Chairman of Georgia Ports Authority. Mr. Park serves or served multiple nonprofit boards; National Guard’s Youth Foundation that supports programs for high school dropouts; USO Georgia; National Center for Civil and Human Rights; Carter Center Board of Councilors; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation Board; Atlanta Rotary Club Board; Emeritus board member of Berry College and Junior Achievements Georgia; Serves Sandy Springs City for City Charter Review Board and Development Authority; National Museum of Patriotism Board; Georgia Public Policy Foundation; Shepherd Center Hospital; Emory University Board of Visitors; Savannah College of Art & Design; Korea Defense Veterans Association Board. He is 2004 and 2008 Presidential Elector from Georgia. He served as president of the National Korean American Federation (1991); Chairman of the 1992 Overseas Korean Conference in Berlin, Germany; In 1996, he founded the American Korean Friendship Society to strengthen unique relationship between the two nations; To encourage fellow immigrants to become active in community affairs, Mr. Park founded the Good Neighboring Foundation; With his own program “If Sunny Can, I Can,” he mentors high school dropouts at Youth Challenge Programs. He presented the commencement speeches to Class 2006 of Kennesaw State University, Class 2007 of Berry College, Rome, Georgia and 2018 of Belhaven University, Jackson, Mississippi. Sunny is laureate of Atlanta Business Hall of Fame; inducted to KATUSA Hall of Fame in Korea. He is decorated with People’s Merit by South Korean President; Volunteer Service Award by the President of the U. S.; Americanism Medal by Daughters of American Revolution; Patrick Henry Trophy by National Guards Association; Small Business Person of the Year by Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Youth Foundation 2007; VanLandingham Commitment to Economic Education Award by Georgia State University; 2018 Liberty Award by Institution of Corian American Studies; 2020 Freedom Award from Georgia Public Policy Foundation. He studied at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis. He received honorary doctorate from Belhaven University. Sunny Park attends the Church of The Apostle, Atlanta, GA. source: https://www.griffinrotary.org/story/6444

November 27, 2017 (Jackson, Miss.) - Belhaven University will honor its December graduates during commencement on Saturday, December 16, 2017. The Jackson Commencement Ceremony will start at 9:30 a.m. in Thalia Mara Hall, 255 East Pascagoula Street. The special commencement speaker will be Mr. Sunny K. Park. He is the CEO of Global Sun Investments, Inc., CEJ of General Building Maintenance and board member of Brand Bank. A native of South Korea, he served as commissioner of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and vice chairman of Georgia Ports Authority. Mr. Park immigrated to the United States in 1974 with no money and now he has successfully achieved his goal of paying $1 million in annual income tax. Mr. Park is the 2000 USO Patriot Award recipient and one of Most Influential Atlantans by JAMES Magazine and Atlanta Business Chronicle for multiple years. Mr. Park also serves on several nonprofit boards: National Guard's Youth Foundation, USO Georgia, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Carter Center Board of Councilors, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Rotary Club Board; WABE Atlanta Public Broadcasting, Advisory Board of Kennesaw State University and emeritus board member of Berry College. He served as president of the National Korean American Federation and was chairman of the 1992 Overseas Korean Conference in Berlin, Germany. In 1996, he founded the American-Korean Friendship Society to strengthen the relationship between the two nations. Mr. Park founded the Good Neighboring Foundation. With his own program “If Sunny Can, I Can,” he mentors high school dropouts at the National Guard's Youth Challenge Program. Mr. Park is a laureate of Atlanta Business Hall of Fame of Junior Achievements and KATUSA Hall of Fame in Korea. He was decorated with the People's Merit of the Republic of Korea; Service Award by the President of the U. S., Americanism Medal by the Daughters of American Revolution, Patrick Henry Trophy by National Guards, Small Business Person of the Year by Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Youth Foundation in 2007 and the VanLandingham Commitment to Economic Education Award by Georgia State University. He studied at information technology at the Institute of Korea, Indiana University, Purdue University at Indianapolis. Mr. Park and his family attend Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga. source: https://www.belhaven.edu/news/2017/belhaven-to-honor-graduating-class-of-2017-2017.html

