Korean American
Encyclopedia
Korean Americans are Americans
of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea
, with a small minority from North Korea
. The Korean American community comprises about 0.5% of the United States
population, or about 1.6 million people, and is the fifth largest Asian American
subgroup, after the Chinese American
, Filipino American
, Indian American
, and Vietnamese American
communities. The U.S. is home to the second largest Korean diaspora community in the world after the People's Republic of China
.
While people living in North Korea cannot leave or emigrate from their country with rare exceptions, there are numbers of people of North Korean descent living in the U.S., usually as refugees
.
(452,000; 1.2%), New York
(141,000, 0.7%), New Jersey
(94,000, 1.1%), Virginia
(71,000, 0.9%), Texas
(68,000, 0.3%), Washington (62,400, 0.9%), Illinois
(61,500, 0.5%), Georgia
(52,500, 0.5%), Maryland
(49,000, 0.8%), and Pennsylvania
(41,000, 0.3%). Hawaii
was the state with the highest concentration of Korean Americans, at 1.8%, or 23,200 people.
The two metropolitan areas with the highest Korean American populations as per the 2009 American Community Survey were the Greater Los Angeles
Combined Statistical Area
(300,047) and the Greater New York
Combined Statistical Area
(201,393), home to the largest and second largest populations of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea
, respectively. The Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
ranks third, with approximately 93,000 Korean Americans.
The per capita Korean American population of Bergen County, New Jersey
, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, 6.3% by the 2010 United States Census, is the highest of any county in the United States, with eight of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population; while the concentration of Korean Americans in Palisades Park, New Jersey
, within Bergen County, is the highest of any municipality in the United States, at 52% of the population. Between 1990 and 2000, Georgia was home to the fastest-growing Korean community in the U.S., growing at a rate of 88.2% over that decade.
According to the statistics of the Overseas Korean Foundation and the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
, 107,145 South Korean children were adopted into the United States between 1953-2007.
In a 2005 United States Census Bureau
survey, an estimated 432,907 ethnic Koreans in the U.S. were native-born Americans, and 973,780 were foreign-born. Korean Americans that were naturalized citizens numbered at 530,100, while 443,680 Koreans in the U.S. were not American citizens.
, a Methodist, and Horace Underwood, a Presbyterian. Emphasizing the mass-circulation of the Bible (which had been translated into Korean between 1881 and 1887 by the Reverend John Ross, a Scottish
Presbyterian missionary in Manchuria
), the Protestant pioneers also established the first modern educational institutes in Korea. The Presbyterian Paichai School (배재고등학교) for boys was founded in 1885, and the Methodist Ehwa girls' school (이화여자고등학교) followed a year later. These, and similar schools established soon afterwards, facilitated the rapid expansion of Protestantism among the common people, and in time enabled the Protestant faith to overtake Catholicism
as the leading Christian branch in Korea.
One of the first Korean Americans was Seo Jae-pil, or Philip Jaisohn, who came to America shortly after participating in an abortive coup with other progressives to institute political reform in 1884. He became a citizen in 1890, and earned a medical degree 1892 from what is now George Washington University
. Throughout his life, he strove to educate Koreans in the ideals of freedom and democracy
, and pressed the U.S. government for Korean independence. He died during the Korean War
. His home is now a museum, cared for by a social services organization founded in his name in 1975.
A prominent figure among the Korean immigrant community is Ahn Chang Ho, pen name
Dosan, a Protestant social activist. He came to the United States in 1902 for education. He founded the Friendship Society in 1903 and the Mutual Assistance Society. He was also a political activist during the Japanese occupation of Korea
. There is a memorial built in his honor in downtown Riverside, California
and his family home on 36th Place in Los Angeles has been restored by University of Southern California
. The City of Los Angeles has also declared the nearby intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Van Buren Place to be "Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Square" in his honor. The Taekwondo
pattern Do-san was named after him.
Another prominent figure among the Korean immigrant community was Syngman Rhee
(이승만), a Methodist. He came to the United States in 1904 and earned a bachelor's degree
at George Washington University in 1907, a master's degree at Harvard University
, and a Ph.D.
from Princeton University
in 1910. In 1910, he returned to Korea and became a political activist during Japanese occupation of Korea. He later became the first president of the Republic of Korea.
The first group of Korean laborers came to Hawaii
in January 1903 to fill in gaps created by problems with Chinese
and Japanese
laborers. Between 1904 and 1907 about 1,000 Koreans entered the mainland from Hawaii through San Francisco. Many Koreans dispersed along the Pacific Coast
as farm workers or as wage laborers in mining companies and as section hands on the railroads. Picture bride
s became a common practice for marriage to Korean men.
