Gwanghun Kim
Kim Gwanghun, a 56-year-old Korean-born acupuncturist, has lived in Koreatown, Los Angeles, since immigrating to the U.S. in 2000. Growing up, he had no particular childhood dream, as the focus was on graduating quickly and securing a stable job. However, the physical and mental stress of adapting to life as a first-generation immigrant in the U.S. led him to reevaluate his career path. This turning point inspired him to study acupuncture, earning his degree and establishing himself as a licensed practitioner.
Beyond his private practice, Kim has been offering free acupuncture treatments to dockworkers in Long Beach who lack access to medical care. His commitment to helping others extends to short-term mission trips, where he tries to serve underprivileged communities. Now in his late 50s, he remains committed to community service and advancing the recognition of traditional Korean medicine in the U.S.
Interview by Isleen Lee
What is your name, age, and place of birth?
My name is Kim Gwang-hun. I’m 56 years old, born on February 14, 1969. I was born in Korea.
How do you identify by generation, race, ethnicity, gender, or preferred pronouns?
I’m Korean. I was born in Korea and [completed] elementary, middle, high school, and university in Korea. I became an adult in Korea, got married, and then came to the United States. I live in the United States as a permanent resident, but I still consider myself Korean.
What was your childhood like?
I can’t give you a definite answer to your question, but I was born in the late ’60s in the countryside and grew up in Busan. I was just an ordinary pupil. As for my elementary school days, I didn’t play any special games or anything. I was a diligent student, attended school regularly, played at the playground after school, ate dinner, watched TV, and did my homework.
What were your dreams or hopes for the future as a child?
I didn’t have any special dreams as a child. When I was growing up, my family wasn’t very wealthy [by society’s standards]. I had a very ordinary, typical family. I was just thinking that I was supposed to grow up fast and make money as a company employee, i.e., a salaryman. I didn’t think I had to achieve something special like becoming a university professor. I wanted an ordinary job and to make money. My childhood dream was just to graduate from school as soon as possible, work, and make money. I grew up with that kind of ordinary mindset.
Tell us about your family.
My family has a painful past. There were three sons and one daughter in my family. I had an older brother, a younger brother, a younger sister, a father, and a mother. Now, I’m alone. When I was young, my younger sister passed away in a car accident. About 20 years ago, my older brother passed away in another car accident. From an outsider’s point of view, our family life — this sounds a bit depressing; I don’t know what to say. One might say our family life wasn’t harmonious, but from my perspective, it was very ordinary until I graduated. It was not that bad. Those are my thoughts presently.
You said you’re an immigrant. What generation of immigrants are you?
I didn’t really immigrate to the U.S. I came as an international student in 2000. I came and studied here for a year. I call it “studying abroad,” but it was actually language training at the time. I was already employed then, and while working, I went to the U.S. for a year of language training.
The company I worked for at that time needed employees who spoke English and other languages. I was selected. I was supposed to return to Korea after a year, but I couldn't return. So after 2000 — I’ll explain that later — I studied here and settled. Unintentionally, [laughs] I’ve been living as an immigrant since 2000.
Tell us what your parents did for a living.
My parents were very ordinary farmers in the countryside. In the 1960s and 1970s, in the countryside, most of the work fathers did was passed down to the children. For that reason, my father moved us to Busan so that my siblings and I could get an education, and my father ended up working for a company in Busan.
We moved from the countryside in Gyeongbuk to Busan, where I went to school, and my father started working there. My mother also moved with all of us from the countryside to Busan — a big city — and worked there. She worked in an ordinary job.
What was your university major?
My university major was electrical engineering, a technical major. When I finished middle school and had to go to high school, I made my decisions based on my family’s financial situation, which wasn’t that good. It’s not like I starved, but when I think about it, my family’s financial situation wasn’t that good when I was in middle school.
I wanted to make money fast, but if I had majored in humanities and gone to university and graduated, it would have taken too long before I got a job, so I went into engineering and majored in mechanical engineering. In middle school, I also majored in mechanical engineering. I majored in mechanical engineering again in high school, and finally, I majored in electrical engineering while also working. Then I went to university and majored in electrical engineering.
