The California 40th District race between Esther Kim Barre and Young Kim has ignited controversy after Barre posted an August 6 Instagram rant that mocked Kimโs accent, attacked her heritage, and accused her of betraying the Korean American community. The post drew a forceful response from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which labeled it โone of the most vile, unhinged tiradesโ against a sitting member of Congress.
In her Instagram post, Barre began by mocking Young Kimโs age and claiming that her โracist MAGA party couldnโt tell your much older ass apart from me @repyoungkim.โ She called Young Kim โa power-hungry Korean-born immigrant that has sold your conscience to the devilโat the price of all hard-working immigrants.โ She accused Young Kim and her husband of being โthe biggest GRIFTERS representing the swampโputrid and pussing from the rot that is your soul.โ
Barre continued, โDonโt you even realize that OUR shared Korean-American community has the highest number of undocumented immigrants amongst Asians?โ She added, โYou donโt even speak English well enough to hold a single cohesive argument. You ESL puppet. So embarrassing.โ She went on to call Young Kim โa real life Judas to our community,โ concluding with, โYou sicken me @repyoungkim.โ
The NRCC responded the next day with a statement calling the remarks โracist and xenophobic insults that would make even the far-left cringe.โ The committee accused Barre of embodying โthe worst of todayโs political discourseโ and said: โCalifornians will reject this vile extremist who has no business representing them in Congress.โ NRCC spokesperson Christian Martinez added, โUnhinged Democrat Esther Kim Varet is a hate-filled bigot who embodies the worst of todayโs political discourse.โ
Young Kim issued her own statement on August 7, saying, โI am proud of my accent and will continue to speak out to protect the American Dream for the next generation.โ
Reactions within the Korean American community have been divided. Lee, a Fullerton resident, said, โIf a white person had made such remarks toward a Korean or another person of color, how would Democrats react?โ He added, โItโs very disappointing, especially as a Democrat, to see a Korean American mocking another Korean Americanโs English ability while claiming to value minority rights.โ Some Republicans suggested Barre may have been seeking attention through โnoise marketing,โ while others expressed disappointment after expecting a respectful contest between the two.
Barre, who announced her candidacy in January, said the district needs โa bilingual Korean American woman with a strong fundraising network.โ She was born in Korea, immigrated to Texas, graduated from Yale University, and earned a Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University. She operates Various Small Fires (VSF), with locations in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Seoul.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
