Koreans
한국인/韓國人
조선인/朝鮮人

1st row: Eulji Mundeok • Wang Geon • King Sejong 2nd row: Yun Duseo • Kim Jeonghui • Kim Gu 3rd row: Kim Dae-jung • Park Ji-Sung • Kim Yu-na
Korean people
Total population
80,000,000 (est.)[1]
Regions with significant populations
South Korea      50,062,000 (2009 est.)[2]  North Korea      24,051,218 (2009 est.)[3] Overseas populations as of 2009[update]
People's Republic of China 2,336,771 [4]  United States 2,102,283 [4][5]  Japan 904,512 [4]  Canada 223,322 [4]  Russia 222,027 [4][6]  Uzbekistan 175,939 [4]  Australia 125,669 [4]  Philippines 115,400 [4]  Kazakhstan 103,952 [4]  Vietnam 88,120 [4]  Denmark 48,419 [4]  United Kingdom 45,295 [4]  Thailand 40,370 [4]  Ukraine 35,000 [7]  Indonesia 31,760 [4]  Germany 31,248 [4]  New Zealand 30,792 [4]  Argentina 22,024 [4]  Kyrgyzstan 19,420 [4]  France 14,738 [4]  Malaysia 14,580 [4]  Singapore 13,509 [4]  Mexico 12,072 [4]  Guatemala 9,921 [4]  India 8,337 [4]  Sweden 7,000 [4]  Paraguay 5,229 [4]  Cambodia 4,772 [4]  Italy 4,203 [4]  South Africa 3,949
Languages
Korean speakers: 78 million (1999 est.)[8]
Religion
Korean Christianity, Korean Buddhism, Muism (Korean Shamanism), Cheondoism. Large non-religious and atheist segment. Background of Korean Confucianism.[9][10]

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula.

Names[link]

South Koreans call Koreans Hanguk-in (한국인; 韓國人)—or simply 한인/Han-in for South Koreans living abroad—or informally Hanguk saram (한국 사람; 韓國 사람), while North Koreans call Koreans Chosŏnin (조선인; 朝鮮人) or Chosŏn saram (조선 사람; 朝鮮 사람). See Names of Korea, Korean romanization, Hangul (한글) and Hanja (한자).

Origins[link]

Linguistic and archaeological studies[link]

Koreans are believed^{[by whom?]} to be descendants of peoples of Manchuria, often said to be Altaic-^[11][12] or proto-Altaic^[13]-speaking tribes, linking them with Mongols, Turkic and Tungusic peoples. Archaeological evidence suggests proto-Koreans were migrants from south-central Siberia,^[14] who populated ancient Korea in successive waves from the Neolithic age to the Bronze Age.^[15] The same tomb style is an indication telling who lived there. The largest concentration of dolmen in the world is found on the Korean peninsula. In fact, with an estimated 35,000 dolmen Korea counts for nearly 40% of the world’s total. Similar dolmens can be found outside of Korea, in Manchuria, Shandong, and Kyushu. Yet it is unclear why this culture only flourished so extensively on the Korean peninsula in the area of Northeastern Asia.^[16]

Genetic studies[link]

Studies of polymorphisms in the human Y-chromosome have so far produced evidence to suggest that the Korean people have a long history as a distinct, mostly endogamous ethnic group, with successive waves of people moving to the peninsula and three major Y-chromosome haplogroups.^[17]

Y-DNA haplogroups[link]

Korean males display a high frequency of Haplogroup O2b* (P49), a subclade of possibly Manchurian origin, and O3 (M122), a common Y-DNA haplogroup among East Asians in general.^[18][19] Haplogroup O2b* occurs in approximately 14%^[20][21][22] to 33%^[23] of all Korean males, while haplogroup O3 has been found in approximately 40% of sampled Korean males.^[21][24][25]

Korean males also exhibit a moderate frequency of Haplogroup C3. Haplogroup C3 is thought to be the original inhabitants of the area related to the Evenks.

mtDNA haplogroups[link]

Studies of Korean mtDNA lineages have shown that there is a high frequency of Haplogroup D4, ranging from approximately 23% among ethnic Koreans in Arun Banner, Inner Mongolia^[26] to approximately 27% among ethnic Koreans in Jilin, China and South Korea.^[22] Haplogroup D4 is the modal mtDNA haplogroup among Koreans and among northern East Asians in general. Haplogroup B, which occurs very frequently in many populations of Southeast Asia, Polynesia, and the Americas, is found in approximately 10% (5/48 ethnic Koreans from Arun Banner, Inner Mongolia) to 15% (27/185 Koreans from South Korea) of Koreans.^[22][26] Haplogroup A has been detected in approximately 8% (15/185 Koreans from South Korea) to 15% (7/48 ethnic Koreans from Arun Banner, Inner Mongolia) of Koreans.^[22][26] Haplogroup A is the most common mtDNA haplogroup among the Chukchi, Eskimo, Na-Dene, and many Amerind ethnic groups of North and Central America.