After the annexation of Korea
by Japan
in 1910, Korean migration to the United States was virtually halted. The Immigration Act of 1924
or sometimes referred to as the Oriental Exclusion Act was part of a measured system excluding Korean immigrants into the US. In 1952 with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, opportunities were more open to Asian Americans, enabling Korean Americans to move out of enclaves into middle-class neighborhoods. When the Korean War
ended in 1953, small numbers of students and professionals entered the United States. A larger group of immigrants included the wives of U.S. servicemen. As many as one in four Korean immigrants in the United States can trace their immigration to the wife of a serviceman. With the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Koreans became one of the fastest growing Asian groups in the United States, surpassed only by Filipinos
.
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 North Korea
that had 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
and the hope for better economic opportunities.
In the 1980s and 1990s Koreans became noted not only for starting small businesses such as dry cleaners or convenience stores, but also for diligently planting churches, with the same fervor as the early Puritan
fathers who came to New England. With fervent piety and hope of that Promised Land, they would venture into abandoned cities and start up businesses which happened to be predominantly African American in demographics. This would sometimes lead to publicized tensions with customers as dramatized in movies such as Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing
, and the LA Riots of April 1992.
Their children, along with those of other Asian Americans, would also be noted in headlines and magazine covers in the 1980s for their numbers in prestigious universities
and highly skilled white collar
professions. Favorable economics and education have led to the painting of Asian groups such as the Koreans as a "model minority
". Throughout the 1980s until today, Korean Americans and other East Asian groups continue to attend prestigious universities in high numbers and make up a large percentage of the professional white collar work force including such fields as medicine, law, computer science, finance, and investment banking.
Los Angeles has emerged as a major center of the Korean American community. Its "Koreatown" is often seen as the "overseas Korean capital." It experienced rapid transition in the 1990s, with heavy investment by Korean banks and corporations, and the arrival of tens of thousands of Koreans, as well as even larger numbers of Hispanics. Many entrepreneurs opened small businesses, and were hard hit by the 1992 Los Angeles riots
.
According to Park (1998) the violence against Korean Americans in 1992 stimulated a new wave of political activism among Korean Americans, but it also split them into two main camps. The "liberals" sought to unite with other minorities in Los Angeles to fight against racial oppression and scapegoating. The "conservatives," emphasized law and order
and generally favored the economic and social policies of the Republican Party. The Conservatives tended to emphasize the political differences between Koreans and other minorities, specifically blacks and Hispanics. Abelmann and Lie, (1997) report that the most profound result was the politicization of Korean Americans, all across the U.S. The younger generation especially realized they had been too uninvolved in American politics, and the riot shifted their political attention from South Korea to conditions in the United States.
In recent years, ethnic Koreans such as Korean Mexican
s and Korean Brazilian
s emigrated to the U.S. bringing further diversity to the Korean-American community. There has been an intermingling of Korean and Central America
n cultures together with some ethnic intermarriage between Koreans and Central Americans.
A substantial number of affluent Korean American professional
s have settled in Bergen County, New Jersey
since the early 2000s and have founded various academically and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academies
magnet
high school and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey. Bergen County's Broad Avenue Koreatown
in Palisades Park
has emerged as a dominant nexus of Korean American culture. Bergen County's growing Korean community was cited by county executive Kathleen Donovan in the context of Hackensack, New Jersey
attorney Jae Y. Kim's appointment to Central Municipal Court judge
ship in January 2011. According to The Record
of Bergen County, the U.S. Census Bureau has determined the county’s Korean American population – 2010 census figures put it at 56,773 – has grown enough to warrant language assistance during elections.
by a 41% to 38% margin over Democrat John Kerry
, with the remaining 19% undecided or voting for other candidates. In the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, Korean Americans favored Democrat Barack Obama
over Republican John McCain
, around 59% to 41%. However, there are still more registered Republican Korean Americans than registered Democrats. Korean-Americans, due to their Republican and Christian leanings, overwhelmingly supported California's constitutional gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.
(Kogi Korean BBQ
) in November 2008 to the national stage eighteen months later.
Often, chefs borrow from Korean flavors and preparation techniques that they will integrate it into the style they are most comfortable with (whether it be Tex-Mex
, Chinese
, or purely American). Even a classic staple of the American diet, the hamburger
, is available with a Korean twist – bulgogi
(Korean BBQ) burgers.
With the popularity of cooking and culinary sampling, chefs, housewives, food junkies, and culinary aficionados have been bolder in their choices, favoring more unique, specialty, and ethnic dishes. Already popular in its own little subset populations peppered throughout the United States, Korean food debuted in the many Koreatowns found in metropolitan areas including in Los Angeles; Queens
and Manhattan
in New York City
; Bergen County, New Jersey
; Annandale, Virginia
; Philadelphia; Atlanta; Dallas; and Chicago
. Korean cuisine has unique and bold flavors, colors, and style: spicy oddities (kimchi
, kaktugi, sam jang), long fermented pastes (gochujang
, ganjang, doenjang
), noodle dishes (ramen
and naengmyun), and fish cakes and raw seafood
concoctions (raw octopus tentacles in spicy sauce, freshly halved sea urchin
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, with a small minority from North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. The Korean American community comprises about 0.5% of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
population, or about 1.6 million people, and is the fifth largest Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
subgroup, after the Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
, Filipino American
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
, Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
, and Vietnamese American
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
communities. The U.S. is home to the second largest Korean diaspora community in the world after the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
While people living in North Korea cannot leave or emigrate from their country with rare exceptions, there are numbers of people of North Korean descent living in the U.S., usually as refugees
North Korean defectors
A number of individuals have defected from North Korea. Since the division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War , many people have defected from North Korea, mainly for political, ideological, religious and economic reasons...
