Rep. Young Kim is no longer the kid on Capitol Hill, though she says at times she still has to pinch herself that she’s a member of Congress.

“When I left Korea, I didn't speak a word of English,” Kim recalled during a recent interview with Spectrum News in her Capitol Hill office. “I was lucky to be out of my comfort zone and say hello to strangers.”

Kim, the youngest of 7 children, was born and raised in Incheon, South Korea, where she lived until she finished elementary school. Her family then moved to Guam, a U.S. territory, before ending up in Hawaii, and, eventually, California.

Kim’s sister, who was serving in the U.S. Army at the time, was already in Guam with her husband. Young Kim arrived six months before her parents, and quickly started learning the language with the help of her brother-in-law.

“I was very timid, I was very scared to go to school. Honestly, I didn't know what I was reading and that type of thing. So it was very difficult in the beginning,” Kim admitted. “But imagine this young girl who was probably 12 years old at the time, my parents came six months later, they didn't speak a word of English.”

She recalled having to translate for her parents at the grocery store and at the Department of Motor Vehicles to get their driver’s licenses.

“Once I started speaking, the level of confidence just came and it's just from that point on, this young girl just couldn't stop talking,” said Kim with a smile. “I don't know if that's the reason why I'm now in politics.”

Kim’s career in politics began long before she was elected to Congress; she worked for former California Rep. Ed Royce for two decades, serving as his Director of Community Relations and Asian Affairs.

In 2014, Kim became the first Korean American elected to the California State Assembly. She made history again in 2020 when she was elected to congress alongside fellow Orange County Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., and Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., as the first Korean American women to serve in the chamber.

All told, there are four Korean American members serving together, with Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., rounding out the quartet.

“On the political spectrum, we could have differences, but the four of us serve together on many of the issues that are not controversial, where the partisanship doesn't dictate who we are,” Kim, a Republican, said. “We are able to add our voices together and represent the Asian American community together. I think it's really a more positive, more advantages for the Asian American community who are looking for more voices and more leadership that will represent the community that look like us.”

Kim’s current district, which encompasses Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties, has a population that is one-third Asian, one-third Hispanic, and one-third caucasian. Her previous district, which has since had its representation split among Kim, Steel and Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., is also heavily populated with Asian American communities. Kim says the pair’s voice on issues in these communities is essential, and made sweeter by the personal bond the two share.  

“I always call her ‘eonni’, that means in Korean big sister, because she's literally a few years older than me. But we've been friends for almost more than three and a half decades, we've raised our family together,” said Kim. “Now that we've come to Washington to serve together, it's a force multiplier. It's not just me alone. It's the two of us serving our Southern California constituents.”

Kim and Steel both played important roles in the recent address to Congress by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Last month, Steel told Spectrum News how she pushed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to invite Yoon to speak, and Kim hand-delivered the invitation when she visited South Korea in early April.

“I was really honored to be able to play that role,” said Kim. “Who would have thought that young girl from South Korea would be responsible or, you know, play a role in bringing the President of South Korea and have him address the joint sessions of Congress?” 

Kim puts her wealth of knowledge in foreign affairs to use as the chair of the subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, a committee that helps to shape not just foreign policy but “shape the future of the United States and our standing in the world,” she said.

The sophomore lawmaker also serves as a co-chair of the maternity care caucus. Last year, Kim co-sponsored the TRIUMPH for New Moms Act, a bill that created the first ever national task force to address maternal mental health disorders. It was passed at the end of the 2022 term.

“I've gone through the childbirth experience myself, and now I see the struggles of my daughters. It took them several years before they were able to conceive and try to raise their family. I know what kind of toll – emotional toll, psychological toll – it will have on them,” said Kim.

“It's not just the simple health care issue. Women, especially after having babies, they go through a different type of mental and health care concerns. We need to come together and provide each other some emotional support as well.”

Kim represents a swing district, and frequently reaches across the aisle to get things done. Last year, she was ranked the most bipartisan freshman lawmaker, and in the top 10 among all House Republicans.

And she’s not afraid to buck her own party when necessary; while she voted against impeaching former President Donald Trump in 2021, she did criticize the former commander-in-chief the year six months before, when he called the coronavirus “the kung flu.”

Earlier this year, she called out fellow Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, after he questioned the loyalty of Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., who is of Chinese American descent. Gooden said during a Fox News interview in February the California democrat should not receive classified briefings after she supported a Biden administration nominee alleged by conservative media of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

“As leaders, we have an obligation to stand up and speak out for the community that we represent. And it's not just an expectation, but I feel a moral obligation to do that,” said Kim. “I'm going to continue to speak out, and the conversation that I have with my colleagues, sometimes it's very important to have it in open spaces. But oftentimes, it is probably better to do it in private. And I'll keep it that way.”

But for Kim, she says it’s fighting for her constituents that keeps her going.

“I think that my record shows that I really meant it. I'm here to do the right thing for my constituents, which at the end of the day will be helpful in shaping America,” she said.

“There are a lot of challenges that America faces, but I think we can overcome it if there are enough of us trying to do the right thing for the right reason.”

As Kim looks forward to the future, she’s hoping other immigrant girls and boys can see there is a place for them at the table. 

“Reflecting back on my young childhood, it gives me an awesome feeling that, oh my god, I can't believe this young girl from that little tiny place called the Incheon where it's famous for General MacArthur, to which I am forever grateful for liberating and giving the freedom to my motherland,” said Kim. “And then growing up on those islands, which is very important strategic military bases like in Guam, and in Hawaii, to have a voice in Congress.”

“Keep that dream high, you can live that American dream like I am doing.”

Note: This story has been updated to clarify details about Rep. Kim's former district and constituents.