The other half of the Korean mtDNA pool consists of an assortment of various haplogroups, each found with relatively low frequency, such as G, N9, F, D5, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11, R11, C, Z and Q1a1.^[22]

Sung-Soo Hung of the Department of Biology at Seoul National University found that Mongoloids, including Koreans, were relatively homogenous in 9-bp deletion type of the mtDNA COM/ tRNA^Lys intergenic region and Hung found 16% of Koreans in Seoul (N=175) had this mutation while only 7.8% of Koreans in Cheju (N=38) had this mutation.^[27]

Autosomal studies[link]

In an autosomal study led by Yale University researchers, Koreans differentiated from the Chinese groups and clustered with the Japanese in the principal component analysis and in the best least-squares tree. The majority of Koreans were difficult to distinguish from the Japanese.^[28]. Other study done by National University of Singapore concluded similarly that the Koreans are more closely related to the Japanese and quite distant from the Chinese.^[29]. A study led by Korean researchers found that of the East Asians, the Koreans are the most genetically distant from Africans. In the same study, the Japanese are relatively close to southwest Koreans from the Jeolla regions than to Koreans in the midwest region, while Koreans in the midwest region are close to Manchurian populations.^[30]

A recent paper published in 2009 shows Koreans have no Austronesian DNA, whereas the Japanese and Chinese have some Austronesian DNA in their genome. Among the East Asians, Koreans share the least DNA with the Austronesians, while the Han Chinese have the most DNA in common with Austronesians, indicating some interaction between Austronesians and Han Chinese.^[31] The Japanese are shown to have slightly more DNA in common with Austronesians than the Koreans.^[32]

Regional differences[link]

Distinct regional differences, culturally and politically, exist among the Koreans, as they do among other ethnicities.

Within South Korea, the most important regional difference is between the Yeongnam region, embracing Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do provinces in the southeast, and the Honam region, embracing Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do provinces in the southwest. This regional rivalry is said to reach back to the Three Kingdoms Period, which lasted from the fourth to the seventh century A.D., when the kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla struggled for control of the peninsula.

Observers noted that interregional marriages are rare, as the two areas have been long separated. As of 1990, a new four-lane highway completed in 1984 between Gwangju and Daegu, the capitals of Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do, had limited success in promoting travel between the two areas.

South Korea's political elite, including presidents Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan, and Roh Tae-woo, have come largely from the Yeongnam region. As a result, Yeongnam has been a special beneficiary of government development assistance. By contrast, historically the Honam region has remained comparatively rural and undeveloped. Regional social disturbances intensified in the May 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement or 5.18 Democratization Movement, in which about 200 and perhaps many more college students and citizens of the Gwangju were killed by Chun Doo-hwan's troops. They were sent to quell demonstrations of students and citizens against the government and the military regime. Chun Doo-hwan represented the Gwangju Democratization Movement as if it had been infiltrated by communism by controlling the media. The demonstrations against the military regime occurred all over the country, but only Gwangju was heavily damaged in retaliation. Because the Saenuri (New Frontier Party) stems from the military regime, the people of Honam don't vote for Saenuri in most elections.

Regional stereotypes, like regional dialects, have been breaking down under the influence of centralized education, nationwide media, and the several decades of population movement since the Korean War. Stereotypes remain important, however, in the eyes of many South Koreans. For example, the people of Gyeonggi-do, surrounding Seoul, are described as being cultured, and Chungcheong people, inhabiting the region embracing Chungcheongbuk-do and Chungcheongnam-do provinces, are thought to be mild-mannered, manifesting true yangban virtues. The people of Gangwon-do in the northeast were viewed as farmers in a rural, countryside area, while Koreans from the northern provinces of Pyongan, Hwanghae, and Hamgyong, now in North Korea, are perceived as being diligent and aggressive. Jeju-do is known for its strong-minded and independent women.

