Yul Julius Kwon (born February 14, 1975) is an American television host and former
government official,
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
, and
management consultant
Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...
based in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He first gained national recognition and popularity as the winner of the
reality TV
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...
show ''
Survivor: Cook Islands'' in 2006. He appeared again in ''
Survivor: Winners at War'', where he placed 14th. Kwon hosted the 2012 four-part TV series ''America Revealed'' on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
as well as ''LinkAsia'' on
Link TV.
Early life and education
Kwon was born in
Flushing in the
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
of
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
n immigrants. He moved to
Concord, California
Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 124,016 in 2024, maki ...
and attended
Northgate High School, in
Walnut Creek, where he graduated
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States.
The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...
and played varsity
water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
and
track and field
Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
.
Kwon attended college at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, graduating in 1997 with a B.S. degree in
Symbolic Systems and is a brother of
Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity. As a student, he earned recognition for both academic achievement (
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
) and community service (James Lyons Award).
In his sophomore year, Kwon's childhood friend and roommate, Evan Chen, was diagnosed with a terminal case of
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
. Kwon organized an intense nationwide bone marrow campaign in an effort to find a bone marrow donor for his friend. Although the search was successful and Chen underwent a
marrow transplant, the procedure ultimately failed and Chen died two years later. He continues to organize bone marrow drives and serves as a national spokesperson for the Asian American Donor Program.
After graduation from Stanford, Kwon attended
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...
, where he earned a J.D. in 2000 and was an editor on
The Yale Law Journal
''The Yale Law Journal'' (YLJ) is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School. The journal is one ...
.
Career
Kwon's professional career spanned a variety of roles across technology, law, business, and government. He worked at two law firms - Venture Law Group and Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis. He served a
judicial clerkship with Judge
Barrington D. Parker, Jr. on the
Second Circuit Court of Appeals
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, and it has appellate jurisdic ...
. He also worked as a legislative aide to
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
Joseph Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; February 24, 1942 – March 27, 2024) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. Originally a member of the Democratic Party, he was its nomine ...
in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
In 2009, Kwon was appointed Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC). In 2011, Kwon left the FCC and became the host of a new television series on PBS, ''America Revealed''. He became the host of a weekly news show, ''LinkAsia'', which airs on
LinkTV.
Kwon's private sector business experience includes working in
Google
Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
's business strategy group and as a
management consultant
Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...
with
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...
and The Trium Group. In February 2013, Kwon joined Facebook's Privacy product team, and in 2015, he moved into the position of Product Management Director. In June 2018, he left Facebook and is currently working at Google as a Vice President of Product Management.
Kwon became a lecturer for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
.
''Survivor''
''Cook Islands''
In 2006, Kwon was recruited to participate in the
thirteenth season of ''
Survivor
Survivor(s) may refer to:
* one who survives
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series
* ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
'', which took place in the
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...
. This season was notable for the producers' decision to divide the contestants into tribes by their ethnicity, a decision that generated substantial controversy. When asked why he agreed to go on the show, he cited his desire to provide a positive role model for his community, and the lack of representation by Asian Americans on television.
Originally on the
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants).
Although this term had historically been used fo ...
Puka Puka tribe, Kwon led his tribe to dominate in the first two tribal
immunity
Immunity may refer to:
Medicine
* Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease
* ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press
Biology
* Immune system
Engineering
* Radiofrequence immunity ...
challenges, while winning rewards on both occasions. On Puka Puka, Kwon developed a long-lasting alliance and friendship with fellow Korean-American attorney Rebekah "Becky" Lee. In Episode 2, Kwon was banished to Exile Island by the Hispanic Aitutaki tribe, after Aitutaki intentionally lost the second immunity challenge. On Exile Island, Kwon was able to decipher the clues and find the hidden immunity idol, which would be very instrumental to his survival later in the game.
In Episode Three, the four ethnically divided tribes integrated into two tribes, and both Kwon and Lee became members of the new Aitutaki tribe. Kwon and Lee immediately developed a four-person alliance with
Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Lindsay Penner (born March 5, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, television personality, and film producer, known for producing and starring in the film '' The Last Supper'', as well as acting in the television series '' Rude Aw ...
and Candice Woodcock of the old
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
Rarotonga tribe. When Aitutaki lost the next immunity challenge and the opposing new Rarotonga tribe sent Candice to Exile Island, Yul's alliance became outnumbered and Lee became a target. However, Kwon and Penner were able to convince Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" Bui and Jessica "Flicka" Smith from their old respective tribes to side with them and voted out Cecilia Mansilla. After that, the new Aitutaki tribe enjoyed back-to-back immunity challenge wins in episodes 4 and 5.
