After Don earned a BA in Korean language and literature from Pusan University, he worked as a translator and interpreter for the US Army before starting a small translation business in 1995. In the next six years he focused primarily on the translation of English books and movies.

During that time he was inspired by the story of the world’s oldest continuously ongoing independent company, Kongō Gumi Co., Ltd., a Japanese construction company that was founded in 578 by an immigrant from today’s Korea and operated through more than 60 generations (before it was sold in 2005). The inspiration of Kongō Gumi’s devotion, artisanship, and longevity, coupled with the desire to build a bridge of communication between the East and the West, convinced Don to move the company’s headquarters to Los Angeles in 2001, where he officially started 1-Stop Translation USA, LLC.

Don’s business model can be expressed in four principles:

• Never take out a loan.
• Never delay payment.
• Service always comes first.
• All net profits shall be used to improve service.

These principles and Don’s hardworking, competent staff have enabled 1-StopAsia to experience continuous growth, becoming one of the largest Asian language specialists in the United States and providing full-scale services in all the languages of Asia.

Never forgetting his first motivation and resolution, Don still works at the same desk and chair he used when he started the business 20 years ago in Korea. While he continues to fulfill his vision for perfecting cultural business connections between the East and the West, Don is branching out to conquer another tough challenge: the Ironman triathlon!