Her parents, who had left their jobs in South Korea after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, both worked in local small businesses.

[4] In October 2020, Won announced her 2021 campaign for the 26th district of the New York City Council, held by term-limited Democrat Jimmy Van Bramer.

[5] Won had been serving as a member of Queens Community Board 2 for most of the year, and cited the difficulties her family faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for her campaign.

Ideologically a progressive, Won emphasized her work in the technology sector and her support for citywide free WiFi, alongside other left-wing policy priorities.

In part because of the size and volatility of the field, many would-be endorsers chose to remain on the sidelines, while others – including Van Bramer and the influential Working Families Party – coalesced around New York City Census deputy director Amit Singh Bagga.