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The Peninsula

Korean-American Members of the 119th Congress

Published January 13, 2025

We profile four members of the 119th Congress with Korean heritage. Andy Kim made history by becoming the first-ever Korean American elected to the US Senate and the first Asian-American senator from New Jersey or any East Coast state. Young Kim and Marilyn Strickland were reelected to represent the 40th District of California and the 10th District of Washington, respectively, and Dave Min is a first-term representative for the 47th District of California.

Senate

Andy Kim (D-NJ) was elected as US Senator of New Jersey and assumed office on December 8, 2024.  The seat was left vacant by Robert Menendez’s resignation in August 2024 and was temporarily occupied by George Helmy. Kim is a first-generation Korean American born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in New Jersey by parents who immigrated from South Korea.

Based on the latest announcement by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kim will continue his appointments from the 118th Congress as a member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. During his time in the US House of Representatives, Kim focused on foreign policy and national security as a member of the Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Foreign Affairs and as an advocate for entrepreneurs as a member of the Committee on Small Business. He also worked to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic security as a member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Kim also has a wealth of knowledge of the US federal government, having served in USAID, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the National Security Council. Given his current committee assignments and track record, he is expected to build on his work in issues related to national security, commerce, veteran support and entrepreneurship, and healthcare during his time in the Senate.

House of Representatives

Screenshot

Young Kim (R-CA) was reelected to the US House of Representatives, defending her seat in California’s 40th congressional district. This is her third consecutive term in Congress and fourth bid overall. She is a first-generation Korean American, having been born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States with her family.

Kim has been active on foreign policy in the 118th Congress, where she served as chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific. Despite her affiliation as a member of the Republican Party, her aspiration to serve as a “bridge-builder” in US-Korea relations appeared to bear fruit during the Joe Biden administration, which included South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol honoring Kim and other congressional members of Korean descent in his speech to Congress during his state visit in April 2023. In addition, she was co-chair of both the bipartisan Congressional Study Group on Korea and the U.S.–Republic of Korea Inter-Parliamentary Exchange.

On domestic policy, Kim was a member of the Committee for Financial Services, where she served as vice chair for the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions and sponsored or co-sponsored numerous bills addressing financial matters. During her time in Congress, Kim has a proven track record of working across the aisle. In the 119th Congress, Kim has been appointed to serve as chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee.

Dave Min (D-CA) is a freshman representative for the 47th District of California, which was up for grabs in the 2024 elections when incumbent Katie Porter decided not to seek reelection to run for the Senate. Dave Min is a first-generation Korean American born to South Korean immigrants in Providence, Rhode Island, and raised in Palo Alto, California.

Min is a Harvard-trained lawyer with experience working as a staff attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a policy advisor for Senator Chuck Schumer, and a counsel for the Joint Economic Committee. Prior to his success in the 2024 election, Min was state senator for the 37th District of California. During his time in Sacramento, Min worked to address issues related to domestic violence, reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, small business relief, and climate change, among other matters. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has yet to announce a full list of committee appointments for the 119th Congress, but given Min’s background and interest, he is likely to play some role in addressing the issues he focused on during his time in the California Senate.

Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) was reelected to represent Washington’s 10th District for a third term. She first joined the 117th Congress, following the 2020 elections, becoming one of the first three Korean-American women elected to Congress. Strickland was born in Seoul as her father, a World War II and Korean War veteran, and mother met in South Korea.

Prior to serving in Congress,  Strickland served as president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and as mayor of Tacoma for two terms, during which she focused on infrastructure, jobs, and education.

During the 118th Congress, Strickland held seats on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She also served as the Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus, and member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Notably, Strickland led a letter, alongside three Korean-American members of Congress, to President Biden in advance of President Yoon’s state visit to Washington, DC, to urge Biden to continue working to strengthen the US-South Korea relationship.

For her 2024 reelection campaign, Strickland announced policy priorities related to economic security, reproductive freedom, climate change, and infrastructure investments.

 

Member photos from their official websites or official Facebook pages.

This post has been updated to reflect condensed versions of the Members’ official bios.

Photo from Shutterstock.

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