Yul Kwon, host of Link TV's LinkAsia, recently did a Red Chair Interview with CNN, in which he shares some key experiences in his life. Along with his on-air interview, Yul ellaborates further in an eloquently written essay posted on the CNN blogs about his Korean background, explaining how he turned to a career in television to overcome social stereotyping of Asian-Americans in the media and come to terms with his own cultural identity. Both video and essay can be seen here. Below is a moving excerpt from his essay:

"My parents immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1970 with big dreams, but little money. Since they couldn't afford to put my brother and me in daycare or preschool, they encouraged us to watch television as a way to learn English. Every morning, my brother and I watched "Sesame Street" on PBS, which taught us how to count and recite the alphabet. Not only did our TV become another caregiver, it became the primary medium through which I learned about the world. It allowed me to see and experience things I'd never seen before.  It helped me imagine a better future for me and my family. I studied hard and eventually made my way to Stanford University and then Yale Law School. For a poor kid like me, television helped provide the inspiration and vision I needed to realize the American dream.

But as much as television was a source of empowerment and inspiration, it was also a powerful source of constraint. Television defined the way I saw myself and my relationships with other people, and I didn't see a lot of people who looked like me. Asian-American characters were few and far between, and for lack of better alternatives, my favorite childhood hero was Big Bird. He wasn't real, of course, but I didn’t care. He was nice, had lots of friends and was yellow -- and hence, clearly, Asian..."

Read the complete blog post on CNN here.

About Yul Kwon

Yul Kwon is the host of Link TV's original Asian news program LinkAsia. Yul has had a diverse career spanning law, business, technology, and media. Although his multifaceted professional experience spans almost two decades, his rise to international acclaim began in 2006, when he became the first Asian American to win the CBS reality show, Survivor.

Prior to his Survivor victory, Yul held positions at both Google and McKinsey & Company. As an attorney, he clerked on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, practiced law at Venture Law Group and Wiltshire & Grannis, worked as a legislative aide in the US Senate, and most recently served as Deputy Chief of the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.

(Mosaic Video Alert: April 29, 2011) Syrian television releases its “Paltalk Leaks,” exposing the conspirators behind the Syrian revolution. The state-run channel reports that satellite phones, computers, and cameras were smuggled into Syria with the intention of fabricating news and spreading lies to the media about the protests in Syria.

These two videos both report on claims made by Libyan state TV that allied air strikes caused civilian casualties. The first, from ITN News in the UK, explicitly plays down the Libyan reports and shows only footage of the burning military base targeted in the raid. The second, from Russia Today, has no commentary, but includes more of the original report, including footage of the civilians Libya claims were killed and injured in the same attack.

Libyan Base 'Hit by Coalition Air Strike'

(ITN News: 0404 PST, March 24, 2011) Libyan television shows what it says is a military base in flames after coalition air strikes on Tripoli.

Libya TV Airs Images of Tripoli Bombing Aftermath

(Russia Today: 0309 PST, March 24, 2011) Libyan broadcasters claimed that an unknown number of civilians were injured and killed in coalition airstrikes in Tripoli late on Wednesday. Fresh explosions and gunfire have been heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli, with reports saying coalition forces are targeting major military facilities across the country. Allied forces have also conducted air strikes against troops loyal to the leader Muammar Gaddafi, in the country's western city of Misurata.

WARNING: This video contains some graphic images.

(Al Jazeera English: 1727 PST, March 1, 2011) With state television in Libya reporting that the situation in the country is normal, anti-government activists have taken to creating their own media outlets to get their message out. Several activists in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi have set up a radio station, getting updates from protesters on the ground and disseminating them to the wider public. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from Benghazi, eastern Libya.

(Euronews: 0837 PST, February 24, 2011) The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has given an extraordinary interview by phone with Libyan state television, blaming the revolt against his rule on al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden, he said, was the real criminal. Gaddafi said he himself had only moral authority in Libya and likened himself to Britain's Queen Elizabeth. He offered his condolences to those who had died in the fighting uprising.

(Al Jazeera English: 0830 PST, February 24, 2011) An excerpt from Muammar Gaddafi's speech on Libyan state television Thursday.