BBCN Mourns Loss of Honorary Chairman Ki Suh Park

BBCN Mourns Loss of Honorary Chairman Ki Suh Park

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- With profound sadness, BBCN Bancorp, Inc. (NAS: BBCN) today announced the passing of Honorary Chairman Ki Suh Park, who died peacefully at home yesterday at the age of 80, after a spirited battle with cancer. He had served as a member of the board of directors of BBCN Bancorp, Inc. (formerly Nara Bancorp, Inc.) since 2001 and was a member of the Nomination and Governance Committee and the Executive Committee. The company said his seat on the Board of Directors would not be filled, reducing the membership to 12.

"Chairman Park will be sadly missed by all of us at BBCN," said Kevin S. Kim, Chairman of the Board. "He was an integral participant in the transformational establishment of the company as the premier Korean-American bank in the nation. In addition, Chairman Park will be remembered for his distinguished career and success as an architect and city planner. His legacy will remain a source of inspiration for generations of Korean-Americans. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his wife, three sons and all other members of his family."

Honorary Chairman Park immigrated to the United Sates in the early 1950s and is highly regarded as a successful architect and city planner with 50 years of professional experience. From 1981 to 2011, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles-based Gruen Associates, a global architecture, planning, and interior design firm. During his illustrious career, Honorary Chairman Park was responsible for many large-scale landmark building and transportation projects throughout the United States and overseas in Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada, Mexico and Germany. In 2000, he received a Presidential Design Award from President Bill Clinton for his work on the I-70 Highway through the scenic Glenwood Canyon in Colorado. Honorary Chairman Park is also well respected as a community leader and has been active on numerous community-based, non-profit boards, including the Harvard-Westlake School, the Korean American Coalition (Chairman), the Korean American Museum (Chairman), the California Community Foundation, the Public Policy Institute of California, the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, and the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. In 1996, he received a Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Award in recognition for his significant worldwide contribution to the arts, business and industry.

After briefly attending Seoul National University Law School, Honorary Chairman Park received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He continued his education earning two post-graduate degrees, including a Master in Architecture and a Master in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

About BBCN Bancorp, Inc.

BBCN Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company of BBCN Bank, the largest Korean-American bank in the nation with $5.3 billion in assets as of September 30, 2012. The Company is a result of the merger of equals of Nara Bancorp, Inc. and Center Financial Corporation completed on November 30, 2011. Headquartered in Los Angeles and serving a diverse mix of customers mirroring its communities, BBCN operates 40 branches in California, New York, New Jersey, Washington and Illinois, along with five loan production offices in Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta and Northern California. BBCN specializes in core business banking products for small and medium-sized businesses, with an emphasis in commercial real estate and business lending, SBA lending and international trade financing. BBCN Bank is a California-chartered bank and its deposits are insured by the FDIC to the extent provided by law. BBCN is an Equal Opportunity Lender.

BBCN Bancorp, Inc.
Angie Yang
SVP, Investor Relations
213-251-2219
angie.yang@BBCNbank.com

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