WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 27, 2017) — The Council of Korean Americans (CKA) on Monday convened a meeting with U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (VA-10) to discuss the recent anti-immigrant hate crimes, immigration reform and humanitarian concerns related to North Korea.
The private meeting was held in the Republican Congresswoman’s Capitol Hill office and included five Korean American voters who live in her district. The Virginia’s Tenth Congressional District is home to over 15,000 Korean Americans.
“This was the first time I have spoken to a member of Congress face to face,” said Christine Sonu Park, a constituent and longtime resident of McLean, Virginia. “I appreciated her honesty about how she is dealing with hate crimes that are taking place in my neighborhood. I felt like she heard our concerns. I hope she will speak out more and take strong action against these types of incidents.”
“Twenty seven members of the US House of Representatives have 10,000 or more Korean Americans living in their districts,” said Sam Yoon, CKA Executive Director. “Our voice is not small. We just need to use it more — especially during this time of unprecedented change in our country.”
“As a Korean American citizen and a father of two young children, I appreciate CKA’s mission to be a voice for our community,” said Moon Choi, a real estate agent who does business in Rep. Comstock’s district. “We need to speak up and make sure our voices are heard.”
CKA leaders said the organization is committed to raising a strong and clear voice on issues that are important to our community. They said the work will continue to organize meetings with representatives and senators to ensure that the country’s elected leaders are informed.
Council of Korean Americans is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of successful Korean American leaders. Our mission is to assert a strong, clear voice on issues vital to Korean Americans while helping them engage in American society to achieve meaningful success.
