NJ Assembly Passes Resolution Establishing Korean American Day in New Jersey

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ,  twenty-one women, 25 children and 56 able-bodied men. All were Korean by birth; some had Japanese passports. They came from the port city of Incheon, Korea to Nagasaki, Japan, and on Dec. 29, 1902, boarded the RMS Gaelic, a passenger and cargo liner headed for Honolulu. Sixteen days later, Jan. 13, 1903, they arrived on the island of Oahu to work on the sugar plantations.

“Aside from the possibility of Korea being a source of supply for labor, the advent of the party was of special interest for the reason that they were the first large party of immigrants to ever leave Korea for the western hemisphere,” the Jan. 13, 1903, edition of The Hawaiian Star reported on its front page.

That Tuesday 122 years ago started the first of three waves of immigration that brought thousands of Koreans first to Hawaii, and then eventually the continental United States.

The anniversary is marked nationally by Korean American Day, signed into law by George W. Bush in 2005. Assemblyman Christopher P. DePhillips wants to localize the celebration. His resolution (AJR63), designating Jan. 13 as Korean American Day in New Jersey, passed the Assembly Thursday.

“Korean Americans have made invaluable contributions to our society and our armed forces, enriching our culture, economy, and communities with their dedication, resilience, and spirit and defending our country with distinction,” DePhillips (R-Bergen) said. “It’s fitting that we recognize those contributions in our state.”

Nearly 115,000 Koreans call Bergen County home, the highest percentage of any county in the United States. There are currently 2 million Korean Americans.

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