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History & Current Issues A small number of Koreans immigrated to the United States in the early years of the
twentieth century to work on Hawaiian sugar plantations. The difficult working conditions
on the plantations motivated some Korean Americans to move to the mainland where many
continued in agricultural work. Their numbers were so limited that they were a fairly
dispersed group, not gathering in enclaves as other immigrants have. On the mainland, they
experienced the same kinds of discrimination that other Asian groups encountered including
In 1965, the Immigration Act abolished the quota system that had restricted the numbers of Asians allowed to enter the United States. Large numbers of Koreans, including some from the North that have come via South Korea, have been immigrating ever since, putting Korea in the top five countries of origin of immigrants to the United States since 1975. The reasons for immigration are many including the desire for increased freedom, especially for women, and the hope for better economic opportunities. In South Korea, which is roughly the size of Maine and has a population density second only to Bangladesh, there is an oversupply of college graduates including many engineers, nurses, and doctors. Today there are almost a million Korean Americans. They have continued their early patterns of not being as concentrated as other Asian groups in particular locations. Currently 44% live in the West, 23% in the Northeast, 19% in the South, and 14% in the Midwest. The state with the largest population is California with 33% of the total; New York is second with 12%. Even in California the population is scattered with only 20% of the Koreans in Southern California living in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Koreatown is located about five miles west of City Hall and is roughly bounded by Beverly Boulevard and Pico Boulevard to the north and south and Hoover and Crenshaw on the east and west. Because of the changing demographics in Los Angeles, 68% of the people living within these boundaries are Latinos, but Koreans are the predominant business owners, and the area serves as a cultural, business and social center for Korean Americans. As a group, Korean immigrants are highly educated though language and cultural barriers have meant many have not been able to work in the fields in which they were trained. Instead, using networking and kye rotating credit associations, many have turned to starting their own small businesses. The willingness to sacrifice for the future by working extremely long hours and not taking vacations has helped build many highly successful enterprises. Nationally now Korean Americans own 20% of all dry-cleaning businesses. In Southern California they own 45% of liquor stores, 46% of small grocery markets, and 45% of one-hour photo shops. A study done of green groceries on a segment of Broadway in Manhattan, New York found that Koreans owned 75% of the groceries, and 78% of the owners had college degrees. Church has been important community center, particularly for the il se, first generation. It is a gathering place where one can feel comfortable, talk in Korean, and make kye associations. Members of later generations are not as likely to feel such strong church connections, partly because they are less fluent in the language, but also because of cultural differences such as less emphasis on the Confucian respect for authority and acquiescence to patriarchal hierarchy. Korean Americans are so aware of the cultural differences across generations that they not only have special words to describe the first and second generations, il se and i se respectively, but also have given a name for the generation that was born in Korea and moved here before they were teenagers. This group is called il chom o se or generation 1.5. As would be expected difficulties with identity issues are particularly common with this generation.
References: Ko, Tanya Hyonhye. Generation One Point Five. 1993 . Esprit Book. ISBN 8-85500-01-5. Takaki, Ronald. Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. 1989. Penguin. ISBN 0-316-83109-3. Yu, Eui-Young. The Korean American Community In Donald N. Clark (Ed.). Korea Briefing, 1993: Festival of Korea. 1993. Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-8770-1.
Current Issues The Korean community is still recovering from the burning of Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King verdicts. Because many Korean markets and businesses were located in those areas of the inner city (South Central and Koreatown) where much of the destruction occurred, Koreans suffered a disproportionate share of the total property damage, by some estimates 50% of the total loss city-wide. During the tragic conflagration, referred to in the community as sa-i-ku, meaning April 29, there was little police and fire protection available. Many Koreans were left to defend their property on their own. There is resentment about the lack of assistance as well as the desperate portrayal of the store owners by the media. Frustration continues as to date 40% of the Korean businesses lost have not been able to reopen. The Korean businesses that are open continue to be vulnerable to high rates of crime, violence, and interethnic tension. References: Hwangbo, Kay. "Human Dramas in The Their Own Voices." LA Times, 4/29/96, p.1,2 . Yu, Eui-Young. The Korean American Community. In Donald N. Clark (Ed.). Korea Briefing, 1993: Festival of Korea. 1993. Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-8770-1. Cultural Connections Korean American Museum Journey One easy way to step into the Korean community in Los Angeles is via the Koreatown
Plaza, located on the corner of 9th Street and Western Ave. The modern enclosed mall
with 80 specialty shops and parking garage seems like a mall that could be found anywhere
in the U.S., but one quickly notices it is different. Most signs are in Korean, and most
people are speaking Korean. What a treat! All the people we spoke to in English welcomed
our interest and were more than happy to answer our questions. Pick up a map of the plaza at one of the centrally located kiosks and enjoy a few hours of discovery. If you arrive hungry or work up an appetite, you can find plenty of Korean food options in the food court on the first floor. Most of the eateries have pictures so you can make your selection visually. Large bowls of delicious noodle soups and dumplings are served by several vendors. Here's your chance to sample some kimchi, the spicy pickled cabbage that compliments Korean meals. The mall has over 80 shops. The ABC Plaza
is an appliance and electronics store with an extensive selection of rice cookers, and
table top bar-be-que grills. On the first floor, the Korea Book Center has
children's books written in English and Korean. A few adult books are in English including
some of the most recent popular books published by Korean Americans. (See Professional
Development-Culture Specific References-Korean American for recommendations.) We recommend
finishing your visit at The Plaza Market so you can do your grocery
shopping at the same time. The fruit and vegetable selections are outstanding, and include some Asian
specialties as well as magnificent gift fruit boxes. (Did you know the nectarine, a cross
between a peach and a plum, was developed by a Korean American?) The wall of kimchi jars,
mountains of short ribs, aisles of noodles and 25 pound bags of rice offer some other
indications of Korean food preferences. The frozen dumplings make tasty snacks or a light
dinner and a package of ginger cookies is a must. Finally, if you ever need an idea for
something easy to bring to a pot luck, try the high quality, attractive kim bop (sushi)
sold here. The Plaza Market is expensive but authentic. |
being prohibited
from attending school with whites in San Francisco, being unable to intermarry with whites
(California Anti-Miscegenation Law, 1901) and being unable to own land in California (1913
Alien Land Law). The years from 1910-1940, when Japan occupied Korean, were particularly
difficult for many Korean Americans as they thought of themselves more as exiles than
immigrants and felt they were without a country. Immigration quotas kept the number of
Korean immigrants relatively low through the 1950's when most of the immigrants were
Korean War brides, orphans, or students.
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