Assemblywoman Young Kim was joined by Korean leaders in celebrating the unanimous passing of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 3 (ACR3), which officially recognizes January 13 as Korean American Day.
Marking the day that the first group of 102 Korean immigrants arrived in the U.S. at Hawaii, January 13 was officially recognized by the California State Assembly as Korean American Day, as Assembly Concurrent Resolution 3 (ACR3) was unanimously passed at the Assembly Floor today.
The resolution was introduced by Assemblywoman Young Kim (R-Fullerton), who represents the 65th District of California (which includes Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, La Palma, Stanton, and the western part of Anaheim).
“As a Korean American, I am proud of our heritage and the strong values of family, faith, and hard work that have been handed to us by previous generations,” said Kim. “It is my honor to ensure that the State Assembly recognizes Korean American Day, where we can honor the past, celebrate the present, and dream of a better future for all.”
"With diligence, fortitude, and an enduring belief in the American dream, Korean immigrants have helped to turn emergent areas within the State of California into thriving and respectable communities, while raising their children to be productive Korean Americans,” a portion of the resolution states.
Before the resolution was passed, Kim was joined by other State Assembly members and pastors from the Council of Korean Churches of Orange County in a prayer breakfast. Members of the Korean American Foundation (KAF) joined the presentation of the resolution which took place afterwards. Guests at the presentation included Mr. Sung Woong Kim, the national president of the KAF; Reverend Seung Won Yoon, the senior advisor of the KAF; Reverend Kyu Sik Song, the president of the KAF in Irvine; and Reverend Ki Hong Han, the president of the Council of Korean Churches, USA.
The holiday was also commemorated and officially recognized on a national level when the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution (S. Res. 283) in December of 2005.
“The contributions of Korean Americans to the United States include the invention of the first beating heart operation for coronary artery heart disease, development of the nectarine, a 4-time Olympic gold medalist, and achievements in engineering, architecture, medicine, acting, singing, sculpture, and writing,” reads the resolution.
"The Senate … encourages the people of the United States to share in such commemoration in order to greater appreciate the valuable contributions Korean Americans have made to the United States,” it continues.
Though already recognized on a national level, individual states and cities have been moving to pass resolutions to officially recognize the day as Korean American Day in their respective levels, including New York City, the city council of which voted to officially recognize the holiday last December.
