Korean American Rep. Young Kim named chair of House Indo-Pacific subcommittee

Korean American U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) was selected to head the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, her office said Friday.

Kim became the first Korean American chair of the subcommittee, which deals with crucial foreign policy issues in the region, including the two Koreas, China, Taiwan and Japan.

“U.S. foreign policy decisions in the Indo-Pacific region will be pivotal in determining America’s future and standing on the world stage,” Kim said.

“I am humbled to serve as chair of this important subcommittee and will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to promote global human rights, support fellow freedom-loving countries, strengthen free trade with our allies and hold our adversaries accountable,” she added.

Kim is among the first Korean American women in U.S. Congress, along with Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) and Michelle Park Steel (R-CA).

She was born in South Korea and grew up in the U.S. territory of Guam. Kim moved to Hawaii and then to California, where she attended the University of Southern California and later ran several businesses.

She served as a California state lawmaker from 2014 to 2016 and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020.