Tell us about your job now.
I worked for a large company — Samsung. I took a leave of absence and came to the U.S. I signed a contract stipulating that I had to return after the language study.
When my language studies were over in the 2000s, I had to return to the company, but I got married, and my parents-in-law were living in L.A. I lived with them, but I had to return when the language study was over. However, I couldn’t, so I got a job here.
I was in an industrial high school, a technical one, but I [gained] new experiences here. I started to practice acupuncture here. I studied medicine and changed my career path. I got my master’s degree here, my Ph.D., and my license, and I changed my career path to become a traditional medicine doctor, [rather than] a doctor of technical sciences. That’s what I’ve been doing until now.
How is living in America different from living in Korea?
I lived through my 20s and 30s in Korea before coming to the U.S. In terms of life, Korean society is quite competitive. Your aim is to get a job. The process of graduating from high school and university is all about getting a job.
You study hard, get good grades, and get a job at a good company. When we were in high school, the companies that were considered good were large corporations. You aim for companies like Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo — those kinds of companies. You pass that test and get a job at a good company.
Now that I think about it, life in Korea is all about getting a good job, getting married to a good spouse, having children, and getting a good house. It’s kind of set in stone. Even now, I feel a bit sorry for young people in Korea. It’s a pity that you’re just going through those predetermined stages. Life in America seems different.
I came to America in my mid-30s and am now in my mid-50s. I’ve been living in America for 24 years now, and to me, life in America seems to flow a little differently. It’s more than just getting a good job. Of course, you have to get a good job, but I think quality of life plays a more important role than your job.
The focus is on what you want to do. Because of that, I could think about how I would live the second half of my life from my late 30s to my 40s and 50s. I was able to choose a job and feel satisfied with it. I was able to live happily and enjoyably with my family.
In comparison, my life in Korea wasn’t bad, but I think my 24 years in the U.S. have been much more valuable. Maybe when I’m older and look back on my life, the comparison of my life in Korea and America may seem a bit ambiguous, and I might not be able to compare the two lives at all, but I think my life in the U.S. was more beneficial in some ways. I’d say it was a good life.
Are you working in Koreatown now?
Yes, I’m working in Koreatown now.
After having the experience of working in Koreatown, what are your thoughts on it?
Koreatown has been my hometown for 24 years. That is not to say this is my second home, but I like Koreatown, so I’m really happy to spend my days here. Even if we were to move out of Koreatown, it would still feel like we live in Koreatown.
Do you have any memories of Koreatown that you hold dear?
I came here, got married in Korea, and came back to the U.S. with my wife. I lived here as a newlywed and had children here. My children were born in Koreatown, went to elementary and middle school there, and are now in high school. Everything happened in Koreatown, so those are my memories.
What’s your favorite place in Koreatown? It can be a restaurant, a shopping mall, or any other place.
We don’t really have a favorite place. However, when we were in Koreatown, the places we went to the most were Koreatown Plaza, the Galleria, and shopping malls. The kids were young at the time, and since they were twin girls, my wife and I had to take care of them, so we didn’t have many places we could go.
We usually went to Koreatown Plaza or the Galleria, which had fountains. If you have kids, you can do everything there. You can go to a restaurant to feed the kids, and the kids can run around in the plaza. I still remember the place because of the time I spent there with my kids.
I have a few more questions about your work as a [traditional Korean medicine] doctor and acupuncture practitioner. How would you define your activities as such?
I need to [share] my background to explain why I started [practicing] acupuncture. When I came to the U.S. in 2000, I was under a lot of stress, so my health wasn’t very good. I didn’t suffer any major illnesses, but I was a first-generation immigrant living in the U.S., and that caused me a lot of stress. I was tired and felt sick. As a result, I thought about my health.
