Board of Directors
Korean Prosecutors Association
Board of Directors 2023-2024
Sophia Choi
7th KPA President
Sophia Choi is a Deputy District Attorney and is a trial team leader in the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. She is assigned to the Special Prosecutions Region, where she was awarded the Appellate Prosecutor of the Year 2021 Award. Prior to serving as a deputy district attorney, Choi was a deputy county counsel, assigned to various units, including the juvenile dependency (both trial and appellate levels) and the Code Enforcement and Land Use units. Choi has been a licensed California attorney since 2006. Choi has received numerous awards, including the Terry D. Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award and the Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta Award. She has also been recognized as a Riverside Hero by the Human Relations Commission. Choi is a Past President of the Riverside County Bar Association and Riverside County Bar Foundation, Past President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, Inaugural President and Founding Member of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers of the Inland Empire, and President of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Associations. She currently remains active in the Riverside County Bar Association as the appellate law section and mentorship committee chairperson. She has served on KPA’s board since 2012. She has served as KPA’s MCLE coordinator from the very beginning to ensure KPA is a multiple activity provider with the California State Bar and will continue to serve in this capacity while serving as President.
Irene Lee
Vice President
Irene Lee is currently a Deputy County Counsel with the Dependency Division at the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office. Previously, she was a Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office from 2008-2021. She received recognition for the prosecution of a complex conspiracy to commit murder conducted before a triple jury panel and the prosecution of a woman who stabbed her husband to death. She was assigned to the Family Violence Division, where she handled serious domestic violence and child abuse cases. She has lectured law enforcement agencies and other prosecutors on domestic violence prosecutions and investigations. She is a past Treasurer for the Korean Prosecutors Association.
Samantha Routh
Secretary and Board of Director representing Georgia Chapter
Samantha Routh is a Managing Assistant District Attorney in the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office. She manages a trial team comprised of herself, 2 assistant district attorneys, 2 investigators, a victim witness advocate, and a legal assistant. She has handled over 1300 cases during the course of her career ranging from violent sexual offenses, homicide, child molestation, armed robbery, elder abuse, and white collar crimes. On top of her trial responsibilities, she participates in presentations regarding criminal procedure, criminal law, and court room demeanor with academy recruits for the local county police department. Samantha is a graduate of the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law.
Daniel Bahk
Treasurer
Daniel Bahk is a San Diego County Deputy District Attorney and assigned as a readiness supervisor in the Superior Court Division . He has handled and tried numerous misdemeanor and felony jury trials. He negotiates felony cases including murders, attempted murders, home invasion and armed robberies, carjackings, criminal threats, assaults causing great bodily injury, and property crimes. Mr. Bahk graduated from the University of Arizona and Rutgers University School of Law in New Jersey.
Jerry Baik
Executive Director
Jerry Baik is currently an Assistant City Attorney and joined the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office in 1994 as a Deputy City Attorney assigned to Criminal Division. In July 2012, he voluntarily transferred in-house to the Civil Litigation Section with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Previously, he founded and supervised the first-ever Identity Theft and Fraud Unit for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. His Unit’s cases were featured on Good Morning America, NY Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, local TV news stations, other national news circulations, and People magazine. For his work, he received awards from the U.S. Homeland Security-Office of the Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Social Security Administration-OIG, U.S. Food Drug Administration, and International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition. He was a national speaker on identity theft and white-collar fraud. Mr. Baik was previously an Assistant Supervising Deputy City Attorney for Central Trials Section, largest criminal branch for the Office. He supervised 45 prosecutors and 30 support staff members. In 2005, he won the City of Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Award. He was the past President of the Asian Pacific City Attorney’s Association, Regional Vice-President (SOCAL) for the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association, board member of the Korean American Bar Association (SOCAL), and board member of the Asian Pacific Women’s Center (domestic violence organization). He was the founder and first President for the Korean Prosecutors Association, and founder and first Chair of the KPA Justice Foundation. In addition, he was a board member of Little Tokyo Towers (Senior low-income housing in Little Tokyo).
