By Irfan Shariff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion welcomed guests at the launch event for the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Korean Prosecutors Association (KPA) on Sept. 26.
KPA is a global nonprofit with membership of nearly 100 prosecutors of Korean descent. This is the seventh chapter of the KPA to open since the organization began in 2010.
Manion is the first woman and person of color to be elected to the county office, and the first Korean American elected as prosecuting attorney in the United States. She joined KPA in 2014.
“Our region now has a place in this global network,” Manion said of the chapter launch.
Manion believes in the importance of having mentors that look like you “that help you through the cultural waters, to navigate and swim in it.”
According to its mission statement, the KPA was “formed for the purpose of networking, education, mentoring, and serving the community by providing information and education on matters concerning the public and public safety.”
Elaine Lee is a senior deputy prosecutor in Manion’s office and serves as the board director of the newest KPA chapter, which is nearly 15 members strong.
“KPA has done a number of public outreaches regarding public safety … ranging from subject matters that include hate crimes, elder abuse (physical and financial), domestic violence, counterfeit currency, fraud, [and more],” said Elaine Lee. “Now, the Pacific Northwest area will benefit from these types of public outreach.”
KPA also hosts an international criminal law conference, the most recent of which was held this past June in Los Angeles. The conference has often been held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and jointly hosted with help from its government.
“I’ve had the ability to share information and concerns with fellow prosecutors, first through my experience at the international criminal law conference,” said Elaine Lee. “Through these informative conferences, I’ve been able to better understand the issues related to the Korean American and minority communities.”
Manion was born in Seoul, but came to the U.S. as an infant and raised in the rural South. “KPA gave me a sense of identity and introduced me to my culture.”
“We’re tasked with the burden and blessing of being the voice for our community,” said Irene Lee, who serves as interim president for KPA. “Being the voice for the unheard is the goal of public service.”
Irene Lee grew up in the Los Angeles area and remembers the 1992 Los Angeles riots where many Korean American businesses were looted and destroyed due to racial tensions and gang violence.
She said there were only “two Korean American of 800 prosecuting attorneys” at that time in L.A. There was “not representation among prosecutors.”
This is when the idea for KPA began kindling. Over the years, KPA has opened chapters in New York and New Jersey, Canada, and Australia and New Zealand, with members in even more states and countries.
In 2008, the South Korean judiciary switched to a limited jury system and recruited several prosecutors from KPA to help learn more about their respective judicial systems. KPA has also sent members to the Republic of Korea through exchange programs.
Eun-ji Seo, the consul general of the Republic of Korea remarked at the event that “she is so proud of you,” referring to Korean Americans who are “upholding law and justice in the United States.”
To learn more, visit: https://www.koreanpa.org.