Brenda Paik Sunoo is a third-generation Korean American author and photojournalist. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she attended UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in sociology, while also receiving an elementary school teaching credential. She received a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Antioch Uni-versity. Before becoming a photojournalist, she worked as a reporter for numerous American newspapers, including the Orange County Register and served as news editor for the English edition of the Korea Times (Hanguk Ilbo) during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, known as Sa-i-gu.
In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Ms. Sunoo spent a total of 7 months conducting her research on Jeju Island haenyeo for her book “Moon Tides—Jeju Island Grannies of the Sea.” It is the first book on the haenyeo written by an American journalist in English. It was published by Seoul Selection in 2011. Ms. Sunoo has also written two other books: “Seaweed and Shamans—Inheriting the Gifts of Grief” and “Vietnam Moment,” based on her 7 years living in Hanoi, Vietnam with her husband, Jan Sunoo. Her forthcoming book, “Harvest Moon,” is a collection of essays and pho-tos based on her life on Jeju Island, where she resides as a dual citizen of the U.S. and Korea.