The second public hearing about the Korean American National Museum project is set to be held on June 6, as the project hasn’t broken ground in more than a decade. This hearing will focus on considering legal action against the Korean American National Museum board of directors, which continues to operate behind closed doors.
The Citizens’ Committee to Build the Korean American National Museum will hold its second public hearing at 5:30 p.m. on June 6 in the auditorium of the Korean Education Center in Los Angeles at 680 Wilshire Pl.
“To avoid legal charges and IRS investigations, we would like the Korean American National Museum board to attend,” said Christopher Lee, an architect with the organization. “We would like them to answer residents’ questions about the allegations and issues, and share the board’s operations regarding the museum.”
According to the committee, the public hearing will discuss three main topics: requesting an investigation by the District Attorney, requesting to reorganize the board of directors, and addressing the storage and whereabouts of donated historical artifacts.
The problem is that the Korean American National Museum board has remained silent in response to repeated requests to attend hearings. The committee requested a meeting with Jaemin Chang, chairman of the Korean American National Museum, but has not received any response.
“When I contacted the director of the Korean American National Museum, Byungchan Ahn, he said that Shinae Yoon, the former secretary general who resigned in April, was ‘fired,’ not resigned,” said Lee. “The board of directors is said to have been replaced by new, younger people, but he did not specify who they were or why Yoon was fired.”
The Korea Daily also reached out to the Korean American National Museum’s board of directors for a comment but had not received a response as of May 30.
Meanwhile, the Korean American National Museum’s website (kanmuseum.org) has remained closed for years. The Korean American National Museum’s nonprofit registration is also listed as “delinquent” in legal records as of May 30, as the organization has not submitted any relevant documents.
Former secretary general Yoon told the Korea Daily in March that the organization had submitted the registration fee and that it would be corrected soon. However, nothing has changed in more than two months.
This means that the Korean American National Museum project is virtually stalled.
The organizers of the public hearing have requested attendance from LA Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Heather Hutt’s office of Council District 10. The hearing will be attended by the director of the Chinese-American Museum and other members of the community, including Latino and Bangladeshi communities. Anyone interested in the Korean American National Museum project is invited to attend.
BY YEOL JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
