the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Washington DC, this week, President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee of the Republic of Korea for a State Visit, the highest official visit of a foreign leader to the United States. The visit is welcomed by the Korean American community across the country as it celebrates the 70th anniversary of the U.S. – Korea bilateral alliance.
“President Yoon’s State Visit represents a critical reaffirmation of the 70-year alliance and relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea,” said Abraham Kim, Executive Director of the Council of Korean Americans (CKA). “It demonstrates the deep and continuing ties between our two countries and our people.”
“The upcoming Biden-Yoon Summit is especially important for the Korean American community, who have been vital in building and maintaining bridges between the two countries. Over the past decades, Korean Americans and CKA members have been at the forefront of deepening economic, cultural, political, and security relations between the two nations based on our shared values and history. We look forward to this head of State Visit ushering a new era of deepening ties and support between the people, innovators, and leaders of both countries.”
As of 2021, Bergen County in New Jersey has the highest population of Korean Americans in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bergen County had a Korean American population of 106,763 in 2019, which accounts for approximately 10% of the county’s total population. This number is likely to have increased since then due to continued immigration and the birth of new Korean American children.
President Yoon’s meetings in Washington, DC will be the first State Visit by a Korean president since 2011. His schedule will include a Bilateral Summit with President Biden, a Joint Meeting of Congress, and a White House State Dinner. This Summit builds on President Biden’s May 2022 Seoul Visit.