State Sen. Elaine Phillips recently hosted members of a special Korean delegation at the New York State Capitol during a day full of events culminating with the Senate enacting resolutions celebrating the 115th Anniversary of Korean-American Day and commemorating the XXIII Winter Olympics in Korea.
The delegation included members of the Korean National Assembly, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea, the Chairman of the Unification Advisory Council of New York, members of Korean American Association of Greater New York and the National Assembly Taekwondo Demo.
“Majority Leader John Flanagan and I presented special resolutions to the delegation and in return we were both honored to receive plagues of appreciation during the wonderful day of cultural exchanges,” Phillips said.
Phillips and Flanagan also enjoyed a spirited performance by the National Assembly Taekwondo Demonstration Team. During the day, the Taekwondo Demo team gave two presentations for legislators, staff, the Korean Delegation and members of the public.
Phillips’ resolution celebrating Korean American Day in New York was brought before the full Senate with the Korean delegation on hand to witness the resolution formalized into New York State history.
“With this resolution, we not only recognize the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States well over a century ago, but we also honor Korean American’s immense contributions to every aspect of our society,” Phillips said. “Through courage and determination early Korean immigrants came to our country seeking the “American Dream” and in doing so, not only found a better way of life for their families, but provided a far reaching influence to our state and nation.”
The second resolution of the day, congratulated the Republic of Korea for hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will be held Feb. 9 through 25.
“Every two years, the world comes together through sport and culture at the Olympic Games, and in a few short weeks, all eyes will be on Korea as it hosts the XXIII Winter Olympic games in PyeongChang,” said. “With South and North Korea recently announcing they will participate under one unified flag during the upcoming games, we are all hopeful that a peaceful PyeongChang Olympics will lead to a more peaceful Korean peninsula. I wish them a successful and peaceful games.”
The delegation enjoyed a full day including cultural exchanges, presentations, a luncheon, tour of the State Capitol building and attending the Senate Legislative Session. Attendees included Dung Sup Lee, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and Chairperson of the National Assembly Taekwondo Federation; Hye Won Sohn, Member of the National Assembly; Ambassador Hyo-Sung Park, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York; Minsun Kim, President of the Korean-American Association of Greater New York; and the National Assembly Taekwondo Demonstration Team.
