MEEKY WOO FLIPPEN

Mee Kyung was born in Uijeongbu in 1965 to a South Korean/ Japanese mother. Her African American father was a soldier who left for Vietnam a day of her birth. Known to her friends as “Meeky”, she is the youngest of six children who were raised by her mother single-handedly in a Korean camptown. When she was just thirteen years old, her mother passed away and Meeky was sent to St. Vincent’s Home for Amerasian children to be adopted.

Arriving in the United States at the age of sixteen, she was adopted by a family in Banks, Oregon. During her late teens, Meeky spent much of her time sewing, which led to her becoming a seamstress, fashion designer and boutique owner. Always interested in new business opportunities, her entrepreneurial spirit guided her to become a cosmetologist, beauty salon proprietor and owner of a bar. Today she is a successful real estate developer/ designer who divides her time between Reno, Nevada; Seattle, Washington; and Lake Tahoe, California.

Meeky enjoys spending time with her son and his wife, her Godfather and her adorable Papillons. Even before joining the 325KAMRA board, Meeky used her fluency in Korean to help 325KAMRA and its members bridge language barriers by serving as an intermediary with Korean agencies. Through DNA, she has found a number of cousins on her father’s side of the family who have welcomed her with open arms. She hopes to one day determine the name of her father and continues to use DNA to aid in her search.