.
Demographics
According to the 2010 Census, there were approximately 1.4 million people of Korean descent residing in the United States. The ten states with the largest estimated Korean American populations were CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(452,000; 1.2%), New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(141,000, 0.7%), New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(94,000, 1.1%), Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(71,000, 0.9%), Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(68,000, 0.3%), Washington (62,400, 0.9%), Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(61,500, 0.5%), Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
(52,500, 0.5%), Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(49,000, 0.8%), and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(41,000, 0.3%). Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
was the state with the highest concentration of Korean Americans, at 1.8%, or 23,200 people.
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
(300,047) and the Greater New York
Greater New York
Greater New York or Greater New York City may refer to:* the statistical New York metropolitan area consisting of New York City and surrounding counties of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania...
Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
(201,393), home to the largest and second largest populations of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, respectively. The Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
The Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area is a combined statistical area consisting of the overlapping labor market region of the cities of Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. The region includes Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Jefferson County in the Eastern Panhandle of West...
ranks third, with approximately 93,000 Korean Americans.
The per capita Korean American population of Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, 6.3% by the 2010 United States Census, is the highest of any county in the United States, with eight of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population; while the concentration of Korean Americans in Palisades Park, New Jersey
Koreatown, Palisades Park
Koreatown, Palisades Park, or Palisades Park Koreatown, in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea....
, within Bergen County, is the highest of any municipality in the United States, at 52% of the population. Between 1990 and 2000, Georgia was home to the fastest-growing Korean community in the U.S., growing at a rate of 88.2% over that decade.
According to the statistics of the Overseas Korean Foundation and the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Foreign relations of South Korea
The foreign relations of South Korea are South Korean relations with other governments.South Korea maintains diplomatic relations with more than 188 countries. The country has also been a member of the United Nations since 1991, when it became a member state at the same time as North Korea...
, 107,145 South Korean children were adopted into the United States between 1953-2007.
In a 2005 United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
survey, an estimated 432,907 ethnic Koreans in the U.S. were native-born Americans, and 973,780 were foreign-born. Korean Americans that were naturalized citizens numbered at 530,100, while 443,680 Koreans in the U.S. were not American citizens.
History
In 1884, two American missionaries went to Korea: Henry AppenzellerHenry Appenzeller
Rev. Henry Gerhard Appenzeller was a Methodist missionary and one of three American missionaries who introduced Protestant Christianity into Korea in 1885....
, a Methodist, and Horace Underwood, a Presbyterian. Emphasizing the mass-circulation of the Bible (which had been translated into Korean between 1881 and 1887 by the Reverend John Ross, a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Presbyterian missionary in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
), the Protestant pioneers also established the first modern educational institutes in Korea. The Presbyterian Paichai School (배재고등학교) for boys was founded in 1885, and the Methodist Ehwa girls' school (이화여자고등학교) followed a year later. These, and similar schools established soon afterwards, facilitated the rapid expansion of Protestantism among the common people, and in time enabled the Protestant faith to overtake Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
as the leading Christian branch in Korea.
One of the first Korean Americans was Seo Jae-pil, or Philip Jaisohn, who came to America shortly after participating in an abortive coup with other progressives to institute political reform in 1884. He became a citizen in 1890, and earned a medical degree 1892 from what is now George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. Throughout his life, he strove to educate Koreans in the ideals of freedom and democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, and pressed the U.S. government for Korean independence. He died during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. His home is now a museum, cared for by a social services organization founded in his name in 1975.
A prominent figure among the Korean immigrant community is Ahn Chang Ho, pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Dosan, a Protestant social activist. He came to the United States in 1902 for education. He founded the Friendship Society in 1903 and the Mutual Assistance Society. He was also a political activist during the Japanese occupation of Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
. There is a memorial built in his honor in downtown Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
and his family home on 36th Place in Los Angeles has been restored by University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. The City of Los Angeles has also declared the nearby intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Van Buren Place to be "Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Square" in his honor. The Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
pattern Do-san was named after him.
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
(이승만), a Methodist. He came to the United States in 1904 and earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
at George Washington University in 1907, a master's degree at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1910. In 1910, he returned to Korea and became a political activist during Japanese occupation of Korea. He later became the first president of the Republic of Korea.
