About Us
OUR MISSION
Empowering Young Korea Americans through late Chairman's Philosophy
"Live honestly and work diligently; nourishing credibility. People and money will follow you naturally.
Credibility is the bloodline of life."
Jae Doo Ryu
Sue Ryu, President
She was born in Seoul, South Korea, the 4th daughter and the 5th child of Bong-Hwang and the late Chairman Jae Doo Ryu, the founder of the Ryu Family Foundation(RFF). She has been servicing the foundation since the passing of the late Chairman and is currently the president of the foundation. She has a Master of Science in Computer Science from New York University. She is a computer scientist, organization designer, and business agility strategist at Aha Autonomy, LLC.
Bong Ryu, Director
Mrs. Bong-Hwang Ryu (Née Song) was born in Incheon, South Korea. In 1947, she married the late Chairman Jae-Doo Ryu, the founder of the Ryu Foundation. Mrs. Ryu and the late Chairman Ryu have 6 children, 2 sons and 4 daughters, and 19 grandchildren and great grandchildren. She and her husband have been an early and enthusiastic supporter of Korean American Youth Assistance Coalition and Korean American Heritage. She has been serving the foundation since its inception and is currently a director of the Foundation.
Rev. Paul Chang, Director
Pastor Chang who has supported the foundation for many years. Pastor Chang was the pastor at Korean Methodist Church & Institute in New York City from 2005-2012. Pastor Chang was previously a pastor in Seoul for many years, as well as in Madison, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. He is serving the foundation as a director.
Hee-Jun Lee, Director
She was born in Seoul, South Korea, the1st daughter and the 2nd chilld of Bong-Hwang and the late Chairman Jae Doo Ryu, the founder of the Ryu Family Foundation(RFF). She has been servicing the foundation since 2018 as a director.
Daniel Suh, Director
Daniel is one of the late chairman's many grandchildren and has been a lifelong recipient of Jae Doo and Bong Hwang Ryu's wisdom and support. He received his B.S. in Biology from Pepperdine University and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia studying the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. As a board member, Daniel helps to organize the selection committee and application review process for the SeolBong scholarship.
FOUNDATION BACKGROUND
Jaedoo Ryu, founder and late Chairman of Pro Line Manufacturing Company, founded the Ryu (유) Family Foundation in December of 1994, using a significant portion of his personal fortune. From its inception, the foundation's mission was to provide scholarships to hard-working disadvantaged Korean-Americans. The late Chairman Ryu had a lifelong vision to give back to the Korean-American community by helping Korean-Americans to fulfill their dreams through higher education.
The late Chairman Ryu had four primary motives for establishing this foundation. They are:
1) The late Chairman Ryu wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father who built a school in Youngduk (영덕) County of North Kyungsang Province(경상북도) in South Korea. His father taught all the children in the Ryu family and the other children in the village as well. He also provided financial assistance to students who wanted to pursue higher education.
2) When the late Chairman Ryu was a student in Japan during the last few years of World War II, he endured economic hardship and had to work to pay off educational and his personal expenses. The late Chairman never forgot how challenging those times were for him, and one of his lifelong goals was to help young students to overcome their own economic hardships.
3) The late Chairman Ryu saw that many Korean immigrant parents had strong desires to have their children attend prestigious colleges, but struggled to provide the financial support to make that possible for them. He witnessed that many students had to defer their pursuit of study due to financial difficulties.
4) The late Chairman Ryu believed that attaining higher education was of utmost importance to Korean immigrants who lived in a country where racial equality is as of yet an ideal rather than a reality. He believed that higher education provides young Korean Americans with the advanced knowledge and technical skills to succeed in society even when they may have a disadvantage financially or socially.
The late Chairman Ryu founded the Ryu Family Foundation with the vision of supporting and inspiring Korean-American students in their pursuit of higher education. Following his passing, we remain committed to growing and expanding the Foundation while staying true to his motives and objectives. Our mission is to empower people through his philosophy - "Live honestly, work diligently; nourishing credibility. People and money will follow you naturally. Credibility is the bloodline of life."