Ellen Park delivers a plaque of appreciation to Chairman Yoon Hong-geun of Genesis BBQ

"There are a lot of American consumers at H Mart and Korean restaurants, which are Korean marts, and there are many Korean brands in popular products during the Amazon sale period," said Ellen Park, a New Jersey assemblywoman in the U.S.

Ellen Park said in an interview with the Korea Economic Daily on Aug. 15 that American consumers’ interest in Korean products is increasing in the U.S. society.

Rep. Ellen Park (left) delivers a plaque of appreciation to Chairman Yoon Hong-geun of Genesis BBQ, on Aug. 12.
Rep. Ellen Park (left) delivers a plaque of appreciation to Chairman Yoon Hong-geun of Genesis BBQ, on Aug. 12.

She is a 1.5-generation immigrant who moved from Korea to Flushing, Queens in New York with her family when she was six years old. An incumbent lawyer, she graduated from Bronx Science High School and New York University, and from Hofstra Law School.

Park was elected to the New Jersey House of Representative in November last year for developing a political dream by participating in a gathering of neighbors who worked for the Democratic Party.

It is the second time a Korean lawmaker has been elected in New Jersey after Kevin O'Toole, who has a Korean mother, and the first Korean woman to be elected.

Rep. Park said, "Even if K-pop and K-food are well known in the U.S., Korea's influence is still insignificant politically," adding, "I started politics directly because there are not enough people to listen to Korean complaints in the U.S."

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