21st Korean American Day Commemoration – Seong Ok Baik Receives Community Service Award

Seong Ok Baik

Wealthy & Wise Family Office Communication Advisor

On January 13, the 21st Korean American Day celebration was held at the Rayburn House Office Building of the U.S. House of Representatives to commemorate the 123rd anniversary of Korean immigration to the United States and to highlight the contributions of Korean Americans to American society.

Rosa Park, President of the Washington Korean American Foundation, expressed her pleasure that many people joined in celebrating Korean American Day. She noted that holding the event at the U.S. Congress was especially meaningful, as it focused on honoring the legacy and footsteps of Korean immigrants over the past 123 years.

The event was attended by President Rosa Park of the Washington Korean American Foundation, along with Korean American members of Congress including Rep. Young Kim (R–California) and Rep. Dave Min (D–California), as well as Rep. James Walkinshaw (D–Virginia) and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D–Virginia), who added distinction to the occasion.

Rep. Young Kim, one of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Chair of the House Asia-Pacific Subcommittee, said it was an honor to celebrate this event with the Korean American community. She encouraged Korean Americans to continue contributing their individual efforts to strengthening the U.S.–Korea alliance.

Rep. James Walkinshaw (D–Virginia) expressed his joy at celebrating Korean American Day together and emphasized that the U.S.–Korea alliance is a strategic partnership based on shared interests and values. Rep. Walkinshaw presented a certificate of appreciation to President Jan Yoo of the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine in recognition of the institution’s support of the Washington Korean American Foundation.

Rep. Dave Min (D–California) highlighted the growth of the Korean American population in the United States, its increasing influence, and its cultural impact, while underscoring the importance of continued efforts to maintain a strong U.S.–Korea alliance.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D–Virginia) addressed the issue of separated families resulting from the Korean War and expressed his support for the “Divided Families Registry Act,” introduced by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine to assist separated families in the United States. Rep. Walkinshaw also voiced his support for the legislation.

Representing the U.S. government, President Donald Trump, and representing the Korean government, President Lee Jae-myung, sent congratulatory messages to celebrate Korean American Day. President Trump’s message was read by former Virginia State Delegate Mark Kim, while President Lee’s message was delivered by Washington Consul General Cho Ki-joong.

In his message, read by Consul General Cho, President Lee stated, “Korean Americans have elevated Korea’s global standing, and through their efforts, the U.S.–Korea alliance has become even stronger.”

Korean American Day was officially established in 2005 through resolutions passed by both the U.S. House and Senate. It is a day to celebrate the contributions of Korean Americans across fields such as business, academia, sports, and politics.

On this occasion, Seong Ok Baik, former President of the Korean Society of Maryland and an advisory board member of Wealth & Wise Family Office, received a Community Service Award.

Ms. Baik was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States in 1975 with her husband and two children.

Her first community service role began in 1978 as an office manager for the Korean Society of Maryland. Since then, she has dedicated 47 years to serving the Korean American community in the Greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. region.

In 1994, she founded the Korean Women’s Golf Association of Maryland and served three terms as its president. She also served as the 34th and 35th President of the Korean Society of Maryland, where she was responsible for organizing Korean cultural festivals. Attendance at these festivals grew to nearly 40,000 by 2019 during her tenure.

She contributed to the designation of a portion of Route 40 in Ellicott City as “Korean Way” and was recognized in 2020 by the Howard County Historical Society as one of the distinguished individuals honored during the “Year of the Howard County Women” for her contributions to the community.

Ms. Baik also served for 12 years as an advisor, committee member, and Senior Vice President of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council–Washington Chapter. From 2016 to 2023, she served as Co-Chair of the Maryland Korea–U.S. Sister State Committee.

She has received numerous honors and commendations for her service from former Maryland Governors Larry Hogan and Martin O’Malley, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, former Maryland State Senator Susan Lee, former Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman, and former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.

Wealth & Wise Family Office, where Ms. Baik serves as an advisory board member, is an investment advisory firm based in Columbia, Maryland. The firm works to help Korean Americans reshape misconceptions about investing and to plan for a stable retirement and estate succession.

(Reference: Korea Times, article by Chang-ryung Lee, January 14, 2026)