Photo credit: Office for Government Policy Coordination, Prime Minister’s Secretariat |
On January 24, 2026, The Korea Society President and CEO Abraham Kim (second from right) attended a luncheon with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok of the Republic of Korea in downtown Manhattan, alongside a select group of Korean American leaders. Attendees included New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim, New York State Assemblywoman Grace Lee, Mayor Chong Paul Kim of Palisades Park, New Jersey, and Mayor Mark Park of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The private gathering took place during Prime Minister Kim’s historic U.S. visit—the first standalone visit by a South Korean premier in more than four decades—highlighting a renewed commitment to alliance stewardship and people-to-people diplomacy.
Prime Minister Kim emphasized that the current moment presents a pivotal opportunity to deepen U.S.–Korea cooperation across policy, economic, security, and cultural domains. He underscored the strategic importance of Korean American leadership in bridging the two societies and reaffirmed his commitment to sustained, high-level engagement to address bilateral issues in real time.
Dr. Abraham Kim participated as the only non-elected Korean American leader at the table, contributing actively both as a national Korean American civic leader and as the newly appointed President and CEO of The Korea Society. He highlighted the Society’s mission, cross-sector outreach, and longstanding role as a national platform connecting policymakers, business leaders, scholars, and civic actors engaged on Korea issues.
The luncheon reflected a shared belief that a stronger, more resilient U.S.–Korea alliance depends not only on government-to-government ties, but also on empowered community leadership and trusted networks sharing a common vision for a healthy bilateral alliance.