- In 2020, five Korean Americans of vastly diverse backgrounds with competing political views run for US Congress. David Kim is the only underdog with limited resources vying to be the first Korean American representative in Koreatown.
- In 2020, five Korean Americans of diverse backgrounds with competing political views run for US Congress, as the unprecedented COVID-19, racial injustices and economic crisis continue to ravage the nation.
David Kim is a young, progressive candidate running in Koreatown, Los Angeles, which boasts the largest concentration of Koreans outside of Korea. His father, a Trump-supporting conservative Christian pastor, disapproves of one element of David's identity yet makes a temporary truce during the race.
Marilyn Strickland is a half Korean, half Black, centrist Democratic candidate running in Tacoma, Washington, whose mother had to face years of social stigma in Korea for being a "military bride".
Young Kim and Michelle Park Steel, both Republican candidates running in Orange County, show unapologetically strong allegiance to President Trump, and seek to become, along with Marilyn Strickland, the first Korean American Congresswomen.
Then finally, Andy Kim, the only incumbent out of the five running for re-election in New Jersey, faces an uphill battle as no Democrat won his district twice in a row since the Civil War more than 150 years ago.
Each candidate symbolizes a different narrative of the Korean American immigration experience, and while historic events like the 1992 LA Riots and the recent anti-Asian hate crimes serve to unify their voices, events such as BLM and Trump's controversies amplify their divergent positions.
With only one Korean American ever elected to US Congress prior to 2018, these five Korean Americans are determined to change history.
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