(L-R): REI AMI, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Kyung Yoon at the 2026 KACF gala. EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI were presented with the Trailblazer Award at the gala.

Andre Maier (Courtesy of KACF)

KPop Demon Hunters’ EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, who provide the singing voices of the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X in the hit animated film, gave a surprise performance of “Golden” at this year’s annual gala hosted by the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF).

Held on Wednesday, April 22^nd at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, the sold-out black tie event drew roughly 700 attendees from media, law, finance and other sectors for an evening of community, celebration and philanthropy. By the end of the night, attendees had collectively raised $3.5 million to support Korean American communities nationwide.

ForbesOscars Cut ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Speech Short, Fans Are Furious

Founded in 2002 by a group of Korean American leaders in New York, KACF set out to fund programs serving under-resourced Korean Americans while fostering a broader culture of giving within the Korean American community. Today, it has grown into the largest national foundation dedicated to funding Korean American communities across the U.S., distributing more than $20 million in grants to date—a milestone celebrated at this year’s gala.

The 2026 KACF gala was co-chaired by Eunu Chun, Tina Kim and Josephine Shin, with emcees Juju Chang of ABC News’ Nightline and CeFaan Kim of WABC-TV guiding the evening. The theme for this year’s gala was the “power of jeong (정),” which KACF describes on its gala website as “the Korean value of deep connection that keeps us rooted in community and inspires collective generosity.”

KACF President and CEO Kyung B. Yoon returned to this idea of jeong in her opening remarks. “Our jeong—our commitment to one another—is our strength,” she said. “Strong communities don’t happen by chance; they are built deliberately by people who invest in one another. Real impact requires strategy, voice and collective action.”

Yoon also underscored the challenges facing vulnerable members of the Korean American community, particularly senior citizens. She noted that Korean Americans over the age of 65 are among the fastest-growing senior populations in the country, yet many live with limited income and require help with accessing resources due to the language barrier.

“Research commissioned by KACF showed that 6 in 10 Korean seniors do not have enough money to afford basic necessities like rent, food and healthcare,” she said.

Additional statistics shared with attendees highlighted the urgency of the situation: 10% of Korean Americans are currently living in poverty, and Asian American communities receive just 34 cents for every $100 awarded by U.S. funders.

“KACF exists to help communities care for their own, to turn generosity into lasting support and compassion into action,” Yoon added.

That mission comes to life through KACF’s partnerships with hundreds of nonprofits nationwide. In the past year alone, the organization invested $3 million across more than 40 nonprofit partners working to uplift Korean and Asian American communities.

Among those partners is Hanul Family Alliance, a Chicago-based nonprofit supporting Korean American seniors and immigrant families through meals, counseling, homecare and legal services. Executive director Irene Jisun Sohn delivered a stirring testimony of how the assistance her own family received from other Korean Americans shaped her career path.

“For me, it is a full-circle moment, giving back what my family received from the community,” Sohn said. “Tonight I feel the same jeong that carried my own family years ago.”

The evening also honored Miyoung Lee, vice president of the board of trustees at the Whitney Museum of American Art, for her longstanding commitment to philanthropy and advancing Korean American representation.

“I choose to support organizations that can do this work at a scale I could never achieve alone,” she said in her acceptance speech.

EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI were presented with the Trailblazer Award for their cultural impact and their role in opening doors for future generations of Korean Americans.

“We are so honored to be recognized by KACF and to be part of a night celebrating the uplifting of the Korean American community through philanthropy,” EJAE said.

Audrey Nuna reflected on the emotional significance of the evening. “The KACF gala was a powerful reminder of the generations that have paved the way for all of us,” she said. “To look into a crowd of so many Korean American faces and celebrate this moment together was moving to the point of tears. I’m forever grateful for the sacrifices, the resilience and, of course, the jeong that our community holds, that have allowed for so much progress in not just representation in media, but also financial support and empowerment that directly uplifts the people who need it most.”

Forbes‘Beef’ Season 2 Cast And Netflix’s Jinny Howe Reveal New Details At DC ScreeningBy Regina Kim

Like Sohn, REI AMI also stressed the role that the Korean American community played in helping her family overcome adversity. “It was an honor to be awarded the Trailblazer Award by KACF,” she said. “It filled me with immense pride to be able to stand in a room full of fellow trailblazers, leaders and innovators. As an immigrant myself, my family and I depended on our community to survive and acclimate to life in America. The love and support that we received from our community is something I will forever cherish.”

The gala also featured a live auction with a range of unique VIP packages, including a wellness retreat at Seoul’s Chaum Life Center, a concert and meet-and-greet with tenor SeokJong Baek, artwork by the late Korean visual artist Suki Seokyeong Kang, a private dinner and afterparty at COTE (America’s only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse), and even an “owner’s suite” experience for 30 guests at the BTS World Tour ARIRANG at MetLife Stadium. (Auction items were respectively donated by Himedi, So-Chung Shinn Lee, Tina Kim Gallery, Simon Kim/Gracious Hospitality Management, and Laurie M. Tisch.)

According to KACF, proceeds from the gala will help “expand access to essential services, amplify the community’s collective voice to unlock greater investment and opportunity, and create pathways for leaders to connect, learn and scale solutions nationwide.”

The night wrapped up with a lively onstage performance of the Oscar- and Grammy-winning hit “Golden” by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI. As attendees sang and danced along, the moment captured the spirit of the evening—a celebration of cultural impact and the collective power of community.

ForbesThe Rose’s Woosung Talks 2026 Tour, New Album And Samsung Galaxy EventBy Regina Kim