Ryan Kim Korea Experts Join Obama, McCain Camps Obama and U.S.-ROK Relations, by L. Gordon Flake Koreans Swept Up in U.S. Election Fever Obama, McCain Push for Support in Final Hours of U.S. Presidential Campaign Koreans Glued to U.S. History-Making Election

Ryan Kim (32) arrived in Seoul on Monday at the invitation of the Overseas Koreans Foundation to attend the Future Leaders' Conference.

A Korean American, he has been working as a volunteer for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign camp since spring last year, doing all kinds of odd jobs, including opinion surveys on weekday evenings and weekends, home visits, telephone surveys, volunteer training, and writing subtitles in Korean.

He took leave from his job during the New Hampshire primary in January, where Obama engaged in a fierce battle with Senator Hillary Clinton. For five days, Kim canvassed house to house to ask for support to Obama.

With the approach of Election Day on Nov. 4, Kim will quit his job at a Japanese bank in Manhattan next month to work for the candidate around the clock.

Born in Seoul, Kim went to the U.S. when he was a high school senior. There, he finished an undergraduate course at UC Berkeley and a graduate program at New York University.

Why is Kim fascinated with Obama? "The entire world as well as the U.S. is watching a change in the U.S. to the new politics of Obama, who is calling for unity and reconciliation and shaking hands even with his enemies,” he says. "Obama's victory will provide a new opportunity also for the Korean-Americans to expand their influence."

Currently, Kim is focusing on organizing Korean and Asian volunteer groups in New York State, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He has met Obama about three times during the Democratic campaign.

At a fund raising event in Manhattan on July 9, he was deeply impressed by Obama when the candidate greeted him in Korean, saying, "Anyeong Haseyo (How are you)?"

Kim says Obama “shook hands with each of us. He greeted me in Korean that way, as soon as he heard that my family name is Kim. It was a real surprise to me."

Kim also recalled that Obama's hands were thinner than he had thought, but that he saw the confidence in the candidate that befits the front-runner.

“The U.S. is changing, but Asians in the U.S. live a very quiet life. If Obama, who has an excellent understanding of Asian values because he once lived there himself, becomes president, I'm certain that the Asians in the U.S. will see their status further improved."

(englishnews@chosun.com )