Multicultural S. Korean finds her home, career in SZ

Julia Yoon

About seven years ago, Australian-born South Korean Julia Yoon and her husband relocated to Shenzhen, his hometown in China, with their first child. The fast-growing city — a very different environment than her hometown of Sydney — has helped Yoon start a new chapter of her life as an entrepreneur in the local education industry.

“I majored in business management in university. At the beginning, I worked as the director of a kindergarten in Shenzhen and also worked as the business development manager of several education companies,” said Yoon. “In Australia, children usually start working when they are young. This is a way we develop ourselves and gain more independence in life. Therefore, I too learned some business management skills quite early from my mom, who is also a businesswoman.”

Currently, Yoon owns a family event planning company that provides catering, decorations, and event-planning services. The company also offers summer programs for local international schools.

Through hosting these summer programs, Yoon has established close ties with international schools such as Shekou International School, the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen, Huitong School, and Merchiston International School. She is also a summer academy director with International School Services.

“Our summer programs are more outcome-driven, which means that children need to do projects and present their work on stage,” Yoon said. “Nowadays, parents are more willing to see their children have more confidence, do more public speaking, and be involved in more team work, so our programs ensure children stay in a safe environment while being able to learn and develop during the long summer holiday.”

“We are also trying to make the program more affordable so that both Chinese and international families can come and enjoy the summer period together,” she said.

The events organized by Yoon range from major community celebrations like Christmas and Halloween to smaller gatherings such as bazaars and parties, and they are often organized in collaboration with schools and businesses.

“An event offering a wide variety of activities is more likely to win popularity among community members,” remarked Yoon. “We want to ensure that every participant at our events finds something enjoyable to do. We are also cautious about keeping advertising minimal at our events, which allows people to come and enjoy pure fun.”

Last June, Yoon’s family event planning brand, Charmer’s Club, collaborated with the Shenzhen Women’s International Club (SWIC) and the Mattel Play Lab to organize a Children’s Day event for children in Shenzhen Hengsheng Hospital’s pediatric rehabilitation department. Through the event, Yoon is hoping to delve deeper into Shenzhen’s charity sector and collaborate with more sectors of society to organize events in the future.

“We are hoping to narrow the information gap between us and other local Chinese organizations. It is more worthwhile when different areas can come together to make an event,” said Yoon.

Being a second-generation South Korean-Australian and mother of two children born in Australia and China, respectively, Yoon prioritizes helping her kids establish their own identities by strengthening their connections to local cultures.

“My kids are good at speaking both Chinese and English. I haven’t yet considered teaching them Korean because I think it is a little tough for them to learn three languages simultaneously at such a young age,” said Yoon. “Learning Chinese is very important for them, as we now live in China. I send them to Shen Wai International School, which offers very strong Chinese curriculum.”