By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
After decades of nurturing one of the most influential Asian American community media publications in the Pacific Northwest, Assunta Ng, founder and publisher of the Northwest Asian Weekly, announced its sale to a group of four partners on Friday.
The move comes seven months after Ng and her family donated the publication’s elder sibling, the Seattle Chinese Post, to the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, a Tacoma-based nonprofit focused on cultural exchange.
“The Northwest Asian Weekly website will be in good hands because these people are so smart,” she said. “They are visionaries.” Both parties agreed to keep the financial details confidential.
Ng will continue as a volunteer during the transition. Her last day as publisher will be May 31. The ownership group is made up of incoming publisher Grace Roh; her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Roh, chief executive officer of IntuitiveX; Tim Wang, founder and principal of TDW+Co; and Sam Cho, director of strategic initiatives at the Office of the Mayor and Port of Seattle commissioner.
“I know these people will always have the community in mind so that’s why I feel very good about my decision, and I hope they feel good about taking this over,” Ng said.
“While our method of delivering news has changed, our commitment to empowering the Asian community has not,” the Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW) website states. Ng and the ownership group share the same values of empowerment and community enhancement.
“We wanted to make sure the NWAW went to a group who really understood our business and community,” Associate Publisher John Liu said. “Fortunately, the new owners have those qualities, and now the NWAW will be around to deliver news for future generations.”
New owners’ background
Publisher Grace Roh has an extensive financial planning background. She worked for four years as a merchandise planning financial manager and has over 16 years of experience in the retail industry, including roles as a national buy planner, online planning manager, and replenishment buyer. Previously, she served as a product marketing manager in retail banking for the Business Money Market product portfolio.
She received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in finance and marketing from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Washington.
Dr. Jeffrey Roh is the chief executive officer of IntuitiveX and one of its founders. Its goal is commercializing and developing emerging technologies within healthcare and life sciences. He is a graduate of the Michael G. Foster School of Business MBA program at the University of Washington and finished a Masters of Science in Technology Management program at Columbia University.
He and his wife are Korean Americans who grew up in the local area. Jeffrey emigrated from South Korea with his family in 1976. Grace followed one year later.
“This has been our home since I was 5 years old,” he said.
They attended Ng’s retirement party on Feb. 12, 2023 at the China Harbor Restaurant in Seattle, buying the last print version of the NWAW. One question arose—What will happen next for NWAW? More than 130 papers have merged or closed in 2023, according to a report from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Jeffrey said, “We all got together, ‘Hey, is this an opportunity for us to try to help the community by making sure that the legacy of Assunta and the Northwest Asian Weekly continues?’”
They approached Assunta and had several meetings with her. They went through due diligence, reviewing such aspects as revenue and website infrastructure.

The first meeting about a possible sale in March 2023. From left: Albert Shen, Sam Cho, Assunta Ng, Dr. Jeffrey Roh, and Tim Wang. (Photo by John Liu)
He said, “We finally came to the conclusion that this should actually be a good opportunity for both of us to help the community.”
“Over the past, I would say half year to year, we’ve developed this trust and relationship that we would be the new torchbearers for this community publication.”
“We’re adopting the baby that she took care of so well,” Jeffrey said.
“We’re very honored, very excited. I’m very humbled. And I just feel like it would have been a loss to just let it stop with her retirement,” Grace said. “I believe her legacy is too strong to let it fade away like that.”
Tim Wang is a second-generation Chinese American. His parents grew up in Taiwan. Wang started his own certified minority-owned, multicultural advertising and marketing firm specializing in creating meaningful connections between brands and diverse audiences. Wanting to start his ownership role by learning the business and operations of the NWAW, he said, “My belief has always been to understand first before being understood.”
“From my perspective, mostly on the advertising and the content side, and that’s what my specialty will be,” he said. “It’ll be a challenge, but it will be a learning experience that I’m looking forward to over the next 12 months and beyond.”
Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho, the son of South Korean immigrants who arrived in the U.S. through the Port of Seattle, became the first person of color and the first Asian American to serve as Commission President on Jan. 10, 2023.
“It’s great to be the first, but you should never be the last,” he said. “My parents were immigrant dry cleaners, and I grew up reading the paper.”
“This is less about making money, or anything like that. It’s more about preserving the legacy of something that is a staple in our community. Assunta has done a tremendous job of running the paper for 41 years. I think this new ownership group really hopes to preserve that kind of a legacy.”
“I’m hoping to provide strategic guidance on how to reach new and younger audiences in the digital age.”