Sylvia Choi
Board of Director representing Southern California Chapter (Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties)
Sylvia Choi is a Deputy District Attorney in the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, where she has handled a variety of cases, including homicides. She has received numerous awards for her work as a prosecutor. She has been a California licensed attorney since 2005. Sylvia is a cofounder of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers of the Inland Empire. She is a member of the Riverside County Bar Association. She is also a former board member of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court. Sylvia has been a member of KPA since 2010 and has served on its board for many years since more than a decade.
John Chang
Board of Director
John Chang is a Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He prosecutes complex litigation gang cases. He volunteers weekly through the Project L.E.A.D. program working with 5th graders and talking to them about the justice system. He graduated from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and the University of California at Riverside with a BA in political science. He has been a former KPA board member and was active in the mentorship committee.
T. Peter Choi
Board of Director representing New York & New Jersey Chapters
Peter Choi is a Senior Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently assigned to the Public Integrity Bureau where he investigates corruption and fraud committed by elected officials and public servants. In the past, he has also prosecuted hate crimes and other violent felonies. He received both his B.A. and J.D. at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
Jina Kim
Board of Director representing Los Angeles Chapter (inc. Ventura County)
Jina Kim is a prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, currently assigned to the Family Violence Unit. She has prosecuted numerous cases involving domestic violence, child abuse, child sex crimes, and elder abuse. She has completed over 65 jury trials during her career as a prosecutor, and also educated local and international communities regarding domestic violence prosecutions. Ms. Kim attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, and University of California, Berkeley, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. She is a former treasurer and former Vice President of Los Angeles of KPA.
Martin Park
Board of Director representing Ontario, Canada Chapter
Martin Park is a board member representing Ontario, Canada. He is Federal Crown for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and primarily prosecutes drug offenders. Outside of court, Martin is involved in providing training for law enforcement agencies as well as giving guest lectures at local law schools.
Wilson Park
Board of Director
Wilson Park has been an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for over 10 years. Wilson is currently assigned to the Office’s National Security Division, Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, where he investigates and prosecutes matters involving domestic and international terrorism, foreign agents, espionage, the illegal export of munitions and other sensitive technologies, sanctions, and the use of destructive devices/weapons of mass destruction. Prior to joining the National Security Division, Wilson spent six years in the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Section, where he prosecuted significant RICO cases against large Los Angeles gangs, fraud and money laundering cases against organized crime, international human trafficking cases, and matters involving the exploitation of children. Wilson previously served as the Office’s Gang Coordinator, and is currently serving as the Office’s Discovery Coordinator and Eagle Task Force (Export Crimes) Coordinator. Prior to joining the Office, Wilson clerked for a judge in the Central District of California and worked for a large law firm. Wilson received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Hee Young Shin
Board of Director and Liaison to the Republic of Korea Supreme Prosecutors’ Office
Heeyoung Shin began working as a Public Prosecutor of Korea at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors‘ Office in 2008, and then worked at the Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office Wonju Branch and the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office. She worked in the Criminal Legislation Division of the Ministry of Justice from 2016 to 2020. She is currently a deputy chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and was dispatched to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2022 to come to the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, California. She is a Consul at the KCG where she handles inmate transfer, extradition, mutual legal assistance and Korean law counseling for Koreans living in the U.S. She won Public Prosecutor General commendation in 2012, Minister of Justice commendation 2014, and the Presidential commendation in 2015 for her Excellent Prosecution Performances in Korea.