The first group of Korean laborers came to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in January 1903 to fill in gaps created by problems with Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
and Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
laborers. Between 1904 and 1907 about 1,000 Koreans entered the mainland from Hawaii through San Francisco. Many Koreans dispersed along the Pacific Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
as farm workers or as wage laborers in mining companies and as section hands on the railroads. Picture bride
Picture bride
The term picture bride refers to the practice in the early 20th century of immigrant workers in Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States selecting brides from their native countries via a matchmaker, who paired bride and groom using only photographs and family recommendations of the possible...
s became a common practice for marriage to Korean men.
After the annexation of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1910, Korean migration to the United States was virtually halted. The Immigration Act of 1924
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924, or Johnson–Reed Act, including the National Origins Act, and Asian Exclusion Act , was a United States federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already...
or sometimes referred to as the Oriental Exclusion Act was part of a measured system excluding Korean immigrants into the US. In 1952 with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, opportunities were more open to Asian Americans, enabling Korean Americans to move out of enclaves into middle-class neighborhoods. When the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
ended in 1953, small numbers of students and professionals entered the United States. A larger group of immigrants included the wives of U.S. servicemen. As many as one in four Korean immigrants in the United States can trace their immigration to the wife of a serviceman. With the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Koreans became one of the fastest growing Asian groups in the United States, surpassed only by Filipinos
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
.
In 1965, the Immigration Act
Immigration Act
An Immigration Act is a law regulating immigration. A number of countries have had Immigration Acts including:*Canada**The Immigration Act, 1906**The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923**The Immigration Act, 1952**The Immigration Act, 1978...
abolished the quota system that had restricted the numbers of Asians allowed to enter the United States. Large numbers of Koreans, including some from North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
that had come via South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, 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
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
and the hope for better economic opportunities.
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
fathers who came to New England. With fervent piety and hope of that Promised Land, they would venture into abandoned cities and start up businesses which happened to be predominantly African American in demographics. This would sometimes lead to publicized tensions with customers as dramatized in movies such as Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...
, and the LA Riots of April 1992.
Their children, along with those of other Asian Americans, would also be noted in headlines and magazine covers in the 1980s for their numbers in prestigious universities
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
and highly skilled white collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
professions. Favorable economics and education have led to the painting of Asian groups such as the Koreans as a "model minority
Model minority
Model minority refers to a minority ethnic, racial, or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of success than the population average. It is most commonly used to label one ethnic minority higher achieving than another ethnic minority...
". Throughout the 1980s until today, Korean Americans and other East Asian groups continue to attend prestigious universities in high numbers and make up a large percentage of the professional white collar work force including such fields as medicine, law, computer science, finance, and investment banking.
Los Angeles has emerged as a major center of the Korean American community. Its "Koreatown" is often seen as the "overseas Korean capital." It experienced rapid transition in the 1990s, with heavy investment by Korean banks and corporations, and the arrival of tens of thousands of Koreans, as well as even larger numbers of Hispanics. Many entrepreneurs opened small businesses, and were hard hit by the 1992 Los Angeles riots
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
.
According to Park (1998) the violence against Korean Americans in 1992 stimulated a new wave of political activism among Korean Americans, but it also split them into two main camps. The "liberals" sought to unite with other minorities in Los Angeles to fight against racial oppression and scapegoating. The "conservatives," emphasized law and order
Law and order (politics)
In politics, law and order refers to demands for a strict criminal justice system, especially in relation to violent and property crime, through harsher criminal penalties...
and generally favored the economic and social policies of the Republican Party. The Conservatives tended to emphasize the political differences between Koreans and other minorities, specifically blacks and Hispanics. Abelmann and Lie, (1997) report that the most profound result was the politicization of Korean Americans, all across the U.S. The younger generation especially realized they had been too uninvolved in American politics, and the riot shifted their political attention from South Korea to conditions in the United States.
In recent years, ethnic Koreans such as Korean Mexican
Korean Mexican
Korean Mexicans are ethnic Koreans born in Mexico. The majority of them reside in Baja California, the state facing the U.S. state of California, and there are smaller concentrations in northern Mexico....
s and Korean Brazilian
Korean Brazilian
Korean Brazilian is a Brazilian person of full, partial, or predominantly Korean ancestry, or a Korean-born person residing in Brazil. The Korean population in Brazil, the largest in Latin America, is about 50,000.-History:...
s emigrated to the U.S. bringing further diversity to the Korean-American community. There has been an intermingling of Korean and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n cultures together with some ethnic intermarriage between Koreans and Central Americans.
