A Korean American has been appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama as a member of the U.S. National Council on Disability.

The appointee, Joseph Pak, is a financier and the vice chair of a Farmers and Merchants Bank in California.

Obama appointed Pak to a three-year term with the possibility of a second term to serve as an advisor on policies and programs aimed at assisting the some 54 million Americans with disabilities.

Park's left arm has been paralyzed since he was three, which was when he contracted polio. He has been active in the ethnic Korean and mainstream American societies and is known for his efforts to advance the rights and interests of the disabled.

Of the 15 appointed council members, Pak is the only Asian.