Recognizing the Korean American Association of the Washington Metropolitan Area and the 2025 Korus Festival Volunteers

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALKINSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Korean American Association of the Washington Metropolitan Area (KAAW) and its President, Steve Lee, on the occasion of the 22nd KORUS Festival.

As one of the largest festivals of its kind, the KORUS festival brings together Koreans, Korean Americans, and others from our rich multicultural community to celebrate our dynamic and harmonious relationship. The festival provides not only the opportunity for us to experience the customs of the Korean culture, but also to recognize the shared history and partnership between our two nations. As a member of Congress, I look forward to continuing my friendship with KAAW and the Korean American community as we continue to build on the success of our alliance and work together toward the achievement of our common goals. I will continue to do all that I can to ensure that the U.S.-Korea alliance remains strong and enduring.

It would not be possible to hold an event of this magnitude without the support and commitment of volunteers from the community. It is my great honor to recognize the efforts and include in the Record the name of the following individuals:

Steve S. Lee, Victoria Lee, Taesung Lee, Brian Kim, Mi Kyung An, Jae Byun, Jae Lee, Kwang Hyung Park, Wan J. Chae, Chun J. Park, Elwin Maldonado, Mi Ja Kim, Jenny Hwang, Eric Shin, William Hwang, Bethel Lee, Ella Jung, Naomi Mercy Han, Zephaniah Kim, Sena Kajiyama, Sophia Moon, Jeffrey Kim, Roi Lee, Sophia Patton, Enoch Hayul Lee, Ellie Harin Lee, Iriel Kang, Kaylee Kim, Luke Lee, Leonard Kim, Aria Kwon, Kevin Kim, Irene Kang, Han June Lee, Veronica Patton, Luke An, and Genevieve An.

I would also like to give special recognition to Ms. Anna Ko, whose tireless work as KORUS coordinator and Master of Ceremonies helped make this amazing event possible.

Mr. Speaker, festivals like KORUS are a wonderful example of the tremendous diversity we enjoy in Northern Virginia. Such a variety of cultures enriches the lives of our citizens and fosters greater tolerance and understanding. I commend KAAW and the volunteers listed above for helping to bring such wonderful events to fruition and ask my colleagues to join me in wishing them great success in their future endeavors.

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