Park Dong-woo, Former Deputy Assistant to the President for Disability Policy at the Obama White House, a Hidden Contributor to US-Korea Civil Diplomacy

There are many commemorative days in California related to Korea. The oldest Korean American Day was proclaimed by President George W. Bush on January 13, 2005, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Korean immigration to the United States. January 13th is celebrated annually as Korean American Day, and it has already been 120 years since the first Korean immigrants arrived.

Korean American Day commemorates the 102 Korean immigrants who arrived in Hawaii on January 13, 1903. The 100th-anniversary celebration was grandly held in Hawaii in 2003. It was my first and only trip to Hawaii to participate in the event.

The establishment of Arirang Day in 2017 sparked a surge in the designation of Korean-related commemorative days.

At the time, LA Consul General Ki-chul Lee's visit to the LA Veterans Hospital to comfort Korean War veterans inspired me to establish Arirang Day. That event gave me the confidence to believe that "I can do this!" which led to the successful designation of the Colonel Young Oak Kim Memorial Highway, Korean Language Day, and Taekwondo Day, all of which are listed in the California Secretary of State's office.

Hello, Director. This is Dong-woo Park, Senior Aide.
Regarding the establishment of Arirang Day, the news article about LA Consul General Ki-chul Lee's visit to the Veterans Hospital to comfort Korean War veterans played a crucial role.

Inspired by a news article describing veterans shedding tears while singing the Arirang folk song, I established Arirang Day in California. This establishment of Arirang Day became the driving force behind the designation of numerous other Korean-related commemorative days, including Korean Language Day and Taekwondo Day...