Culture[link]

North Korea and South Korea share a common heritage, but the political division since 1945 has resulted in some divergence of modern culture.

Language[link]

The language of the Korean people is the Korean language, which uses Hangul as its main writing system. There are more than 78 million speakers of the Korean language worldwide.^[8]

North Korea data[link]

North Korean soldiers in the Joint Security Area.

Estimating the size, growth rate, sex ratio, and age structure of North Korea's population has been extremely difficult. Until release of official data in 1989, the 1963 edition of the North Korea Central Yearbook was the last official publication to disclose population figures. After 1963 demographers used varying methods to estimate the population. They either totaled the number of delegates elected to the Supreme People's Assembly (each delegate representing 50,000 people before 1962 and 30,000 people afterward) or relied on official statements that a certain number of persons, or percentage of the population, was engaged in a particular activity. Thus, on the basis of remarks made by President Kim Il Sung in 1977 concerning school attendance, the population that year was calculated at 17.2 million persons. During the 1980s, health statistics, including life expectancy and causes of mortality, were gradually made available to the outside world.

In 1989 the Central Statistics Bureau released demographic data to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) in order to secure the UNFPA's assistance in holding North Korea's first nationwide census since the establishment of the state in 1948. Although the figures given to the United Nations might have been distorted, it appears that in line with other attempts to open itself to the outside world, the North Korean regime has also opened somewhat in the demographic realm. Although the country lacks trained demographers, accurate data on household registration, migration, and births and deaths are available to North Korean authorities. According to the United States scholar Nicholas Eberstadt and demographer Judith Banister, vital statistics and personal information on residents are kept by agencies on the ri (“village”, the local administrative unit) level in rural areas and the dong (“district” or “block”) level in urban areas.

Korean diaspora[link]

A Russian stamp honouring rock star Viktor Tsoi

Large-scale emigration from Korea began as early as the mid-1860s, mainly into the Russian Far East and Northeast China; these populations would later grow to nearly three million Koreans in China and several hundred thousand Koryo-saram (ethnic Koreans in Central Asia).^[33][34] During the Colonial Korea of 1910–1945, Koreans were often recruited and or forced into labour service to work in mainland Japan, Karafuto Prefecture, and Manchukuo; the ones who chose to remain in Japan at the end of the war became known as Zainichi Koreans, while the roughly 40 thousand who were trapped in Karafuto after the Soviet invasion are typically referred to as Sakhalin Koreans.^[35][36] Korean emigration to America was known to have begun as early as 1903, but the Korean American community did not grow to a significant size until after the passage of the Immigration Reform Act of 1965; as of 2007, roughly 2 million Koreans emigrants and people of Korean descent live in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

The Los Angeles and New York City metropolitan areas in the United States contain the largest populations of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea. Significant Korean populations are present in China, Japan, and Canada as well. There are also Korean communities in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. During the 1990s and 2000s, the number of Koreans in the Philippines and Koreans in Vietnam have also grown significantly.^[37][38] Koreans in the United Kingdom now form Western Europe's largest Korean community, albeit still relatively small; Koreans in Germany used to outnumber those in the UK until the late 1990s.

The Korean population in the United States is a small share of the US economy, but it has a disproportionately favorable impact. Korean Americans have a savings rate double that of the average American and also graduate from college at a rate double that of the average American, providing a highly skilled and educated addition to the U.S. workforce. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Census 2000 data, mean household earnings for Koreans in the U.S. were $59,981, approximately 5.1% higher than the U.S. average of $56,604.^[39]

Gallery[link]

• 

  Hanbok dress

• 

  Korean dressed as a Joseon Queen

• 

  Korean wedding

• 

  Models of a Korean family in hanbok

• 

  Display of Korean traditional wedding scene

See also[link]

• Demographics of North Korea
• Demographics of South Korea
• Korean diaspora
• Koreatown
• List of Korea-related topics
• Evenks

Notes[link]

References[link]

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.
• 서의식 and 강봉룡. 뿌리 깊은 한국사, 샘이 깊은 이야기: 고조선, 삼국, ISBN 89-8133-536-2
• Barnes, Gina. The Rise of Civilization in East Asia: the Archaeology of China, Korea and Japan, ISBN 0-500-27974-8

External links[link]

