MYONG JUCH '97 

Owner 

Silverwings Food Corp.

Nyong Juch's life story reads like a novel - one fraught with adventure and obstacles, and triumph of the human spirit.

Juch was born on a train as his parents returned home after years of political exile in China. He grew up in South Korea, and attended medical school in Seoul until he was forced to discontinue his studies for financial reasons. He served in the Vietnam War, and then took a position with Korean Airlines, where he served as chief purser on international flights. When one of the airline's passenger planes was shot down over Russia near the Arctic Circle, Juch led a party to help rescue the passengers.

After ten years with the airline, he resigned to pursue an independent business career. He came to the United States in 1981 with the ambition of owning a McDonald's franchise, but with no business experience yet in the United States, Juch was unable to prove his ability to run such a franchise, so he and his wife instead bought a grocery store. They learned how to endure grueling 15-hour days and seemingly endless prejudice and discrimination. But they soon realized these problems were not theirs alone. Juch founded the Korean Ainerican Grocers' Association in 1991 and served as its president. He was then elected president of the Korean American Association of Greater New York, representing 400,000 Korean Americans. Then in 1994, he founded KA-PAC, USA, an organization dedicated to education and advocacy, and promoting the sociopolitical advancement of Korean Americans. 

Juch became the first Korean American to own two McDonald's franchises and also owns and operates Silverwing Food Corporation. When a series of confrontations erupted in Brooklyn between African American and Korean American grocers, he helped diffuse the situation, and even raised money to bring 49 African American pastors to Korea, to enlighten them about its culture.

He earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of the State of New York, and a master of science degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College in 1997. In 2000, Mercy awarded him an honorary doctor of Commercial Science degree in honor of his contributions to society.