It is my great honor and pleasure to introduce “KASoline.net” (Korean American Studies Online Net).

It is an electronic library that provides not only information on Korean history and culture, but also various materials that can be helpful to spread education about Korean American Studies. Anyone who is interested can easily access and obtain useful resources.

As you know, multi-ethnicity and multi-culturalism are among California’s greatest strengths and 2021 saw several significant changes to further promote diversity. In October, California became the first state in the United States to require public high school students to take at least one semester of ethnic studies courses to graduate. Additionally, in March, the California State Board of Education approved the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, which includes seven topics on Korean American history. This achievement was made possible by the tireless efforts of the Korean American community, with educators writing lesson plans, community leaders promoting an online petition, the public sending letters to policymakers to advocate for ethnic studies, and everyone working to increase awareness of the campaign.

Discrimination against Asian Americans dates back to the nineteenth century but the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans. To fundamentally resolve racial conflict and eliminate hate crimes, we need to listen to the stories of marginalized people and increase our mutual understanding. By learning about the rich histories and cultures of different ethnicities, students will value diversity and become inclusive global citizens.

The Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles will continue to support developing additional lesson plans and supplementary learning materials. I hope that these resources will be helpful to educators in teaching Korean and Korean American Studies more actively and effectively in their schools.

Respectfully,

Youngwan Kim
Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles

Consulate General of
the Republic of Korea in L,A,