THE GRUMBLE

We are a group of dedicated volunteers in South Korea and the US.

Each volunteer works day jobs, and they do this for the love of pugs, entirely on their own time, with no monetary compensation.

Hye Sook Kim smiling from inside a car with two dogs

HYEWON KIM

Rescuer/Top Dog

As the original founder of Pug Rescue of Korea, Kim is our rescue extraordinaire in charge of all operations in the South Korea area. Ms. Hye Sook is a pug mom to Luce and Harley along with caretaker to Lil Kim (her sidekick and niece). Kim has a Master's Degree in International Politics and a BA in English Language and Literature. As a a full-time export project manager, Kim works directly for the Republic of South Korea. When she's not busy rescuing pugs, she enjoys surfing the web and watching Korean dramas.

Melody Chalaban smiling holding two pugs

MELODY CHALABAN

President

Wife, mother of twins, and fur mom to Reggie (PRK) and Gumbo (PRK), Melody received her BA in Communications from UCSD with Graduate studies in Communications from CSU Fullerton. She comes from a PR background and oversees operations and marketing, including social media, adoptions and customer relations along with late-night chat meetings with Kim. While working full-time for a California communications company, Mrs. Chalaban's side hustle includes running, cooking and baking, and finding PRK a private jet for pug transportation.

Jinny Chi holding three dogs

JINNY CHI

Vice President

Jinny is a wife, mother of two, and fur mom to Nori (PRK), Fiona (PRK), and Betty (2011-2021). When she's not busy fostering, picking up pugs at LAX or keeping an eye on our IG account, Mrs. Chi also volunteers for Pug Nation in her free time. Jinny earns major bonus points for speaking both English AND Korean, which her pugs from Korea say they appreciate!

Kayla Stephenson smiling holding a pug

KAYLA STEPHENSON

Projects Coordinator

With a BA in English from Arcadia University, Kayla has worked in various fields including Make a Wish, public libraries, and office administration. A fan of world travel, she is currently living in South Korea for several years and dedicating any free time to fostering, assisting, and writing for PRK. Her and her husband now claim three PRK foster fails: Bingy, Dozer and Miss Ruby!