Paul Yoo

Yoo in 1985

**Paul Yoo** (born April 12, 1950) is a character portrayed by Broocks.

## **Background**

### **Early life**

Paul Daniel Yoo was born on April 12th, 1950, in Los Santos, San Andreas, the only child born to Cho (née Chang) and Derek Yoo. His mother immigrated from South Korea to the United States in 1944, while his father is of mostly Irish and Korean descent. Yoo was raised in Little Seoul, Los Santos. According to Yoo, his childhood was rather turbulent; his father, one of the one hundred Korean-Americans who served in the United States Army in World War II following their exemption of enemy alien status, suffered greatly from post-traumatic stress disorder after the war and, subsequently, took his hardships out on his family. Yoo found himself straying away from home during his youth, and it was through these trying times that Yoo met and befriended Kewsong Lee, his closest friend to date.

Yoo graduated from Rise Kohyang High School in 1968, where he notably helped lead his team to victory during the 1968 South High School Valley championship as running back.

### Military career

Yoo was drafted into the United States Marine Corps in 1970. Upon graduating from basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Yoo was assigned to specialize in small arms construction and maintenance and, in 1971, completed his training and was assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force where he served alongside Lee in the Vietnam War.

During his time in Vietnam, Yoo saw combat throughout the northern I Corps Tactical Zone, moving across Quảng Trị to Quảng Ngãi, before being deployed to Camp Courtney, Okinawa in April 1971. There, he continued to construct and maintain arms belonging to his formation until 1980, when he was granted a honorable discharge. He earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.

### **Return to Los Santos**

After drifting around Japan throughout the early 1980s on a work visa, Yoo returned to the United States in 1983, residing with his parents in Little Seoul briefly before pursuing his Undergraduate degree in business administration at the University of San Andreas, Los Santos, of which he earned in mid-1985. He has taken up with Big City Window Cleaners to help pay off his student loans and save up for a business of his own, of which he plans to run with Lee.

Yoo's plans were disrupted entirely after Lee decided to turn himself in to the police after his drunken stupor went too far. Down on their luck and out of a job, both Yoo and Lee went to the Downtown Taxi Company in search of work. There, they met an enigmatic man who goes by the name of 'Trench,' a Vietnam veteran-turned-enforcer for the Crows Motorcycle Club. The trio solemnly reflected on their experiences in Vietnam before Trench asked them if they rode motorcycles. Both Yoo and Lee declined, before Trench offered them solace in the Crows Motorcycle Club. Yoo was hesitant at first, well aware of the club's menacing reputation throughout Los Santos, but was aptly apprehended by Lee, whose excitement to join the ranks of a one percenter outlaw motorcycle gang apparently overruled his own apprehension. Yoo begrudgingly went along with Lee, travelling upstate to his late father's lot where two motorcycles in Yoo's name awaited both Yoo and Lee. Now riders, the two await a chance to speak with the President of the Crows Motorcycle Club.

## **Personality**

Yoo is a generally well-kempt and polite man, often standing in ugly contrast with his bold and brash friend Lee. He usually keeps to himself, avoiding social matters unless accompanied by Lee, of whom Yoo follows into whatever mishap the former may strike up. Despite his meek demeanor, Yoo is capable of having a quite brash mindset, a trait he unwillingly picked up from his father. His sudden inclinations are both a blessing and a curse; it's the part of him that is able to take risks, to make his lasting mark on the earth, while also triggering some destructive, rather opportunistic tendencies. During these episodes, he also fails to calculate the risk of certain ventures, unwillingly putting himself and perhaps others in danger due to his ignorance.

## **Notable Events**

* **August 16th, 1985:** Yoo's 'first day'; Yoo and Lee visited the Vanilla Unicorn Gentleman's Club; Yoo paid a visit to the Los Santos City Hall to begin talks of applying for a business license and opening a bodega-style market in Little Seoul
* **August 19th, 1985:** Yoo passed out due to immense emotional stress and was transported to Pillbox Medical Center; Yoo and Lee met 'Trench,' a biker with the Crows Motorcycle Club and acquired bikes[1][2]