Senator-elect Andy Kim (D-NJ) poses at a hotel in his constituency with his family after winning a Senate seat, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on Nov. 5 (US time). Yonhap

Andy Kim, a 42-year-old Democrat and son of immigrants, won a decisive victory in the race for New Jersey's U.S. Senate seat. This election win took place on Nov. 7, alongside the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Kim will make history as the first Korean American senator and the third-youngest member of the Senate.

The Democrat senator-elect from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, said of his political win that "politics isn't an exclusive club, just for the well-off and the well-connected." He was born in Boston in 1982 to a father who was a medical researcher and a mother who was a nurse, both from Korea.

Unlike the 435-member House of Representatives, the Senate is made up of 100 members and holds greater influence over foreign policy and security matters. Kim has an extensive foreign policy portfolio, having worked in the State Department, the Department of Defense and the White House Security Council from 2013 to 2015, during Barack Obama's administration. He graduated from the University of Chicago and earned his Ph.D. in international relations at Oxford University.

Many are comparing Kim's Senate win to the historic moments when the first Latino senator was elected in 1960s.

While first-generation Korean Americans primarily focused on achieving success in business and took an interest in the turbulent political landscape of Korea, their children including second-generation individuals like Kim are well-positioned to elevate the current bilateral relationship between Korea and the United States to new heights.

In an interview in September with Yonhap News Agency, Kim expressed his desire to serve as a bridge between the United States and Korea, calling it a "win-win" situation. While Kim is accountable to his U.S. constituents, his family background, life and career experiences uniquely position him to adopt a more innovative approach when dealing with Korea-U.S. issues.

Another Korean American to hit a milestone herself is incumbent Rep. Young Kim, who serves California's 40th Congressional District. She won a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Having emigrated to the United States from Incheon, she graduated from the University of Southern California and entered U.S. politics as an aide to former Congressman Ed Royce. She successfully ran for Congress in 2020. Before politics, she ran an apparel business. Young Kim is also the mother of four children.

Marilyn Strickland won a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Washington State's 10th Congressional District. Born Sun-ja in Korea in 1962 to a Korean mother and a U.S. serviceman father, Strickland is of Korean and African American descent. She previously served as the mayor of Tacoma, Washington.

Dave Min, a Democrat, won the California's 47th Congressional District.

Michelle Park Steel is currently running in a tight race in the district of Orange County in California.

The emergence of first and second-generation Korean American lawmakers highlights how a community — and society as a whole — can benefit from greater diversity.

There are approximately 2 million Korean Americans living in the United States, and many are finding that having someone from their community in office provides a significant morale boost. While these newly elected senators and the House lawmaker will primarily serve their constituents, their presence is also important in the context of Trump's second term. As uncertainty and turbulence are expected to define his administration, Korean policymakers will have an opportunity to better understand the overall sentiment and policy direction of the incoming administration. A recent column by James Jarsadiz on the Los Angeles Times noted that the Asian Americans--to which the Korean American voters are part of -- has shifted to the right in the recent 2024 U.S. presidential election and they are less inclined to the liberal views as before.

On a more immediate level, it serves as another testament to how far Korea has come, and simultaneously, how much some Korean diaspora communities have grown. Koreans here on the peninsula should also ponder on how it engages with a far mature Korean ethnic communities overseas.

There will also be important insights for Korea, as it evolves into a more diverse society, to consider when shaping its future policies.

The writer is a member of the editorial board.