ROAR Story Slam All Stars 2025 Recap

ROAR Story Slam

Apr 5

Written By

On Saturday, April 5th, Korean American Story brought together an unforgettable evening of connection, courage, and community at the iconic Joe’s Pub in New York City for our 15th Anniversary celebration: ROAR Story Slam All Stars. In this special championship edition of our annual storytelling competition, six past finalists returned to the stage to share powerful, deeply personal stories tied to this year’s theme, First Time/Last Time. With no scripts, no props—just a mic and their truth—each storyteller captivated a sold-out crowd with moments of vulnerability, humor, and heart.

Hosted by Sesame Street Puppeteer & Emmy-Nominated producer Kathleen Kim, and featuring special appearances by comedian Youngmi Mayer and Emmy-Winning TV Anchor Vivian Lee, the event was a milestone moment for Korean American Story.

Storytellers

Min-Woo Park – “The Spiciest Pepper” – 1st Place Winner

Mike Yoon (Tessier) – “Given Names” – 2nd Place Winner

Angelica Yi – “First Girl I Loved” – 3rd Place Winner

Jungin – “lovesick” – Honorable Mention

Young Kim – “Chopsticks” – Honorable Mention

Angela Bennett – “Koreanness” – Honorable Mention

A special thanks to our judges: Soo Hugh (Showrunner, Writer, Producer), Catherine Kim (Executive Vice President, NBC News, Editorial), Daniel K. Isaac (Actor & Writer), Edward Yoo Pokropski (Senior Writer, Producer), Stephen Park (Actor).

A special thanks to our storytelling coach, Ernabel Demillo (Emmy-Winning New York City Broadcaster)

Credits

Photographer: Janice Chung
Production Manager, Videographer, and Editor: Kimberly Young Sun
2nd Videographer: Aj Valente

Highlights

Performances

Min-Woo Park
1st Place Winner

Min-Woo (he/him) grew up in Southern California as a restaurant kid before heading to Harvard University, where he majored in English and vibes. An award-winning screenwriter, he sold a TV comedy alongside Josh Gad to ABC with Trevor Noah producing, has written for a Netflix series based on global video game IP, and is currently developing a film with Lord Miller. In advertising, Min-Woo has written viral commercials for major brands and taught DJ Khaled ASMR.

Mike Yoon (Tessier)
2nd Place Winner

Mike (he/they) was born in Seoul, raised in New Jersey, and now calls Seattle home. His career: a mix of strategy and storytelling. He's helped bring financial inclusion to Africa and Asia, eco-friendly goods to nations across the South Pacific, and new music to listeners around the world. He believes in play; in sovereignty; and in expression. And for nearly three decades, he's played Magic: The Gathering-now sharing it with his daughter. She wins most of the time.

Angelica Yi
3rd Place Winner

Angelica Yi (she/they) is a queer 2nd-generation Korean American. Born and raised in Maryland, they've found a home on the west coast, living in LA for almost a decade before moving to their current home, San Francisco. As a licensed clinical social worker, Angelica runs their own private practice, focusing on LGBTQ+ people of color. They're also a singer-songwriter, triple Aquarius, and former theater kid.

Young Kim
Honorable Mention

Young Kim (he/him) produces stories for CBS Sunday Morning, all while knitting, painting, baking pies, and swing dancing. He'll be happy to bake you a K-Pie. He was booed off Amateur Night at the Apollo with his standup last year to show other Asian Americans it's okay to fail. If anyone can teach him how to play the Gayageum, reach out to his Instagram at @oldyoungkim

Jungin
Honorable Mention

Raised in the 718, Jungin (she/her) is a multihyphenate. During the day, she works as a content creator for a Hawaii-based jewelry brand, and at night you can find her dancing, Ding, or playing make believe in hopes to reach the big screen. Her favorite ramen is Buldak Spicy Carbonara with an overeasy egg before eggs were expensive.

Alisha Bennett
Honorable Mention

Alisha Bennett (she/her) aka Seon Young 선영, is a Korean adoptee born in Daegu, South Korea. She grew up in a small town in Michigan and moved to New York City in 2006, a place she now proudly calls home. With a heart dedicated to children, she has worked as a school social worker for the New York City Public School system for 18 years. She also maintains a growing private practice, specializing in psychedelic-assisted therapy, with a deep commitment to racial and social justice.