Every January 13 is Korean American Day!

We at NWCU are excited to shine a light on our Korean American employees, team members, and their culture.

On January 13, 1903, the first Korean Immigrants settled in Hawaii. In 2005, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives officially established Korean American Day. It came 13 years after Jay Kim became the first Korean American congressman by being elected to the House of Representatives for California's 41st District.

It'd be impossible to list every accomplishment Korean Americans have made. So, we'll start with just a few.

• Ahn Chang Ho is credited with establishing the Willows Korean Aviation Corps in the U.S., which later led to the establishment of the Korean Air Force.

• Wendy Gramm served as U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

• Judge Herbert Y.C. Choy was the first Asian American appointed to the U.S. Federal Court (Court of Appeals Ninth District in 1974).

• David Hyun is an architect who helped revitalize Little Tokyo in Los Angeles.

• Sammy Lee is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in diving.

There are also some excellent books and movies that highlight the lives and experiences of Korean Americans. Here are a few:

• Korean American Pioneer Aviators: The Willows Airmen by Edward T. Chang and Woo Sung Han

• Korean-Americans: Past, Present, and Future by Ilpyong J. Kim

• Gook (film) is an American drama film written and directed by Justin Chon.

• Soul Searching (film) is a South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Benson Lee.

We at NWCU want to wish all our members and employees of Korean descent a wonderful Korean American Day!