Andy Kim's "foreign hatred" refutes absurd attack on 'North Korean flag tie'

Democratic U.S. Representative Andy Kim, the first South Korean to run for the U.S. Senate, strongly criticized a Republican for attacking his tie pattern as resembling a North Korean flag, calling it " xenophobic."

Representative Kim pointed out on his SNS on the 16th local time, "Last night, one of the New Jersey Republican delegates expressed doubts about my loyalty to the United States, claiming that I wore a tie with the North Korean flag on it."

Kim called it a "disgusting attack" and urged New Jersey Republican leadership, including his opponent Curtis Basho, to condemn xenophobia.

On the same day, race candidate Basho, who is gay, wrote on his SNS that he has "lived as a victim of prejudice and false presumption all his life" and "totally condemns anyone for baselessly criticizing just their background or appearance."

Earlier, Republican political commentator and New Jersey Republican delegate Mike Krispy attacked candidate Andy Kim for wearing a tie with the North Korean flag at a debate between Andy Kim and Basho held a day earlier.

The tie that Representative Andy Kim wore was painted with white and red stripes on a navy background, which was not related to the North Korean flag.

Rep. Andy Kim said on social media that even when he first ran for Congress, his opponent had attacked him with the phrase "Andy Kim is not a member of us" on TV and pointed out, "Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in hate in this country."

Kim, a Democrat who won a third term in the House of Representatives in New Jersey, won the Democratic nomination for federal Senate in the New Jersey primary in June.

New Jersey is the Democratic Party's dominant region where the Democratic candidate has been elected in the federal Senate since 1972, and Kim, the Democratic candidate, is considered likely to advance to the Senate.