The youngest of seven children, Young Kim grew up in South Korea and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 12. She is now one of the first three Korean American women elected to Congress. A member of the Republican Party, she represents the 39th district in the House of Representatives, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.
“My election really proves that the promise of America is alive,” she told Fox News. “I'm the living proof of it.”
Kim is in favor of giving legal status to Dreamers — immigrants whose parents brought them here unlawfully when they were children and who now meet certain eligibility requirements (for example, they had to have come to the U.S. before reaching their 16th birthday).
“Their only crime is that they had loving, caring parents and family members [who] brought them over here — crossing the border, risking their lives because they wanted to provide the opportunity to realize the American dream for their next generation,” Kim said.
Kim was the first Korean American Republican woman elected to the California State Assembly, and she once worked for a congressman who held the seat that she now holds. Before entering politics, she was a financial analyst and a controller for a manufacturing company, and she also started a business in women’s sportswear and hosted a public affairs TV show. Since arriving in Congress, Kim has been a strong advocate for small businesses during COVID recovery efforts.
