by Garth Meyer
His first task in America was to take $20, walk to McDonald’s and bring back food for his family. Byung Cho, 17, set out, rehearsing over and over what he was going to say when he got there. He had studied (British) English in school in South Korea.
He entered the McDonald’s, walked to the counter and could not communicate a thing.
Words, pointing, nothing worked. Crushed, he ran back empty-handed.
Later, things would improve.
Born and raised in Seoul, Cho arrived in Van Nuys in 1989 before his junior year of high school. The change meant going from a school that got out at 10 p.m. to one that released students at three.
“I remember saying to my mom, what do I do for the next seven hours?” Cho said.
He praises his entry to the U.S.
“I had great friends who did not make fun of me,” he said.
Cho is now a married father of three, a candidate for school board in Redondo Beach and the manager of a “complex investment” firm called Metropolitan Investments, on Catalina Avenue. The company develops and manages commercial and industrial properties.
Cho has volunteered for the past 10 years on the PTA, Redondo Beach Council of PTA and the school site council.
“I was perfectly happy being a volunteer,” he said.
Then a couple people suggested he run for school board.
So he read about it for three to four months and “realized this is a real opportunity to do something meaningful. This may be another opportunity to help out.”
Cho’s children include a freshman at Redondo Union High School, a sixth-grader at Adams Middle School and a second-grader at Washington Elementary.
He has combined resources with incumbent Raymur Flinn for campaign materials.
“We share similar values. It’s about the kids and their education and their well-being,” he said.
What’s it been like for Cho, school board candidate, out on the campaign trail?
“It’s been great,” he said of door-knocking. “Number 1, I did not think Redondo was this big. I’ve also learned how unique its pockets are. Though some people thought I was selling something, folks have been very kind. And I lost 10 pounds walking.”
After high school in Van Nuys, Cho went to Northwestern University in Chicago for a degree in Communications Sciences (the study of how the brain functions in regards to communication, and its practice at an individual and the organizational level).
At one point, he had two jobs: an assistant in the biochemistry lab and host at a diner.
“I am a very lucky person. I’ve worked hard and people have opened doors for me expecting nothing in return,” Cho said.
He noted that his Presbyterian background informs his perspective.
“Teachings of our faith I think are very relevant: being kind to others, being respectful of one another, to appreciate everyone’s uniqueness and to be grateful for our blessings,” he said. “Not only do we live in America, we live in Redondo Beach.”
Cho is endorsed by the Redondo Beach Teachers Association, former Superintendent Steven Keller and several current and former board members.
“We as parents, teachers, board members, we all push, gently, that’s how we get better,” Cho said. ER
