Rep. Dave Min Joins Press Conference In Support of the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act

Washington, D.C. —  Representative Dave Min (CA-47), the first Democrat of Korean descent elected to Congress from California, spoke out in support of the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act. Watch Rep. Min’s remarks here. 

“This is a war and conflict that has split families of our brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters, and it is long past due that we unite our families, we unite our people, because we know the hanin, or Korean people, they're one,” said Representative Min. 

The Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act calls for a formal end to the Korean War and for the State Department to review its roadmap for achieving peace between North and South Korea. While an armistice was reached to end hostilities, the war never formally ended, preventing families across the peninsula from reuniting with their loved ones. 

Rep. Min’s full remarks are below: 

“My name is Dave Min, and I was just elected to represent the 47th Congressional district in California. I am the first Korean American to ever represent the city of Irvine, which, if you come down, is a Korean American hub. We have great food, some say we have better Korean culture than LA, but they’d probably dispute that. 

But I want to thank my friend, Congressman Brad Sherman for bringing this bill forward. Look, my parents moved out here in 1970. They grew up during the Korean War. When I was growing up, nobody knew what Korea was here in the United States. They didn't know what Korean Americans were, certainly had no appreciation for Korean pop culture, which is obviously not the case today. 

And so I came to this body from the California State Senate where the last few years I got to introduce my own landmark bills, including a resolution commemorating the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea. I also got to introduce a resolution celebrating Kimchi day, which, believe it or not, was very, very popular. 

But look, Korea has grown so much as a country over my lifetime. We are long past 1953. It is long overdue that we establish peace and maybe eventually, hopefully, reunification in my lifetime. This is a war and conflict that has split families of our brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters, and it is long past due that we unite our families, we unite our people, because we know the hanin, or Korean people, they're one.

What we see in the schism between North and South Korea is not a natural one, and we need to start taking those steps, and there is a very reasonable first step to declare an end to the war that really ended over 70 years back. So I want to thank again, Brad Sherman, my colleague, who's an amazing leader, Congresswoman Judy Chu, and all the other co sponsors. And while I'm new, I will do everything I can to try to make sure this bill moves forward. 감사합니다.”

As a California State Senator, Representative Min was a powerful advocate for the Korean American community. In the State Senate, Representative Min authored legislation to make January 13th Korean American Day in California. Representative Min also led a resolution to declare November 22nd as Kimchi Day in California, celebrating the contributions and influence of Korean Americans. 

Representative Min also advocated for California’s AAPI Equity Budget, which delivered $247 million across the last four state budgets, through the Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, to combat violence against Asian Americans and further support AAPI communities.

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