SAN FRANCISCO Soon after Korea was liberated from Japan, in 1945, I worked for the United States military government in Korea for a while.

My office was in one of the buildings in Kyongbok Palace. My workload was heavy and the salary meager, so I had several side jobs to augment my income to support my family.

Still I liked my job there because I could meet some interesting people both Koreans and Americans. And, during lunch hour I could take a leisurely walk around the lotus pond by the Kyong Hoe Ru (Pavilion) Building with friends, both American and Korean.

The first spring after the liberation was one of the most beautiful springs for me. I used to spend my lunch hour in the palace where violets, dandelions and cherry blossoms were in bloom.

One afternoon, when I returned to my office from my mid-day walk, I saw a young man about 20 sitting in front of my desk, waiting for me.

When he saw me, he stood up and said to me, "How are you, sir? I am Bin."

Though I hadn? seen him for two years, I recognized him immediately. He was one of the top students in the high school where I had taught. Bin had excelled in English and music.

After a brief conversation, I asked him if he wanted a job in our office. He nodded. I introduced Bin to the section chief, who gave Bin a job like mine, right then and there.

He was even allowed to attend Seoul National University half a day.

A few months after that I quit my job to return to teaching full-time, but Bin remained. And subsequently, he was chosen as one of the students, sponsored by the government to study at a prestigious university in the United States.

When Bin earned his degree, he was promised a job as a section chief in an important department in the government. On his way home, he stopped in Tokyo where I was working at the time.

As he was a brilliant person, I was going to recommend him for a well-paying job in Tokyo, but he told me he wasn? interested. "If I go home, my monthly salary will be the equivalent of $4 but I am going to take the job in our government," Bin said. I was impressed.

Several years passed and I remained in Tokyo. One day, I received a telephone call from Bin. He said he was visiting Tokyo on official business. I promptly drove to the hotel where he was staying. Bin said he was still the section chief in the same department. He also said he would be happy if he could be promoted to the position of bureau chief.

Not long after our conversation, there was a student revolution and a year later, the military took over the government.
Bin was promoted to the bureau chief position that he had coveted for so long. Within months, he got another promotion?his time to the position of deputy minister. Subsequently, he was sent to Europe as a minister, then was promoted to rank of ambassador.

As he was fluent in many languages, including French, German and Italian, he was most suited for those diplomatic posts.
One day, Bin resigned from his job as ambassador and came back to Korea. Shortly after his return, he was invited by a university to become its president. He did a good job there for several years.

Just a few years back, he became a cabinet member. While his tenure as a cabinet member was short, I think he did a good job.

I certainly can? think of many talented Koreans, who have performed important service for the Korean government almost continuously since 1945.

A man who takes a $4-a-month job, when he could get a job paying 100 times that salary, is no ordinary man.