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41 9 Bronwyn Mullen March 2014 South Africa native and multitalented Korean television personality Bronwyn Mul- len first came to Korea in 2005 as an exchange student. She has been described as “the darling of Korea” and is popular for her role on the KBS series “Misuda,” a global talk show. Bronwyn confessed to Groove Korea that part of coming to Korea was to get away from her family. A childhood of abuse left her feeling insecure, miserable and depressed, and Korea was an escape that has become her home. She now has her pick of roles with Korea’s countless broadcasting stations, and has hosted health, travel, news and current affairs programs. 10 Anna Desmarais April 2014 The petite but powerful Anna Desmarais had never imagined herself fight- ing in competitions, but now she is a hard-bodied fighter and the founder of Body & Seoul martial arts gym in Itaewon. She admires the spirit of martial arts, mentioning that “the inner confidence, strength and sense of discipline you gain are incomparable to any other hobby I know.” Inspired, motivated and longing for a place to practice her hobby, she founded Body & Seoul in 2010, which has risen as the go-to expat fitness center where English teachers, diplomats, businesspeople and stay-at- home moms all train together, building a strong bond to achieve a mutual goal. As Anna described, the place has become a center for expat life. Boosted by its ever-growing popularity, Body & Seoul opened a new gym in March. 8 Sun Mee Chomet July 2013 Sun Mee Chomet is a Korean-born adoptee who grew up in Detroit in a very liberal family with a Jewish father and a Protestant mother. She was taught about feminism during her childhood and encouraged to go out and play football with her brothers. Eager to seek out her roots, she came to Korea to search for her birth mother in 2009. When Chomet was reunited with her birth family, she found herself trying to become the person they wanted her to be. Instead, she had to discover what being a Korean woman was for herself. She brought these experiences to the stage in a one-woman show, “How to Be a Korean Woman.” The show was a reflection of her search to redefine her identity. Back in Minneapolis, she has won two prestigious fellowships for her theater work, she is working on a play about her Jewish grandfather and plans to travel to North Korea next year for research toward a future project.