Korean-American bids for California Senate seat
.jpg?w=728)
Kang Suk-hee
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korean-American Kang Suk-hee, 62, a former mayor of Irvine, has announced his bid for a state Senate seat, running as a Democrat in the 29th Senate District in California.
“I am excited about bringing my background and experience in both the private and public sectors to serve the citizens of Senate District 29,” Kang said in a statement on April 23.
Among the 40 Senate districts in California, the 29th encompasses portions of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, and is currently represented by Sen. Bob Huff, a Republican from Diamond Bar and the GOP minority leader in the Senate.
Huff cannot seek re-election due to term limits.
Kang said he will do campaign door-to-door.
“I have always done door-to-door campaigns to meet voters where they live and listen to their concerns,” Kang said.
Born in Jongno, central Seoul, in 1952 to merchant parents, Kang immigrated to the U.S. in 1977 after graduating from Korea University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics.
Kang then started to work at a local branch of Circuit City, the second-largest U.S. electronics retailer, as a sales and customer service representative. He got promoted rapidly through the management ranks and won several awards for his hard work and commitment to excellent customer service.
Kang then started his own businesses, establishing several shoe stores in Orange and Riverside counties.
Kang went into politics after the Los Angeles riots in 1992, where more than 750 local Korean businesses suffered extensive damage.
Following the riots, Kang served as chairman of the Korean American Coalition of Orange County and the Korean American Scholarship Foundation, Western Region chapter.
In 2004, Kang was elected to the Irvine City Council, and was re-elected in November 2006.
He was then elected as mayor of Irvine in 2008, becoming the first-ever Korean-American mayor of a U.S. city of more than 100,000 residents. Kang served two terms.
The primary for the California state Senate will be June 7, 2016. If Kang finishes the primary in the top two, he will advance to the election in November.
If he manages to win the election, Kang will be a first Korean-American state senator in 42 years in the U.S. after the late Sen. Alred H. Song.