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.

(Euronews: 0739 PST, April 26, 2011) UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday that Britain is working on "possible further measures" to be taken against the Syrian government unless it stops attacking its own people. This comes as amateur video footage emerged on the internet that appears to show Syrian security forces shooting at protesters in Deraa yesterday.

Warning: Video contains graphic images from the start.

Syria: Deraa Witness Says 'Snipers Are Everywhere'

(Al Jazeera English: 0320 PST, April 26, 2011) A resident of Deraa, who we are not naming for security reasons, described to Al Jazeera, through a translator, a desperate situation on the ground in the restive southern city.

(Mosaic Video Alert: April 22, 2011) Iraqis demonstrated in Mosul City's Ahrar Square or Square of the Free for the ninth consecutive day to demand "the unconditional departure of occupation forces from Iraq" and the release of detainees. In Sulaymaniyah province's Hurriya or Freedom Square, protesters demanded that the government and parliament be dissolved and asked for political reform. Al Iraqiya reports:

(Mosaic Video Alert: April 22, 2011) Massive anti-government demonstrations took place in Oman and Saudi Arabia today. In Oman’s southern port city of Salalah, thousands of demonstrators demanded better wages and jobs, saying the government’s promised reforms are not enough. In Saudi Arabia’s eastern city of Qatif, hundreds protested in solidarity with anti-government protesters in Bahrain, despite the ban on protests. They condemned the burning and destruction of Bahraini mosques by Saudi and Bahraini troops. Press TV reports:

(Al Jazeera English: 1146 PST, April 22, 2011) "Great Friday" has been the deadliest day of protests in Syria, with police responding to the tens of thousands of protesters with live bullets and tear gas. Dozens have been killed. Here is some of the video footage of the demonstrations - and violence - across the country. Al Jazeera's Stephanie Dekker reports.

(Al Jazeera English: 1127 PST, April 22, 2011) Rula Amin reports from Damascus.

(Euronews: 1226 PST, April 5, 2011) The situation in Misurata -- the rebels' last major stronghold in western Libya -- is increasingly catastrophic as the latest amateur video footage shows. Evacuees from the city said forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are staging a "massacre" there.

A resident of the besieged city, a spokesman for the Libya Freedom Group, talked to Euronews and described conditions: "The water has been cut off for about two weeks and the electricity is cut off for about three days and the food is running low for the people right now.

(Mosaic Video Alert: April 1, 2011) Bahraini security forces backed by Saudi troops intensified their crackdown on protests as they opened fire on Bahraini protestors and arrested many people, including pregnant women. Hundreds of Saudi Arabians in the eastern city of Qatif defied the ban on demonstrations and took to the streets to demand their rights and an end to government corruption. The protestors also demanded an end to Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Bahrain, assisting the government with crackdowns on protests.

(Mosaic Video Alert: March 30, 2011) On the ‘Friday of Perseverance,’ Iraqi residents took to the streets to demand political reform, an end to corruption, and an improvement of public services. Iraq's al-Rafidain TV interviewed writer and political analyst Dr. Abdul Karim al-Alluji to discuss the media blackout on the protests occurring in Iraq. He said that while Iraq is witnessing a revolution similar to those of its neighbors, much of it has been unreported. He stated that he doesn’t know if it is deliberate but that it is unfortunate and that the country has been “left to suffer on its own from hardships, killings, and destruction.”

(Mosaic Video Alert: March 28, 2011) NBN reports on a new crime committed by Muammar Gaddafi and his regime: the rape of Iman al-Obeidi. The victim is a "lawyer who embodies the model Libyan woman, but bothered the regime for being a free woman.” Iman was detained and raped by 15 of Gaddafi's mercenaries. The regime first accused al-Obeidi of being drunk and mentally ill, then offered to bribe the rape victim in exchange for her silence, a request that was rejected. Benghazi residents held a solidarity rally with Iman and online activists rallied behind her with a Facebook page entitled "We are all Iman al-Obeidi."