An investigation revealed that the number of prominent Korean American officials, including politicians and judges active across the United States, has surpassed 120.
Ahead of the midterm elections, this demonstrates how Korean American political power is deeply rooted in everyday politics connected to residents’ daily lives, ranging from the federal congress to city halls, school boards, and courts.
Based on a list of Korean American public officials released by the National Korean American Voters League (KAGC), our publication’s investigation found that as of September this year, at least 128 Korean American officials are active nationwide. Compared to the number of elected Korean American officials announced by KAGC in March of last year (110), this is an increase of about 16%. Since there are cases that could not be confirmed or where Korean heritage is difficult to trace due to name changes from marriage, the actual number may be even higher.
By region, New Jersey (43) and California (40) had the highest numbers. Korean American officials active in these two states totaled 83, accounting to 65% of the national total. They were followed by Washington (8), New York (6), Illinois (5), Georgia (4), and Maryland and Virginia (3 each). Two officials are active in each of Hawaii, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. Active Korean American officials are also present in Alabama, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
A major change is the expansion of their active arena. In the federal congress, Korean American politicians are positioned, including the nation’s first Korean American U.S. Senator Andy Kim (New Jersey), along with U.S. Representatives Young Kim (California), Dave Min (California), and Marilyn Strickland (Washington).
At the state government and state legislative levels, Young Kim, Palm Kim, and Donna Mercado Kim serve as state senators. Ron Kim and Grace Lee (both of New York), Sam Park and Michelle Au (both of Georgia), David Moon and Mark Chang (both of Maryland), Irene Shin (Virginia), and Ellen Park (New Jersey) represent residents as state representatives.
Korean American officials in local governments, who must care for residents, also stand out. Stephanie Payne was elected as a King County Council member in Washington state last November, adding her name to the list. In New York, New York City Council members Linda Lee and Julie Won successfully secured re-election in last year’s elections. In Georgia, John Park serves as the mayor of Brookhaven. In last year’s November elections, Sarah Park was elected as a Duluth city council member and began her legislative duties this year.
Korean Americans’ entry into the legal profession is also active. Judges such as Lucy Koh, Kenneth Lee, Michael Park, and John Lee serve on the federal appellate courts. In federal district courts, Korean American judges including John Chun, Jinsook Ota, Mark Jung, Lee Yu-mi, Edward Gil, Jasmine Yoon, and Ann Hwang are active. In August, Kara Masako Porter, a person of mixed Korean and Japanese heritage, joined the ranks of Korean American officials by taking office as a bankruptcy judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
New faces are also emerging in places that are not traditional Korean political centers. In Madison, Alabama, Lane Bartlett, born to a Korean mother and an American air force father, took office last year as the state’s first Asian mayor. In Utah, Jake Fitisemanu, who has a mixed Korean and Chinese mother, serves as a state representative. Daniel Bae has also advanced to the state house of representatives in Oklahoma.