As a hungry young boy growing up on the Korean peninsula in the early 1950s, Sunny K. Park was inspired to pursue a better life by the American soldiers fighting on his behalf during the Korean War. Today, the accomplished entrepreneur, community leader and 2020 recipient of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Freedom Award hopes a new scholarship honoring the late U.S. Gen. Raymond Gilbert Davis – a Korean War hero and past Freedom Award recipient – will inspire a new generation of students at Georgia’s Berry College. With an endowment exceeding $200,000, the General Davis Korean-American Friendship Scholarship will provide funding for two rising seniors each year to participate in the Bahrom International Program at Seoul Women’s University or another similar program in South Korea. The goal is to promote cultural understanding while also preparing Berry students to succeed in a global economy. Preference for the award will be given to family members of Korean War veterans. With the blessing of the Davis family, Park has funded this scholarship in hopes of shedding new light on Gen. Davis’ heroism in Korea, where he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor after spearheading the rescue of fellow Marines in fierce combat and frigid conditions at the Chosin Reservoir in late 1950. The scholarship also extends the legacy of both men in service to Berry, an independent liberal arts college of approximately 2,100 students located on a 27,000-acre campus 72 miles northwest of Atlanta. Gen. Davis spent 30 years on the college’s Board of Visitors, providing wise counsel to three Berry presidents. Park followed him as a member of the Board of Visitors and later served as a college trustee, retiring in 2015. While neither man attended Berry, Park feels strongly that the college exemplifies values he glimpsed in the soldiers he met during the war and American Christians who provided desperately needed essentials such as food, clothing and school supplies in the years after the 1953 armistice. “I’ve always remembered those Americans as brave and generous,” Park said. “It wasn’t common to be like that, so I wanted to be American and Christian. I never gave up on that plan. I wanted to be brave and generous like Americans.” Park immigrated to the United States in 1974 and ultimately became a naturalized citizen. Though he arrived with nothing, he achieved success with the 1983 founding of General Building Maintenance, today one of the nation’s top private commercial cleaning service providers. He has also invested time and energy in other successful business ventures and in nonprofit service, with a particular interest in mentoring high school dropouts. Notable achievements include past service as vice chair of the Georgia Ports Authority and recognition as an Atlanta Business Hall of Fame laureate and USO Patriot Medal recipient. Park never actually met Gen. Davis in Korea – “there were over a million American GIs deployed on the Korean peninsula,” he noted – but in later years had the opportunity to serve alongside his childhood hero during efforts to fund the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. “Gen. Davis was such a humble man,” Park recalled. “When you saw him in civilian clothes, he was like your nicest uncle. You could never imagine him fighting on the front lines in the bitter cold. He never bragged about what he did. He was just so polite and nice to everyone.” After Gen. Davis died in 2003, Park articulated his feelings toward the man he considered a “father figure,” stating, “ When I was a child, I could never say ‘thank you’ for what you did for me and millions of fellow Koreans now enjoying the freedom you helped to provide. Finally, when I met you in Atlanta some 40 years later, I wanted to say ‘thank you’ many times, but it could never be enough.” Park continues to honor Korean War soldiers like Gen. Davis with a dinner each Veterans Day. This new scholarship is one more way in which he can recognize the bravery and sacrifice that resonated so strongly with him as a boy. “I want to inspire people who never met Raymond Davis,” he said. “I want to relay his heroism to Berry College students.” source: https://www.berry.edu/articles/news/2020/news-022020

Retired Berry Trustee Serves Community in Time of Crisis Sunny K. Park has an eye for business and a heart for service. The Atlanta Business Hall of Fame laureate and Berry trustee emeritus is renowned for the success of his company, General Building Maintenance, which is one of the nation's top private commercial cleaning service providers, as well as the work he does on behalf of others. He has always been quick to recognize a need, so when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he quickly jumped into action. As president of the American Korean Friendship Society, he coordinated the donation of 1,000 protective masks each to Grady Memorial Hospital, Piedmont Hospital and the Sandy Springs, Ga., police. Berry students are no strangers to the generosity of Mr. Park, who endured the horrors of the Korean War as a child and later immigrated to the United States, the source of the soldiers and missionaries who inspired him in his youth. He was introduced to Berry by his childhood hero, U.S. Gen. Raymond Gilbert Davis, and quickly embraced the college and its mission. Most recently, Mr. Park funded the General Davis Korean-American Friendship Scholarship, which will provide support for two Berry students each year to participate in the Bahrom International Program at Seoul Women's University or another similar program in South Korea. He has also been generous in support of other campus projects, including the Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center. source: https://alwaysberry.com/blog/sunny-park