K.W. (Kyung Won) Lee Papers, 1972-1998

Summary

Creators:

Lee, K.W. (Kyung Won) 1928-

Abstract:

Correspondence, court records, clippings and other background materials relating to the Chol Soo Lee case (1973). Also contains office files, artwork, and photographs relating to the publication of Koreatown (1980-1983) and a bound volume of the paper (1979-1981).

Extent:

10.4 linear feet 237 Digital Objects

Language:

English.

Background

Scope and content:

These papers cover K. W. Lee's professional life from 1977 to 1983. They are limited to his two main activities during those years: the Chol Soo Lee case and the founding of the Koreatown newspaper. There is also a small series hinting at his larger career as an investigative reporter and teacher.

In the Chol Soo Lee case, the correspondence between K.W. Lee and Chol Soo Lee, the newspaper coverage of the case (particularly the Sacramento Union stories by K. W. Lee), and the court documents contain most of the substance of the series. The interviews also warrant use though there are few. The strength of the Koreatown series lies in the newspaper itself and in the files of story ideas. They focus on the Korean immigrant/Korean American experience in California and the major Korean immigrant centers around the United States.

Biographical / historical:

Biographical Narrative

K. W. Lee was born in Kaesong, Korea in 1928. He came to the United States as a student in 1950 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from West Virginia University in 1953. He continued his education at the University of Illinois, Urbana, where he earned an MA in Journalism in 1955. In his first professional job, Lee served as the City Hall reporter with the Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News from 1956 to 1957. He became a staff reporter for the Charleston (WV) Gazette from 1958 to 1970.

In 1970, K.W. Lee moved to Sacramento, California to become an investigative reporter for the Sacramento Union. For the next two decades Lee's investigations included corruption in the Sacramento Housing Authority, benefits given to legislators and other state officials, welfare reform, the Rancho Seco nuclear power plant, poverty, and the prison system. His reporting led to new legislation and numerous civic and political reforms. In 1977, he gained national recognition for his investigation into the wrongful conviction of Chol Soo Lee. His articles sparked the first successful pan-Asian political movement and ultimately led to Chol Soo Lee's retrial and full acquittal. K.W. Lee retired from the Sacramento Union in 1990.

In 1979, K.W. Lee founded the first national English-language Korean American newspaper, Koreatown, which lasted until 1982. In 1990, at a time of rising tension between the African American and Korean American communities in Los Angeles and other cities, he launched and edited the Korea Times English Edition, based in Los Angeles. He received the John Anson Ford Award, for print media, by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission for his outstanding coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and "for promoting racial harmony...through journalism and community involvement." Though semi-retired, Lee continued to write for the Korean American community as a columnist for the Korea Times (English daily from 1995 to 1998 and Bi-lingual Edition from 2000 to 2001), Currents: Asian Pacific American newspaper serving Sacramento and Yolo Counties (2000 to 2003), and the KoreAm Journal (2002 to 2003).

K.W. Lee began teaching journalism while still in West Virginia at West Virginia State College in 1969. He became a part-time journalism lecturer at California State University, Sacramento from 1974 to 1979. In 1998, Lee taught investigative writing at UC Davis. He taught investigative journalism at UCLA in 2000 and 2001, and in 2001 he taught investigative journalism at UC Santa Barbara and interethnic studies at UC Riverside. And throughout his career, Lee devoted countless hours to mentoring hundreds of Korean Americans.

Over the course of his career, K.W. Lee received numerous regional and national awards for his work. These include the Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (1982), the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian American Journalists Association (1987), and the Free Spirit Award from the Freedom Forum (1994). In 1997, he was inducted into the Newseum's News History Gallery.