Jacob Yim
Board of Director and Former President
Jacob J.H. Yim is the Deputy-in-Charge of the Real Estate Fraud Unit under the White Collar Crime Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (LADA). He oversees the prosecution of complex real estate fraud investigations occurring in Los Angeles County. He was previously in charge of the Discovery Compliance Unit of the Post-Conviction Litigation & Discovery Division of the LADA. He served to oversee databases involving 65 plus law enforcement agencies, provided direction on discovery obligations regarding personnel, and regularly lectured on ethical and discovery procedures to DA personnel, law enforcement agencies, and other recurrent witnesses. He has been with LADA since 1998 and has spent much of his career assigned to the Bureau of Specialized Prosecutions, Hardcore Gang Division. He has prosecuted over 100 trials to verdict including 35 homicides and 6 special circumstance cases. He was dually designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and filed and vertically prosecuted 101 cases involving gang members who re-entered the United States. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and East Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of California, Los Angeles. Aside from his assignment in the Bureau of Specialized Prosecutions, he was part of the Special Homicide Unit of Central Trials prosecuting complex homicide cases and media cases. He taught 5th graders in the Los Angeles Project Lead Program. In addition, Mr. Yim lectures on the S.T.E.P. Act to Long Beach Police Department and LAPD. He was awarded Prosecutor of the Year in 2016 from the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association and was recognized by the Hardcore Gang Division in April of 2012.
Hannah Yu
Board of Director representing New York & New Jersey Chapters
Hannah Yu is the Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit at the New York County District Attorney’s Office. She supervises the investigation and prosecution of all hate crime cases in Manhattan and manages a team comprised of herself, a deputy chief, approximately 20 Assistant District Attorneys, 2 senior investigative analysts, 2 investigators, and a trial preparation assistant. Since joining the Office’s Trial Division, Ms. Yu prosecuted violent felony cases, including shootings, robberies, burglaries and assaults. She is a member of the Sex Crimes Unit and has handled a variety of sex crime and intimate partner violence cases. She joined the Homicide Panel in 2021. Ms. Yu has served as Criminal Court Supervisor, Attorney-in-Charge of the Summer Law Fellowship Program, and is on the permanent hiring board where she interviews and evaluates prospective candidates for ADA positions. Prior to joining the Office, Ms. Yu was an associate in the Litigation Department of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, and a clerk to Judge Brian Cogan of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Ms. Yu earned her B.A. from Barnard College and her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law in New York.
Christina Danbi Choi
Board Representative for Australia and New Zealand
Chris Danbi Choi is an Assistant Director, Human Exploitation and Border Protection at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and also serves on the NSW Sentencing Council, following appointment in 2016. Chris became the first Korean-Australian Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law and is passionate about developing lawyers in criminal law practice. Besides managing prosecutions, Chris has been the co-Principal of the pro bono Korean Community Legal Service which she co-founded in 2011.
Chris is committed to public service in the administration of justice and hopes to continue serving the community throughout the remainder of her career.
Danbee Kim
Board Representative for Northern California
Danbee C. Kim is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California, where she investigates and prosecutes federal crimes, including financial crimes, child exploitation, guns and violence, and narcotics trafficking. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she served as a Trial Attorney in the Organized Crime and Gang Section in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice. In this capacity, she worked on cases involving organized criminal enterprises and activity across the country. She investigated and prosecuted crimes in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VCAR) statute as well as other federal crimes, including money laundering, kidnapping, and murder. Danbee has also served as an Assistant District Attorney at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where she investigated and prosecuted a wide array of cases involving witness tampering, conspiracy, shootings, stabbings, robberies, and gang assaults, among other offenses. Danbee earned her B.A. at the University of Chicago and her J.D. at Columbia Law School.
Sam Park
Board Representative for San Diego and Imperial County
Sam Park is a Chief Deputy City Attorney with the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. She is the Chief of the General Trial Unit. She was a Deputy District Attorney with the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office, California, from 2007-2008. She previously worked for US Army JAG where she represented wounded warriors. In 2015, she was admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.
Andrew Lee
Board Representative for Law Enforcement Officers (LEO)
Andrew Lee is a recent retired Special Agent for the Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. He was with CID for over 22 years. Prior to joining the Department of Treasury, He was with the California Board of Equalization. Mr. Lee is highly sought out expert in the area of financial fraud and tax codes. He has trained Korean government officials and presented seminars to various organizations throughout the world. Recently, he was elected as a board member and Chief Financial Officer for the KPA Justice Foundation.
KPA Mission
The Korean Prosecutors Association is a global non-profit organization of public prosecutors, of Korean descent, formed for the purpose of networking, information sharing, mentoring, and serving the community by providing information and education on matters concerning the public and public safety.
