Half-Korean GM becomes honorary Seoul citizen

For Eric Swanson, the general manager of Millennium Seoul Hilton in downtown Seoul, being named an honorary Seoul citizen has a special significance because of his Korean heritage.

"It has a lot of meaning for me. I deeply feel honored just to be considered ... it means an acceptance for me as a Korean," Swanson told The Korea Herald.

On Oct. 28, Swanson was awarded honorary citizenship from Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon in recognition of his contribution to the development of the local tourism and culture industry.

Swanson`s mother is Cho Chang-soo, a curator of the Korean Gallery at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., who spent most of her life making Korean culture known in the United States since immigrating there in the 1950s.

His mother`s family also has a remarkable history, with his late uncle Cho Chang-ho being the first prisoner of the Korean War to escape from the North in 1994.



Although his mother raised him to be as "Western" as possible - forbidding him to speak Korean at home - Swanson said she brought him up in a very "Korean" way - strict, setting goals high, and to respect elders.

Swanson said he did not feel uncomfortable with the local culture even when he first came here, and that Korea feels more like home than the country where he spent most of his life.

While growing up, however, Swanson recalls feeling "in-between" and being subject to some prejudice, as there weren`t many children from interracial marriages back then.

Swanson said it was his mother who helped him get through his teenage years. The two have always shared a strong bond, said Swanson who jokingly admits to being a "mama`s boy."

"I would (in the past) follow my mother grocery shopping and stay with her in the kitchen while she was cooking. My friends found it weird but I enjoyed it," he said.

Now that he is in his 50s, Swanson appreciates his Korean heritage and is able to find a balance between his dual identities.

"I feel like I`ve got the best of both (Korean and American) worlds - living here, having a great job and friends, and being respected as a solid businessman," he said.

An engineering major whose first job was as a Coast Guard officer in California, Swanson never imagined he would be a hotelier until 1996, when his sister, who was working at the Ritz-Carlton Washington D.C., got him involved in the hospitality buisness.

Swanson has been working at Millennium Seoul Hilton since 2006 but his first job here was as the vice general manager for Ritz-Carlton Seoul in the late 1990s. He also ran and opened diverse hotels in countries including Egypt, India and United States.

Swanson expressed his desire to retire in Korea. He said he would also consider taking a teaching career or governmental role after retirement, taking the naturalized Korean Lee Charm who recently became the president of Korea Tourism Organization as an example.

To expand his knowledge, Swanson is currently doing his masters` degree in tourism at Kyung Hee University, while lecturing part-time on leadership there at the same time.

"As an honorary citizen, I would also like to continue helping children and people in need," he said.

(youngaah@heraldm.com)



By Koh Young-aah