About

Yesoe Yoon was born on March 18, 1983, in Busan, South Korea. After graduating from Gyeongnam Foreign Language High School in 2002—where she majored in English and also studied Chinese and Japanese—she attended the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, to study language from 2002 to 2003. The following year, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and International Languages from Busan University of Foreign Studies (2003–2004).

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Her first step into journalism came when she joined KBC Channel 41 WOCH Asian American Network News as a TV reporter from 2004 to 2005, where she covered both Korean and English-language news.

In 2005, Yesoe immigrated to the United States, beginning her new life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before moving to Chicago, Illinois. From 2007 to 2011, she studied Communications and Media with a minor in Vocal Performance at Northeastern Illinois University. In 2012, she returned briefly to Busan to study Russian for four months, and later pursued her Master’s degree in Public Administration and International Management at DePaul University (2013–2017).

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Yesoe is recognized as a lyric coloratura soprano who has performed the American national anthem and numerous opera pieces at charitable and political events. Her performances have supported community initiatives and earned recognition from civic leaders across Illinois.

From December 2017 to April 2023, Yesoe worked as a Client Advisor at Neiman Marcus, where she was noted for her excellence in client relations and performance leadership. She then transitioned into finance, becoming a CDO Loan Asset Administrator at U.S. Bank, where she continues to apply her analytical and strategic skills.

In July 2023, she was admitted to Concordia University Chicago, where she is pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Strategic Leadership and Innovation.

Yesoe has also been active in civic and community leadership. She served as the Asian Advisor to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, helping to coordinate cultural and public events, and received the President’s Call to Service Volunteer Award for her dedication to community engagement. In 2017, she was appointed Human Relations Commissioner for the Village of Skokie by Mayor George Van Dusen, a position she was reappointed to in 2019.

Her media and leadership journey continued as host and anchor of the English-language talk show “Global Leaders Network” on Chicago’s public TV WinTV Channel 24.5, which premiered on May 16, 2019. The program featured interviews with distinguished guests such as U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Morse Tan, Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, State Senator Ram Villivalam, professional boxer Fres Oquendo, and former U.S. Senator Mark Kirk, among many other civic and business leaders.

Yesoe’s multifaceted career bridges the worlds of media, public service, leadership, finance, and the arts—reflecting her lifelong mission to connect people, inspire progress, and create meaningful impact across culture