Jay Chang Joon Kim (; born March 27, 1939) is a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

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politician and former

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He was the first

Korean American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...

to be elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

Early life, education, and business career

Jay Kim was born in 1939 in

Keijō , or Gyeongseong (), was an administrative district of Korea under Japanese rule that corresponds to the present Seoul, the capital of South Korea. History When the Empire of Japan annexed the Korean Empire, it made Seoul the colonial capita ...

Korea, Empire of Japan From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

(now

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea). His Korean name, Kim Chang Joon, roughly translates to "golden splendid law." During the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, his home was destroyed. He immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1961. After attending a community college, Kim transferred to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering. He later earned a doctorate in political science from

Hanyang University Hanyang University (HYU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul and Ansan (ERICA campus), South Korea. ''Hanyang'' () derives from the Names of Seoul, former name of the capital Seoul used during the Joseon period. The u ...

. In 1976, Kim started JAYKIM Engineers, a firm that specializes in designing highways and water reclamation projects. He built the business into a firm of 130 employees, with offices in three western states. Kim is an engineer, registered in five western states. JAYKIM Engineers was recognized as one of the top 500 design firms in the country.

Political career

Local politics

Kim was elected to the city council of

Diamond Bar Diamond Bar is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The 2020 census listed a population of 55,072. It is one of a few cities in California with a majority Asian population (59.24% as of 2020). It is named after the ...

, a newly incorporated suburb of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, in 1990 and was elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

the following year.

U.S. House of Representatives (1993–1999)

Kim was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in 1992 as a Republican from the newly created 41st District, making him the first

elected to the

. Kim came under scrutiny for campaign donations, eventually pleading guilty to accepting $230,000 in illegal donations, which amounted to one-third of all donations to his 1992 campaign. At the time, it was a record for campaign violations. In 1998, he lost the primary election to Gary Miller, with whom he had once served on the Diamond Bar City Council. Miller also won the general election and held the seat until he was elected to the 31st Congressional District in 2012. Kim sought to win election in the 42nd District in 2000. He was defeated in the primary by Elia Pirozzi, who in turn was defeated by incumbent

Joe Baca Joseph Natalio Baca Sr. (born January 23, 1947) is an American Democratic politician who served as the U.S. representative for southwestern San Bernardino County (including Fontana, Rialto, Ontario and parts of the city of San Bernardino) from 1 ...

Recent activities

In recent years, Kim has focused on improving relations and business opportunities between the U.S. and South Korea. He has served as chairman of The Washington Korean-American Forum think tank since 2007. As chairman of Kim Changjoon US-Korea Foundation, he uses his political and professional experience to help develop political leadership in South Korea. The Kim Changjoon Politics and Economy Academy in Korea educates and encourages small business owners to go abroad by providing global market skills and professional knowledge. With the election of President

Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 until Impeachment of Park Geun-hye, she was removed from office in 2017. Park was the first and to date only woman ...

in 2013, Kim was appointed to the National Economic Advisory Council to help small business seek opportunities in the global market. Kim has stated that his "position in both the United States and Korea allows me to encourage economic development between our nations, and the new free-trade agreement lets companies… flourish in new markets.""A fresh and fruitful beginning for free trade"
Forbes. Retrieved 21 August 2013. However, Park was also convicted on public corruption and influence peddling charges, and on 6 April 2018, Park was sentenced to 24 years in prison in South Korea. Kim also regularly contributes articles to ''

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' () is a daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the ''Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language, Korean-language daily. It is the oldest active daily English-language newspaper in South Korea. ...

'', ''

JoongAng Ilbo ''The JoongAng'', formerly known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'' (), is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also pu ...

'', and ''

The Korea Economic Daily ''The Korea Economic Daily'' (), nicknamed ''Hankyung'' (), is a conservative and business daily newspaper in South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half o ...

'', and is the honorary Ambassador of

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

. 2021 PyeongChang Peace Forum The "2021 PyeongChang Peace Forum" took from February 7 to the 10th at the Alpensia Convention Center in

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang ( , ; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seo ...

, Gangwon Province. On the morning of February 6, one day ahead of the Peace Forum's opening ceremony, it had the first Korea-U.S. Leaders Peace Strategy Dialogue session. This 1st Korea-U.S. Leaders Peace Dialogue was organized by the Jay Kim Foundation with Gangwon-do, and it was chaired by Professor Kim Woo-sang of

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

. Members of the National Assembly, including Ahn Min-Suk, Lee Sang-min, Hong Young-Pyo from the Majority Party, and Lee Myung-Soo from the People Power Party, participated as a panel. From the U.S. side, the former U.S. Congressman Jay Kim attended the event, and former U.S. Congresswoman

Loretta Sanchez Loretta Lorna Sanchez (born January 7, 1960) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017, representing parts of central Orange County, California. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...

and former Congressman

Bart Gordon Barton Jennings Gordon (born January 24, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 until 2011. The district includes several rural areas and fast-growing suburbs east of Nashville. He was Chairman of th ...

from the Democratic Party attended virtually. Korean-American Republican Congresswoman Young Kim and Congressman

Ami Bera Amerish Babulal "Ami" Bera ( ; born March 2, 1965) is an American physician and politician who has been serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party and repr ...

