"MJ" Cho
Author
C. Bonaventure is my pen name for Moo J. Cho (조무정). I was born in 1943 as the youngest child of a 10-member family and grew up in Korea for the first 24 years. After successive post-baccalaureate studies in Canada (MS in 1970) and the United States (PhD in 1973) in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry, I spent the next 40 years in industries an.... more
C. Bonaventure is my pen name for Moo J. Cho (조무정). I was born in 1943 as the youngest child of a 10-member family and grew up in Korea for the first 24 years. After successive post-baccalaureate studies in Canada (MS in 1970) and the United States (PhD in 1973) in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry, I spent the next 40 years in industries and academia, almost an equal duration for each. Subsequent to retirement in 2013, I began to write essays on Korean proverbs, primarily to promote Korean culture as well as to disseminate the wisdom therein. These essays should also provide a counterbalance to the “fast and furious” pace of modern living as they reflect the ease and tranquility of good old days in Korea upon current events mainly in the States.
In my lifetime in Korea: (1) the Second World War ended, (2) Korean Peninsula was arbitrarily cut in half by none other than the United States (!) and then Soviet Union, (3) Korean War broke, (4) Syngman Rhee’s regime was toppled, (5) a military coup took place, and (6) the maddening speed of industrial modernization took off along with Korean youths participating in Vietnam War. Because of, or in spite of, these adversities, I have become progressive and liberal in all aspects of our society.
I considers myself an introvert and try to maintain a simple life with a handful of bosom friends. At this writing, May of 2020, I live in Las Vegas with my wife June, who is still working as a university professor. We do not have any children: lucky for us, as Korean friends constantly remind us. I have nibbled with various hobbies with nothing to brag about: bag-packing, sailing, windsurfing, golf, piano, drawing, photography, even classic guitar, etc. Basically I am not well-disciplined in this sort of activities but with a possible exception of writing.
“The Tongue Can Break Bones” was my first book. It introduced 100 Korean proverbs. It was published in May, 2018. Then two years later, I had another book: “Easier to See Jeong (Love) Leaving than Arriving.” It is a sequel to the first one, again introducing 100 Korean proverbs. The third volume is coming along well, which I hope to publish in the summer of 2021.