“Anyone can suffer from mental health issues, and they can be solved by identifying and talking about them rather than hiding them.”
The Healing Seminar, sponsored by the Korea Daily-Happy Village and hosted by the nonprofit social service organization YouStar Foundation (CEO Soh Yun Park), will be held for free on February 3 and 4 in Los Angeles and Irvine. The seminar will be led by renowned South Korean social psychologist Taekyun Hur, a professor at Korea University.
“One of the psychological characteristics of Koreans is that they are prone to anger,” Park said at a press conference on January 29. “As shown in the Netflix series ‘BEEF,’ they often don’t know how to relieve stress and anger. We organized this seminar in the hope that it would be a time for people to heal their inner pain through the teachings of Professor Taekyun Hur, an expert in Korean psychology.”
According to Park, the seminar will focus on “unique characteristics and misconceptions of Koreans,” including conflicts between generations, cultural differences between parents and children, and miscommunication in the workplace.
Professor Hur holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from Northwestern University and is currently a professor of social psychology at Korea University. He appeared on “You Quiz on the Block” and “Accidental Adult” in 2022 and 2017, respectively, to give lectures on the psychology of Koreans.
“There are many Korean Americans who have mental illnesses but are unable to reveal them,” said Sung Kun Park, pastor of Berendo Street Baptist Church in Los Angeles. “I hope this seminar will open their minds and improve awareness of mental health.”
The events will be held at 6 p.m. on February 3 (Saturday) at Berendo Street Baptist Church and at 4 p.m. on February 4 (Sunday) at Irvine Onnuri Church in Irvine.
Health booths will be set up by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LADMH), Cedars-Sinai, and Asia Pacific Counseling and Treatments Center from 5 p.m. on Saturday before the seminar begins. The seminar will also offer simultaneous English interpretation.
The capacity of the Berendo Street Baptist Church is approximately 1,500 people, and tickets to the seminar can be reserved at youstarfoundation.ticketleap.com/. There will also be a limited number of goody bags and raffle prizes.
The YouStar Foundation was launched in 2014 to help the underprivileged in the Korean-American community. “My husband, the former president of the foundation, actually suffered from manic depression. It was a difficult time, but he was cured through consistent psychotherapy and counseling. Since 2018, we have been holding workshops on mental health once a month through miracle concerts, child education seminars, etc., to provide hope through first-hand experience,” said Park. Inquiries: (213)435-6622, youstarfoundation@gmail.com
BY YEJIN KIM [kim.yejin3@koreadaily.com]
