It’s been over 120 years since the first Korean immigrants first landed on the shores of America. But it was only recently that they have started making inroads into the real fibers of American society, its political arena. The recent election of David Ryu as the first Korean-American, and only the second Asian-American to be a city council member of Los Angeles, shows just what Korean-Americans are capable of, if only they could manage to pull together. 

Ryu, a health center development director, was largely considered the underdog, a political outsider. His competition, Carolyn Ramsay, was the aid and the chosen successor of the outgoing LA council member and had gotten endorsements from the LA mayor and the president of the LA city council. But election results show that while the established electorate supported Ramsay, Ryu’s success was largely fueled by the overwhelming support of the voters in LA’s Koreatown.

In his victory speech, Ryu talked about representing not just Asian-Americans, but voters who sought a change in the way local government was functioning in the United States.

But Ryu is not the only Korean-American who is taking what is considered a rightful and long-overdue place on the U.S. political stage. In Philadelphia, David Oh got the most votes in his reelection as an incumbent councilman, and Helen Gym won the Democrat primary for a council seat.

In addition to all these political triumphs, what I find quite interesting is that not only are Korean-Americans taking their place in American politics, but they are starting to play diverse and important roles in influencing politics as well.

When the recent racial tension in Baltimore sparked riots on city streets, Korean shopkeepers became victims of violence and looting.

It had an eerily similar feeling to the devastating LA riots 23 years ago. But there was a unique difference. I am involved in a network of Korean-American leaders called NetKAL. It is sponsored by the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work, a network of mostly young Korean-Americans from professional fields like medicine and law, but also from business and politics. The newly elected Ryu is also a member of this group. As soon as the riots started hitting the Korean community in Baltimore, the network sprang into action.

They started a chain of emails among themselves to coordinate what they could do to support the Korean community in Baltimore. They started by using members who had connections with the Baltimore law enforcement community to try to provide more police protection for Korean shops. Then they mobilized their community of lawyers and CPAs to offer services for Korean shopkeepers who needed to file insurance claims or take legal action. And they brainstormed ideas for forging closer ties between the Korean and black communities as well as other minority communities. This was done in an effort to come up with a long-term solution to the problem. I also witnessed the group helping the Korean community in Baltimore come up with a strong editorial piece talking about the issues from their point of view and getting it published in the leading paper in the region, the Baltimore Sun.

It is activities like these that give me much more optimism about the future of Korean-Americans in mainstream America. Unlike the past, where individual Korean-Americans were lone successes, the current trend seems to signal that the community is ready to back these individuals as a group and to take on issues together. The sheer number of Korean-Americans, especially if you unite them with other Asian-Americans and minority groups, is a substantial force to be reckoned with.

This is why the Korean-American young generation is forging relationships not only with other Asian-American groups, but with the Jewish and black communities to learn how other minority groups have successfully made their voices heard in American politics.

Of course, there are still many hurdles to overcome. Not the least is the fact that there is still a long way to go before even Korean-Americans can stand together as a group. When I meet second- and third-generation Korean-Americans, they talk about their problems with the first generation, the generation that still has strong roots in Korea. They talk about the fact that the first generation still feels uncomfortable about being involved in American politics, how it is difficult to get them to show up to local activities. They also talk about how the first generation still has the Korean attitude of the young generation having to observe the social hierarchy, that the young generation is overstepping their bounds. One frustrated young Korean-American complained that the older generation wanted him to “kiss the ring,” which he was not willing to do.

And even within the younger generation, there is still much to do in terms of organization and coordination.

If anything, the recent political successes and the swelling of political support from the Korean-American community are signs that positive steps are being made to bridge differences both within the community and outside it. If that is the case, then the day may soon come that Korean-Americans can flex their muscles in their newfound home. 

By Sohn Jie-ae 

Sohn Jie-ae resides in California as a visiting scholar at the University of Southern California. She is also a visiting professor at Ewha Woman’s University and was formerly CEO of Arirang TV and Radio. ― Ed.