MUKILTEO — James Jae Yoo, a Korean American businessman, former educator and pillar of Mukilteo’s Korean community who spent decades fostering cultural understanding and environmental stewardship through his recycling business, passed away on April 1, 2026. He was 84.
Born Aug. 10, 1941, in Japan, Yoo immigrated to the United States in 1960. Prior to living in the United States, Yoo was raised in Daegu, South Korea in his early childhood and finished high school at Augsburg American High School in Augsburg, Germany.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of South Dakota, where he served as president of the Foreign Student Association, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Denver. He began his career as a teacher in the Midwest and an executive of Carnation Company, now Nestle, before becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Yoo owned and operated Ace Metal Co., a Mukilteo-based scrap metal, appliance and electronics recycling business, WOTC Scrap Metal Recycling (located in Alaska), as well as Construction Waste Management Co. He served as vice president of the Washington Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors. Colleagues and local leaders recalled his commitment to responsible waste disposal, providing residents and businesses a convenient way to recycle materials that might otherwise end up in landfills.
Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine remembered Yoo as a “good conscious business owner” who provided essential recycling services and worked with the city on establishing a Korean sister-city relationship. In 2025, Mayor Marine and the City Council made a proclamation honoring Ace Metal Co. for Environmental Stewardship.
“James Yoo was instrumental in working with us on establishing a Korean sister-city relationship as well as he was on our commission for a while, our DEI commission,” Marine said. “He will be missed. He was a good member of our community.”
Yoo served as past president of the Seattle Korean Community Tennis Club, was a proud supporter of the Morningstar Korean Cultural Center and contributed to the Korean Social Service Community Center and the Korean Association in Seattle. He sponsored local youth sports teams and supported numerous charitable organizations. He also helped establish a school, library, church and orphanage in the Philippines, providing opportunities to youth who lost everything.
He is a member of the Filipino American Christian Fellowship of Lynnwood supporting actively the church ministries. Yoo was also a member of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce – Washington Chapter.
In 2022, Yoo co-organized Mukilteo’s first Korean American Appreciation Day at Kamiak High School alongside Dr. Hyunseok Kim and other leaders. The event was held near Korean Independence Day and drew approximately 400 people for Korean food, traditional dance, taekwondo demonstrations and K-pop performances. It celebrated Korean culture and history while expressing gratitude to the broader Mukilteo community.
Yoo ran for Mukilteo City Council in 2017 and 2019, campaigning as a first-generation immigrant and small-business advocate who supported education, a vibrant waterfront, strong public safety and efforts to combat youth drug issues. Though he was not elected, he continued his public service as a member of the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission. Yoo was appointed in August 2023 and reappointed unanimously in January 2024 for a three-year term.
Mukilteo City Council President Jason Moon, the city’s first Korean-American council member, said Yoo was one of the first people outside his own family to congratulate him on his appointment.
“Mr. James Yoo was one of the very first people outside my own family to reach out and congratulate me when I was appointed to the Mukilteo city council,” Moon told the Lynnwood Times. “At the time, I didn’t realize just how deeply he had been involved in public service behind the scenes.”
Moon added that Yoo’s journey as a teacher more than 60 years ago carried into every chapter of his life.
“He became an entrepreneur here in Mukilteo, running a local recycling center, and he extended his impact globally by helping establish a school, church, and orphanage in the Philippines,” Moon said. “We didn’t agree on everything, but his passion for community was unmistakable — the kind of energy you usually see in someone decades younger. He showed up, he cared, and he never stopped trying to make things better. Our community is stronger because of him.”
Yoo is survived by his wife, Imee Vilches Yoo, and daughters Stephanie Mi Jong Yoo and Hannah Erika Vilches, and granddaughter, Maya Bailey.
A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. April 18 at Purdy & Walters Floral Hills Funeral Home, 409 Filbert Road in Lynnwood. The family has requested that floral offerings be omitted.
Author: Mario Lotmore
