Dear Friends,
It is a great honor to host this event celebrating the 122nd anniversary of Korean immigration to the United States, a meaningful time to look back on our journey so far and renew our commitment in the future. Prior to the first group of Koreans arriving in Hawaii, over 60 Koreans lived in the US.
However, we honor the first group of 102 Koreans that arrived in Honolulu on January 13, 1903, as the official first immigrants to the US. Interestingly enough, the same number of Puritans arrived at Cape Cod in 1620.
Over 7,000 Koreans arrived through 132 shipments by 1905, and many of them gradually moved into the mainland, with some moving East to work as railroad workers and miners. About 200 Koreans moved to New York and settled in Manhattan, where they worked on the construction of the George Washington Bridge and MTA subway line 1.
Those that settled there formed a Korean Church and supported the Independence Movement of Korea. However, most of them passed away without marrying or having children, leaving the Korean community to be sustained by international students from Korea.
After the immigrant law was revised in the 1960s, a large-scale immigration took place, and now the community has over 400,000 Korean Americans including many 2nd and 3rd generation Korean Americans in the New York Metropolitan area.
Our immigrant history is not simply a story of the past—it is a journey of continuous growth and development, and a hope for a better tomorrow. We have achieved success in various fields including education, economy, art, food, culture.
By doing so, we have established ourselves as an important voice in American society. There are so many heroes and heroines who have contributed to the community and American society in various fields. Although we want to honor all of them, today we have chosen 11 heroes and heroines who we feel have contributed especially to the advancement of the Korean American Community this year.
Yes, we are moving forward, working even harder so that our descendants can also fulfill their roles as proud Korean Americans and global citizens. I also want to express my deep gratitude to the sponsors and supporters who make this event possible tonight. KAAGNY will spare no effort ensuring that your help is not in vain for the welfare and growth of the Korean American community.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kwang S. Kim
President of the Korean American Association of Greater New York
관련뉴스
- 뉴욕한인회, 제65주년 뉴욕한인회 밤 및 제122주년 미주한인의 날 성황리에 개최
- 김광석 뉴욕한인회 회장, 제65주년 뉴욕한인회 밤 및 제122주년 미주한인의 날 기념사
- 최원철 뉴욕한인회 이사장 제65주년 뉴욕한인의 밤 및 제122주년 미주한인의 날 기념사
