The Dosan Ahn House in its present campus location on West 34th Street.
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A Home for a Hero
Korean Studies Finds "Perfect Venue" in Dosan Ahn House
USC College’s Korean Studies Institute moved this fall into its first
physical home — the newly restored Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Family House —
and appointed a new director.
Once the residence of the family of esteemed Korean independence leader
Dosan Ahn Chang Ho (1878-1938), the historic home serves as an enduring
tribute to the Korean national hero, said Joseph Aoun, dean of USC
College. It also highlights the strong ties that have long linked the
College to Korea and the Korean community in Los Angeles.
“As the new home to the Korean Studies Institute, the Dosan Ahn House
provides common ground, and a new intensity, for USC scholars studying
issues crucial to the future of the Korean peninsula and the
Korean-American experience,” Aoun said.
The interdisciplinary Korean Studies Institute has served for 10 years
as the university’s principal organization for the promotion of Korean
education and research, drawing on faculty and students from
international relations, political science, comparative literature,
economics and many other departments.
Completely renovated, the two-story, 2,000-square-foot bungalow was
relocated from a site on Downey Way to its current location at 809 West
34th Street on the University Park campus, near USC’s East Asian
Library, which houses the Korean Heritage Library and its collection of
more than 50,000 items.
Though Dosan Ahn himself did not live at the house, it retains great
historical significance. Helen Ahn, Dosan’s wife, raised the couple’s
five children in the house from the 1930s to the 1950s, and the Ahn
home served as an important gathering place for many Korean-Americans
backing the Korean independence movement. Later, Philip Ahn, Dosan’s
son, studied foreign commerce and speech at USC and then went on to
enjoy an illustrious acting career.
New Leadership
Chaibong Hahm, a political theorist and an expert on Korean politics
and culture, was named the institute’s new director in August.
“The appointment of Professor Hahm brings experience and strong
leadership to one of the world’s few programs that studies the Korean
peninsula in a comprehensive manner,” Aoun said.
Hahm, formerly the director of social sciences, research and policy for
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) in Paris and a professor at Yonsei University, is a professor
of international relations and political science in the College.
Hahm said that a primary objective is to promote greater understanding
of the history, culture and dynamics of South and North Korea.
“With a vibrant economy and a rambunctious democracy, South Korea is
playing an increasingly important role in the Asia Pacific region and
the world as a whole,” Hahm said. “North Korea, for its part, continues
to grab the world’s attention with its ongoing efforts to develop
nuclear capability.”
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