On May 8, 2024, Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE) in partnership with University of California, Irvine (UCI) hosted a Korean American Roundtable on Faith and Mental Health.

As a group, Korean Americans are estimated to have the highest rates of psychological distress, depression, and suicide among major Asian American sub-groups. While Asian American mental health help-seeking is significantly lower than other groups, there is limited information specifically for Korean Americans. Studies indicate that Korean Americans are more likely to prefer to see a religious leader over a medical provider for mental health issues. Dialogue and partnerships are needed to address the multi-layered mental health needs in Korean American communities.

Thus, the Korean American Roundtable on Faith and Mental Health was launched to garner perspectives and input for potential future research ideas to address mental health in Korean American faith communities. The FACE-UCI partnership was led by Ms. Hyepin Im, CEO and Founder of FACE, and Dr. Biblia Cha, a public health researcher from School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. FACE is a long-time leading advocate who has led several mental health initiatives for the Korean American community, and Dr. Cha is a researcher focused on mental health and providing better access to resources in Korean American faith communities.

The Roundtable kicked-off with a welcome from FACE CEO, Hyepin Im, and a presentation by Dr. Biblia Cha about existing research on Korean American mental health and help-seeking, and the role of churches and leaders in community health.

During the Roundtable, participants heard from pastors, churches, and service providers actively addressing Korean American mental health. Drawing on the insights of faith leaders, scholars, therapists, and mental health recipients, the Roundtable identified barriers, existing resources, and best practices. It also highlighted Korean American pastors who creatively support mental health education, advocacy, and networking. The event fostered connections among like-minded leaders and concluded with participant contributions for recommendations for future research and project ideas.

We want to thank the following presenters who were able to share their expertise:

• Rev. David Park, Shalom Hotline
• So Yun Park, YouStar Foundation
• Pastor Jason Min, Citizens LA
• Rev. Peter Kim, Good Life Care Center
• Pastor David Kim, The Garden Church
• Pastor Charles Choe, Tapestry LA
• Hanna Lee, Tapestry LA

Roundtable Participating Leaders

Thank you to the participating faith leaders, community advocates, scholars and nonprofit leaders in the Roundtable!

• Charles Choe, Lead Pastor, Tapestry LA
• Christina Lee Kim, Associate Professor, Biola University / Rosemead School of Psychology
• David Kim, Pastor, The Church Garden
• David Park, Executive Pastor, Hillside LA
• David Park, Founder, ShalomLifeline
• DJ Chuang, Executive Director, Catalyst Wellness Alliance
• Eu Gene Chin, Associate Professor, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University
• Eugene Sim, Lead Pastor, CE GraceLife
• Hanna Jang, Pastor, United Methodist Church
• Hanna Lee, Restoration Center Director, Tapestry LA
• Peter Hyocheol Kim, Executive Director, Good Life Care Resource Center
• James Han, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Board Member, Torrance Unified School District
• Jason Min, Lead Pastor, Citizens LA
• Kevin Kang, Pastor, Crescenta Valley/Tujunga UMC
• Samuel Koh, Lead Pastor, Hillside LA
• Soh Yun Park, President, YouStar Foundation

Special Thanks

The project described was supported by the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant UL1 TR001414. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Also special thanks to Andrew Ahn and Boo's Philly Cheesesteaks for providing lunch for this event!

Check pictures below!