Jay Chang Joon Kim (; born March 27, 1939) is a Korean-American politician and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California. He was the first Korean American to be elected to the United States Congress.
Early life, education, and business career
Jay Kim was born in 1939 in Keijō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now Seoul, South Korea). His Korean name, Kim Chang Joon, roughly translates to "golden splendid law." During the Korean War, his home was destroyed. He immigrated to the United States in 1961. After attending a community college, Kim transferred to the University of Southern California, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering.
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, 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.
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.
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 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." 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, JoongAng Ilbo, and The Korea Economic Daily, and is the honorary Ambassador of Gyeonggi Province.