Mike Kim

Mike Kim (born December 11, 1976) is a business consultant, author, inspirational speaker, and nonprofit founder. He is a Korean-American who lived at the China–North Korea border from 2003-2006 and founded Crossing Borders, a nonprofit dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees. He is the author of th
Wall Street Journal featured
book ''Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World’s Most Repressive Country'', a current events memoir published in 2008 by Rowman & Littlefield, about his experiences at the China-North Korea border when taking time off from business to help North Korean refugees and human trafficking victims through the modern-day 6,000 mile underground railroad in Asia. Escaping North Korea has been translated into Turkish and Polish.

Crossing Borders and ''Escaping North Korea''

On New Year's Day 2003, Kim decided to take some time off of business and gave up his financial planning business in Chicago, Illinois, and left for China on a one-way ticket carrying little more than two duffle bags. While living near the North Korean border, he operated undercover as a student of North Korean taekwondo, training under two North Korean masters —eventually receiving a second-degree blackbelt (he is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt). He founded Crossing Borders, a nonprofit dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees.

In interviews, Kim has referred to the late Ambassador Mark Palmer as a mentor and a person who has deeply influenced him by his example of working effectively in the business, nonprofit, and government sectors. Palmer wrote the foreword to Escaping North Korea and commented, “This is a story of heroes. Of North Koreans increasingly and courageously evading the dictates of the system at home to survive and risking their lives to flee the world's most repressive dictatorship. And of a heroic young Korean American, the author, Mike Kim, who risked his own life for four years on the China-North Korea border to help them." In June 2010, Kim was voted in as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Kim frequently appears in the media: He was a guest on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' and has appeared in ''The Wall Street Journal'' and on CNN ''Anderson Cooper 360''. He has been interviewed by major international media groups such as Fox News, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Yonhap News Agency, ''The Korea Times'', ''The Korea Daily'', and Korean Broadcasting System. Kim speaks to audiences worldwide, including a variety of companies, universities, and government organizations on five continents.

Career After Crossing Borders and ''Escaping North Korea''

After completing his MBA at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, Kim continued to work across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. He currently serves as a board member and donor at Crossing Borders.

Kim is the founder of Gradient Consulting, a Tokyo-based firm that advises startups on market entry and business development across Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. He has worked with U.S. and other venture-backed companies to help secure customers, build strategic partnerships, and accelerate revenue growth in Asia.

Kim has written articles for major publications, including ''The Japan News'' (Yomiuri Shimbun), where he has shared insights on the intersection of technology and business in Asia.

Kim is also active in speaking engagements around the world, having addressed audiences at major companies, universities, and government organizations across five continents.

References

External links

Interview on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''

Interview on CNN's ''Anderson Cooper 360''

Interview on Fox with ''Bill Hemmer''

Gradient Consulting official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Mike
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
McDonough School of Business alumni
American writers of Korean descent
1976 births
Living people
Scholars of North Korea