Interview with Julie Won

<p>In this episode of The Perez Notes, I sit down with Julie Won, New York City Council Member for District 26, as she makes the leap to Congress in a race to succeed Nydia Velázquez.</p><p><br></p><p>Julie Won is a trailblazer in New York City politics—the first woman and first immigrant to represent District 26, and the first Korean-American Council Member in the city’s history. A mother of two young children and a caregiver to her aging parents, Julie brings a deeply personal understanding of the realities facing multigenerational families across our city—and she’s built her career fighting to make government work better for them.</p><p><br></p><p>After immigrating from South Korea at age eight following the 1997 financial crisis, Julie’s family rebuilt their lives in New York. Her mother, once a culinary professor, worked as a nail technician; her father worked in local small businesses. A proud product of New York public schools and a graduate of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, Julie later spent a decade at IBM advising the federal government on technology modernization. In 2021, she took on a crowded 15-candidate primary and won—running to confront the inequities COVID-19 laid bare.</p><p><br></p><p>We talk about her journey, her record, and what’s driving her run for Congress—and what kind of representation she believes New York needs next.</p><p><br></p><p>⸻</p><p><br></p><p>#JulieWon #NYCPolitics #QueensPolitics #Congress2026 #ImmigrantStory #WomenInPolitics #ThePerezNotes #NYDemocrats #PublicService #MultigenerationalFamilies</p>