[In-depth interview] Helping others achieve America’s promise
Published: 15 Dec. 2009, 21:22
Marisa Chun, U.S. deputy associate attorney general
“But it’s important that stories like mine aren’t used to say that everything is O.K. for blacks. You have to remember that for every one of me, there are hundreds or thousands of black students with at least equal talent who don’t get a chance,” he said.
Obama also noted, “I personally am interested in pushing a strong minority perspective. I’m fairly opinionated about this. But as president of the law review, I have a limited role as only first among equals.”
A Korean-American classmate of Obama who worked on the Harvard Law Review with him has joined him again by serving in a senior post in the Justice Department. Marisa Chun, 44, was named to serve as deputy associate attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice, starting May 1, 2009.
Chun was active in Obama’s presidential campaign, serving on his Law and Judiciary Advisory Committee and Asia-Pacific American Leadership Council. She also volunteered as a surrogate speaker at public events and on television for the campaign.
“One important thing that young Korean-Americans can do is to be true to themselves and to the things that truly interest them,” she said in an e-mail interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. “Well-intentioned Korean parents sometimes pressure their children to follow certain paths, but ultimately, discovering and pursuing one’s own interests and gifts is more rewarding.”
Chun received her B.A. from Yale University, summa cum laude, in 1987 and graduated from Harvard Law School, cum laude, in 1991.
Q. Please explain your role in the Justice Department.
A. I serve as deputy associate attorney general at the Department of Justice. I assist the Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli, the third-ranking official at Justice, with respect to his responsibilities. I am one of five deputies in his office and my responsibilities primarily include antitrust, health care fraud, intellectual property, budget and other issues.
Tell us about your career before assuming your current post.
After finishing law school and a clerkship, my first job in 1992 was to work at the Department of Justice, through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. I investigated and prosecuted violations of federal civil rights laws across the country, on behalf of the United States. It was an inspiring and rewarding experience. During the past 10 years, I practiced law in San Francisco, at a firm called Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass, where I had a broad commercial litigation practice, including breach of contract, telecommunications, appellate, antitrust, employment and class-action work.
I heard you worked to help minorities, including Korean-Americans. Would you please give some details about your activities?
I first became involved in the Korean-American community as office manager of the Korean American Coalition in Los Angeles in 1987. KAC was a young nonprofit advocacy organization at that time, and I had the opportunity to do a little bit of everything: advocate for fair media portrayal of the Korean-American community, supervise interns, work with other community organizations and help plan and organize KAC’s annual fund-raiser. Later, in San Francisco, I was active in the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California and eventually served as president. I have also enjoyed speaking to the Korean-American community and encouraging young people.
You were a member of the Harvard Law Review when Barack Obama was president of the journal. Please tell us about that experience.
It was February 1990 when we elected Obama as our president of the Harvard Law Review. I was fortunate enough to work with him as a fellow editor and then as developments editor under his leadership. We published the Harvard Law Review every month during the academic year. In May, every year, we published a special edition called “Developments in the Law,” where we studied in-depth a new or emerging area of the law, with several articles devoted to that topic. It was a year-long project. Two editors serve as co-chairs of this “Developments in the Law” project and supervise the five other editors working on this project.
During 1990-91, the year that President Obama served as the Harvard Law Review’s president and I served as the developments editor, our “Developments in the Law” project published in May 1991 was about “International Environmental Law,” and we featured several different in-depth articles about this topic. As the president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama was ultimately responsible for producing a top-notch academic journal every month and he did so in a stellar manner. He was not only brilliant and a gifted writer and editor, but he was also an outstanding leader and good listener - someone who had the gift for bringing together people with very different points of view even back then. We all looked up to him.
What do you think Korean-Americans should do in order to broaden their influence and social power in the United States? What’s your advice to young Korean-Americans who want to be public servants?
One important thing that young Korean-Americans can do is to be true to themselves and to the things that truly interest them. Well-intentioned Korean parents sometimes pressure their children to follow certain paths, but ultimately, discovering and pursuing one’s own interests and gifts is more rewarding. As the Korean immigrant community expands to include the second and third generations, it would be great for these next generations to give back to the Korean-American community.
What makes America unique and special are the different histories, cultures and viewpoints that we all bring to make this great nation so much stronger and richer. A sharp, inquisitive mind; an interest in public policy and how such policies impact real people, families and businesses; education and experience to enhance one’s credibility (for example, in the field of business, law, academia, or other areas of interest); and a commitment to serve the public and to do the right thing - all these things are helpful for young Americans of any heritage interested in public service.
Please tell us about your family and personal history.
I am married to Dean Dukhyun Paik, a Korean-American lawyer and former prosecutor, and we have a daughter and a son. My parents are Dr. John Soungsoon Chun and Kim Young-ja. My father was the President of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology from 1990 to 1993 and President of Daejeon Industrial University [now Hanbat National University] from 1996 to 2000. He chaired the President’s Advisory Council on Science & Technology when he passed away unexpectedly in 2003.
My brother, Rahi Charles Chun, is an actor and life coach in Los Angeles, California.
By Lee Sang-il [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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