‘Soonja’, a congressman born in Seoul, stood at the US Congress wearing Hanbok

Rep. Marylin Strickland (Korean name Sunja, second right) wearing a hanbok is taking an oath in office at the Federal Assembly on the 3rd (local time) and taking commemorative photos with fellow lawmakers. [사진 C스팬 캡처]

Hanbok appeared at the inauguration and opening ceremony of the Federal House of Representatives held at the Capitol in Washington, DC on the 3rd (local time). Marylin Strickland (Democratic/Washington State), a Korean female congressman known by the Korean name Sunja, is the protagonist.

On this day, Congressman Strickland was officially inaugurated as a member of the Federal House of Representatives, wearing a hanbok wearing a red jacket and a blue skirt. An elbow greeting with Congressman Andy Kim, who was of the same Korean origin and re-election, was caught.

Rep. Strickland’s hanbok became a hot topic in the country. Howard Mortman, head of public relations at C-span, a US Congressional broadcaster, shared his appearance in a hanbok on Twitter. The USA Today reporter tweeted that “the first Korean lawmaker wore a hanbok and went to the hospital,” and Congressman Andy Kim responded as “an amazing moment and a big step forward for the Korean American community.”

A photo taken by Congressman Marylin Strickland with her mother shared on social media. [사진 스트릭랜드 의원 트위터]

Congressman Strickland was born to a Korean mother and a father from USFK, who fought in the Korean War. Born in Seoul, he left for America with his parents when he was 1 year old. He was elected as the first Korean female member of the House of Representatives along with Michelle Park Steel and Young Kim. He was also the first African American Congressman in Washington State.

Congressman Strickland has proudly revealed his Korean identity. During the election campaign, I uploaded a photo with my mother on Twitter, and on the website, “I was born in Seoul. If elected, she will be the first Korean-American woman in the history of the US Congress in 230 years.”

Reporter Lee Ga-young [email protected]