I was in my mid-30s at the time, and I was getting sick a lot. I thought a lot about my health, and when deciding on my future career path, I wanted to try acupuncture. I thought I should try becoming a doctor of traditional medicine. After graduating, I became a doctor of oriental medicine. Until now, I have been volunteering in the community, but I do not regret becoming an oriental medicine doctor. It is fun, enjoyable, and I’m proud of it.
How do you think your activities as an oriental medicine doctor are related to or influenced by your childhood or current religious beliefs?
My religion is Christianity. When I was in Korea, I graduated from school, worked, got married, and lived a normal life as a newlywed, but when I came to the United States, everything in churches was shaped by Korean society — not all churches, but a lot of them. When you go to church, many fellow Koreans gather to socialize and interact. Practicing traditional medicine doesn’t conflict with my religious beliefs. Rather, I think the religious aspect helped me a lot.
Before I graduated from medical school, I did many internships and volunteered. I’d hang out occasionally with people I got along with well. If you go to Long Beach, there’s the Long Beach port, where many sailors come and go for trade.
When they unload all their containers, they come down to L.A. for two or three weeks to go shopping. Since sailors spend six months at sea and work hard, they get sick often. They also do not receive medical attention. So a friend of mine gave me a source, and I went to the Long Beach port twice a week and treated those sailors. I gave them acupuncture, massages, and cupping therapy. However, that wasn’t about proselytizing or being religious.
I was so grateful to be able to provide my services to them for free. I do this at church as well. There, I can also use acupuncture and other traditional medicine techniques I learned as a doctor. I also go on short-term missions, where I help poor Indians or people in poorer regions.
When stressed or sick, who do you go to for treatment? Is there anything you can do for yourself with oriental medicine, or do you go to someone else?
I’m a traditional medicine doctor, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get sick. Of course we can get sick. As an oriental medicine doctor, if you have a sore shoulder or back pain, for example, you would get acupuncture. However, even though I can do it myself, I have colleagues I studied with, so I go to them.
If I need Western medical treatment, I go to a Western hospital and get Western medical treatment. I go to the hospital and see my primary care physician, for example, to get a diagnosis and a prescription. For my arm, shoulder, or any other pain, I go to a traditional medicine clinic and get treatment from a colleague.
When you came to the U.S. as a traditional medicine doctor, did you ever work with other doctors or with a community of traditional medicine doctors?
Yes, I have. We still hold meetings. I have fellow traditional medicine doctors who studied with me simultaneously, and we all still attend those meetings. We meet once a month or once every two months to exchange information, and we also do a lot of medical volunteer work. Since Mexico is close by, we usually go there to volunteer. We also exchange a lot of information since we are connected through social media in this day and age.
After immigrating to the U.S., have you ever encountered difficulties or unexpected aspects of your work as an acupuncturist or traditional Korean medicine doctor, perhaps because traditional medicine doctors are not as well accepted in the U.S. as in Korea?
Although traditional medicine is the same as in Korea, the medical system there is divided into two: Western and Eastern medicine. It’s precisely 50:50. In Korea, the profession of traditional medicine doctors is somewhat socially influential, or, to put it simply, treated well by society. Those doctors have a high status. However, in the U.S., traditional medicine doctors are not like Western medicine doctors. They are called “alternative medicine doctors.”
Since medicine first advanced in the U.S., Western medicine has remained the dominant field, followed by other disciplines such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and chiropractic. Those are considered alternative medicine doctors. As a result, their status and income are a bit lower than in Korea. However, the number of alternative medicine doctors, such as chiropractors and acupuncturists, has risen significantly compared to 20 years ago. In the past, Western medicine covered almost everything.
Western medicine does all the diagnoses. They diagnose diseases using CT, MRI, ultrasound, etc., and prescribe medication [to treat] them. For example, if you can’t sleep, they give you sleeping pills. If you have a mental health problem, they transfer you to psychology or give you tranquilizers, right? In the past, when patients at Western hospitals asked for recommendations for things like a sleep disorder and upset nerves, Western doctors had nothing to offer other than medication or Western treatment.
