John Lim, growing up with parents, four brothers, and a sister, learned early the value of cooperation and hard work. The family worked together as farmers and operated the only sawmill in the small town of Yeoju, South Korea where Lim was born in 1935.

When he was in the 8^th grade, the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950.  His father, Eun Kyu Lim, was forced to serve as a firefighter under the North Korean military occupation for three months.  Because of this reason, John Lim’s father was executed by the South Korean police right after North Korean soldiers were pushed back to the North.

In his high school years, he suffered from tuberculosis for more than five years.  Fellow town people mistook him for a person with mental illness.  During his years of suffering from tuberculosis, John Lim memorized 7,500 English words and also volunteered at the Yeoju home town orphanage.  He was able to finish his high school, but he was not awarded a diploma because of non-payment of tuition.  John Lim went to Pochun near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to work as a houseboy for U.S. soldiers for one year in order to pay the tuition.  He received his diploma.

John Lim then entered Seoul Theological College. He was able to finish college working part-time as a U.S. military missile base student chaplain.

In 1963, when he was twenty-eight years old, he married Grace who was a local high school teacher.  It will be their forty-sixth anniversary this year.

In 1966, John Lim came to the U.S. where hope and opportunity afforded him a life with prosperity and purpose.  He came to the U.S. to study his Master in Divinity degree  and later was awarded a Doctorate in Humane Letters from the same seminary.  He founded American Royal Jelly Health Products, which is an international health and beauty supply company.  When he became fifty, he began to serve as the local President of Korean Society, President of the National Korean American Federation and President of Asian American Voters Coalition.

In 1990, John Lim began to serve in public office.  He ran for the nomination of the Republican candidate for the gubernatorial race.  John Lim’s plan was to get his name out for the first time.  He was right.  In 1992, after having run for Governor, he ran for State Senator for District 11 and garnered 60% of the vote.  He became the first Korean-American as a first generation Korean immigrant to serve in any State Senate in the U.S.

During his first tenure, he worked on reforming the public welfare system, tort reform, international trade plus many other issues.

John Lim is tenacious, humble, generous and a strong leader, in addition to possessing a good sense of humor.  It will be twenty years since he first ran for Governor in 1990.  Now he is running for Governor to win.  He started in the political arena running for Governor and wants to finish by becoming a Governor.  John Lim has been a good family man, successful businessman, sacrificial volunteer for society, and experienced in politics in both Senate and House.  He has plans to help the State of Oregon – the best in the nation.  He believes that we cannot accomplish all dreams we pursue, but without any dreams nothing is accomplished.

John Lim and Mrs. Lim have three children and four grandchildren.  They have lived in the Portland area for the last forty-three years.  John Lim accomplished the American Dream that many people thought impossible.