Koreans like to say there are great parents behind every successful child. That saying denotes the importance of parenting. The case for Juju Chang, 44, the new main anchor for the ABC News, is not an exception as Chang also has an ambitious father.
Chang's father, Chang Pal-gi, hates the word, 'immigrant.' "I told my children that they are not immigrants to the United States. I told them to live a life with the mindset of being a conqueror," he said in an interview with Yonhap.
"It's because I didn't want them to suffer from the minority complex in a foreign country. So, I told them: You are not immigrants! You're a conqueror!"
Father Chang was a maverick. Decades ago, he went to the United States. One day he bought a Samsung TV, a rare commodity in the U.S. at that time, and declared: "The Korean products will conquer the American market sooner or later!"
Given Samsung's global reputation, his bravado at that time is seen as a "prophecy" in the family from a hind sight, but it was hardly the case decades ago.
"My husband's goal was to imbue self-confidence to his children," his wife recalls.
To be a "conqueror," one had to have a strong body. Father knew this. So, Chang's father taught his children swimming. From a young age, Chang got up 5 a.m. in the morning and swarm for one hour before going to school.
Outgoing and academically excelling, Chang was admitted to both Harvard and Stanford, but chose Stanford to be close to her family. She majored in politics and communication.
During her secondary schooling, Chang was known for her knack for public speaking. In broadcasting, she rose upward through her career. At one time, she was a co-host with Anderson Cooper, who later moved to CNN.
Chang's family has four daughters and all of them, including Chang herself, married American. "My four son-in-laws are all well-mannered," mother said.
"On major Korean holidays, they visit us here and bow down before me and my husband just like children in Korea do," she proudly said.