However, after 30 years of acupuncture in the U.S., Western doctors started giving referrals for acupuncture. When they refer patients to oriental medicine, we don’t use chemicals or give sleeping pills. We use acupuncture to treat them, and the results are incredibly good, so patients come back.
In modern medicine, if I have a sleep disorder and can’t sleep and am stressed, I don’t have to take sleeping pills or tranquilizers. I can go to an oriental medicine clinic and get acupuncture, and my illness or symptoms will go away. That’s why many people prefer oriental medicine, and it has become quite popular. Acupuncture originally started in California, and now the whole United States has adopted it, so it’s practiced in other states as well.
Please tell us about some treatments other than acupuncture.
Western doctors only know about acupuncture when it comes to oriental medicine. The acupuncture needle. In fact, an acupuncture needle is very thin. It’s made of processed metal and is thinner than a hair, so when we insert a needle into your skin, there is almost no pain. It is not a drug or chemical; it is only a needle. However, this needle is not the only thing used in traditional medicine.
In traditional medicine, acupuncture also involves cupping. There is also herbal medicine, which uses natural herbs. We provide supplements with herbal medicine, and we also do physical therapy, but it is not a massage, and there are many different types of treatments. In addition to those, there is also Qigong. If you think about it from a Western perspective, Qigong is a form of meditation. In the modern age, people experience a lot of stress and anxiety. Qigong or meditation releases that stress. In a way, there are countless treatment methods in oriental medicine.
Do you know of any differences or similarities between the traditional Korean medicine you learned in Korea and Chinese medicine?
Actually, I don’t know exactly because I didn’t learn traditional medicine in Korea. China has a long history; in China, traditional medicine is called Chinese medicine, and in Korea, it’s called Korean medicine, but both share the same roots. However, traditional medicine in China is similar to that in Korea. When a patient goes to a doctor in China, Chinese traditional medicine is more developed than Western medicine.
If we go back to when modern medicine hadn’t yet been developed, all medical services were provided by Chinese traditional medicine practitioners. Everything, whether surgical or internal medicine, was covered by Chinese traditional medicine. In modern times, CT or MRI scans are used to diagnose cancer or cirrhosis, and surgical operations are performed, but before, everything was diagnosed, treated, acupunctured, and given medicine using traditional medicine.
On the other hand, Korean traditional medicine comes from Chinese traditional medicine. We could say that Chinese medicine is the original Eastern medicine, which came to Korea and was further developed and deepened there. The traditional aspects of Chinese medicine and the concept of Western medicine were merged into Korean traditional medicine. This means that in Korea, Korean medicine combines Chinese and Western medicine.
Now, Korean traditional medicine clinics and general hospitals do CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds. They combine traditional medicine with diagnostic tools of Western medicine. It’s a combination of Western and Eastern medicine, so in a way, it is more advanced. If a person takes a CT scan, for example, and it turns out they have cancer, an oriental medicine doctor will refer them to a Western medicine doctor. They will undergo surgery or receive chemotherapy and recover.
Then, if the body is weak, they will do Qigong or acupuncture to supplement Western medical treatment. The concept combines Western and Eastern medicine to increase synergy and enhance treatment effects. In my view, Korean medicine combines Chinese and Western medicine so that the treatment efficacy and expectations are higher.
On the other hand, acupuncture in the U.S. is a bit different. In the U.S. system, Eastern medicine allows acupuncture, but CT, MRI, and ultrasound are blocked; those diagnostic tools are only used in Western medicine. They can only diagnose within the scope of Eastern medicine, and the treatment area is limited to acupuncture, cupping, physical therapy, therapeutic massage, or Qigong. There’s more awareness now, but doctors still perform and treat within their limits. So in the U.S., acupuncture and Eastern medicine are still developing, and awareness has grown, but it’s still lacking in many ways compared to Western medicine.
Can you tell me about your workplace? Where is it located, and what’s the environment and structure of your workplace?
After graduating from traditional medicine college, I opened a clinic in Koreatown. There are pros and cons to opening a clinic in Koreatown. The pro is that Koreans are the target “audience” since it is Koreatown. There are many good things about it, but on the other hand, traditional medicine clinics are for-profit. We have to work and make money, and there are traditional medicine clinics in Koreatown, but treatment prices go down depending on demand.
