– Country/corresponding immigrant community: Korea
– How many live in the US? In the tristate area? How many in the home country?
According to the 2010 Census, 1.7 million people of Korean descent live in the United States.
– In the tristate area, where do they live?
The majority of Korean New Yorkers live in Queens. More than 60 % of the state’s Korean population reside in Bergen County, which is across the George Washington Bridge from New York City
– What jobs do a significant percentage of them have?
A significant percentage of Koreans own small businesses. The majority of earlier Korean immigrants who came to the states with the goal of making enough money resorted to businesses that do not require communication skills. Recent Korean immigrants who come to the states as permanent settlers take white-collar jobs in a variety of different fields.
– Why did they come? When?
In 1903, Korean immigrants came to Hawaii to work on pineapple and sugar plantations. As plantation owners in Hawaii needed cheap labor, they hired Chinese immigrants on their plantations. However, in 1882, the Chinese government banned the owners from hiring Chinese workers. For that reason, Korean workers were recruited to work on plantations and came to the states. During the Korean War, Koreans who were war brides or war orphans adopted by American families moved to the states. Many Christian families adopted Korean war orphans, and the War Bride Act of 1946 allowed many Korean wives of American soldiers into America.
Lastly, from 1976 to 1990, more Korean immigrants moved to the United States because of the high unemployment rate, political instability, and dictatorship. Their children who are called Korean Americans today form the Korean-American community.
– What are some major organizations/advocacy groups/resources in this community?
Korean American Coalition Los Angeles: a nonprofit organization established in 1983 to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community
Korea Society: a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization with individual and corporate members that is dedicated solely to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding, and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea
Korean American Association of Greater New York: a nonprofit organization advocating for the welfare and protection of the rights and interests of over a half a million diasporic Koreans living in the Greater New York area
Liberty in North Korea: a nonprofit organization based out of Long Beach, California, United States, and Seoul, South Korea
– Do they have local media houses/s? If so, list them.
Korea Daily
The Korea Times
The Chosun Ilbo
NY Radio Korea (FM 87.7)
– List/link the major media houses in the home country.
KBS-1 and KBS-2 (public broadcast)
MBC (run as a public organization)
EBS (state-funded)
SBS (a commercial broadcaster)
– In the homeland what is the GDP per capita? Where does that rank in the world? What are the major industries?
GDP: $1.630 trillion (nominal, 2019 est.) $2,308 trillion (PPP, 2020 est.)
GDP rank: 12th
The major industries include textile, steel, car manufacturing, shipbuilding, and electronics. South Korea is the world’s largest producer of semiconductors
– What is the system of government? When did this system come into place? Was there a colonial power? (Or was it the colonial power?)
A centralized democratic republic with executive, legislative, and judicial branches
Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945. Many women were raped during this period by Japanese soldiers, being called “comfort women.” Korean men were required to work in Japanese factories or in the army. After gaining freedom from Japan, Korea limited its contact with other countries to protect itself from invasions. However, starting from the late 19th century, Korea began to develop diplomatic relations with western cultures. When Chun Doo-hwan took office in 1979, he governed the country under strict martial law. Resisting the strict regime, Korean students led an armed uprising, which resulted in numerous deaths.
The persisting opposition to martial law resulted in a new constitution put in place in 1981. However, in 1987, Chun stepped down as the majority of people were dissatisfied with his regime. Roh Tae-Woo who won the country’s first free presidential election in 1987 granted more freedom to civilians and showed many efforts to eliminate corruption in the country.
The transition of military rule to democracy started, resulting in the government system that Korea has today.
– Name of the NY consul general. How long has he/she been in the role?
Ambassador Cho Hyun: He is the 26th Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations.
– Give three potential story ideas. (Doesn’t need to be a fully fleshed-out pitch yet, but should be well thought-out.)
1) When examined more closely, history is alive and has left its marks in people who lived through the time. One of the examples is my grandfather who lived through the Korean War. Separated from their family in the chaos of the war, he never had a day that went by without thinking about or missing them. Although more than 20,000 people met their long-lost loved ones in reunions between the North and South since 1988, a lot of people have fallen short of their expectations and are still on the waiting list. According to the New York Times, “Since 1988, more than 75,200 South Koreans who applied to attend the reunion have died without seeing their parents, siblings or children again. More than 56,000 South Koreans, the vast majority in their 80s and 90s, are waiting to be selected by lottery for the next round of reunions, which has yet to be scheduled.” As fate would have it, my grandfather is one of those people who gave up all hope to see his lost family members. Writing his story in the form of a feature article, I would like to retrace his memories, recount the history of psychological trauma, and see how Korean reunification can come about and at what cost.
2) Second, I would like to give an account of how Japanese colonial rule has still been affecting Korea. My grandparents, who lived through the time, still use a lot of Japanese words, and those words have been passed down through generations. This is more distinctly realized when my family — including myself — uses Japanese words even without noticing. According to Japan Time, “This anti-Japanese nationalism, now spread through school history textbooks as well as the mass media, is currently upheld by President Moon Jae-in’s Democratic Party government.” But the question still stands: Is this merely a hatred or a psychological scar from trauma left by Japan with no apology? In this particular piece, I would like to focus on the comfort women issue whose facts have been distorted but still live among us.
3) Lastly, I would like to write an immigrant story. I will delve into the stories of earlier Korean immigrants who left the country. Although they might not be at the center of most stories, first-generation immigrants contributed to reshaping and diversifying the American workforce by raising their kids and filling labor-intensive jobs. In this piece, I would like to choose one Korean immigrant and write about his or her challenges in the United States and also connect their story to the history of Korean immigration of America.
* I interviewed a pastor at a Korean church located in Manhattan