125 Years of Family Serving Family – Pak, Yong-min, Korea Distribution Center Manager
Korea Distribution Center Manager Pak, Yong-min has worked for the Exchange since 1981. Born into an Exchange family in 1958, Mr. Pak’s son and daughter-in-law now work at the Camp Humphreys Exchange, continuing the family’s legacy of service.
One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family.
For Korea Distribution Center Manager Pak, Yong-min, serving those who serve isn’t just a job—it’s a family tradition.
Mr. Pak’s father, Pak, Hui-taek, first began working for the Exchange at the Army Support Command complex, Korea (known today as Camp Market) in the mid-1950s. Having previously worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army, he went on to serve as store manager of the Camp Market, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Kunsan Air Base and Camp Casey Exchanges. He also served as assistant to the district manager over Korea before retiring in 1985. Mr. Pak’s mother, Kim, Yi-sun, also served with the Exchange, working at the Yongsan main store from 1965 to 1985.
Born in 1958, Mr. Pak has fond memories of visiting the Camp Casey Exchange as a youth with his father. The experience clearly made an impression: In 1981, shortly after completing his service with the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, Mr. Pak decided to follow in his parents’ footsteps and applied to work at the Exchange.
Mr. Pak’s first assignment was at the troop store at the now-closed Camp Essayons in Uijongbu City. From there, he assumed various store-level management roles before taking on his first logistics position as Camp Market warehouse manager in 2007. He assumed his current role, in which he oversees the distribution of goods to about 200 facilities in the Pacific Region, in 2015.
“I strive every day to provide the best internal customer service I can, since I know that will ultimately be reflected in our customers’ experience when they walk into their local Exchange,” Mr. Pak said “When I see that our customers and associates are happy, I’m happy.”
Though Mr. Pak is approaching retirement, his family’s contributions to the Exchange are far from over. In 2017, his son, Pak, Chong-hui, started working at the Camp Humphreys Popeyes, where he was promoted to foreman just last year. Mr. Pak’s daughter-in-law, Pak, Ha-un, is also an active Exchange associate, serving Warfighters and their families at the Camp Humphreys Family Mini Mall.
Mr. Pak’s son, Pak, Chong-hui, has worked at the Camp Humphreys Popeyes since 2017.
“My son has always been very interested in the Exchange, and I took him to the store a few times when he was in high school,” Mr. Pak said. “A few years ago, he told his mom that his dad was his role model, and he wanted to work at the Exchange just like his dad. That meant so much to me. It was one of the proudest moments in my life.”
For Mr. Pak, his family’s continuing legacy of service comes down to the Exchange’s core value of family serving family.
“Family is the most important thing in our lives, and from the bottom of my heart I appreciate each and every Warfighter serving far from home and apart from their family members in the Korean Peninsula,” he said. “My goal is to provide the best service possible to make their stay in South Korea comfortable. I want them to look back on their time here fondly.”