The NWAW’s editorial independence is crucial for objective news coverage.
“At the end of the day, I am not involved in the day-to-day or editorial direction,” Cho said. “I think the NWAW has every right to cover what the editor deems relevant, independently, and not influenced by myself, by anyone, and as long as it’s objective and not biased towards one of its owners.”
History
Ng started the Seattle Chinese Post in 1982 because “there wasn’t a Chinese newspaper then.” She donated the paper on Oct. 5, 2023, after it ceased print operations nine months earlier.
The NWAW first appeared informally as two English-language articles in each issue of its elder sibling. Its official debut as its own separate weekly newspaper was on Feb. 5, 1983. The final print edition was produced on Jan. 21, 2023, before transitioning to an online-only format.

In 1992, the Northwest Asian Weekly got its name after a contest
Ng runs a family business with support from the NWAW staff. The publication has thrived for more than four decades, never wavering from its mission of empowering and enhancing the Asian American community, because of her direct, no-nonsense, and straightforward approach to business and journalism.
Her husband, George Liu, has a doctorate degree in physics and is a former computer engineer. He manages the behind-the-scenes operations, including photography.
Their son, John Liu, serves as the associate publisher, assisting with overall management of the paper. He said, “It is a bittersweet moment since I grew up with many fond memories of the NWAW. After graduating from college, I ended up working at the NWAW for 20-plus years.”
Ruth Bayang, the NWAW’s editor, said, “We will continue to give the news as we have been doing for the past 41 years. There is not going to be a change in how we cover the news, how we report the news, and how we deliver the news.” Kelly Liao will also remain as the publication’s web editor and advertising representative.
Local readership’s reaction
Gary Tang, retired director of the Aging and Adult Services program at Asian Counseling and Referral Service, began working in the Chinatown-International District in 1986. Like many other longtime readers of the NWAW’s print version, his weekly habit was to pick up the latest issue at Uwajimaya along with his groceries.
“When I told him the news, he was very shocked,” Ng said.
“Uwajimaya is the icon, right?” Tang said. “So, it’s like suddenly when you go to Chinatown, you don’t see Uwajimaya anymore. That’s how I feel about the NWAW and Assunta.”
“It is a reality that I have to accept. They speak the truth and also give us the AAPI lens to see things such as racism or the local and federal government policies. So, I really appreciate her and her team.”
The future
Albert Shen, a senior advisor to the ownership group, said the NWAW “has been a homegrown community publication, has prominence in bringing news to so many readers, and has a lot of influence on public policy. That is the mission we want to continue to maintain.”
“I am confident that the new owners will continue to uphold the NWAW’s mission and values while adding their own fresh new ideas. Be sure to check out the new NWAW daily, not weekly!” said Liu.
For more information about the Northwest Asian Weekly, go to nwasianweekly.com.
James Tabafunda can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
Assunta and George, you both have been incredible supporters of my journey for over 30 years. I’m wishing you both all love and gratitude for your community stewardship, and wishing you the absolute best. Thank you!
Dear Assunta, George, John and team that made the dream work,
Thank you for 41 years of connecting and informing our communities. You have continued through “thick and thin” with innovative ways to bring our societal issues and values to the forefront. I particularly appreciated your leadership in developing “Women of Color Empiwered””.
This is not good bye. I know we will be together in just different ways for many years to come. I look forward to seeing what new beginnings are in store for you.
Congratulations to the new team who will be taking over! How excited you must be.
With deep appreciation and gratitude, ~Penny Fukui
Assunta you and George deserve to be applauded for your tireless efforts to keep issues in the API community in the spotlight for everyone including the mainstream press. I hope you take time to relax although I suspect you will continue to be incredibly engaged and active in the community. Thank you for all that you have done!
Thank you Assunta Ng, for giving us such a great newspaper! I have no Asian background, but first found this fascinating paper at Asian restaurants and at libraries. I loved it so much, I subscribed for myself and for a friend of Indian heritage. The breadth of stories you have covered was impressive.
I’m still struggling to enjoy reading it on my tiny phone screen or even my laptop. A folded copy of the paper issues often went folded in my coat pocket as I went out and about. When done, I’d always leave it in a prominent place in public, so others could see this comprehensive publication.
Best wishes to Assunta in retirement and to the new owners!
Lucinda Briggs
It’s so like you. the Assunta Ng family. to leave this prestigious
influential community news source to a group that cares about the community and is well rooted into the community.
Thanks, again, Assunta and family for nurturing us all these years. We are looking forward to this journey into the future with this new but well grounded group
.