, a Member of the East Asia Pacific subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee, were unable to attend the forum virtually due to a busy schedule, so instead they sent a video clip of congratulatory remarks hoping for the success of the 1st Peace Forum. A total of six members of the Korea National Assembly and the United States Congress attended the forum to discuss the current status and importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, as well as the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the importance of the peace exchange with North Korea through sports. Each of them gave five-minute presentations on the topic and discussed various solutions and methods in-depth. This event, which will be held every year as part of the PyeongChang Peace Forum, will be expected to contribute to the South Korea-U.S. alliance and a successful Korean Peninsula peace process. Interview with Gangwon Ilbo on February 7 On the 6th of February, right before the 2021 PyeongChang Peace Forum was held, both former and current Party Members from Korea and the United States gathered at the Alpensia in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province to discuss peace strategies for the Korean Peninsula. This meeting was organized by former US Congressman Jay Kim. Although he was born and raised in Seoul, Kim has a special attachment to Gangwon-do and was appointed as the Honorary Governor of Gangwon-do in 2016. On the 7th of February, at the start of the 2021 Pyeongchang Peace Forum, Gangwon Ilbo (Gangwon-do's No.1 newspaper) interviewed Kim while he was spending all his efforts for discussing possible measures for peace for the Korean peninsula. During the interview with Gang Won Ilbo, Kim presented his idea that Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics' stimulation would support the Inter-Korean Exchange Plans. He also presented that North Korea's current economic difficulties make for a golden time for US-North Korea dialogue, and the U.S. Strategic Perseverance Policy will bring about North Korean Ballistic Missile Provocation. Kim stated, "Peace is not made with words, but made with strength, through consistent efforts for strengthening the alliance between Korea-U.S." Article on LA JoongAng Daily Newspaper on February 12 This New Year's Eve (Lunar New Year, 2021), former Congressman Jay Kim donated to a charity run by Happy Village (an NGO operated by LA's JoongAng Daily newspaper) to serve hot rice cake soups to 300 older people living alone in

Professional and political affiliations

*2019.03 – Chair of the former US Members (FMC) of the delegation to Korea *2019.11 – Honorary Ambassador, Catholic Hospital of Yeoido *2016.06 – Honorary Governor, Kangwon Province (Place of PyeongChang Winter Olympic) *2016.03 – Honorary Citizen, Osan, Gyeonggi Province *2015.08 – Honorary Ambassador, Suhyup (National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives) *2015.06 – Foreign investment Advisor, Gangwon Province *2015.04 – Board Member, US Korea Institute of Johns Hopkins University *2013.05 – National Economic Advisory Council, the Office of the President of Korea (President GH Park) *2012.06 – Chairman, KimChangJoon Academy *2011.07 – Chairman, KimChangJoon Future US-Korea Foundation *2009.09 – Honorary Ambassador, Gyeonggi Province *2009.09 – Goodwill Ambassador, Soonchunhyang University Hospital *2008.10 – International Advisor, Incheon International City *2008.05 – Honorary Citizen of Jeju Province & City of Osan *2008.01 – Chairman, Washington Korean-American Forum *1995.08 – Honorary Citizen of Seoul

Publications

*1994.08 I am a Conservative, 1994 by Sung Moon Publishing Company *1999.11 Politics in Korea & in U.S.A, 1999 by Kyo Moon Sa Publishing Company *2010.03 Go ahead Shake Me, I'll never Give Up My Hope, 2010 by Ok Dang Publishing Company *2016.10 Be Ready for Next President Trump, 2016 by Raon Book Publishing Company

Columns and commentaries

*Jay Kim's Untold Story of U.S. Politics (Hankook-Ilbo), 2008–2010 *Jay Kim Column in Korea Daily U.S. Edition (Jung Ang-Ilbo), bi-weekly, 2009–present *Jay Kim Desk on WKTV in Washington DC, bi-weekly, 2008–2016 *Jay Kim's Korean Politics and U.S. Politics in ''The Korea Economic Daily'', bi-weekly, 2009–present *Jay Kim Column in ''

'', English edition, bi-weekly, 2010–2016 *Jay Kim's Congressional Memoir in ''The Korea Times'', English edition, weekly, 2010–2011

Awards

*The President's Medal and Award from South Korea, 2012 *The Political Leadership Award, Korean American Political Leadership Conference, 2012 *1993 Recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award *

US Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econo ...

: Sprit of Enterprise *Citizens Against Government Waste: Award for Taxpayer Hero *Watchdogs of the Treasury: Award for Golden Bulldog *The Free Congress Foundation: Award for Sound Dollar *The

National Federation of Independent Business The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The stated goal of NFIB ...

: Guardian of Small Business *The League of Private Property Voters: Champion of Property Right *The 60 Plus Association: Guardian of Seniors Rights *The National Wholesale Grocers and International Food Service Distributors Association : Award for the Thomas Jefferson *The National Security Caucus: Award for the National Security Leadership *1993 Recipient of the

Ellis Island Medal of Honor The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) (formerly known as the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)), which is presented annually to American citizens, both native-born ...

Award *Award for National Excellence in Civil Engineering *Award for Outstanding achievement in Business Community *Engineer of the Year Award *Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award of the 103rd Congress *Outstanding Leadership Award from NAPAW

References

External links

Former Congressman Jay C. Kim Official Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jay 1939 births American mayors of Korean descent Members of the United States House of Representatives of Asian descent California city council members California politicians convicted of crimes California politicians of Korean descent Hanyang University alumni Living people Mayors of places in California People from Diamond Bar, California Politicians from Seoul Naturalized citizens of the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California South Korean emigrants to the United States USC Viterbi School of Engineering alumni Asian conservatism in the United States Korean-American history 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives