www.asianlibrary.org
email: asianlibrary@asianlibrary.org
The Chun Group - www.chungroup.org
The Asian Herald - www.asianherald.org
Ki Hyun Chun CPA - www.kihyunchuncpa.com
Today, The Asian Herald Library is the largest private Asian library in the U.S. There are a total of over 132,000 books of which 33,500 are in Chinese,
35,800 are in Korean, 19,500 are in Vietnamese, 7, 400 are in Japanese. In addition, there are 9,500 books about Asian countries and culture written in English and others.
The Asian Herald Library was founded by Ki-Hyun Chun, Ph.D., LL.D., CCIM, CPA in October of 1985. The following is his story about how opening up a library became his lifelong dream: When I was growing up in Korea, my father would give my brother and me a reading assignment to complete before dinner. If we did not finish our reading assignment, we were given a choice of foregoing dinner or eating dinner but with a beating afterwards.
Being a typical young boy, there were many days where I wanted to play with my friends outside rather
than be inside reading books. As a result, there were many nights where I had to face my father's ultimatum.
I have never been able to forego food, so my fate was always dinner and a beating. There were many nights when I would eat my dinner, knowing that when my food was gone, I would
have to face the pain of my father's hand.
As I ate, I would curse my fate as tears of sorrow would drip into my soup. I did not understand why my father forced me to read books
while other children were allowed to play and live care free lives.
However, as I got older, I realized the value of what my father was teaching me.
In fact, when I came to America in the 1970's, I grew to miss all of the books that I was forced
to read growing up. Many immigrants during that time were not able to bring any books with them, particularly in their native language.
When I told my father this, he suggested
that I begin a library. This was the first time my father had put me to a particular task and so I knew it was my duty to fulfill his wish. That is when I began collecting books
for a library.
Because of his service to the community through The Asian Herald Library, Dr. Chun was recognized by The Charlotte Observer as "A Hero of Democracy" in 1997, awarded the "Opal
Moretz Alumni Service Award" by Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1999, and received the Richard Vinroot International Achievement Award by the Charlotte International Cabinet in 2009.
Open Monday through Friday 9a - 6p 1339 Baxter Street
Charlotte, NC 28204
(704) 334-3450
Contact us at 704-334-3450email: asianlibrary@asianlibrary.org