The price goes down if the demand is high, according to the law of supply and demand. I had a clinic in Koreatown for about two years and then moved it to below Torrance. There were fewer Koreans there, and it was primarily a white neighborhood. There were pros and cons. When I moved there, my income went up because there were fewer traditional medicine doctors, but since it was primarily a white neighborhood, it was hard to educate people about Eastern medicine. These people have never experienced acupuncture.
When I was in Koreatown, those Koreans did everything that goes under the name of traditional medicine. For example, if you have digestive upset, doctors may take your hand, touch it, or massage your stomach. These are all traditional Korean medicine treatments and methods, but Americans don’t understand the concept of them. When they get sick, they go to the hospital. If they have a headache, they go to the hospital. If they have a stomachache, they get digestive medicine. If they have a headache, they get painkillers.
That’s why it was hard when I first moved my clinic there. I had to treat patients, but there is the traditional medicine concept of what we treat. We don’t use chemicals, but we do this alternative therapy, and we have to educate them about the disease they have and that it treats the disease in the way their body wants. There were pros and cons to moving down to Torrance, to the white neighborhood.
The regulations for facilities like a traditional Korean medical clinic are a bit strict. Since this is a quasi-hospital that sees patients, it’s not as strict as a hospital, but still strict enough. The rooms have to be divided, and each room must have a sink for washing hands, a separate bathroom, and ventilation.
The regulations are very strict. It’s long-distance control because the government regulates it. There’s a protocol that must be followed to operate the clinic and keep it clean, and that’s how the clinic's interior is organized.
What motivates you to continue practicing acupuncture even though it is no longer your primary occupation?
Actually, I practiced traditional medicine until recently, but I changed jobs to something else. I’m still a licensed Eastern medicine doctor and still have insurance. Regarding what I’m doing now, I have a license and insurance because being a traditional medicine doctor is a talent and skill I possess. When I go to regions with high poverty while on a mission or volunteering, I need to use my medical skills and acupuncture. Hence, I still need my insurance or a license.
This time, there is a two-day, one-night medical mission to Mexico, and if there is an opportunity and time, I will join. As Korean Americans living in the U.S., we naturally have to serve this region. We have that sense of mission and calling. That’s why I still use my skills even though I have a different job, and I think that in the future, my fellow traditional medicine doctors and I will continue to do this for our neighbors.
How do you achieve a balance between traditional and modern healing methods?
It’s often difficult to define. However, I’m a person who likes moderation. I don’t like extremes. Some of my fellow doctors try to treat illnesses with only acupuncture. I’m not saying they’re bad, but I think that’s the personal pride of their profession talking.
I’m in a neutral position. For example, when a patient comes to me, I treat them as much as I can, but perhaps they should go to the hospital and get a Western diagnosis rather than Korean traditional medicine treatment. In that case, I tell them openly and directly that I think they should go to a Western hospital, see a Western internal medicine doctor, and get a CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, etc. Then, if the diagnosis is clearly confirmed and they don't think it’s correct, I tell them to come back. That’s how I treat patients. I think people should seek help on both sides.
I don’t think you should use only Western medicine or only Eastern medicine. I want to see harmony between Western and Eastern medicine. These days, many doctors agree with this and do the same. I think that’s the most ideal treatment approach.
What do you think would happen if traditional healing methods became more widely known and respected?
I assume that by traditional treatment methods, we’re referring to acupuncture in terms of Eastern medicine. It can include acupuncture, moxibustion, or herbal medicine, all of which fall under Eastern medicine, not Western medicine. You know about moxibustion, right? Ultimately, the treatment goal is homeostasis. For example, when we feel cold, we tremble to warm up. When we feel hot in the summer, our pores open to release heat to lower our body temperature. Our bodies have their own homeostasis. Oriental medicine aims to match that. That’s the traditional method, and I like to think it's developing. However, there are limits to what a person can diagnose and treat with Eastern medicine, and that is often overlooked.