K.W. Lee Timeline

Date	Event
1928	Born in Kaesong, Korea
1946-1949	Major in English Literature, Korea University, Seoul
1950	Came to USA
1951-1955	Editor, The Korean Messenger, an English language periodical for Korean students
1953	BS Journalism, West Virginia University, Morgantown News Editor, The Daily Athenaeum, the WVU student newspaper Research Assistant, Institute of Communications, University of Illinois, Urbana
1955	MS Journalism, University of Illinois, Urbana
1956-1957	City Hall Reporter, The Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News
1958-1970	Staff Reporter, The Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette
1960	Married, Peggy N. Flowers of Bluefield, VA
1966-1967	Mark Ethridge Fellowship, Ford Foundation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1968	Urban Service Award, U. S. Office of Economic Opportunity, for outstanding coverage of the poor.
1969-1970	Part-time journalism instructor, West Virginia State College Institute faculty advisor to The Yellow Jacket, WVSC student newspaper
1970	Investigative Reporter, Sacramento Union Ring of Truth Award, Copley Newspapers, for outstanding community service Editorial Citation, California Newspaper Publishers Association, Best Article or Best Series, for "Welfare Mess."
1971	First Place, Enterprise Category, California-Nevada AP Writing Contest Ring of Truth Award, Copley Newspapers, for outstanding initiative and originality in reporting.
1972	Second Place, Enterprise Category, California-Nevada AP Writing Contest Ring of Truth Award, Copley Newspapers, for outstanding initiative and originality in reporting Ring of Truth Award, Copley Newspapers, for best spot news coverage Certificate of Merit, American Bar Association Gavel Award, for a series of investigative articles
1973	Ring of Truth Award, Copley Newspapers, for outstanding community service Editorial Citation, California Newspaper Publishers Association, for community service
1974	Part-time journalism lecturer, California State University, Sacramento Faculty advisor to The State Hornet, CSUS student newspaper Ring of Truth Award, Copley Newspapers, for a series of investigative articles Special Merit Award, California Taxpayers Association, for a series of investigative articles entitled, "The Golden Dome." National Headliners Award, National Headliners Club, for outstanding news reporting
1976	Editorial Citation, California Newspaper Publishers Association, for best series of articles
1977	Contacts Chol Soo Lee and begins working for his release.
1978	Mark Twain Sweepstakes Award, Associated Press News Executives Council (APNEC), for "The Americanization of Chol Soo Lee."
1979	Starts editing and publishingKoreatown. Gavel Award, American Bar Association, for yearlong investigative series that resulted in the overturning of Chol Soo Lee's murder conviction. First Place, Best Series of Articles, California Newspaper Publishers Association's Better Newspaper Contest Honorable Mention, Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award, for investigative coverage of Chol Soo Lee case.
1981	Top Honors, News Division, California State Fair, for his series, "People's Revolt Against Crime."
1982	Second place, investigative reporting, San Francisco Press Club Writing Contest
1983	Chol Soo Lee released. National Headliners Award, National Headliners Club, for outstanding news reporting American Legion Fourth Estate Award Second Place, Writing Contest, California-Nevada Associated Press News Executive Council
1986	Finalist, Roy W. Howard Award for Public Service, Scripps-Howard Foundation
1987	Lifetime Achievement Award, Asian American Journalists Association
1990	Editor, Korea Times English Edition Retires from Sacramento Union
1992	John Anson Ford Award, Los Angeles Human Relations Commission for journalistic efforts to promote racial harmony before, during, and after the 1992 LA Riots. Retires from Korea Times English Edition Received liver transplant.
1993	Investigative reporter/internship program coordinator, Sacramento Union
1994	Free Spirit Award, Freedom Forum National Award for Outstanding Service, Association of Asian American Studies
1995	Special projects consultant to KCRA-TV in Sacramento Columnist, The Korea Times (English daily), Seoul
1997	Inducted into the Journalism History Gallery of the Newseum in Arlington, VA.
1998	Retired from The Korea Times
2000	Columnist, Currents Columnist, The Korea Times Bi-Lingual Edition, Los Angeles Retires from KCRA-TV
2001	Columnist, KorAm Journal

Acquisition information:

Donated by K.W. Lee.

Physical location:

Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Korean Americans--California--Politics and government.
Korean American journalists.
Koran American literature--Periodicals.
Prisoners--California.

Location of this collection:

UC Davis, Special Collections

University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library

100 NW Quad

Davis, CA 95616-5292, US

Contact:

(530) 752-1621

speccoll@ucdavis.edu

Website