Korean-American Day
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| ▲ Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) speaks during a reception to mark Korean American Day at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 8, 2026. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) speaks during a reception to mark Korean American Day at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 8, 2026. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) speaks during a reception to mark Korean American Day at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 8, 2026. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Members of the New Jersey Children's Choir stand to perform during a reception to mark Korean American Day at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 8, 2026. (Yonhap) |
Korean-American Day
U.S. lawmakers voice expectations for Korean Americans' role for alliance, American society
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- U.S. lawmakers expressed hope Thursday for Korean Americans to play a crucial role in strengthening the alliance with South Korea and continuously contribute to American society, as they attended an event at the Capitol in Washington to celebrate Korean American Day.
Korean American lawmakers, including Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), and other members of Congress joined the annual event, five days ahead of the special day that marks the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States on Jan. 13, 1903.
In 2005, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed resolutions to commemorate the day. The celebration takes place annually, with the attendance of Korean American lawmakers, students and entrepreneurs, as well as their supporters.
Sen. Kim, the first Korean American member of the Senate, said that the next decade will be the "most exciting and dynamic" decade for Korean Americans and Asian Americans, noting that "we are at an inflection point," as he pointed out advances that they have made in American politics and other sectors.
"We belong here. This is our country, and this is our culture to be able to contribute to," he said.
He also said that he has come to a deep understanding that "my Koreanness does not dilute my Americanness" as he emphasized his pride in being Korean American.
"Being Korean American does not mean that I am in anyway the lesser of an American," he said. "In fact ... it is truly something that I am proud of."
Rep. Kim, who chairs the subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific affairs under the House Foreign Affairs Committee, underscored her priority of strengthening the Seoul-Washington alliance and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
"That's what makes our bilateral relationship very strong, and each of us in this room are the ambassadors to make that relationship even stronger," she said.
She also highlighted Korean Americans' role in contributing to the enrichment of American diversity.
"As Korean Americans, we should be very proud of our heritage, our traditions and the strong values that we hold dear, which are American values," he said.
"Remember that Korean American values, Asian American values are American values. We honor the family, faith and heart that have been handed to us by our parents, grandparents and our previous generations."
Also among the participants was Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) who stressed Korean Americans' "critical" role in advancing the relationship between South Korea and the U.S., which he said is one of the "most important" partnerships for the U.S. in the world.
"The Korean American community throughout our country ... you have a critical role in this to maintain that relationship, to advocate for the relationship and to reinforce the relationship wherever you possibly can, whether it be educational exchange or cultural exchange," he said.
"We cannot lose this relationship. We cannot leave Korea and other friends in the Asia-Pacific to fend for themselves in a very dangerous world."
He portrayed South Korea as one of the "incredible success stories in the world over the last three generations."
Thursday's event was also attended by dozens of U.S.-based university students of Korean descent -- a group organized by the Korean American Grassroots Conference, a network of Korean American voters.
The event included a performance by the New Jersey Children's Choir of the Korean folk song "Arirang" and "Golden" from the original soundtrack of Netflix's hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters"
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