WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― Making her first trip to South Korea in a decade, Rhea S. Suh, who handles a $12 billion budget at the Department of the Interior, says she is bringing a message of hope for ethnic Koreans in foreign nations.

“I am going to focus on basically my personal experience as a Korean-American, and specifically on the fact that my experience as both a Korean and as a American, I think, gives me a unique opportunity to think about how we can build stronger relationships with one another because of the fact that we have been able to for so long live within two cultures simultaneously,” she said Thursday in an interview with the Yonhap news agency at her office in Washington.

Suh, assistant secretary for policy, management and budget, is embarking on a two-week trip to the homeland of her parents on Friday. She will attend the 14th Future Leaders Conference, a gathering in Seoul of ethnic Koreans abroad, hosted by the Overseas Korean Foundation, and plans to meet with South Korean government and Seoul city officials to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation on environmental issues.

She said the two sides also will sign a memorandum of agreement on sharing geospatial and earthquake hazard information.

Suh is responsible for the management of the U.S. natural and cultural resources, public lands and for trust responsibilities to indigenous peoples.

Before taking up her current post, she was known for her tireless efforts to protect rainforests and other natural resources. She once taught earth sciences in New York City high schools and worked as senior legislative assistant to Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado.

Suh described her upcoming visit as “emotional,” saying her parents gave up many things to immigrate to the United States in the early 1960s to provide a better life for her and her two siblings. Suh didn’t hesitate to say that her success can be attributed to their sacrifices.

Serving in her post since May 2009 after confirmation from the Senate, Suh said the ladder of success has not always been an easy climb.

An estimated 2 million ethnic Koreans live in the United States, but not many in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, where she lived as a child.

She said her family faced a lot of discrimination.

“It’s not easy being a Korean-American,” she said, adding, “I would like to acknowledge how proud I am of being a Korean-American in this administration. Being able to represent the Korean community through my role in public service is an honor for me.”

She said President Barack Obama is trying to make sure that his appointees reflect the ethnic diversity of the country.

She welcomed Obama’s nomination of Sung Kim, a Korean-American diplomat, as U.S. ambassador to South Korea.

“I think it’s terrific ― and it’s about time,” she said, adding she has not met him yet. “It’s people who have the experience of two cultures that, I think, provide even more leverage to be bridge builders for the future.”

Suh pointed out a need for the Korean community in the U.S. to “increase their voice in politics.” She said ethnic Koreans have only begun to think about how they might gain more “political muscle.”

“I think the Korean community is quite political, but not maybe external, more internal,” she said. “I think they need to focus more on those opportunities ― how can they be better represented in Congress or state legislatures? And I think that there are going to be increasing opportunities for them to realize the potential.”

She said she has not thought about a political career of her own.

“I am deeply committed to this president and this secretary of this administration,” she said. “My professional focus really is how I can do the best job possible during the tenure of this president.”