Residing in Palos Verdes and raising two children in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, Mr. Kim deeply appreciates the quality education students receive in the area. Along with his wife and two sons, they relocated to PV in 1989, and both sons graduated from Peninsula High.
“We chose PV because of its excellent schools, safe neighborhoods, breathtaking views, and numerous outdoor activities. One of my favorite aspects of hillside living is the diverse range of nature experiences — the ocean, the cliffs, the hiking trails.”
Born during one of the most tumultuous periods in Korea’s 5,000-year history, Mr. Kim navigated a childhood marred by war, political upheaval, and unspeakable poverty. Throughout those times, countless individuals, foreign governments, and religious organizations provided him with spiritual and material support. He remains profoundly grateful to those who stood by him, allowing him to persevere through adversity.
These experiences instilled in him an understanding of the depth of human compassion and a determination to surpass challenges, build wealth, and give back to those in need. His personal journey solidified his belief in the power of education, and he is committed to dedicating his resources to serve society and the nation that nurtured him.
Fortunately, in the land of opportunity — the United States — he managed to accumulate wealth through many years of extra hard work. From his life’s trials, he has derived some core beliefs:
• Poverty, while a formidable foe, can be combated through determination and effort.
• Prosperity in a community translates to personal well-being.
• Education is the most effective medium to enact these principles.
These convictions led him to establish the D.K. Kim Foundation. For over 20 years, they have collaborated with esteemed institutions including University of California Berkeley, University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount University, and Hanyang University Korea to establish programs and endowments focused on equipping our future leaders to drive social good. Together, they have deployed more than $16,000,000 into diverse educational programs. The Foundation’s commitment remains unwavering, and they’re continuously exploring partnerships to maximize their reach and impact.
“We want to help people manifest their education, insights, network, and creativity to achieve sustainable social good in their communities. Funding people and projects alone does not drive sustainable social interest. So our foundation has developed and tested a Do No Harm construct to inform social development work.”– Mr. Kim
The D.K. Kim Foundation’s aim is ambitious: to transform impoverished communities worldwide into “self-reliant communities” by collaborating with alumni of their programs, current organizational partners and other new partners to train emerging leaders to deploy a social sustainability model. The D.K. Kim Foundation hopes these communities will stand as models of sustainable development, offering a blueprint for charitable organizations everywhere.
To learn more and support this work, please visit the DKKF website, https://www.dkkimfoundation.org/
