Yool Yoon


Name: Yool Yoon

Occupation: cook

Country of origin: Korea

Location: Dubbo

Here with: family

Length of time in region: since 2016

Yool Yoon loves living in Dubbo because it reminds him of growing up on Korea’s Goji Island. 

“Here in Dubbo, it feels like my childhood,” he said.

“People are nice. Like the town where I grew up, it is friendly.”

Mr Yoon migrated to Dubbo in 2016 as part of RDA Orana’s Korean Trainee Project and was sponsored by Dubbo RSL Club.

“I came here with my wife. We met just before we came to Australia. Now we have a 13-month-old baby.”

Being a cook, Mr Yoon wanted to continue his chosen career in Australia. 

“I wanted to work in Australia and keep working in kitchens, to keep this career.”

As a husband and more recently as a father, he also wanted to reduce the pace of work.

“I wanted to have a work-life balance,” he said. “Coming from a big city, there wasn’t much rest. Working hard, I wanted to have a bit of a life.”

Mr Yoon now has a regular working week and enjoys his downtime immensely, caring for his son and cooking for his family. He also enjoys exploring the local area and would love to join a band. He also celebrates Korean festivals.

“The best part is that things are just like I imagined. I work 40 hours a week and there is now time for family. Dubbo has the countryside but it’s a big enough city to have a life too.”

Mr Yoon said the hardest aspect of moving to a new country has been shifting away from loved ones.

“After being there for 30 years, being away from family and friends has been hard,” he said. 

His advice to other migrants was to learn English before they move to Australia.

“It’s better if you are ready to speak the language,” he said. “And be ready to be a team worker.”

Mr Yoon said that English was difficult to learn and much different from Asian languages but is an invaluable skill.

In Korea, Mr Yoon studied both economics and cooking. He hopes to continue learning through technical education and remain in the Orana region.

“I attended the Academy for cooking in Korea and would love to do a certificate in hospitality.”
He has also noticed differences between Korean and Australian food tastes but said that the kitchen culture is universal.

“I have learned about people’s tastes and that more than sweets, they like saltiness.”

“Being in a kitchen isn’t a big change until you walk out the door. The cities are very different.” 

“I plan on staying in Orana. I enjoy preparing great food, I chose this as a career. And if you work hard in Korea and Australia, you advance.”

Pictured is Yool Yoon with his wife Sunghee Cho and son Bada Yoon.