In Episode Six, both tribes were informed they would have to vote someone out of their tribe, regardless of the challenge results. Despite being from the same original tribe, Kwon and his alliance voted out Cao Boi, seeing him as a loose cannon that could not to be trusted. It was around this point that Kwon, Lee, Penner and Woodcock recruited Sundra Oakley to their now 5-person alliance. In Episode 7, this new alliance targeted
Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth due to his strength in challenges. But when the Aitutaki tribe lost immunity, they voted out Flicka, admitting they needed Ozzy for future challenges. Both tribes were now tied at 6 members each.
In Episode Eight, all remaining survivors were given the chance to "mutiny" and defect to the opposite tribe. Woodcock, who saw this as an opportunity to get back to her old Rarotonga tribemates and friends, Adam Gentry and Parvati Shallow, mutinied to the Rarotonga tribe, and Penner would subsequently follow Woodcock. The mutiny left Kwon, Lee, Oakley and Lusth as a tribe of four against a tribe of eight, and were dubbed as the "Aitu 4" as such. Despite these odds, the new Aitu 4 were able to dominate in the challenges and win four challenges in a row, sending Rarotonga to tribal council where they voted out Brad Virata, Rebecca Borman and (in a twist where they had to vote out two members in one tribal council) Jenny Guzon-Bae. These three survivors became members of the jury.
At the Final Nine, the two tribes (Aitutaki and Rarotonga) merged into Aitutonga. The Aitu 4 were still outnumbered by the five Rarotonga members. However, Kwon devised a plan to use the Hidden Immunity Idol to blackmail former ally and mutineer Penner. By using his Hidden Immunity Idol to threaten to eliminate Penner at Tribal Council, Penner decided to defect from Rarotonga and join the Aitu 4 to save himself. The Aitu 4 and Penner surprised Rarotonga at Tribal Council and voted out Nathan "Nate" Gonzalez. In the Survivor Auction at the Final 8, Kwon revealed to the remaining Rarotonga members and the host
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American television presenter and producer and young adult fiction writer. He is best known as the Emmy Awards, Emmy Award–winning host of the American version of the reality television show ' ...
that he held the Hidden Immunity Idol. The Aitu 4 and Penner continued to control the game and voted out their former ally and mutineer Woodcock.
At the Final Seven, Kwon, then dubbed the "Ringleader", "Puppet Master" and "Godfather", was constantly being pressured by the remaining Rarotonga members to vote out the traitor Penner. Knowing that their days in the game were numbered, Gentry and Shallow both threatened to vote against Kwon in the jury if Kwon refused to vote out Penner before them. Kwon made a deal with Gentry that if Penner was voted out ahead of him and Shallow, he would gain Gentry's vote in the jury, and Penner was voted out. In the next two Tribal Councils, Shallow and Gentry were voted out respectively, propelling the Aitu 4 into the final 4.
Once in the Final Four, Lee, Lusth, Oakley, and Kwon were shocked to hear that instead of a standard Final Two, the final tribal council would consist of three members. At the immunity challenge, Lusth continued to dominate, winning his spot in the Final Three. Kwon, still protected by the hidden immunity idol, was also safe. Both Lusth and Kwon agreed that the fairest decision would be a tie-breaker challenge between Lee and Oakley. Kwon offered his idol to Lee, but she declined. In the tie-breaker, neither Lee nor Oakley could start a fire with flint within a one-hour limit. Moving to matches, both still had trouble, and Oakley ran out of matches. Lee went on to win the challenge, moving her into the Final Three with Lusth and Kwon.
In the Final Tribal Council, Kwon was credited for his strategic prowess and his ability in the social aspect of the game, whereas Lusth was credited for his domination in the physical aspect of the game. In the end, Kwon beat out Ozzy Lusth and Becky Lee in a 5-4-0 vote to become the Sole Survivor, gaining the votes of Brad Virata, Candice Woodcock,
Jonathan Penner
Jonathan Lindsay Penner (born March 5, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, television personality, and film producer, known for producing and starring in the film '' The Last Supper'', as well as acting in the television series '' Rude Aw ...
