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LA deputy mayor asks Koreans to ‘integrate’

Korean-Americans should compete in mainstream society and achieve their dreams for the good of the Korean community, said Maurice Suh, the deputy mayor for security of Los Angeles city, at a symposium for Korean studies. The symposium, held on Dec. 2 at the University of Southern California, commemorated the 125th anniversary of the university and the 120th anniversary of the founding of Yonsei University in Seoul.
After the symposium, titled “The Korean Community in the United States: 100 years of Engagement,” Mr. Suh said the achievements by the Korean community cannot be ignored and the next generation Korean-Americans would continue to build on these achievements.
Mr. Suh said his father wanted him to become a “complete American” and never taught him to speak Korean. He also told him to live in harmony with other ethnic groups, one reason why Mr. Suh jokingly said he married a German-American woman.
Los Angeles’s Korean community was excited by Mr. Suh’s appointed to his position in August. Speaking of Mr. Suh’s rise, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa said Mr. Suh’s achievements as a federal prosecutor entitled him to the position.
Mr. Suh was born in Hawaii and graduated from Columbia law school. In 1991, he began working for Federal Prosecutors’ Office, where he distinguished himself in a series of suits against the Ku Klux Klan. He was appointed deputy attorney general of Los Angeles in 1999.

by Oh Jong-soo