1. Yul Julius Kwon was born on February 14,1975 and is an American television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in California.
36 Facts About Yul Kwon
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Yul Kwon first gained national recognition and popularity as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006.
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Yul Kwon appeared again in Survivor: Winners at War, where he placed 14th.
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Yul Kwon was born in Flushing in the Queens borough of New York City, to South Korean immigrants.
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Yul Kwon moved to Concord, California and attended Northgate High School, in Walnut Creek, where he graduated valedictorian and played varsity water polo and track and field.
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Yul Kwon organized an intense nationwide bone marrow campaign in an effort to find a bone marrow donor for his friend.
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Yul Kwon continues to organize bone marrow drives and serves as a national spokesperson for the Asian American Donor Program.
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Yul Kwon served a judicial clerkship with Judge Barrington D Parker, Jr.
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Yul Kwon worked as a legislative aide to US Senator Joseph Lieberman in Washington, DC.
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In 2009, Yul Kwon was appointed Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for the Federal Communications Commission.
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In 2011, Yul Kwon left the FCC and became the host of a new television series on PBS, America Revealed.
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Yul Kwon became the host of a weekly news show, LinkAsia, which airs on LinkTV.
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In February 2013, Yul Kwon joined Facebook's Privacy product team, and in 2015, he moved into the position of Product Management Director.
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Yul Kwon became a lecturer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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In 2006, Yul Kwon was recruited to participate in the thirteenth season of Survivor, which took place in the Cook Islands.
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Originally on the Asian American Puka Puka tribe, Yul Kwon led his tribe to dominate in the first two tribal immunity challenges, while winning rewards on both occasions.
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On Puka Puka, Yul Kwon developed a long-lasting alliance and friendship with fellow Korean-American attorney Rebekah "Becky" Lee.
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In Episode 2, Yul Kwon was banished to Exile Island by the Hispanic Aitutaki tribe, after Aitutaki intentionally lost the second immunity challenge.
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On Exile Island, Yul Kwon was able to decipher the clues and find the hidden immunity idol, which would be very instrumental to his survival later in the game.
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However, Yul Kwon devised a plan to use the Hidden Immunity Idol to blackmail former ally and mutineer Penner.
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Yul Kwon made a deal with Gentry that if Penner was voted out ahead of him and Shallow, he would gain Gentry's vote in the jury, and Penner was voted out.
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Once in the Final Four, Lee, Lusth, Oakley, and Yul Kwon were shocked to hear that instead of a standard Final Two, the final tribal council would consist of three members.
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Yul Kwon, still protected by the hidden immunity idol, was safe.
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Yul Kwon returned to the game on Survivor: Winners at War after a 14-year and 27-season hiatus.
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Yul Kwon was originally a member of the Dakal tribe where he aligned himself with Sophie Clarke, Nick Wilson, and Wendell Holland.
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Yul Kwon then became a part of the Sele tribe following a tribal swap.
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Yul Kwon had a hand in voting off Amber Mariano, Tyson Apostol, and Parvati Shallow during the first three tribal councils he attended, but he later became the ninth person voted off and placed 14th on day 35 after not earning the right to return to the game from the Edge of Extinction.
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Yul Kwon received positive media coverage for his strategic and honest gameplay, as well as for breaking stereotypes about Asian American men in the media.
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In 2015, in the official issue of CBS Watch commemorating the 15th anniversary of Survivor, Yul Kwon was voted by viewers as the 9th greatest contestant in Survivor history.
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Yul Kwon was profiled in VIBE Magazine's "Juice" issue as part of the New Power Generation, consisting of people who will shape the future.
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In 2017, the magazine had fans rank the 34 winners of Survivor and Yul Kwon was ranked 9th.
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In 2007, Yul Kwon worked as a special correspondent for CNN on a series exploring issues affecting the Asian American community.
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The topics Yul Kwon examined included the portrayal of Asian Americans in the media, the glass ceiling in the corporate workplace, and affirmative action.
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Yul Kwon was interviewed regarding these issues on Anderson Cooper 360.
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In July 2022, Yul Kwon competed on the USA Network's reality competition series, Snake in the Grass.
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Yul Kwon proposed to his girlfriend, Sophie Tan, in April 2008.