What a trip to Georgia's 'Seoul of the South' says about the Asian American vote

The increase in AAPI turnout in Georgia exceeded Biden’s margin of victory last election. But the group is really up for grabs, says a Korean stretch of battleground Gwinnett County where cultures collide.

DULUTH, Ga. — Less than two weeks before the election, Jacob and Mi Kwon make their way past a line of “Vote Here” banners translated in Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish to an early voting center in the Atlanta suburbs. The location is no more than a minute away from Costco-sized Asian supermarkets, Jjimjilbang spas and billboards for personal injury lawyers in Korean. 

Jacob Kwon, 68, told NBC News that the couple speaks little English, but that they’ve prioritized staying informed and motivated around the election. 

“It’s not just very important to us, but also for the next generation,” he said. 

They are part of a mixed bag of Asian American Pacific Islander voters in the “Seoul of the South” section of Gwinnett County, a battleground district in which Asian Americans are 20.7% of eligible voters. It’s an area with a large Korean presence, where multiple cultures collide. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/georgia-gwinnett-seoul-of-the-south-rcna176566

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