PHOTO RELEASE: In Celebration of Korean American Day, Gottheimer Visits Korean-Owned North Jersey Small Business 

Above: Gottheimer visits The Hanbok 더한복 ahead of Korean American Day.

NORTH JERSEY — In celebration of Korean American Day,  U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer joined with the Korean American Association of Fort Lee, members of the community, and local officials to visit local small business, The Hanbok 더한복, in Fort Lee.

This year’s Korean American Day — January 13, 2026 — marks the 123rd anniversary of the first Korean immigrants arriving in the United States on January 13, 1903. 

New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District is home to 49,500 Korean Americans. New Jersey has more than 104,000 residents of Korean ancestry, the third-largest population in the United States.

Gottheimer was joined by Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, Fort Lee Councilman Paul Yoon, Korean American Association of Fort Lee President EJ Hong, and members of the community.

“Korean American small businesses play a critical role in driving economic growth and opportunity in New Jersey and across the country. From Main Street storefronts to family-owned shops, these entrepreneurs create jobs, strengthen neighborhoods, and help our communities thrive,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), an Associate Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “In Congress, I’m fighting to cut red tape, expand access to capital, and ensure minority-owned small businesses get the support they deserve so they can grow and succeed.” 

Gottheimer’s work to support the Korean-American community includes:

• Gottheimer helped pass and sign into law the bipartisan Korean American VALOR Act, which ensures that thousands of South Korean immigrants who served in the armed forces of the Republic of Korea alongside Americans during the Vietnam War and have since become naturalized U.S. citizens are eligible for healthcare services through the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

• Gottheimer helped pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and the NO HATE Act into law to promote better hate crimes data collection and fund local crime-reduction programs to prevent and respond to hate crimes.

• Gottheimer introduced an amendment to House Republicans’ reconciliation package that would fully restore the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction. Since 2017, Gottheimer has helped pass four bills out of the House to restore SALT and deliver tax relief for Jersey families. Earlier this year, Gottheimer reintroduced the Securing Access to Lower Taxes by Ensuring (SALT) Deductibility Act, bipartisan legislation to fully restore the SALT deduction.

• Gottheimer helped introduce and pass the Improving Access to Small Business Information Act, which cuts outdated red tape and ensures that the federal government can better understand how to support small business owners from all backgrounds. 

• Gottheimer has fought to pass a bipartisan resolution he helped introduce to celebrate Korean American Day.

Below: Gottheimer visits a local Korean-owned small business in Fort Lee.

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