Passion leads to action

By Chung Ah-young

He was 58-years-old when he made his dream come true by becoming a final winner in “Quiz Korea” which aired on KBS on July 4, 2010. Im Seong-mo, a truck driver, surprised many viewers by beating strong contestants such as an elite college student of oriental medicine, a high-ranking public official and an engineer.

Im’s story gave hope and confidence to many ordinary people who wanted to change their lives. He turned constraints posed by his humble background into possibilities with passion and gusto. He said that passion was the key to all this success.

Not only his story but also other inspiring stories from indie musician Lee Jang-hyuk; Seo Kyoung-duk, a publicist expert on Korea and professor at Seoul’s Sungshin Women's University; and Jasmine Lee, the first ethnic lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, are compiled in the new book “Passion Rather Than Dreams” written by Kang In-shik (Munhak Dongne; 14,800 won: 360 pp).

In the book, all four mentors share the view that passion is the driving force, which leads to action and reaching dreams.

Im is a middle-school graduate who spent his youth gambling and almost gave up his life, blaming his tragic family history _ his father’s involvement in one of North Korean committees during the Korean War (1950-53) that later blocked his career later in the 1960s.

But a turning point came made when he saw a key repairman win the quiz show.

“I had blamed others so far. When I was in my early 30s, I could do everything. But I didn’t anything at that time and deserted myself totally,” he said. But after watching the quiz program in which a 52-year-old key repairman won, he felt ashamed.

“I thought I was the only one put in a very unfavorable condition. But the key repairman’s win gave me hope,” he said.

He thought his youth would be rewarded if he could win the show. After deciding to enter, he quit smoking after 35 years. “Winning the quiz show, although it was belated, has laid a launching pad for the next. I will set another goal _ becoming a certified public appraiser. Many people would laugh at me but that’s okay because they did so when I decided to appear on the quiz show,” he said.

Lee Jang-hyuk is not a household name in the mainstream music industry but he is acknowledged as an iconic musician in the indie scene.

To pursue his music career, he worked as a cleaner at the bathroom of Yeongdeungpo Station and labored on construction sites. His voice was hurt when he suffered acute hepatitis. But he didn’t give up on music. He started getting state-provided education for the unemployed and took on various jobs to achieve his dream.

“I do sing for myself not for the audience. I appreciate my fans but it’s a different matter. If I can satisfy myself at the performances, it’s fine,” he said.

His first solo album released in 2004 was listed among the top 100 Korean pop music albums and was regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 2000s. But he said that he won’t stop even though he has achieved a small success. Much expectation follows such a small achievement because so many challenges are put ahead of him to create more inspiring music.

Known as a public relations expert by advertising Dokdo in influential American newspapers, Seo Kyoung-douk pioneered a new way to promote the brand image of the nation here.

His campaign to promote Korea to other countries includes not only advertising in major American newspapers but also the Korean language translation service at major American museums such as the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History with his own efforts by collecting donations.

Before his success story, there were a lot of refusals and rejections. When he first suggested museums provide the Korean language services in accordance with the rising number of Korean tourists, they didn’t show much interest because Korea was a still small market for them.

But Seo pushed ahead with his plan and persuaded them to offer the service provided it was paid for by donations. Once they accepted the service, Seo started to raise the funds by wooing government-related institutions and corporations.

“Actually it’s not that difficult. There have been no Koreans who did that before me. They just dreamed but didn’t put it into practice,” he said. “To succeed, we need to sacrifice and throw ourselves into the world. Dreams are nothing if actions don’t follow.”

Another heroine is Philippine-born Jasmine Lee who became the first ethnic lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party this year. Although she is now in a powerful position, her life was full of ups and downs.

She moved to Korea after marrying a Korean man and has two children but her husband died while trying to rescue their daughter from drowning in 2010. Her dream is that her children live happily in Korea and be treated equally as other Korean children. To make her dream come true, she became a lawmaker against all odds such as social discrimination and bias against multiculturalism.

“Everybody dreams. But there are just a few who really approach the dreams. Those who make their dreams come true endure all odds. Endurance is a kind of stepping stone. If we endure well, we can be more solid,” she said.