Newburgh resident running for Orange County Court Judge

By Lina Wu
Posted 1/15/20

Hyun Chin Kim has always been an inquisitive person. “I think everybody loved to say when I was younger that I was very opinionated and liked to argue.” Eventually she developed an …

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Newburgh resident running for Orange County Court Judge

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Hyun Chin Kim has always been an inquisitive person. “I think everybody loved to say when I was younger that I was very opinionated and liked to argue.” Eventually she developed an interest in law. That interest became a full-time career spanning over 25 years. At 49 years old, Kim is the court attorney for Orange County Court Judge William DeProspo.

On December 12, 2019, Kim had a kickoff party to declare her running for the role of Orange County Court Judge. She is grateful to her campaign team and her supporters. For her, the hardest parts of running are the logistics and putting herself out there.

“When I first thought about running,” said Kim, “I thought to myself how is this community going to embrace an Asian American female running for office? I knew many people would be supportive. But I also thought to myself, will there be some pushback because of who I am?”

If her campaign succeeds, she will become the first Asian American female Orange County Court Judge. As a Korean American immigrant, Kim’s possible victory will be a victory for an increasingly diverse world. Her victory will be a representation of the needs and interests of different identities represented in Orange County.

Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. “We came here [Philadelphia] when I was 3 years old. We actually came here on October 31 of 1973, Halloween,” laughed Kim. “I still laugh at the story my mother told me, just her memories of the date. Can you imagine coming to a completely different country, when you don’t speak the language and you see people walking around in costume. It was quite the revelation.”

In the 1990’s Kim’s career found her in the Bronx DA’s office, where she fell in love with her colleague and now husband, Paul Ernenwein.

“He was a fourth generation Orange County Resident,” said Kim. “When we met; we fell in love, we got married, and then we wanted to start a family.” The couple found themselves moving back to Newburgh to start their life together.

“I knew from the very beginning he wanted to come back to Orange County. He always knew he was going to come back to this community,” said Kim. “When we decided to start a family, we wanted to come back to this community.”

Throughout the years, Kim and her family have been active in the Newburgh community. Their presence and work have helped accelerate Newburgh’s renaissance and improve Orange County as a whole.

“The community deserves a qualified judge,” said Kim “I know that I am qualified but they also deserve somebody who’s invested in the community, who can not only do a good job but wants to do a good job and wants to work hard. Part of the reason we moved back here was because we wanted to get involved and give back to the community.”

Kim wants to send a message for other individuals of marginalized identities, that it’s possible to succeed.

“I don’t run across many Asian American lawyers,” said Kim. “When I came out and decided to run, not just from an Asian American perspective. It’s also [about] being a [woman].

Being something different from what the majority is in the profession, you get the ‘oh my god that is so fabulous. We’d love to see you succeed. We need someone like you there.’”

To an extent, Kim believes that her run for judge “puts things into that I can do that, I can achieve something category.”

“I think sometimes people don’t do, don’t pursue something,” said Kim. “Because they don’t think it’s a reality. I think when you see somebody is actually similar to you or at least you can identify with them; do something that you never thought was a possibility, I think that opens doors.”

Although working as a court attorney is difficult, she finds the position “rewarding, fulfilling, and gratifying.”

“I think if you ask anybody, it’s who you work with,” said Kim. “I work with amazing people. I just do. I love the people I’m surrounded by. I love the people I work for. I love the judge that I work for. I love our staff. That part makes it much easier to deal with everything.”

One of the best parts of her job is the ability to make a difference. “What I do,” said Kim, “What we do matters.”

Ten years from now, Kim believes she will be finishing out her term as Orange County Judge and that she will possibly be thinking about running again.

“I have to tell you from the time I started this race, everybody has been supportive [and] embracing,” said Kim. “I will say if you [those of marginalized identities] think that you will not be welcomed to do something, think again.”