• Korean American Museum
• Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan)

v t e Korean diaspora Africa Canary Islands1 · South Africa Americas Argentina · Brazil · Canada · Chile · Cuba · Guatemala · Mexico · Paraguay · Peru · United States (Hawaii) · Uruguay Asia Arab world · China (Hong Kong) · India · Indonesia · Iran · Japan · Malaysia · Mongolia · Nepal · Philippines · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Taiwan · Thailand · Vietnam Europe Czech Republic · France · Germany · Netherlands · Poland · Russia (Sakhalin · North Koreans) · Spain · United Kingdom Oceania Australia · New Zealand · Micronesia Related topics Languages Koryo-mar · Zainichi Korean Misc. Adoptees · Koreatowns · Koryo-saram · North Korean defectors 1 An autonomous community of Spain off the northwest coast of Africa

Hines Ward

Ward during the 2006 NFL season.
No. 86
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: (1976-03-08) March 8, 1976 (age 36)
Place of birth: Seoul, South Korea
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College: Georgia
NFL Draft: 1998 / Round: 3 / Pick: 92
Debuted in 1998 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Last played in 2011 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (1998–2011)
Career highlights and awards
4× Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) 3× 2nd Team All-Pro selection (2002, 2003, 2004) 2× Super Bowl Champion (XL, XLIII) Super Bowl MVP (XL) 3× Steelers MVP ( 2002,2004 2005) 3× AFC Champion (2005, 2008, 2010) Steelers Career Records for Receptions, Receiving Yards, & Receiving TDs Dancing With the Stars Champion (2011)
Career NFL statistics as of 2011
Receptions 1,000 Receiving Yards 12,083 Receiving TDs 85 Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Hines Edward Ward, Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for fourteen seasons after being drafted in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft, becoming the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Ward was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL, and upon retirement was one of only eight NFL players to have 1,000 or more career receptions. He played college football at the University of Georgia.

Born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and an African American father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area. He has become an advocate for the social acceptance of foreigners in Korea, especially mixed-race youth.^[1]

Early life[link]

Ward was born in Seoul, South Korea, to an African American father, Hines Ward Sr., and Korean mother, Kim Young He (김영희). His family moved to Atlanta and East Point, Georgia when Hines Jr. was one, and Hines Sr. went to Germany to serve a tour of duty. The next year Ward's parents divorced leaving Ward to live with his mother and then with his paternal grandmother after Hines Sr. convinced a family court that Kim could not raise Hines Jr. independently, because she did not speak English. Ward would later be reunited with his mother at the age of 7. During this time, Hines Ward Sr. did not support Ward with child support or visit Ward regularly with Ward stating that he talks with his father about once every two years.^[2] Ward has stated that he has never reconciled with his father who abandoned him when he was 2 years old.^[3] Under the guidance of coach Mike Parris at Forest Park High School in Forest Park, Georgia, Ward showcased his athletic skills as a quarterback, and was two-time Clayton County Offensive Player of the Year.

College career[link]

As a wide receiver for the University of Georgia Bulldogs (1994–1997), Ward's 149 career receptions for 1,965 yards placed him second in team history. He also played tailback and totaled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to Herschel Walker in Bulldogs history. In 1996, Hines had 52 receptions for 900 yards, and also ran 26 times for 170 yards. In 1997, Hines hauled in 55 passes and scored six TDs, getting All-SEC honors in the process. Ward played some quarterback his sophomore year, and holds Georgia bowl records for pass attempts, pass completions, and passing yards in the 1995 Peach Bowl in which he completed 31 of 59 passes for 413 yards.

When he came out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an ACL in his left knee, which he lost during a bicycle accident during childhood.^[4][5] According to a Yahoo! Sports article, Ward broke his kneecap in the fourth grade and the doctors never accounted for the ligament.^[6] He received his bachelor's degree in consumer economics from UGA.

Professional career[link]

Ward makes a catch against the Baltimore Ravens in 2006.

