Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) speaks during the Korean War Veterans and Armistice Day Commemoration Reception at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., July 28, 2023. Yonhap

A Korean American congresswoman has been named to chair the subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific affairs under the House Foreign Affairs Committee during the 119th Congress that kicked off last week, the committee's chairman said Thursday.

Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), who led the subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific during the previous Congress, will lead the subcommittee, according to Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL).

"Young Kim is a fighter who works tirelessly to promote American leadership across the globe, especially by boosting our standing in Communist China's backyard," Mast said.

In her statement, Kim pledged to work with her colleagues across the political aisle to "ensure America leads in the region to promote human rights, support fellow freedom-loving countries, strengthen free trade with our allies, and hold our adversaries accountable."

"The East Asia and Pacific region is home not only to our greatest geopolitical competition but also to some of our strongest allies and partners," she said. "Simply put, America's future national security depends on U.S. foreign policy decisions in the region."

The subcommittee has jurisdiction over the East Asia and Pacific region covered by the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs as well as over the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department's under secretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment. (Yonhap)