“We are more effective and impactful when we collaborate and work together as a community.”
— Dr. Abraham Kim, Executive Director
Who We Are
The Council of Korean Americans (CKA) is a national nonprofit organization. Our mission is to advance the national voice and influence of the Korean American community.
Our Values
Our Impact
CKA is building a national movement. In 2011, we began as an all-volunteer group of Korean American leaders in San Francisco, Washington DC, and Los Angeles who wanted to build a national organization to strengthen the voice, visibility, and influence of our community. Over the years, this core group grew into a network that expanded across the United States.
Today, CKA is a vibrant national membership community connecting and aligning Korean American executives and trailblazers in multiple sectors. Our members represent a wide range of industries — from law and finance, to medicine and academia, to the arts and media.
As a movement, CKA’s aim is to transform our community and the national culture around how Korean Americans are viewed. We are not outsiders and not just followers, but active contributors, shapers, and leaders in the United States.
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Million
Korean Americans live in the U.S., but our community's growth is not reflected in our representation.
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Members
Our members are influential leaders across a diverse variety of sectors and professions.
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People
CKA’s 2018 National Summit & Gala convened in Washington, DC, attracting over 630 people.
The following are a few examples of how CKA is spearheading conversations, educating leaders, and mobilizing members for action:
- CKA hosts over 15 affinity groups mobilizing Korean Americans in different sectors (e.g., health and life sciences, law, finance/business ) to discuss and address important issues impacting our community. The goal of our affinity groups is to create awareness of these issues, educate, and connect Korean American leaders and influencers for action. Many of our members are thought leaders who speak regularly at in-person events across the country and on webinar programs addressing important topics, such as: the model minority myth, U.S.-Korea relations, mental health in the Asian American community, and inter-community allyship.
- Our members have launched several initiatives to highlight the important contributions of Korean Americans in the Arts, Culture, Entertainment, and Sports (ACES).
- Our leaders are spearheading national conversations about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) as attention to race relations and anti-Asian American hate incidents increases.
- Our leaders are inspiring and developing the next generation of leaders and executives to ensure Korean Americans are represented at the highest ranks of society.
- Our community is engaging in groundbreaking partnerships with African American and Jewish American communities to promote inter-community dialogue and education.
- Our community is addressing the national data gap on the current state of the national Korean American community by commissioning research and conversations.
Our Story
Every Korean American family has its own unique immigration story, but we all share common threads. Some of us came to America as adults or as children, often with very little. Others were born in this country and grew up with immigrant parents who were new to American culture, and its language, norms, and systems.
Our families worked hard to make America our home. In many cases, we succeeded far beyond what we dared to imagine.
Today, we are business leaders, physicians, lawyers, academics, athletes, actors, artists, and musicians. Korean Americans, as Asian Americans, are part of the highest-income, best-educated, and fastest-growing racial group in the United States.
Yet despite these achievements, our visibility, voice, and influence lag far behind our collective potential. Korean Americans have lived in the United States for over a century, but only four have ever served in Congress. In the private sector, very few Korean Americans have served in C-suites or on the public boards of major corporations. There are not enough Korean American spokespeople in the national media. [Read our National Survey Report on the Korean American Community]
As a result, our voice is not being heard when critical decisions are made, despite their direct impact on our families and communities.
CKA is the leading independent, nonpartisan, national leadership organization for Korean Americans. We are dedicated to connecting, inspiring, and equipping multi-generational leaders for greater influence and impact. We also build coalitions across racial and ethnic groups so that Korean Americans can broaden our national impact and support/ally with other marginalized groups. As Korean Americans, we understand what it means to rise above challenges in the face of adversity.
Join us as we organize and lead our community toward a brighter future where our leaders are contributing in transformative ways and our voices are heard. [Learn about how to be a member]
Our Story
Every Korean American family has its own unique immigration story, but we all share common threads. Some of us came to America as adults or as children, often with very little. Others were born in this country and grew up with immigrant parents who were new to American culture, and its language, norms, and systems.
Our families worked hard to make America our home. In many cases, we succeeded far beyond what we dared to imagine.
Today, we are business leaders, physicians, lawyers, academics, athletes, actors, artists, and musicians. Korean Americans, as Asian Americans, are part of the highest-income, best-educated, and fastest-growing racial group in the United States.
Yet despite these achievements, our visibility, voice, and influence lag far behind our collective potential. Korean Americans have lived in the United States for over a century, but only four have ever served in Congress. In the private sector, very few Korean Americans have served in C-suites or on the public boards of major corporations. There are not enough Korean American spokespeople in the national media. [Read our National Survey Report on the Korean American Community]
As a result, our voice is not being heard when critical decisions are made, despite their direct impact on our families and communities.
CKA is the leading independent, nonpartisan, national leadership organization for Korean Americans. We are dedicated to connecting, inspiring, and equipping multi-generational leaders for greater influence and impact. We also build coalitions across racial and ethnic groups so that Korean Americans can broaden our national impact and support/ally with other marginalized groups. As Korean Americans, we understand what it means to rise above challenges in the face of adversity.
Join us as we organize and lead our community toward a brighter future where our leaders are contributing in transformative ways and our voices are heard. [Learn about how to be a member]
Our Leadership
CKA comprises a national board and an executive team, as well as a national network of members across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
CKA is a curated community of leaders and executives who share common values and visions for the Korean American and Asian American communities. These principles are important. If we are to change the culture and direction of the Korean American community, all members must believe that we can transform our world.
Thus, we adhere to a membership model and invite interested Korean Americans who would like to be part of this community to apply and engage in a review process.