A substantial number of affluent Korean American professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
s have settled in Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
since the early 2000s and have founded various academically and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academies
Bergen County Academies
The Bergen County Academies is a magnet public high school located in Hackensack that serves the high school population of Bergen County, New Jersey. The school was conceived by the late Dr. John Grieco. The current principal is Russell Davis; Raymond Bath is the vice principal; Dr...
magnet
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
high school and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey. Bergen County's Broad Avenue Koreatown
Koreatown
Koreatown is a term to describe a Korean ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area. Similar terms may include Little Seoul or Little Korea.-Beijing:There are more than 150,000 Koreans living in Beijing...
in Palisades Park
Koreatown, Palisades Park
Koreatown, Palisades Park, or Palisades Park Koreatown, in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea....
has emerged as a dominant nexus of Korean American culture. Bergen County's growing Korean community was cited by county executive Kathleen Donovan in the context of Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
attorney Jae Y. Kim's appointment to Central Municipal Court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
ship in January 2011. According to The Record
The Record (Bergen County)
The Record is a newspaper in northern New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The Star-Ledger. Owned by the Borg family since 1930, it is the flagship publication of the North Jersey Media Group. Stephen Borg is the publisher of The Record...
of Bergen County, the U.S. Census Bureau has determined the county’s Korean American population – 2010 census figures put it at 56,773 – has grown enough to warrant language assistance during elections.
Memorials and celebrities
A number of U.S. states have declared January 13 as Korean American Day in order to recognize Korean Americans' impact and contributions.Politics
In a poll from the Asia Times before the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, Korean Americans narrowly favored Republican candidate George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
by a 41% to 38% margin over Democrat John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, with the remaining 19% undecided or voting for other candidates. In the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, Korean Americans favored Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
over Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, around 59% to 41%. However, there are still more registered Republican Korean Americans than registered Democrats. Korean-Americans, due to their Republican and Christian leanings, overwhelmingly supported California's constitutional gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.
Religion
Korean Americans in America have historically had a very strong Christian heritage. Between 70% and 80% identify as Christian; 40% of those consist of immigrants who were not Christians at the time of their arrival in the United States. There are about 2,800 Korean Christian churches in the United States, as compared to only 89 Korean Buddhist temples; the largest such temple, Los Angeles' Sa Chal Temple, was established in 1974. Reasons for the conversion of immigrant Korean families to Christianity include the responsiveness of Christian churches to immigrant needs as well as their communal nature, whereas Buddhist temples foster individual spirituality and practice and provide fewer social networking and business opportunities, as well as social pressure from other Koreans to convert.Cuisine
"Korean American cuisine" can be described as a fusion of traditional Korean cuisine with American culture and tastes. Dishes such as "Korean tacos" have emerged from the contacts between Korean bodega owners and their Mexican workers in the Los Angeles area, spreading from one food truckFood truck
A food truck, mobile kitchen, mobile canteen, or catering truck is a mobile venue that sells food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell mostly frozen or prepackaged food; others are more like restaurants-on-wheels...
(Kogi Korean BBQ
Kogi Korean BBQ
thumb|right|240px|A Kogi BBQ truckKogi Korean BBQ is a fleet of five fusion food trucks in Los Angeles famous both for their combination of Korean with Mexican food and also for their reliance on Internet technology, especially Twitter and Youtube, to spread information about their offerings and...
) in November 2008 to the national stage eighteen months later.
Often, chefs borrow from Korean flavors and preparation techniques that they will integrate it into the style they are most comfortable with (whether it be Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex is a regional American cuisine that blends food products available in the United States and the culinary creations of Mexican-Americans influenced by the cuisines of Mexico.Tex Mex may also refer to:...
, Chinese
American Chinese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by many Chinese restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to Western tastes, and differs significantly from the original Chinese cuisine.-History:...
, or purely American). Even a classic staple of the American diet, the hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
, is available with a Korean twist – bulgogi
Bulgogi
Bulgogi is a Korean dish that usually consists of marinated barbecued beef, although chicken or pork may also be used. It is listed at number 23 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll complied by CNN Go in 2011.-Etymology:...
(Korean BBQ) burgers.
With the popularity of cooking and culinary sampling, chefs, housewives, food junkies, and culinary aficionados have been bolder in their choices, favoring more unique, specialty, and ethnic dishes. Already popular in its own little subset populations peppered throughout the United States, Korean food debuted in the many Koreatowns found in metropolitan areas including in Los Angeles; Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and Manhattan
Koreatown, Manhattan
Koreatown, or K-town as it is colloquially known, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that is generally bordered by 31st and 36th Streets and Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenues...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; Bergen County, New Jersey
Koreatown, Palisades Park
Koreatown, Palisades Park, or Palisades Park Koreatown, in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea....
; Annandale, Virginia
Annandale, Virginia
Annandale is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 41,008 at the 2010 census, down from 54,994 in 2000 due to the splitting off of the western part of it to form Wakefield and Woodburn CDP's.-Geography:...
; Philadelphia; Atlanta; Dallas; and Chicago
Albany Park, Chicago
Albany Park is one of 77 well-defined Chicago, Illinois, community areas on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago. It includes the Albany Park neighborhood, one of the most ethnically diverse in the United States...
