John Park, a member of the Brookhaven City Council, has made history as the first Asian American to be elected mayor in the state of Georgia, following a runoff in the city’s mayoral election.
Local media sources, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and representatives from the Korean American community, have reported on the results of the December 5 runoff election. John Park secured 58.6 percent of the votes, totaling 3,564, while his opponent Lauren Kiefer received 41.4 percent, which amounted to 2,520 votes.
Park’s victory marks him as Georgia’s first Asian American mayor and first Korean American mayor.
After graduating from Emory University with a degree in business administration, Park worked as a technology consultant at IBM and later at U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman. There, he worked on contracts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and served as a technology consultant for national disease surveillance.
Park has been a Brookhaven resident since 2007 and first joined the city council in 2014 when he was elected to Brookhaven’s District 2 seat in a by-election. He then served three consecutive terms over nine years leading up to 2023, making him the longest-serving member of the City Council.
Park played a leading role in the June 2017 unveiling of the Atlanta Young Girl Statue for Peace in Brookhaven City Park, which quickly became a symbol of unity among Korean Americans in times of need.
The election of Mayor John Park is a testament to the growing political power of the Korean American community in Southern America, following in the footsteps of the West and East, where Korean American political power is already relatively strong.
“I would like to thank all the people who supported me and helped me to win the election,” Park said at the podium. “We have a concrete and achievable vision for the city’s development,” he added, citing this as the primary reason for his victory.
Korean Americans have high hopes for Park. “It is an honor to have a Korean American mayor in the mainstream Atlanta community,” said Kook Ja Lee, chairman of The Korean-American School Of Atlanta. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact spread throughout Georgia’s political community.”
BY JUNHAN PARK [park.junhan@koreadaily.com]
