Preceded by Bill Lowery Role U.S. representative Political party Republican Party Republican Party | Profession Civil engineer Succeeded by Gary Miller Name Jay Kim | |
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Born March 27, 1939 (age 85)
Seoul, South Korea ( 1939-03-27 ) Alma mater University of Southern California (B.A., M.S.)
Hanyang University (Ph.D.) Spouse June Kim (m. 1962), Jennifer Ahn Education Hanyang University, University of Southern California | ||
Chang Joon "Jay" Kim (Hangul: 김창준; Hanja: 金昌準; born March 27, 1939) is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California and ambassador for Korean-American relations. He was the first Korean American to be elected to the United States Congress.
Contents
- Early life education and business career
- Local politics
- US House of Representatives 1993 1999
- Controversies
- Recent activities
- References
Early life, education, and business career
Kim was born in Seoul, Korea. During the Korean War, his home was destroyed. He immigrated to the United States in 1961, where he graduated from the University of Southern California, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering. He later earned a doctorate in political science from Hanyang University.
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 award-winning engineer, registered in five western states. JAYKIM Engineers, was recognized as one of the top 500 design firms in the country.
Local politics
Kim was elected to the city council of Diamond Bar, a newly incorporated suburb of Los Angeles, in 1990 and was elected mayor the following year.
U.S. House of Representatives (1993-1999)
Kim was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 as a Republican from the newly created 41st District, making him the first Korean American elected to the United States Congress.
After being defeated for renomination in 1998, 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.
Controversies
Kim came under scrutiny for campaign donations, eventually pleading guilty to accepting $230,000 in illegal donations, including one-third of all donations to his 1992 campaign. At the time, it was a record for campaign violations.
He kept his seat but lost the primary election in 1998 to Gary Miller, with whom he had once served on the Diamond Bar City Council. Miller won the general election and held the seat until he was elected to the 31st Congressional District in 2012. Most of the northern part of the old 42nd Congressional District including Diamond Bar was merged with the 40th Congressional District of Ed Royce.
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, 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."
Kim also regularly contributes articles to The Korea Times, JoongAng Ilbo, and Korea Economic Daily, and is the honorary Ambassador of Gyeonggi Province.