KOREAN NET

On January 26 at the New Jersey State House in Trenton, two bills pertaining to Korea were passed by the House of Representatives in just one day.

The two bills that Assemblywoman Ellen Park (1.5th-generation Korean-American) laid the groundwork for were ultimately passed by an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives. The bills comprised a resolution to honor Korean veterans of the Vietnam War (ACR 140: Honors Korean veterans of Vietnam War) and a resolution designating November 22 as annual Kimchi Day in New Jersey (AJR 200: Designates November 22 of each year as Kimchi Day).

Numerous Korean-Vietnam War veterans who are proponents of the ACR 140 bill reside in the densely populated areas of New York and New Jersey, where they hold numerous events each year to strengthen camaraderie and organize cooperative groups. In the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., bills to improve the treatment of Korean veterans who fought in the Vietnam War are steadily being considered. While it is unknown whether the bills have yet been passed, it is expected that the passage of the bills in the New Jersey House of Representatives will significantly boost the passage of bills at the federal level. 77 out of 77 registered voters voted in favor during the vote, indicating complete support.

Photo: Result of voting on resolution to honor Korean veterans of the Vietnam War

Examining the contents of the resolution to honor Korean veterans of the Vietnam War,

1. During the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1968, South Korea sent approximately 300,000 soldiers, the second largest number.
2. Dispatched Korean soldiers carried out their duties with precision and diligence.
3. During the war, more than 5,000 Korean soldiers were killed, and approximately 11,000 were wounded. More than 20% of the dispatched Korean soldiers suffered from physical injuries and psychological trauma.
4. The US government and the state of New Jersey are grateful for their sacrifice.

The resolution passed unanimously by the House of Representatives has been registered with the New Jersey State Government and the relevant documents have been sent to the US Ambassador to Korea at the US Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Korean Ambassador to the United Nations, and the US Ambassador to Korea at the US Embassy in Korea.

Photo: Gathering of Vietnam War veterans in New Jersey (January 2023)

Photo: Veterans Eom Chang-nam and Kim Ki-jeong receive a copy of the bill from Assemblywoman Ellen Park

The day following the passage of the bill, Korean media in New York and New Jersey as well as in Korea published the news. Veterans residing in New Jersey expressed their joy on social media and called Assemblywoman Ellen Park to express their gratitude for her efforts in passing the bill.

The bill officially designating November 22 as Kimchi Day has already been passed, and New York, California, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. have all proclaimed Kimchi Day. This bill has garnered the attention of the residents of New Jersey, where more than 100,000 Koreans reside, because it will have a significant impact on the local economy in addition to raising awareness of Korean society and culture. In November 2022, Assemblywoman Ellen Park attended an event to advocate for the federal establishment of Kimchi Day. On November 26, the day before the bill was to be voted on, she invited the chairman of the New Jersey Committee of Agriculture and Food Security to a kimchi tasting event at the Senate Chamber, and she has focused all of her efforts on passing the bill.

Photo: Assemblywoman Ellen Park and Chairman Roy Freiman of the NJ Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Food Security hosting a kimchi tasting event in the Senate Chamber

In particular, kimchi-related festivals are held annually in New Jersey, and the Korean community has been taking considerable interest in the passage of this bill, for example by forming the Kimchi Day Planning Committee.
Examining the contents of the bill,

1. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish with a more than 2,000-year history;
2. UNESCO designated kimjang, the process of making kimchi, as a UNESCO human cultural heritage in 2013;
3. Kimchi is rich in nutrients and beneficial to health;
4. Kimchi is a food enjoyed by more than 2 million Korean immigrants in the United States and more than 410,000 Koreans in New Jersey ;
5. Particularly, a large number of Koreans reside in Bergen County, New Jersey, where the Korean commercial district is highly developed;
6. Kimchi Day is celebrated annually on November 22 as a national holiday;
7. For theses reasons, the state of New Jersey, which values diversity, has proclaimed Kimchi Day.

The Kimchi Day bill, which received an overwhelming majority of 75 votes in favor and 1 vote against in the House of Representatives, has already been introduced in the New Jersey State Senate and will become law when Governor Phil Murphy signs it following a vote in the State Senate. When Kimchi Day is established in New Jersey, the state government will be required to support related events. Since President Nicholas Scutari of the New Jersey State Senate has already voiced his support, it appears that everything will be fine until the final decision is made.

Photo: Director Shim Hwa-seop (right) of the US branch of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation and Deputy Director Jang Ji-hee (left) receive a copy of the bill from Assemblywoman Ellen Park (middle) to commemorate the bill's passage.

On this day, Eom Chang-nam and Kim Gi-jeong from the Vietnam War Veterans Association of New Jersey were present at the bill's passage. The passage of the bill was witnessed by Director Shim Hwa-seop and Deputy Director Jang Ji-hee of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation as well as Co-Chairman Son Jong-man of the New Jersey Kimchi Day Event Preparation Committee and Chairman of the New Jersey Nail Association. Assemblywoman Ellen Park gave them each a copy of the bill as a gift after its passage.

Currently, in addition to these two bills in the New Jersey State House, a bill (AJR 201) to "enact the Lunar New Year as an officially recognized day of the New Jersey state government" has also been introduced, and efforts are being made to expedite its passage. In addition, Assemblywoman Ellen Park is expected to introduce a bill to designate "Korean-American Day" as an officially recognized day in the near future.

Photo: Koreans with ties to the legislation observing the vote at the New Jersey State House

As a result of the passage of this bill, the Korean community recognizes the significance of having Korean representatives in Congress, and they are expressing the need to vote for Korean candidates in future elections. Regarding the establishment of Kimchi Day, it was not only a day for food, but also an indicator that Korean culture is officially being recognized by the US government and Congress, and it is an excellent opportunity to bring attention to a variety of Korea-related issues.