. Korean cuisine has unique and bold flavors, colors, and style: spicy oddities (kimchi
Kimchi
Kimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
, kaktugi, sam jang), long fermented pastes (gochujang
Gochujang
Gochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform, called jangdokdae in the backyard...
, ganjang, doenjang
Doenjang
Doenjang is a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste. Its name literally means "thick paste" in Korean.-Production:...
), noodle dishes (ramen
Ramen
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...
and naengmyun), and fish cakes and raw seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
concoctions (raw octopus tentacles in spicy sauce, freshly halved sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
).
Academics
- T. K. SeungT. K. SeungT. K. Seung is a Korean American philosopher and literary critic. His academic interests cut across diverse philosophical and literary subjects, including ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of law, cultural hermeneutics, and ancient Chinese philosophy....
, Professor of philosophy, government and law at the University of Texas in Austin - Elaine H. KimElaine H. KimElaine H. Kim is an award winning writer, editor and professor in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Kim is widely published in her field. Some of her books include Dangerous Women: Gender and Korean Nationalism ; Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American Women...
, Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA... - Jaegwon KimJaegwon KimJaegwon Kim is a Korean American philosopher currently working at Brown University. He is best known for his work on mental causation and the mind-body problem. Key themes in his work include: a rejection of Cartesian metaphysics, the limitations of strict psychophysical identity, supervenience,...
, Professor of Philosophy at the Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,... - Jim Yong Kim, Professor of Medicine and Social Medicine and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Director of the Francois Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights, former director of the World Health Organization HIV/AIDS department, co-founder of Partners in Health, 17th president of Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
- Harold Hongju KohHarold Hongju KohHarold Hongju Koh is an Korean American lawyer and legal scholar. He currently serves as the Legal Adviser of the Department of State. He was nominated to his current position by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2009, and confirmed by the Senate on June 25, 2009.In public service, Koh...
, lawyer and legal scholar, and Dean of the Yale Law SchoolYale Law SchoolYale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers... - Meredith Jung-En WooMeredith Jung-En WooMeredith Jung-En Woo is the Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia. She began her post on June 1, 2008....
, scholar on East Asian politics and economic development, and Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson... - Sebastian SeungSebastian SeungSebastian Seung is a Korean American multi-disciplinary expert whose research efforts have spanned the fields of neuroscience, physics and bioinformatics. He is a professor of Computational Neuroscience in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and a professor of Physics at the...
, MIT Professor - Chang-Rae LeeChang-Rae LeeChang-rae Lee is a Korean American novelist and a professor of creative writing at Princeton University, where he has served as the director of Princeton's Program in Creative Writing.-Early life:...
, professor of creative writing at Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
Arts
- Dana Tai Soon BurgessDana Tai Soon BurgessDana Tai Soon Burgess was born February 26, 1968 in Carmel, California. He is a performance artist, renowned choreographer, and cultural figure. As a prominent Korean American, he uses dance to explore Asian American identity and established two dance companies: Moving Forward Contemporary Asian...
, choreographer, cultural figure - Theresa Hak Kyung ChaTheresa Hak Kyung ChaTheresa Hak Kyung Cha was an Korean American novelist and artist most famous for her 1982 work, Dictee....
, poet, artist - Daniel ChunDaniel ChunDaniel Chun is an American comedy writer. He has written for The Office and The Simpsons. He received a Writers Guild Award nomination and an Annie Award for his work on The Simpsons. He is now Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer of The Office...
, writer, co-executive producer of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... - Christopher H.K. Lee, drector, producer, professor and publisher
- Nosaj ThingNosaj ThingJason Chung, better known as Nosaj Thing, is a Korean American electronic musician based in Los Angeles County, California. He self-released his first EP Views/Octopus in 2006 and released his debut LP, Drift, on Alpha Pup Records on June 9, 2009....
(Jason Chung), electronic musicElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
ian - Peter ChungPeter ChungPeter Kunshik Chung Peter Kunshik Chung Peter Kunshik Chung (born April 19, 1961 in Seoul, South Korea, as 정건식 (Chung Geun-sik, or alternative spelling Jeong Geun-Sik) is a Korean American animator...
, animator, creator of cult animated TV series Æon FluxÆon FluxÆon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a... - Joe HahnJoe HahnJoseph "Joe" Hahn , better known by his stage name, Mr. Hahn, is an American turntablist and director best known as the DJ and sampler for the band Linkin Park.-Personal Biography:...
, member of multi-platinum and Grammy Award winning alternative rock band Linkin ParkLinkin ParkLinkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries... - Richard E. KimRichard E. KimRichard Eun Kook Kim was a Korean-American writer and professor of literature. He was the author of The Martyred , The Innocent , and Lost Names , and many other works. He was a Guggenheim Fellow and was a recipient of a Fulbright grant...
, author of The Martyred and Lost Names - Suji Kwock KimSuji Kwock Kim-Life:She graduated from Yale College; the Iowa Writers' Workshop; Seoul National University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar; and Stanford University, where she was a Stegner Fellow....
