Myoung-ja Lee Kwon was born in 1943 on the grounds of the Kyongbok Palace in Korea. Her father’s occupation as a university professor which gave the family a higher status and allowed them to live in a state of prosperity. But war changed these circumstances. In 1965, after graduating from Seoul National University, Kwon got married and moved to the United States of America, where a year later she earned a Master’s degree in Library Science from Provo, Utah.
Meyer Lansky, known as the "Mob's Accountant", was an American organized crime figure of Polish birth who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States.