A delegation of former US Congress members affiliated with the association of Former Members of Congress is set to visit South Korea for a ten-day trip from this Wednesday through May 24, according to industry sources on Friday.
The visit, organized at the invitation of the Kim Chang-joon US-Korea Foundation, marks the group’s latest engagement in a series of exchanges that began in 2019. The foundation, led by former US Congress representative Jay Kim Chang-joon, a Republican who once represented California's 41st District in Riverside County, has hosted FMC delegations on more than eight occasions since then.
The upcoming delegation will include seven former lawmakers — four Republicans and three Democrats. Alongside Kim, the Republican participants are Greg Pence of Indiana, John Katko of New York state and Vicky Jo Hartzler of Missouri. The Democratic House members include John Sarbanes of Maryland, Brenda Lawrence of Michigan and Kwanza Hall of Georgia.
During their stay, the delegation is scheduled to meet with the Speaker of the Korean National Assembly, visit the World Taekwondo Headquarters, tour the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom and hold meetings with local government officials. In addition, the group of ex-lawmakers plans to visit approximately five major Korean conglomerates, although the names of these companies have not been disclosed.
On May 22, the group is slated to dine at Passion Gukbap, a franchise restaurant operated by Passion Korea.
Chon Kyung-hun, founder and CEO of Passion Gukbap, will reportedly attend the meal and introduce the delegates to gukbap, a beloved Korean dish of rice in hot soup.
The Kim Chang-joon US-Korea Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by Kim — the first Korean American elected to the US House of Representatives—aims to strengthen US-Korea relations. Kim served three consecutive two-year terms in Congress from 1993 to 1999.
The FMC, to which Kim belongs, is a bipartisan, nonprofit group established with congressional approval in 1983. It comprises former members of both the US House and Senate and serves as a platform for ongoing dialogue with current lawmakers, governors, diplomats and senior policy aides.
Since organizing its first delegation in 2019, the foundation has witnessed growing interest in Korea among FMC members, with participation expanding from 11 delegates in 2019 to 13 in 2022.
hykim@heraldcorp.com
