WHEREAS, Korean Senior Day is celebrated in South Korea, the land of its origin, to honor and celebrate senior citizens within the Korean community; and

WHEREAS, Korean American Senior Day shows appreciation for elderly individuals and their contributions to society, and serves as a reminder of the importance of filial piety and respect for elders in Korean culture ensuring that elders feel valued, included, and appreciated; and

WHEREAS, On Korean American Senior Day families express gratitude to parents and grandparents through gifts, meals, and spending quality time together; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, the Hanul Family Alliance, based in Chicago, began its annual celebration of Korean American Senior Day and this is the first state resolution introduced in the United States regarding Korean American Senior Day; and

WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, Korean Americans represent over 1,500,000 residents in the United States, the largest Korean diaspora outside of Korea, and, 17.4 percent of the Korean American population in the United States are seniors, defined as individuals who are 65 years of age or older; and

WHEREAS, The Korean population of California was 343,742 persons in 2000 and 441,438 persons in 2010. The Korean population of today represents an increase of 97,696 persons (7.6 percent) from 2010 to 2020, and an increase of 133,736 persons (28 percent) from 2000 to 2020; totaling 477,478 persons living in California. The Korean community in California is the largest diaspora in the United States and 14.9 percent of the Korean population in California are seniors; and

WHEREAS, Older adults are the fastest growing population in California, where thousands of Californians turn 65 years of age each day, and the number of Californians older than 60 years of age is due to increase from 7,600,000 individuals, to 10,800,000 individuals, by the year 2050; and

WHEREAS, People of color will make up over one-half of California’s senior population by the year 2035, with the Latinx and Asian-Pacific Islander community making up the fastest growing racial and ethnic older adult population; and

WHEREAS, The Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Clara, San Diego, Alameda, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Riverside, Contra Costa, and San Mateo have the highest density Korean American populations in California and there are several Koreatowns across California within these counties and more; and

WHEREAS, Korean American seniors, 65 years of age and older, have worked diligently in their respective career fields as entrepreneurs, business owners, lawyers, and film editors, among many other things, and paved the way for future Korean contributions to the United States; and

WHEREAS, Korean Americans continue to contribute to our economy, culture, and society through the fields of health, science, technology, sports, entertainment, and more. Examples include the creation of the Robotics and Mechanism Laboratory (RoMeLa) and all its works, the lymphoma vaccine, the invention of multitouch sensing on devices, the design of famous sports cars, advancements of NASA and the international space station, the development of the 32-bit microprocessing computer chip, and influences on Western media; and

WHEREAS, Korean American Senior Centers across California, which provide social services, education programs, financial assistance programs, language assistance programs, job and career programs, transportation operations for seniors, and more, include the East Bay Korean American Senior Center, the Wilshire Adult Day Health Care Center, the Koreatown Senior and Community Center in the City of Los Angeles, the San Diego Korean American Senior Center, and the Korean American Seniors Association of Orange County; now, therefore, be it