Just because it’s 2010, it doesn’t mean our top ten countdown ended for most influential Korean-Americans of 2009. Please excuse us for the past week’s hiatus as the whole staff was out west escaping the arctic weather, but we’re back and so is our countdown. Obama becoming the first minority President of the United States was not only symbolic but it also caused ripples across the political spectrum. Obama’s entry into the White House will undoubtedly stir up ambitions for Korean-Americans and minorities to pursue politics and that’s why we’ve chosen to group Eugene Kang and the Koh Brothers as the second most influential Korean-Americans of 2009. They are the face of the changing political spectrum for Koreans and though they may not actually be in elected positions, they are influential nonetheless, more than we may know. Eugene Kang is a special projects coordinator and direct assistant to President Obama and when you’re with the “prez” every day and have access to him, you’re going to be doing some influencing. How many of you have a direct line to Obama? Not many people out there do. Eugene also represents the influence of youth in an arena where gray hairs have ruled politics.

We’ve also grouped the Koh brothers, Harold and Howard, with Eugene and their influence.  They may be two of the most powerful brothers in America, this according to the Wall Street Journal.  Harold is the former dean of Yale Law School who is now the top lawyer at the state department which means he will be very influential in how the U.S. interprets international law. Harold’s brother Howard is currently the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health for the Department of Health and Human Services and advises the administration on healthcare policies and practices for the country, and we all know about the heated debates over healthcare reform. There are other Korean-Americans who should be named in this grouping, but these three are the faces of today’s politics and they are all in positions to influence policy and law. More importantly, they’re blazing a path for other Korean-Americans to consider a life in politics.