Charlie Yim was born in Seoul, Korea in 1942. While enduring harrowing economic and political difficulties during the end of the Japanese occupation followed by Communist invasion from the north that resulted in the Korean War, Charlie served as a role model for his siblings and financial head of household while in high school. After attaining a degree in Anthropology in 1965 from Seoul National University, he served valiantly as Second Lieutenant at the infamous DMZ. In 1967, this idealistic man was selected from 1,000 applicants by the fledgling U.S. Peace Corps as one of 12 staff to train early groups of volunteers preparing to serve in South Korea.

In 1969, Charlie arrived in San Diego to forge a new life. To support himself as a student at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he would earn a B.S. in Accounting followed in 1996 by a Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), he obtained his first two jobs by pluckily offering “to work for nothing.” Continuing this spirit, in the mid-1970s, while serving as Senior Auditor for the City of San Diego, he began purchasing and operating diverse businesses. He resigned in the late 1970s to become a full-time entrepreneur; turning struggling businesses into huge successes, opening franchises, then boldly moving into major hotels, shopping centers and other properties. His strategic innovations have included 30 businesses and 50+ real estate transactions. He continues to own and operate Sierra Padre Mill Company, a thriving door and window business in Encinitas, CA.

Charlie’s business acumen, interpersonal skills and global perspective led to his 1980s appointment as Economic Representative in the burgeoning Maquiladora program, which propelled him onto the international stage, resulting in jobs created in America, Mexico, Korea and Japan. He has used his unique standing as a successful  Asian-born American to assess and address the needs of Korean-American small business owners, pointing the way toward their success by encouraging them to widen their reach into the mainstream community. 

Charlie has taken leadership roles in several key organizations: among them, Executive Advisor, National Unification Advisory Council of Korea; Founder, Korean American Coalition of San Diego, and San Diego Alliance of Asian Pacific Islander Associations (AAPIA); Chairman, AAPIA Heritage Festival. He established the Korean-American Community Scholarship for Seoul National University students at University of California San Diego (UCSD) and is a guest speaker to students, parents and faculty at SDSU, UCSD and other educational settings. He also is Honorary Co-Chairman, American Veterans of the Korean War, a major supporter of medical innovation, a highly regarded donor to the San Diego Foundation and an active sponsor of the Global Children’s Foundation. He considers it a joy to freely share his wealth and wisdom with people of all ages and backgrounds.

In recognition of his wide array of accomplishments, Charlie has received major awards, including the Korean Presidential Achievement Award and U.S. Service Achievement Award.  His 2015 memoir I Will Work for Nothing reveals the secrets of his success and encourages readers – especially young adult immigrants – to forge their own path and create their own version of the American Dream.