KAGC holds first Korean American Night in Washington

The Korean American Grassroots Conference held its inaugural Korean American Night on Tuesday at LG's Washington office, with U.S. Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker and Rep. Young Kim highlighting the community's growing political influence. Four Korean Americans now serve in Congress, with approximately 90 congressional staffers of Korean descent, the lawmakers noted while encouraging younger Korean Americans to pursue public service careers.

Sen. Kim reflected on entering Congress two decades ago without political connections, saying he wished he had access to organizations like KAGC at the time. Rep. Young Kim, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, emphasized KAGC's internship and fellowship programs as pipelines for future Korean American leaders and discussed South Korea's role as the U.S. eighth-largest trading partner.

The senators diverged on ambassador-designate Michelle Steel, whom Rep. Young Kim called "the right person at the right time" for the U.S.-South Korea relationship. Sen. Kim accused Steel of using racially based attacks against Asian American candidates and military veterans, calling for an apology. Steel was confirmed by the Senate last Wednesday in a 55-39 vote.