White House, U.S. lawmakers celebrate Korean American Day with congratulatory messages

On January 13, Korean American Day, prominent U.S. institutions, organizations, and federal lawmakers, including the White House, extended their congratulations to the Korean American community.

The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) shared a message on social media platform X, commemorating the arrival of the first Korean immigrants in Hawaii in 1903.

The post read, “we honor the countless ways generations of Korean immigrants and Korean Americans have enriched our nation’s story and contributed across every sector of society.” The initiative also posted a bilingual image with the phrase “Happy Korean American Day” in both English and Korean.

Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), the first Korean American to serve in the U.S. Senate, also shared a message on X, posting a recent photo taken in front of his mother’s childhood home during the Korean War. He wrote, “I’ve been asked what it means to be 1st Korean American Senator. I want to share a photo of the home where my mom grew up during Korean War. America opened its doors and helped her become a nurse.”

Representative Young Kim (R-CA, 40th District) announced in a press release that she and Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA, 34th District) had introduced a resolution in Congress to commemorate Korean American Day.

“For 122 years, Korean Americans have found success in the classroom, the workplace, and even right here in the halls of Congress, working to make our nation a better place,” said Rep. Kim.

Rep. Gomez added, “As the representative of LA’s Koreatown, the largest population of Korean Americans in the U.S., I’ll continue to work alongside the Korean American community to achieve more progress in LA and across the country.”

BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]