The race is on for the first Korean council member in New York City. Four candidates in three districts are vying to be the first Korean elected to a seat on the City Council. Jin-hae Kim is running in Manhattan's District 1, Seung-jin Chong and Tae-sok Kim are running in Flushing's 20th District, and Kevin Kim is running in Bayside, District 19th. As of midnight, all of the candidates are officially registered and have filled their endorsement requirements. Now, candidates are busy campaigning.

The Korean community has been outspoken in their concern that a Korean be elected to the City Council and are calling for Asian voters to come together in support of the Korean candidates. This article is the first in a series intended to give Korean and other Asian voters an understanding of the campaigns; this one focuses on the situation in District 19, where Kevin Kim is seeking office.

First, Kevin Kim is the only Asian among the seven candidates running for the District seat. Along with Kim, the Democratic candidates are: Steven Behar; Paul Vallone; Jerry Iannece; Debra Markell; Thomas Cooke; and Joseph Gravagna. Daniel Halloran is the Republican candidate. Since Kim is the only Asian, a united Asian vote could put him ahead of the other candidates and secure him the election.

Tony Avella, the current representative to the City Council from District 19 – who is running for mayor – won his seat with 3,500 votes. While there were only 2,000 registered Korean Democrats in 2008, there was a slightly higher number of registered Chinese Democrats. If both the Korean and Chinese rally behind the first Asian Democratic candidate, he would receive more votes than Avella did, and presumably, win the election. In fact, to declare his candidacy, Kim submitted over 5,000 signatures – more than the number of combined Asian Democrats in the District – a sign that he is garnering support from other racial or ethnic groups.

Kim's competition – Democrats Steven Behar, Paul Vallone and Jerry Iannece, all lawyers – are thought to be splitting the mainstream vote. There is also some confusion in the District as to which candidate has party endorsement. The Queens Democratic Party publicly endorsed Jerry Iannece as its candidate, but Councilman Avella endorsed Steven Behar as his replacement. The vote is further divided by another powerful candidate –Paul Vallone – the son of Peter Vallone, once chairman of New York City Council Committee, and the brother of Peter Vallone Jr., Councilman in District 22. This certainly benefits the Korean candidate.

If everything goes smoothly for Kim, he will still be faced with the crucial issue of funding. He currently finds himself somewhere in the middle of the pack, with about $30,205 as of May. In contrast, Paul Vallone raised over $95,000 for his campaign.

Candidates are trying to raise as much as possible in this tight race; therefore, the New York Korean community has the huge task ahead of raising funds and garnering votes for the Korean candidates.

"My competitors have strong political experience and background. I think that the issue of fundraising will be key in this election," said Kevin Kim. He added, "I also hope that anyone not yet registered will quickly do so before the August 21 deadline."