Singer Insooni named 2025 Woman of Influence winner
Korean singer Insooni was named the 2025 Woman of Influence Award recipient by Pearl S. Buck International on Friday, becoming the first Korean to receive the honor since former first lady Lee Hee-ho in 2000.
The 68-year-old singer, born Kim In-soon to a Korean mother and African American father following the Korean War, was recognized for her humanitarian work supporting multiracial and multicultural youth in South Korea.
She founded Haemil School in 2013, a tuition-free alternative school for multiethnic and biracial students in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, where she continues to serve as president.
The singer "overcame deep societal racial discrimination to become a success in the music industry and a household name in her home country," Pearl S. Buck International stated on its website Friday.
As a child, Insooni received assistance from Pearl S. Buck International's child sponsorship program while being raised by her single mother, according to the organization's website. She now serves as a board member for Pearl S. Buck Foundation Korea, the organization's Korean affiliate.
The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit, founded in 1964 by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck, works to advance humanitarian causes and foster cross-cultural understanding. Its Woman of Influence Award, established in 1978, honors women who have distinguished themselves through career achievements and humanitarian advocacy.
Insooni will accept the award in person at a ceremony scheduled for Aug. 21 at the organization's estate in Perkasie, Pennsylvania.
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