Paull Shin

Who is Paull Shin?

Paull Shin was a member of the Washington State Senate, the first Korean American ever elected to the Washington State Legislature. He is a member of the Democratic Party, elected from the 21st Legislative District, in southwest Snohomish County. Mukilteo and portions of Everett, Edmonds, and Lynnwood are the cities within the district. Senator Shin currently serves on the Senate Agriculture, Water & Rural Economic Development and Trade & Economic Development Committees.

Shin was born in Korea in 1935. Orphaned at the age of four, he lived on the streets of Seoul begging for food until the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, at which point he became a houseboy to a group of U.S. Army officers. In 1954, one of them, a dentist named Ray Paull, adopted Shin and took him home to Salt Lake City, Utah. Despite never having been educated in Korea, and knowing little English, Shin completed a GED in 18 months. Shin went on to earn a BA in political science from Brigham Young University, an MPIA from the University of Pittsburgh, and an MA and PhD from the University of Washington.