Joshua Kim
Joshua Kim | |
|---|---|
김승균 | |
Official portrait, 2026 | |
| Member of the Senedd for Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni | |
| Assumed office 8 May 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Seungkyun Kim |
| Party | Reform UK (2024-Present) |
Joshua Seungkyun Kim (Korean: 김승균)[1] is a Welsh Reform UK politician who has served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni constituency since May 2026.[2] Kim is a South Korean immigrant.[3] He was the Reform UK candidate for Caerphilly in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.[4] He was third on the candidate list for Reform UK in the 2026 Senedd election.[5] Kim lives in Machen and worked as a teacher in Cardiff. Kim is the first person of Korean descent to become a member of any parliament in the United Kingdom.[1]
Kim arrived late to the count that led to him winning the sixth seat at Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni, as he was teaching as a supply teacher at the time, opting not to attend the count as it would mean losing a day's pay. Following his seat win, Kim reportedly told reporters that he "did not think for one minute" that he would be elected, appearing "distraught, utterly shocked and confused".[6] This reporting by the BBC is contradicted by the interview Kim gave on his arrival at the count to the Caerphilly Observer, in which he said, “I always knew there was a chance, but I wouldn’t say I was confident. And you can see from the result, it was pretty close."[7]
References
- ^ a b "英 웨일스 의회에 한국계 첫 입성… 영국개혁당 조슈아 김". The Chosun Daily (in Korean). 2026-05-11. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
- ^ "Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni - Welsh Parliament constituency". BBC News. 2026-05-08. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
- ^ Gurner, Richard (2024-07-03). "Child poverty, cost-of-living, and food bank use hot topics at election hustings". Caerphilly Observer. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
- ^ "General election: Candidates for Caerphilly". South Wales Argus. 2024-07-04. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
- ^ John, Lucy (2026-03-25). "Reform UK publishes full list of candidates for Wales' Senedd election". Wales Online. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
- ^ Bosotti, Rorey; Moon, Jenna. "Challenge Starmer by Monday or I will, Labour MP tells cabinet ministers". BBC News. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
- ^ Gurner, Richard (2026-05-08). "Plaid Cymru win Senedd Election 2026, but without a majority". Caerphilly Observer. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
See also