Wan J. Kim
Encyclopedia
Wan J. Kim is the former Assistant Attorney General
for the Civil Rights Division
of the United States Department of Justice
, a position in which he served from November 9, 2005 to August 31, 2007. Born in Seoul
, South Korea
, Kim is the first immigrant to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, and is the first Korean American
ever to become an Assistant Attorney General. On August 23, 2007 Kim announced that he was leaving the agency for the private sector.
, South Korea
to father Kim Hak-su and mother Yu Chun-ja. He emigrated to the United States
in 1973 at the age of 5, joining his parents who had moved there two years earlier. They moved to
Union, NJ
, where Kim attended Roselle Catholic High School
, from which he graduated from in 1986. Kim graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with departmental honors in Economics
from the Johns Hopkins University
. He then attended the University of Chicago
Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of the Law Review.
. He also worked on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee for former Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, and as a law clerk to Judge James L. Buckley
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Kim has spent most of his legal career at the Department of Justice, having entered through the Attorney General's Honors Program as a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division. While at the Department of Justice, Kim was a trial attorney in the Terrorism and Violent Crime Section of the Criminal Division, and then a Special Attorney to the Attorney General in the prosecution of Timothy McVeigh
and Terry Nichols
for the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
. After two years in private practice, Kim returned to the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he investigated and prosecuted a wide range of criminal matters. He joined the Civil Rights Division in August 2003. Immediately prior to his nomination, Kim served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division.
United States Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an Assistant Attorney General.The President of the United States appoints individuals to the position of Assistant Attorney General with the advice and consent of the Senate...
for the Civil Rights Division
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by...
of the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, a position in which he served from November 9, 2005 to August 31, 2007. Born in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Kim is the first immigrant to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, and is the first Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
ever to become an Assistant Attorney General. On August 23, 2007 Kim announced that he was leaving the agency for the private sector.
Early life
Kim was born in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
to father Kim Hak-su and mother Yu Chun-ja. He emigrated to the United States
Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...
in 1973 at the age of 5, joining his parents who had moved there two years earlier. They moved to
Union, NJ
Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Union is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms...
, where Kim attended Roselle Catholic High School
Roselle Catholic High School
Roselle Catholic High School is a coeducational, Roman Catholic high school, located in Roselle, in Union County, New Jersey. The school was established in 1959 and operates as part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark....
, from which he graduated from in 1986. Kim graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with departmental honors in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He then attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Law School, where he was an Associate Editor of the Law Review.
Career
Kim previously served as an enlisted soldier and a rifle platoon leader in the United States Army ReserveUnited States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. He also worked on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee for former Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, and as a law clerk to Judge James L. Buckley
James L. Buckley
James Lane Buckley is a retired judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and previously served as a United States Senator from the state of New York as a member of the Conservative Party of New York from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1977...
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Kim has spent most of his legal career at the Department of Justice, having entered through the Attorney General's Honors Program as a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division. While at the Department of Justice, Kim was a trial attorney in the Terrorism and Violent Crime Section of the Criminal Division, and then a Special Attorney to the Attorney General in the prosecution of Timothy McVeigh
Timothy McVeigh
Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995...
and Terry Nichols
Terry Nichols
Terry Lynn Nichols is a convicted bomber's accomplice. Prior to his incarceration, he held a variety of short-term jobs, working as a farmer, grain elevator manager, real estate salesman, ranch hand, and house husband. He met his future co-conspirator, Timothy McVeigh, during a brief stint in the...
for the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. After two years in private practice, Kim returned to the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he investigated and prosecuted a wide range of criminal matters. He joined the Civil Rights Division in August 2003. Immediately prior to his nomination, Kim served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division.