Exclusive: I hope Koreans see me as a bridge with the United States, says Sen. Andy Kim

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Exclusive: I hope Koreans see me as a bridge with the United States, says Sen. Andy Kim

Published: 21 Aug. 2025, 16:54 Updated: 21 Aug. 2025, 18:21

KIM MIN-YOUNG
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Sen. Andy Kim answers questions from the attendees of the youth town hall hosted in the American Diplomacy House in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 20. [U.S. EMBASSY]

From defense cost-sharing to tariff negotiations, Korea and the United States are navigating a series of high-stakes challenges.

Yet U.S. Sen. Andrew Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, reaffirmed the critical partnership between Korea and the United States, while acknowledging divergences with the Donald Trump administration on trade and commercial policy.

"What are things that we might be able to do in a win-win way between our countries to try to help young people in Korea as well as young people in America?" asked the senator during an event at American Diplomacy House Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Wednesday. "And that is really my top priority. Looking out for my kids so that hopefully one day I can look my kids in the eye and tell them that they will have a better life."

In the only public outreach event the senator specifically requested during his two-day stay in the country, Kim engaged with young Koreans in a closed-door town hall event hosted at the American Diplomacy House, the embassy's information and cultural outreach center in Seoul.

The senator also had an exclusive interview with a Korea JoongAng Daily reporter who was present at the scene as an alumnus of the American Diplomacy House Academy, the embassy's network program for public diplomacy. Topics ranged from Kim’s decision to reach out to the youth, the Korea-U.S. alliance and the shared struggles of young Americans and Koreans.

The following excerpt of the interview has been edited for clarity.

Sen. Andy Kim, center, poses for the cameras with the attendees of the youth town hall hosted in the American Diplomacy House in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 20. [U.S. EMBASSY]

Q. Was there a particular reason you wanted to emphasize your relationship with the youth?

A. I think this is all about the future. What is the future of America? What is the future of our leadership? To do that, we also need to think through what the future of American youth is, as well as youth around the world.

I also happen to be one of the youngest members of the Senate. I find a particular responsibility to think in that kind of way.

This is my first trip to Korea as a U.S. senator. But going forward, I hope to do a lot more public engagements and events, because I think that's how the Korean people can get to know me better, but also so I can get to know the Korean people better in terms of what their needs are and what they want to see done in the U.S.-Korea relationship.

Sen. Andy Kim answers questions from the attendees of the youth town hall hosted in the American Diplomacy House in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 20. [U.S. EMBASSY]

Q. What is your vision regarding the relationship between Korea and, specifically, New Jersey?

Just as I believe I can serve as a bridge between the United States and Korea, I also think New Jersey can play a similar role. It has one of the largest Korean communities in the country. It is where the headquarters of Samsung and a number of other major Korean companies are located.

I believe it's the natural place for Korean businesses looking to invest in America to get a foothold, and not just in headquarters and sales. We're also trying to grow manufacturing and other things of that nature, especially when it comes to advanced technologies, industries and innovation.

That's something that I really want to push on. And what I also tell Korean businesses is that if they come to New Jersey, not only do they have a vibrant Korean American community and the examples of other Korean companies that have been successful, but they'll also have a Korean American U.S. senator who is looking out for this relationship and trying to grow it.

So yes, I'm very much trying to make a pitch for my home state as we go around. I think the success of New Jersey, the success of these business investments, will benefit both the United States and Korea.

Sen. Andy Kim answers questions from the attendees of the youth town hall hosted in the American Diplomacy House in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 20. [U.S. EMBASSY]

Q. You said during the town hall that diplomacy should be conducted beyond the executive level. How can young Koreans engage to foster a better relationship with the United States?

That's something we'll need to build on. I've been a big fan of various exchange programs, including Fulbright fellowships, studying abroad, and foreign exchanges.

I'll be honest with you. Some of these have been diminished or canceled in the United States, which I find very frustrating. I will continue to raise my opposition to such actions.

I think the United States is stronger when we can bring in people, especially young people from around the world, to understand our society, to work within it and to be educated there. I want to see those exchanges go both directions. So I will continue to try to advocate for those types of efforts.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, right, shakes hands with U.S. Sen. Andy Kim at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 18. [YONHAP]

Q. How are you trying to address the belief — shared by many Americans — that their hardships are due to foreign engagements?

I think that this is very much up for grabs. There are definitely some in America who believe that our foreign policy and engagements with other countries have hurt American strength rather than benefited it.

I disagree with that, and that's on me to prove my point, to come to Korea and showcase that Korean investment in America is a good thing, that the education of Korean students in America is a good thing. These types of ties are not zero-sum. It's not that every dollar Korea makes in a trade relationship is a dollar we don't have in America.

It can be win-win, and that's why I'm here. I want to learn, I want to engage, I want to go back to America and make the strongest argument. But I also want people in Korea to know that we have a very vibrant debate on this in America right now.

Koreans might be hearing a particular perspective more right now, but I want them to know that not everybody in America agrees with this, or that's what a democracy should be like. I'm going to try to mobilize the voters that way in America. I want people in Korea to see that diversity of opinion.

I hope the Korean people see me as a bridge between the United States and Korea. I'm a young senator, and I hope to be around for a while, well after this president is no longer in the White House. I could potentially be there for a long time, through several presidents. That is stability in the relationship.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]

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Exclusive: I hope Koreans see me as a bridge with the United States, says Sen. Andy Kim

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