, Adam Gentry, and Sundra Oakley.
''Winners at War''
Kwon returned to the game on ''
Survivor: Winners at War'' after a 14-year and 27-season hiatus. He was originally a member of the Dakal tribe where he aligned himself with
Sophie Clarke,
Nick Wilson, and
Wendell Holland. The four of them began targeting old-school players. Kwon then became a part of the Sele tribe following a tribal swap. He had a hand in voting off
Amber Mariano,
Tyson Apostol
''Survivor: Blood vs. Water'' is the 27th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series ''Survivor (American TV series), Survivor''. The season filmed in May–June 2013 and premiered on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, featurin ...
, and
Parvati Shallow
Parvati Shallow ( ; born September 21, 1982) is an American television personality, best known for competing on multiple seasons of the reality game show Survivor (American TV series), ''Survivor''. She was the winner of ''Survivor: Micronesia, S ...
during the first three tribal councils he attended, but he later became the ninth person voted off and placed 14th on day 35 after not earning the right to return to the game from the ''Edge of Extinction''. As a juror, Kwon cast his vote for eventual winner
Tony Vlachos.
Other media appearances

Shortly after winning ''Survivor'', Kwon appeared on several talk shows, including ''
Live with Regis & Kelly''. He received positive media coverage for his strategic and honest gameplay, as well as for breaking stereotypes about Asian American men in the media.
In 2015, in the official issue of ''
CBS Watch'' commemorating the 15th anniversary of ''Survivor'', Kwon was voted by viewers as the 9th greatest contestant in ''Survivor'' history. At the time, he was one of only two one-time contestants to appear in the top 10, the other being
Tony Vlachos of ''
Survivor: Cagayan'' (who has since played again on ''
Survivor: Game Changers'' and ''
Survivor: Winners at War'' alongside Kwon). In a 2015 interview shortly before the premiere of the
30th season, host
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American television presenter and producer and young adult fiction writer. He is best known as the Emmy Awards, Emmy Award–winning host of the American version of the reality television show ' ...
declared Kwon to be one of his top 10 favorite ''Survivor'' winners ever, and one of his top 6 favorite male winners.
Kwon made several notable lists in 2006/2007, including
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...
's Sexiest Men Alive, People Magazine's Hottest Bachelors, and Extra TV's Most Eligible Bachelors. He was profiled in
VIBE
Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing.
Vibe may also refer to:
People
* DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ
* Lasse Vibe (b ...
Magazine's "Juice" issue as part of the New Power Generation, consisting of people who will shape the future. An online poll by ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' also found Kwon to be the favorite ''Survivor'' winner among its readers. In 2017, the magazine also had fans rank the 34 winners of ''Survivor'' and Kwon was ranked 9th.
In 2007, Kwon worked as a special correspondent for
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
on a series exploring issues affecting the Asian American community. The series, ''Uncovering America'', aired on CNN's ''
American Morning''. The topics Kwon examined included the portrayal of Asian Americans in the media, the glass ceiling in the corporate workplace, and affirmative action. He was also interviewed regarding these issues on
Anderson Cooper 360. In July 2022, Kwon competed on the
USA Network
USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
's reality competition series, ''
Snake in the Grass''.
Personal life
Kwon proposed to his girlfriend, Sophie Tan, in April 2008. The couple had been set up by one of Kwon's ''Survivor'' tribemates, Brad Virata. The couple was married in 2009 at Clos La Chance winery in
San Martin, California. The ceremony was televised and aired on the
TV Guide Channel
The American cable and satellite television network Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized channel and program listings for cable television providers. Later on, the service, branded Pr ...
. Kwon and his wife have two children.
References
External links
*
Yul Kwon biographyfor ''
Survivor: Cook Islands'' at
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwon, Yul
1975 births
American management consultants
American people of Korean descent
California lawyers
Living people
McKinsey & Company people
Survivor (franchise) winners
People from Concord, California
People from Queens, New York
Stanford University alumni
Survivor (American TV series) winners
Yale Law School alumni