, poet - Victor Kim, dancer of Quest CrewQuest CrewQuest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew...
- Jim LeeJim LeeJim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
, best-selling comic book artist (e.g. X-Men, Batman, Superman) and co-creator (Gen¹³, WildC.A.T.s); co-founder of Image Comics - Karen OKaren OKaren Lee Orzolek , better known by her stage name Karen O, is the vocalist for New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs.-Early life:...
, lead singer of the rock band Yeah Yeah YeahsYeah Yeah YeahsYeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring... - Lydia Paek, dancer of Quest CrewQuest CrewQuest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew...
- Nam June PaikNam June PaikNam June Paik was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the first video artist....
, artist - Il LeeIl LeeIl Lee is a Korean American contemporary artist currently living in New York City. He is best known for working almost exclusively in the medium of ballpoint pen on paper and canvas. His works have been exhibited in Seoul, Paris, New York City and San Jose. His work is minimalist in style and can...
, artist - Linda Sue ParkLinda Sue ParkLinda Sue Park is an American author of children's fiction. Park published her first novel, Seesaw Girl, in 1999. She has written six children’s novels and five picture books. Park’s work achieved prominence when she received the prestigious 2002 Newbery Medal for her novel A Single Shard...
, author - Lena ParkLena ParkLena Park, also known as Park Jung-hyun, , is a Korean-American R&B singer. Early in her life, Park showed talent for singing, mainly in the choir of her father's church in Downey with her siblings Brian and Uriah. She also learned to play saxophone and piano...
, artist, R&B singer - Emil J. Kang, non-profit executive, arts administrator, first Asian-American president of major orchestra
- Jane Jeong TrenkaJane Jeong TrenkaJane Jeong Trenka is an activist and an award winning writer.Trenka is the president of the organization: Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea.-Biography:...
, author of The Language of Blood - Joy DietrichJoy DietrichJoy Dietrich is a Korean-born American journalist, writer, filmmaker, and producer. Her 2007 film Tie a Yellow Ribbon won several awards. Although born in Korea, she is an American adoptee, who grew up in the United States....
, film director - Priscilla AhnPriscilla AhnPriscilla Ahn is an American singer-songwriter.-Early life and education:Ahn was born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft in Fort Stewart, Georgia to Kay and Harry Hartranft and spent her childhood living in the USA and South Korea. She lived in Berks County, Pennsylvania for several years and attended...
, artist, singer-songwriter - Chang-Rae LeeChang-Rae LeeChang-rae Lee is a Korean American novelist and a professor of creative writing at Princeton University, where he has served as the director of Princeton's Program in Creative Writing.-Early life:...
, author, professor of creative writing at Princeton University - Ed Bok LeeEd Bok LeeEd Bok Lee is the author of Real Karaoke People, a national best-seller in poetry and winner of a PEN/Open Book Award, an Asian American Literary Award , and a Many Voices Prize. Lee's second book is entitled Whorled .Lee was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in South Korea, North Dakota, and...
, poet, author of Real Karaoke People - Charlyne YiCharlyne YiCharlyne Amanda Yi is an American actress, comedian, musician, writer, and painter. Her performances do not include joke-telling as in standup comedy; instead, she uses different tactics such as music, magic, games, and often audience participation...
, actress and comedian, Paper Heart
Business & Economics
The 1997 U.S. Economic Census confirmed many of the anecdotal pictures of Korean business patterns that have been reported in Korean newspapers. With more than 155,000 businesses, Koreans rank third among APAs, after the Chinese and Indians. But their tendency to enter into business is one of the highest among all minority ethnic/racial groups. For instance, the rate of Korean business ownership is 71 percent higher than their share of the population, highest of all the major Asian ethnic groups.- Wendy Lee GrammWendy Lee GrammWendy Lee Gramm is an American economist and a distinguished senior scholar at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, a free-market think tank based in Washington D.C. She is also the wife of former United States Senator Phil Gramm...
, economics professor, former chair of the Commodity Futures Trading CommissionCommodity Futures Trading CommissionThe U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates futures and option markets....
(CFTC), and wife of former Senator Phil GrammPhil GrammWilliam Philip "Phil" Gramm is an American economist and politician, who has served as a Democratic Congressman , a Republican Congressman and a Republican Senator from Texas... - Ho "Charles" Kim and Hyung-soon "Harry" Kim, owners of "Kim Brothers" farm in Reedly California, patent holders for the "Le Grand" and Sun"Grand nectarine.
- David J. KimDavid J. KimDavid Jhoon Kim is the CEO and founder of C2 Education Centers. In addition to his active role in managing C2, he serves on the board of the Washington Youth Foundation and also served as a commissioner on the Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth from 2003-2005...
