Korean parents in the Fullerton School District have achieved a long-awaited goal with the appointment of a dedicated Korean liaison.
On February 12, Superintendent Robert Pletka announced the appointment of Soo Jin Choi as the district’s first-ever Korean liaison during a meeting at the district office. The event was attended by James Cho, Trustee for Area 2, and representatives from the Laguna Road Elementary Korean Parent Group.
Choi, a bilingual education curriculum specialist at Laguna Road Elementary School, will now extend her support to Korean parents across all elementary and middle schools in the district.
James Cho, who spearheaded the establishment of the liaison role, emphasized the impact of this new position.
“With the Korean liaison in place, the district will now host informational sessions and events in Korean, covering topics of interest to Korean parents, including GATE testing and other key academic programs,” Cho said.
“Parents will now feel more comfortable participating in events and getting their questions answered in their native language.”
The informational sessions in Korean will primarily take place at schools with a high concentration of Korean students, including Laguna Road, Sunset Lane, Fisler, and Parks Junior High. With direct Korean-language presentations, eliminating the need for translation, event efficiency is expected to improve significantly.
During his campaign for the Fullerton School Board in November 2023, Cho met with Korean parent groups and listened to their concerns. Many parents had long requested the district to appoint a Korean-speaking liaison to assist non-English-speaking families, but their efforts had been unsuccessful.
Cho promised to address the issue if elected. After winning the election, he met with Superintendent Pletka to advocate for the creation of the position, emphasizing the challenges faced by Korean parents in the district.
“In Fullerton, some Korean parents travel all the way to Garden Grove to attend Korean-language education meetings,” Cho explained. “It was time for Fullerton to step up and provide better support for its Korean community.”
His persistence ultimately led to Superintendent Pletka’s approval of the initiative.
Reflecting on the achievement, Cho highlighted the significance of having Korean-American representation on the school board.
“There were two key factors that made this happen. First, Korean parents spoke up about what was important to them. Second, they elected a Korean-American trustee who could amplify their voices. Without both, the Korean liaison position might still not exist today.”
Cho, who serves as the Deputy Director of the Social Security Administration’s Orange County Office and a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, made headlines in 2023 when he defeated Board Vice President Hilda Sugarman in the school board election with 62% of the vote.
The appointment of a Korean liaison marks a significant milestone for Fullerton, which has the second-largest Korean population in Orange County.
During the announcement event, Korean parents gathered alongside district officials to celebrate the achievement. In attendance were Soo Jin Choi, Korean Parent Group President Melanie Do, Superintendent Robert Pletka, and Trustee James Cho.
This appointment signals a stronger commitment to supporting the district’s growing Korean-American community, ensuring that language barriers no longer hinder parents from actively engaging in their children’s education.
BY SANGHWAN LIM [lim.sanghwan@koreadaily.com]
