Dan Koh of Jeju Koh Clan Elected to US House, Becoming 7th Korean-American Federal Lawmaker

Democratic candidate Dan Koh, a Korean-American politician, has been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections.

His Korean name is Ko Won-young, making him the 7th Korean-American to ever serve in the federal legislature.

The Associated Press projected that Dan Koh secured victory by defeating the Republican candidate in Massachusetts' 6th congressional district.

Dan Koh, 41 years old, was born to a Korean father and a Lebanese mother, and uses his father's family name, the Jeju Koh clan.

His grandfather, Dr. Koh Kwang-lim, was a diplomat who served as a minister and acting ambassador at the South Korean Embassy in the U.S. in the 1960s.

His father, Howard Koh, served as Assistant Secretary for Health in the Obama administration, and his uncle, Harold Koh, served as the Legal Adviser of the Department of State under the Obama administration as well.

After graduating from Harvard University and Harvard Business School, Dan Koh served as chief of staff to the mayor of Boston and worked as a senior White House aide in the Biden administration.

After running for the federal House of Representatives in 2018 and losing in the Democratic primary, he succeeded in winning a seat in his second bid eight years later.

In this election, he put forward alleviating the cost of living and supporting the working and middle classes as his key pledges, while also emphasizing the need to check the Trump administration.

Dan Koh was also endorsed by former President Biden and former Vice President Harris.

Reported by Choi Jae-yeong | Video by Lee Eui-sun | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.