On July 28, Mr. Andrew Kim announced, to the group of 30 others who were gathered at the Korean Association building in Bogota, N.J., the founding of the 2010 Korean Census Preparation Committee of NY/NJ. The organization was set up with 18 areas for the 2010 Census, such as Korean branch companies, Korean foreign exchange students, education (including immigrants, college students), volunteers, etc.

The Committee has already named people to head up a number of these areas, including a bilingual Korean nurse, who is working at the government health center in Fort Lee, NJ, Ms. Ja-kyong Kim, a partnership specialist in the Federal Census Bureau, who is in charge of the field of education, and Mr. Myong-su Lee, the vice president of the NJ Korean Association, who is in charge of the Korean associations and Korean immigrants.

The Committee was formed in part because Korean immigrant groups lack a clear idea of how many Korean immigrants, exchange students, etc. are in the New York/New Jersey area.

Mr. Chong-ho Park, the director of the project, working at the Korean American Association of Fort Lee said, "According to the latest figures recently announced by the Korean government, the number of Korean compatriots in New Jersey and New York is over 300,000. However, the 2000 Census put the number at about 180,000 people." He added, "The Korean government system only captures those who leave Korea with New York or New Jersey as their intended destination, and who have not yet returned to Korea. Based on these calculations, second- and third-generation Koreans are not included in the figures. Therefore, we believe we have missed a significant number of Koreans in the area."

He further declared, "If we had had correct statistics in the past, we might not now be faced with such issues as overcrowding in schools, or inadequate facilities in schools and community centers. It's important that as many Koreans as possible be captured in the new census. Our task is therefore to maximize Korean participation in the 2010 census, especially among international students, single tenants, workers from Korean branch companies, undocumented residents, etc."

Mr. Andrew Kim, the Committee president, also said, "If Korean participation in the Census will increase, this could also be helpful in developing Korean political power, since Korean groups and communities in America can demonstrate their presence in American mainstream society. We have planned some events and have taken out some ads for this project, calling Koreans' attention to the census. Our fundraising campaign will kick off on Aug. 27th , at our recreation center. There will also be a golf outing."

The Committee's goal is to raise $160,000 for the project. Both the Korean Associations of New York and New Jersey have promoted this campaign on their websites, where individuals can also make contributions to support the Census project. A family that includes a picture of themselves with their donation can have the picture placed in a time capsule on the Association's homepage.