The City of Federal Way welcomes Jee Kim as its new part-time Korean community liaison.

The third person to hold the longtime position, Kim began work on Jan. 19.

He is charged with breaking down barriers for Federal Way’s sizable Korean population and helping them connect better with government and the community at large.

Kim provides Korean translation services, guides residents through City procedures and helps them gain better access to City services, materials and resources.

He also maintains a Web page for the Korean community at www.cityoffederalway.com/korean.

In addition, he assists with City-led quarterly meetings for the Korean community and organizes other Korean-related events.

Over the next several months, Kim plans to meet with Korean community and business leaders and other groups in Federal Way to establish a “Korean collaborative network” to address the community’s needs.

Kim was born in Korea but moved to the United States when he was 11. He graduated from Federal Way High School in 1994, and from the University of Washington with a degree in Asian media studies in 2002.

He is a Washington state-certified Korean language translator. Most recently, Kim worked for his brother’s company, VMN Inc. From 2004
to 2008 he worked for World Vision as a marketing project administrator. He lives in Fife.

“Federal Way is home to me and I have a background in ethnic marketing, so being the Korean liaison is a great opportunity to do
something I love,” Kim said.

“To build bridges between Federal Way and the Korean community, I think you need to know more than the language — you have to know both cultures to truly understand where the gaps are coming from. That’s the value I bring to the job, and I’m excited to put my experience into action.”

Kim’s core hours are weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., although he is available other hours as needed. Contact him at 253.835.2605 (Korean), 253.835.2655 (English) or jee.kim@cityoffederalway.com.