For example, we could have cancer but can’t know about early-stage cancer until the symptoms appear. However, Western hospitals can detect it early using CT scans, blood tests, MRIs, and other tests. Although it would be good if traditional medicine were to develop, I am worried that we might miss out on catching and diagnosing our patients early. That is why I always say that Western and Eastern medicine should go together.
Do you think younger or older generations should engage in traditional healing?
I think older generations in both the U.S. and Korea [prefer] traditional medicine. When they were young, Western medicine wasn’t as developed in Korea, so everything was treated with Korean traditional medicine. They’re familiar with it. Even now, in Koreatown, the elderly in their 60s, 70s, and 80s like traditional medicine.
These days, traditional medicine is trending among young people. When young people were learning, they only learned about Western medicine as a medical field. All the information they got from universities and similar institutions was about Western medicine, but they started to notice that they could treat their minor illnesses with Eastern medicine. They now learn about it through social media, friends’ introductions, local newspapers, and the news.
Let’s say I am under a lot of stress, can’t digest food well, can’t sleep, and have a headache. What would happen if we look at it from a two-way perspective? If I can’t digest food, I should go to a gastroenterologist, right? Then, if I can’t sleep, where should I go? I should go to a neuropsychiatrist or something like that. If I have a headache, I should go to an internal medicine doctor and get a CT scan. However, if we look at this from an Eastern medicine perspective, they’re under a lot of stress these days because of their job. As a consequence, they can’t sleep, and then, because of the lack of sleep, they have a headache. It’s all just simple stress.
What’s the conclusion? If you reduce stress, relax, and stabilize your body, the headaches will stop, your digestion will improve, and your immune system will also improve if you eat well. That’s how our bodies work. As a result, many young people are turning to traditional medicine these days.
Especially in white society or in mainstream American society, since America is mostly comprised of white people or Latinos, these people are learning a lot about traditional medicine, and those who have used it continue to seek it out when they see the effects. They advertise it or tell people around them about it.
This question is a bit tricky, so you can take your time to think about it. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in life?
I haven’t lived that long, but I’m in my late 50s now, and I’ve raised children. My parents are getting older. I’m in the middle phase of my life. As a Korean living in Koreatown, I’m part of the first generation of immigrants. Our mothers and fathers suffered a lot and built this Koreatown. They faced many difficulties living here.
We all grew up here, studied here, and established our lives here. As we grow older, we have to pass Koreatown and the Korean community on to our children. We have a responsibility. We have to pass on a good environment, but we also have to pass on to our children the help we received in the U.S., the things we received from society here, and we have to give back to society, Koreatown, and this region what we learned, our talents, and our special skills.
I’m not saying this just because I’m Christian. I just think we should pass it on because we received it. We should create a good environment for this area to have a positive impact. That idea hasn’t changed. I’m not talking about only giving back to this region, but also to our Latino friends in Mexico, or we can go far away to Africa or wherever we are needed. We should go and share the skills we’ve learned, the medical knowledge, etc.
Okay, this is the last question. How do you want to be remembered?
People leave their names behind when they die. Tigers leave their skins behind when they die, but I have nothing I want to leave behind. I’m one of many people living here in Koreatown. As someone living in 2024, a Korean-American, and an immigrant, rather than wanting to leave a legacy, [I think] we need to distinguish between what we should and shouldn’t do in the community. I hope that Koreans leave a good impression in Los Angeles, California. In most of California, or just in Los Angeles, there is a widespread perception that Koreans are honest, hard-working, serve the community, and that our crime rate is low.
As a Korean person from Koreatown, I want to have a legacy. Rather than leaving my name on a list, I just work hard at the given task and use the skills and talents that I have. I want to serve society. I want Koreans in this region to serve society, work hard, and have a positive influence. To do that, we have many good organizations here, such as the Korean Association, KYCC, and others. I hope that this can expand not only to L.A. but throughout California so that Koreans can have more influence in the U.S. and serve society more broadly. That’s my opinion.