FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 14, 2008
Contacts:
Eun Sook Lee, Executive Director, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), 323-937-3703, Language:English
Jeong Yeon Hong, Community Education and Administrative Coordinator, NAKASEC, 323-937-3703, Language: Korean
KOREAN AMERICANS PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST CAUCUS OF THE WEST
(Las Vegas, Nevada) The National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and the Korean Resource Center (KRC) of Los Angeles will be sending community members to participate in the Las Vegas Presidential Debate to be held on January 15, 2008 in order to highlight issues important to the Korean American community.
The presidential debate is organized by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and IMPACTO, 100 Black Men of America, and the College of Southern Nevada. Nevada is the second state in the nation to hold a presidential caucus and the first in the West to host an early window nominating contest.
The participation of Korean Americans in the Nevada debate is a buildup to the momentum created when NAKASEC and its affiliate organizations mobilized a delegation of 55 Asian Pacific Islander community members and volunteers to the Heartland Presidential Candidate Forum in Iowa on December 1, 2007. Participants traveled from across the country to ensure that issues affecting the Asian American community were addressed by the presidential candidates.
Nevada was chosen as an early state in part because 40 percent of its population is minority, primarily Hispanic and African-American. Issues affecting these communities such as economic development, education, health care, and the war in Iraq will be emphasized during the debate.
The debate will be telecast live by MSNBC and held at the Cashman Center on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm Pacific Standard Time.
