[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 79 (Friday, June 14, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO REVEREND SOLOMON YOUNG-MIN KIM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2002

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Reverend Solomon 
Young-Min Kim, a well-respected leader in both the Brooklyn and Queens 
communities.
  Rev. Kim was born in Pusan, Korea. He received a Bachelor of Science 
degree in Metallurgy from Korea University and has studied at the New 
York Theological Seminary, the Korea New Church Seminary, and the 
Swedenborg School of Religion.
  Rev. Kim is the pastor of The Mirral Church in the Bensonhurst 
section of Brooklyn. He has helped solve ethnic issues between the 
Korean businessmen and the Black community, by getting the Korean 
businessmen to employ more residents from the Black community. He has 
also fostered relationships between the Korean community and the 
Caribbean-American, Haitian, and Italian communities. Rev. Kim's work 
with Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, as well as with 
the Brookdale Hospital Schulman Institute Nursing Home, has allowed him 
to spend time visiting the sick and the shut-in. He has also worked 
with the New York City Department of Correction by providing spiritual 
guidance and hope for a renewed life after prison to the population. 
Additionally, Rev. Kim helped organize the Census 2000 effort in the 
Korean communities of Bensonhurst, Bayridge, Flatbush, East Flatbush, 
Flushing and Queens, as well as in New Jersey.
  Rev. Kim's activism is also evident in his attitude towards 
education. He formally supports an after-school program for Korean 
students in Bayridge and Bensonhurst who are having a tough time 
academically. But Rev. Kim's commitment to education extends to people 
of all ages. In addition to the Korean Youth Festival, he has 
established senior/youth intergenerational programs, aimed at 
initiating ongoing dialogue, rarticipation and education, as a team in 
the Korean community.
  Rev. Kim's efforts have earned him numerous accolades and awards, 
such as the Asian American Heritage Award from the Borough President of 
Brooklyn, the Distinguished Ecumenical Award from the Wesley McDonald 
Holder Regular Democratic Club Women's Caucus, and the Community 
Service Award from Assemblyman Clarence Norman Jr.
  In closing, I would like to personally thank Rev. Solomon Young-Min 
Kim for his steadfast devotion to Brooklyn's Korean community and I 
urge my colleagues to join me in honoring this truly dedicated 
spiritual leader.

                          ____________________