About

I was born in Japan as a third-generation Korean immigrant and raised here until I was sixteen. Because of that upbringing, I’ve always seen Japan as both my mother country and a foreign land at the same time.

That perspective led me naturally to dream of becoming a diplomat from my early teens. At sixteen I moved to California by myself and pursued a law degree in the United States. Ten years later I found myself practicing law at one of Wall Street’s most prestigious firms — not quite a diplomat, but close. I advised the Japanese government and quasi-governmental entities on tapping U.S. capital market.

My Korean citizenship meant a traditional diplomatic path was closed, and I wasn’t ready to pursue American citizenship either. After several years of legal practice, I moved into investment firms, ran multiple startups, operated my own venture capital fund, and eventually became CEO of a public company in Kyoto.

Now, with the arrival of AI, I’m operating as a solo founder — practicing diplomacy in my own way. I run a one-man boutique practice helping foreign enterprises, investment funds, and high-net-worth individuals successfully enter and operate in the Japanese market.

Most recently, I’ve become particularly interested in the coming wave of military and dual-use technology development, along with the critical infrastructure that will support it in Japan.

CAREER

2001

Goldman Sachs

2003

JP Morgan

2008

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

2013

Unison Capital

2014

Startup co-founder

2018

Boutique venture capital founder

2022

Public company CEO

2023

Solo founder