Sun-Li is a waitress at Mr. Kim's Korean BBQ, who followed Charlie Kelly to his home from her father's bar.
She is portrayed by Tania Gunadi.
Character History[]
Sun-Li is the 12-year old daughter of Mr. Kim and works at his BBQ grill. Her father, who is a dead ringer for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, is strict with Sun-Li and the rest of his employees, but very protective of her. Though she is only twelve, Sun-Li looks much older, enough to unintentionally fool the Gang.
Her full name is likely Kim Sun-li, considering her father's surname and proper Korean naming conventions.
Season Three[]
After getting beat up and kicked out of Mr. Kim's restaurant for trying to intimidate the owner, Charlie and Dennis see Sun-Li and Mr. Kim arguing in Korean when she is caught smoking. Hearing Sun-Li complain about not being allowed to have a phone, watch TV or drink beer and being treated like a slave, Charlie invites her to Paddy's Pub, where she can drink and smoke as much as she wants to. As Mr. Kim orders her back to work, Sun-Li makes a playful beckoning motion towards Charlie before leaving.
Later, Charlie arrives at his apartment after work when he notices that Sun-Li has followed him, confessing that she likes him and ran away from the barbecue joint. She subsequently moves into Charlie's apartment, where the two hang out and talk about their interests and dislikes. Charlie then calls Dennis and brags about winning over a waitress from Mr. Kim's BBQ. He comes over and attempt to seduce Sun-Li for Mr. Kim's secret microbrew recipe and for a chance to bang, but much to his embarrassment, she says Dennis smells like dog fart, then laughs at him with Charlie when he takes off his shirt to show off.
While the rest of the Gang makes plans for their upcoming talent show, Charlie and Sun-Li arrive and excitedly announce that they're "engaged" and are celebrating by getting champagne. Mac suggests they include Sun-Li in the karaoke contest, then hose her down as part of their wet T-shirt contest to spice things up. Before the pair leaves, Dee asks Sun-Li to translate a note she received from the Grizzled Busman at Mr. Kim's after sleeping with him, supposedly listing the ingredients for their microbrew, but it instead calls Dee a "bony American" and a "dirty, dirty, whore".
As the talent show is held, Frank, with the help of his gun, aims to resolve his business with Mr. Kim over their one-sided feud and asks him to shut down, only to hear that he has already done so, as he is currently looking for his daughter Sun-Li, who hasn't come back since yesterday. Frank abates his worries, saying that she probably just met some guy (Charlie), to which Mr. Kim responds with disgust and reveals that Sun-Li is only 12 years old. In light of this revelation, Frank rushes back to Paddy's to prevent disaster at the bar.
Meanwhile, Mac tells the audience about the wet T-shirt contest, courtesy of Sun-Li, which Charlie, although having only just now heard of this scheme gladly agrees with. Sun-Li begins to perform a North Korean song about the "Great Leader", to the boredom of everyone. Just as the Gang fires up the hose, Frank arrives in the nick of time to jump between Sun-Li and the jet of water, exposing Frank in place of her, and tells the crowd that the girl is only twelve, causing the grossed-out onlookers to disperse. Dee says that she now doesn't feel nearly as bad for banging a "toothlessly, oily busboy", believing Charlie to have slept with the little girl, but he reveals that the two, both having a childish view on "love" and finding physical contact of any kind icky, never even kissed. [3x6]
Personality[]
Sun-Li, being a 12-year old, is very cheery, immature, and energetic, and is oftentimes bratty and whiny when annoyed, She wants to act like an adult and likes to "beer" (drink alcohol) and smoke cigarettes, which her father has forbidden. Because she is a child, Sun-Li is unaware of many things and is especially prone to misinterpreting explicitly sexual references. Examples of this include Sun-Li not understanding why Dennis strips half-naked in front of her or the purpose behind a wet T-shirt contest, as well as her ignorance about what happens during kissing. This makes her in many ways similar to Charlie and they bond over what they share in common, such as liking pizza, hating mean people and believing that making-out is "probably gross". Sun-Li has a great love for her "Great Leader" and knows his propaganda songs by heart. She also approves of Dee being a "dirty whore", though this might just be because of a misunderstanding due to the language barrier.