Ward's versatility, hands and willingness to block served him well as a professional wide receiver. Since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft, he earned three team Most Valuable Player (MVP) selections. He was also a four-time NFL Pro Bowl selection (2001–2004). Ward also had a streak of 4 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons The streak was broken in the 2005 NFL season during which he missed a game due to injury. In 2002, he set a Steelers franchise record for receptions (112) and touchdowns (12) and was named to his first of two consecutive All-NFL teams. Although he was considered one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL, he was also criticized for habitually hitting defenders on their blind-side.^{[citation needed]} Ward was twice named the NFL's dirtiest player, as determined by a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players; the most recent was in 2009.^[7]

In 2005, Ward missed the first two weeks of training camp in a holdout for a contract extension that would increase his salary. Ward had considered holding out before camp in 2004, but had been persuaded by the Steelers that they could work out an extension during the year. Ward eventually showed up on August 15, 2005 and was on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles that night, though he did not play in that game. On September 5, 2005, the Steelers announced that they had reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth $25.83 million with Ward.^[8]

On November 13, 2005, Ward became the Steelers' all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns on ESPN Sunday Night Football surpassing John Stallworth's record. The Steelers won 34-21.

Ward accumulated 76 receptions, 1,064 yards, and eight receiving touchdowns in 14 post-season appearances. On February 5, 2006, Ward was named MVP in Super Bowl XL as the Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-10. Ward became the second foreign born player to earn the accolade. Ward scored a 43-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, thrown by fellow wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Overall, Ward had five receptions for 123 yards, one touchdown and one rush for 18 yards.

Immediately following Super Bowl XL, Ward was videotaped for the "I'm Going to Disney World!" television commercial, adding "...and I'm taking The Bus!" Ward and Steelers teammate Jerome "The Bus" Bettis appeared in a victory parade at the Magic Kingdom theme park on February 6 along with Emmitt Smith.

On December 2, 2007, Ward became the Steelers' all-time touchdown receptions leader with his 64th touchdown reception against the Bengals on Sunday Night Football.^[9] Then on December 20, 2007, Ward became the Steelers' all-time receiving yardage leader in a game against the St. Louis Rams.

Ward often faced criticism for his style of blocking, particularly for his propensity to hit defenders on their blind-side. During a game on October 19, 2008, Ward put a vicious downfield blindside block on rookie Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers. The impact of the block left Rivers with a broken jaw, and caused him to miss the remainder of the 2008 season. Ward was not penalized for this block, nor was he fined by the league as the hit was deemed legal. The league, however, later passed a new rule banning such hits. The so-called "Hines Ward Rule" made a blindside block illegal if the block came from the blocker's helmet, forearm or shoulder and lands to the head or neck area of a defender.^[10] In a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players in 2009, he was voted the "dirtiest player in the NFL."[1]

According to Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens when the Ravens played the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football that season, the Ravens players placed a bounty on Ward and rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall left the game with a broken shoulder which ended his season. Ward talked about Suggs' comments in an interview on Pardon the Interruption. Although he held up an NFL policy banning bounties, he thought it was also humorous that they would do it to him.

Ward attempts to break Sammy Knight's tackle during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006.

On December 28, 2008, Ward caught his 800th NFL reception, extending his record for receptions by a Steeler receiver.^[11] Also in this game, Ward achieved his first 1000 yard season since 2004, finishing with 81 receptions for 1043 yards and 7 touchdowns on the year. In the 2008 Playoffs, Ward recorded 9 receptions for 168 yards. In the 27-23 win over Arizona Cardinals at the Super Bowl XLIII, Ward played a supporting role, catching two passes for 43 yards. He played the game with a sprained right MCL.^[12]

Ward was signed to a four-year, $22 million extension by the Steelers on April 25, 2009.^[13] On September 27, 2009, during a game against Cincinnati, Ward's four catches for 82 yards earned him 10,000 career receiving yards and made him the first wide receiver in Steelers' history to achieve that milestone.^[14] On third-and-two Ben Roethlisberger hit Ward for a 14-yard gain, giving Ward 10,001 career receiving yards. Ward finished the 2009 season with 95 receptions for 1,167 yards and 6 touchdowns.

In a September 12, 2010 home game against the Atlanta Falcons, Ward became the first player in Steeler history to surpass 11,000 receiving yards. He caught 108 yards worth of passes in that game to pass Hall of Fame Steeler receiver John Stallworth for the most 100-yard receiving games all-time for the Steelers with his 26th. His 6 catches against the Falcons gave him 901 for his career, making him only the 12th NFL player of all time to surpass 900 career receptions. Ward's streak of 186 consecutive games with at least one reception came to an end in a 39-26 loss against the New England Patriots in Week 10 of the 2010 season. A short catch by Ward was knocked loose when he was tackled by safeties, Patrick Chung and James Sanders, and was knocked out of the rest of the game; the Patriots challenged the call, and the pass was ruled incomplete on review, ending the streak.

