Palisades Park makes history after new mayor chosen between two Korean American candidates

Rain or shine, Chong "Paul" Kim knocked on doors.

Over the past two months, the campaigning was a daily routine — talking to voters and businesses in Palisades Park about issues.

What Kim heard in the borough was concerning. Some Korean Americans were upset over the Democratic administration's handling of municipal finance. And Asian Americans were becoming more conservative with the spate of hate crimes since the pandemic began.

By Tuesday night, Kim declared victory in the historic race, where, for the first time in the United States, two Korean Americans representing major political parties faced each other in a mayoral general election. The unofficial result at the end of a long day was 53% for Kim and 46% for Stephanie Jang, enough of a margin for Kim to secure victory.

"This is an accomplishment for Korean Americans," said Kim, 48. "We are very proud for Korean Americans in this race. It's monumental."

The borough of 21,000 is home to one of the largest Korean American populations in the country. More than 60% of people here identify as Asian. Known as Koreatown, the commercial strip features Korean restaurants, karaoke houses and K-pop fashion boutiques.

But at the eleventh hour on Election Day outside Lindbergh Elementary School, Kim just wasn't sure, even though in Palisades Park enrolled Democrats outnumber Republicans by 3-to-1.

"I don't know about this red wave," Kim said Tuesday morning.

Kim had defeated incumbent Mayor Chris Chung in a contentious Democratic primary in June. He then went on to a ferocious battle with Jang, who serves on the Borough Council with Kim.

Affirmative action causes a stir:This is why Asian Americans are anxious about checking boxes in college admissions | Chao

Investigation:Promise of a job, duped into the sex trade. How Asian women fall into trap of trafficking

The Democrats claimed that Jang in her campaign literature and interviews was against non-Koreans, blaming Democratic Italians, who have traditionally been in charge of the borough, for its troubles.

Jang also was charged by the state with vote fraud. The lawsuit says she personally helped Korean voters to cast ballots for her. Councilman Jae Park, who announced he was switching parties at the Bergen County Republican Organization D.O.E.R. (Deliver One Extra Republican) annual event on Oct. 20, said he believed the Democratic Party was behind filing the charges and a "frivolous investigation" against Jang.

The Republicans say Democrats put Jang in a dangerous situation with campaign flyers that listed her home address, especially after the recent attack at the home of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

On Wednesday morning, Jang said she was still waiting for certification of the election results.

"I sincerely thank God for all his help that protected and empowered my campaign team and supporters," she said. "I know they played with multiple untruthful accusations and negative tactics, but I never regret anything for my positive campaign."

Kim said neither Jung or Chung is speaking to him, but he is extending the olive branch for the good of Palisades Park.

"In a small community, feelings get hurt," Kim said.

Fighting in the family

With assimilation come growing pains. Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in New Jersey, and they are now part of American democracy as they run for local elections. Palisades Park residents, who have immigrants as extended family, witnessed this intense battle.

Kim is an immigrant who arrived as a teen and attended Tenafly High School. He was ostracized there, he said, and faced racial prejudice. Kim would go on to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to study psychology and got a graduate degree from New York University in bioscience. He then worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Yet, he felt a void. In 1993, Kim moved to Palisades Park. He immediately knew he found his place.

"I missed Korea so much," he said. "And I see Palisades Park and it feels like home."

He would go on to work as the director of the Palisades Park Senior Activity Center, an investor and a property manager. Kim got involved in local politics and married Bora Seo, who is an attorney, integrating to his Korean American life in the borough.

Palisades Park resident Yong Jin Ahn, 81, said Kim has been very active in Korean circles, helping many people.

“He’s a good man," Ahn said. "He treats everyone kindly."

Kim pledged to clean up the borough, pointing to a state comptroller's report last year noting that Palisades Park wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars by ignoring laws that restrict sick-time payouts, approving contracts that allowed borough officials to pad six-figure salaries and disregarding rules to protect public funds.

Kim believes that was the reason for the close call in the mayoral election, as 50% of the registered voters are Democratic while 12% are Republican. Residents are upset about the issues, Kim said.

Kim's Democratic running mates, Jason Kim and Michael Vietri, also claimed victory Tuesday night for Borough Council seats. Kim is optimistic that his team will make this Koreatown in America a comfortable place for immigrants to call home.

"Our win is the people of Palisades Park giving us one last chance to reform and do better," the mayor-elect said. "And we will."

Mary Chao covers Asian American issues and real estate. Email mchao@northjersey.com.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Palisades Park will get second Korean American mayor