KAVC Meets Representative Manzullo

The Korean American Voters’ Council met Donald A. Manzullo (IL-16), the new chair of the Subcommittee on Asia, The Pacific and the Global Environment, known for being extremely difficult to meet, in his Washington, DC office.

Representative Manzullo welcomed Dongsuk Kim, Board Director and Dongchan Kim, President to his office and inquired about how many Koreans are living in the US and how many Koreans are in his district. He specifically recalled seeing the Korean Dry Cleaners’ Associations from all states coming to the House to speak about environmental issues related to dry cleaning several years ago. He received the impression of Koreans, although being a minority, are very well organized.

He went on to express his interest about the increased participation in politics by Koreans and asked about major issues in the Korean-American community today. Director Dongsuk Kim said peace in the Korean peninsula is the biggest issue concerning Korean-Americans. Kim also stated that with Korea-related policies, the views of Korean Americans must be respected and implemented just as Jews are vocal about problems in the Middle East. Kim requested that as Korean-Americans hold most knowledge and wisdom when it comes to the Korean peninsula, their opinions should be heard when discussing the issue in the House.

Manzullo agreed to the request and since his Committee deals with Asia including Korea, he looks forward to interacting with the Korean-American community and strengthening their relations. The KAVC invited Manzullo to visit the Korean community and Manzullo gladly accepted.

At Rep. Manzullo’s office, Intern Jiwon Hwang was working and participated in the conversation as well.