In chapter 5 of The Sun Is Also A Star, we are told that Daniel's father's name is Dae Hyun. The name Dae Hyun is said to mean both greatness and honor.

Throughout The Sun Is Also A Star, we learn a few details about Dae Hyun's life. We learn that he was a poor South Korean who, before he moved to America with Daniel's mother, Min Soo, worked in his father's crab fishing business.

We also learn that when Dae Hyn and Min Soo first arrived in America, they were helped by Dae Hyun's cousin, who gave them a loan, and also by other South Korean immigrants.

Dae Hyun loves his sons very much and tries to protect them, mostly from poverty. He thinks that America, the land of opportunity, is the best place to protect his children from poverty. He is not completely uncritical of America, however. He thinks that America values the individual over the family, for example, which is not how he thinks it should be.