Korean-Americans Hail Kim’s Victory

An editorial cartoon in Thursday’s edition of the Korean-language newspaper Hanguk Ilbo (The Korea Times) perhaps said it best. Under a picture of Rep.-elect Jay C. Kim, from the newly formed 41st Congressional District, seated on a train for the U.S. Capitol, were the words Our Voice.

Although Kim’s district, which includes Diamond Bar, Fullerton, Pomona, Yorba Linda and parts of San Bernardino County, is miles away, his victory is being celebrated in Koreatown. Kim is the first Korean-American to be elected to a national office.

“It’s a milestone achievement for the Korean-American community,” said Gary Kim, vice president of the Korean American Republican Assn. “We’ve been talking about the need to politically empower our community in mainstream politics and this is a major step forward.”

Jay Kim, a Republican and former Diamond Bar mayor and councilman, won with 59% of the vote in a district with relatively few Asian-Americans. Hailed by the Korean media and the Republican Party as the embodiment of the American Dream, Kim emphasized his experience as a businessman who built a successful engineering company after starting with very little when he emigrated from South Korea nearly 20 years ago.

Ryan Song, spokesman for the Korean American Democratic Committee, said support for Jay Kim crosses party lines among Korean-Americans: “His victory has tremendous symbolic value. . . . He can play a major role in educating Korean-Americans about how the mainstream political process works and how we can be included.”

Song added that Kim’s election coincides with an awakening among Korean-Americans about the need to be more active and productive participants in society. Four other Korean-American candidates won seats in local and state governments in Orange County, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon on Tuesday.

“Psychologically, Kim’s victory is a good thing for Korean-Americans who have been quite depressed since the (April-May) riots,” said Eui Young Yu, a professor of sociology at Cal State L.A. “What it shows is that the political climate may be changing. What is important now is how Korean-Americans organize themselves to take advantage of those changes.”

Chull Huh, secretary general of the Korean Chamber of Commerce, said many Korean-Americans also hope Kim will be an advocate for the owners of small businesses, especially minorities, and for the expansion of Pacific Rim trade.

Kim’s victory also offers encouragement to younger Korean-Americans thinking about getting involved in the political process. “This shows that Korean-Americans can play leadership roles not just in their own communities, but in the larger society too,” said Jerry Yu, executive director of the Korean American Coalition.