On December 4, 2011, in a 35-7 home victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ward became just the 19th player in NFL history to reach 12,000 receiving yards.^[15] On January 1, 2012, in a game against the Cleveland Browns, Ward caught his 1000th reception, becoming the eighth player in NFL history to do so.

On February 29, 2012, the Steelers announced their intention to release Ward,^[16] which they did two days later.^[17]

Ward on March 20, 2012, announced his retirement from football stating, "Without the support over the past 14 years this game wouldn't be the same to me. It wouldn't be as fun for me. You guys meant the world to me. The city and this organization means the world to me. So today as sadly as it feels for me right now, I hope it will be a good day for everyone here."^[18][19]

Personal[link]

Ward prior to a game in 2008.

Ward resides in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and has a son named Jaden who he had with his ex-wife Simone Ward. On his upper right arm he has a tattoo of Mighty Mouse in the Heisman pose, just below a tattoo of his name in Korean.^[20]

Business and media enterprises[link]

Ward co-owned a bar in Pittsburgh's South Side called The Locker Room.^[21] The bar sustained serious water damage in February 2007, due to flooding from a malfunctioning boiler, and it was closed for repairs until June of that year.^[22] The bar received an insurance settlement of $500,000, which subsequently became an issue during a legal dispute between the bar's owners.^[22]

On September 11, 2007, co-owner Nicholas Lettieri withdrew the entirety of the bar's funds, approximately $19,000, from a corporate account, causing it to miss a large number of scheduled payments.^[22] The company filed suit for the return of the money, and Lettieri subsequently justified his actions by claiming that the money was owed to him, also voicing the belief that the other co-owners, Ward and Kimberly Pitts, as well as Pitts' husband, Korry Pitts, had falsified invoices and diverted company funds to their own bank accounts.^[22] Company attorney Thomas Castello dismissed Lettieri's allegations as "baseless, ridiculous and unfounded," and the matter currently is before the court.^[22]

The Locker Room reopened under the name South Side 86 (because of Ward's jersey number), and is owned entirely by Ward, who bought out his co owners.

In September 2006 Ward began hosting the Hines Ward Show on Pittsburgh CBS O&O KDKA-TV.^[23]

As a figure for social change[link]

In 2006 Ward became the first Korean American to win the Super Bowl MVP award. This achievement threw him into the spotlight of media in South Korea.^[24]

From April 3 through May 30, 2006, Ward returned to his birthplace of Seoul for the first time since his parents moved to the United States when he was one year old. Ward used his celebrity status to arrange "hope-sharing" meetings with multiracial Korean children and to encourage social and political reform. At one hope-sharing meeting, he told a group of children, "If the country can accept me for who I am and accept me for being a Korean, I'm pretty sure that this country can change and accept you for who you are."^[24] On his final day in Korea, he donated $1 million USD to create the Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation, which the AP called "a foundation to help mixed-race children like himself in South Korea, where they have suffered discrimination."^[25]

In January 2007 former Steeler and Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Franco Harris, owner of R Super Foods, honored Ward for his philanthropic efforts by featuring Ward's picture and story on boxes of Super Buns. Like Ward, Harris also won a Super Bowl MVP award (in Super Bowl IX), and also is biracial, being of African American and Italian American parentage.

In September 2010, President Barack Obama, appointed Ward as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.^[26]

DUI arrest[link]

On July 9, 2011, Hines Ward was arrested for driving under the influence in DeKalb County, Georgia after being witnessed by a MARTA police officer failing to maintain his lane and subsequently hitting a curb.^[27] An officer of the DeKalb County Police Department responded which led to the investigation and Ward's arrest. On February 22, 2012, the DUI charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. Ward agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving and received a sentence of one year of probation, 80 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine.^[28]

Film and TV appearances[link]

Ward will make an appearance as a member of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the upcoming 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises.^[29]

Dancing with the Stars performance[link]

On May 24, 2011, Hines and his partner Kym Johnson won season 12 of the American TV dance competition Dancing with the Stars.

* In week 7, Donnie Burns was the guest judge and scored the dances as well (first score listed is Burns').

References[link]

External links[link]

• Hines Ward Official Website
• Hines Ward on Twitter
• Pittsburgh Steelers bio
• "Ward spins biracial roots into blessing", Paul Wiseman, USA Today, April 9, 2006