, founder of C2 Education, named one of the top 30 young entrepreneurs, by Entrepreneur Magazine. - Shelly Hwang and Young Lee, founders of PinkberryPinkberryPinkberry is a franchise of upscale frozen dessert restaurants headquartered in Los Angeles, California. There are currently over 100 stores, mostly located in Southern California, 14 in New York City, New York, two in New Orleans, Louisiana, two in Denver, Colorado, one in Colorado Springs,...
- Do-Won Chang and Jin Sook, founders of Forever 21Forever 21Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
- Michael YangMichael YangMichael Yang is a Korean American entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, California. He was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to San Jose, California on April 2, 1976 with his family when he was 14 years old...
, Founder & CEO of MySimonMySimonmySimon is a comparison shopping website owned by CBS Interactive. The site offers shopping recommendations, buying advice, and side by side price comparisons for various products. The site directs users to other shopping sites such as Amazon.com when searching for products. It is not affiliated...
Become.comBecome.comBecome.com is a product price comparison service and discovery shopping search engine with a mission to help shoppers make ideal buying decisions... - David ChangDavid ChangDavid Chang is a noted Korean-American chef. He is chef/owner of the Momofuku restaurant group, which includes Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Má Pêche, Milk Bar and Momofuku Ko in New York City, the latter for which he was awarded two Michelin stars in 2009, and Momofuku Seiōbo in...
, Michelin-star chef and restaurant owner
Entertainment
- DumbfoundeadDumbfoundeadJonathan Park , better known by his stage name Dumbfoundead, is a Korean American battle rapper originating from the Los Angeles Underground's Project Blowed...
, Battle rapper and hip-hop artist. - David ChoiDavid ChoiDavid Yong Choi is an American musician and YouTube video producer living in Los Angeles. He performs a mix of original songs and covers of pop hits. Choi released his debut album, Only You, in October 2008. His second album, By My Side, was released on May 19, 2010...
, singer - AmerieAmerieAmerie Mi Marie Rogers , known professionally as Amerie or Ameriie, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She debuted in 2002 with the album All I Have, primarily co-written and produced by Rich Harrison, and was well-received in the urban market...
, singer - Nicole BilderbackNicole BilderbackNicole Bilderback is an Korean-born American actress, known for her recurring guest roles on the television programs Dark Angel and Dawson's Creek, and the films Bring It On and Bad Girls From Valley High...
, actress - Moon BloodgoodMoon BloodgoodKorinna Moon Bloodgood is an American actress and model. She starred as "Lt. Blair Williams" in the film Terminator Salvation alongside Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Bloodgood previously starred in the films Eight Below and Pathfinder.-Early life:Bloodgood was born in Anaheim, California...
, actress - John ChoJohn ChoJohn Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
, actor - Esther KuEsther KuEsther Ku is a Korean-American comic. Ku was chosen as one of the ten best comedians for the 2006 NBC Stand-up for Diversity Showcase in New York City. Ku has also been a featured regular performer in the Boston International Comedy Festival and the New York Underground Festival. She has been...
, comedian - Margaret ChoMargaret ChoMargaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
, comedian, fashion designer, actress - Meg & DiaMeg & DiaMeg & Dia is an American rock band formed in 2004. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton, and is now a five-piece act with additional members Nicholas Price, Jonathan Snyder and Carlo Gimenez....
, singer/songwriters - Smith ChoSmith ChoSmith Cho is an American actress of Korean descent. She has appeared in movies, on television and in commercials.-Career:Cho has appeared in such movies as Bad Boys II, Norbit, Pie in the Sky, Fired Up, and Blades of Glory, and had a lead role in Ping Pong Playa...
, actress - Kelly ChoiKelly ChoiKelly Choi is the former host of Bravo TV's Top Chef spin-off, Top Chef Masters, which premiered on June 10, 2009...
, model, television presenter - Keong SimKeong SimKeong Sim is an American actor. A Korean American, he is a native to the city of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature graduate of the University of Chicago. He is a comedy mentor of Laughter for a Change, and has acted in numerous television, film and stage productions...
, actor - Justin Chon, actor
- Jamie ChungJamie ChungJamie Jilynn Chung is an American actress known to reality television audiences as a cast member on the MTV reality television series, The Real World: San Diego and its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II, and for her appearances in TV and films, such as I Now...
, actress - Jon GosselinJon GosselinJonathan Keith "Jon" Gosselin is an American television personality, known for his appearances with then-wife Kate Gosselin and their eight children on the American reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8.-Early life:...
, co-star of reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8Jon & Kate Plus 8Jon & Kate Plus 8, named Kate Plus 8 from the sixth season on, is an American reality television series airing on TLC. It is produced by Figure 8 Films about the Gosselin family, consisting of parents Jon and Kate and their eight children: fraternal twins and sextuplets... - Joe HahnJoe HahnJoseph "Joe" Hahn , better known by his stage name, Mr. Hahn, is an American turntablist and director best known as the DJ and sampler for the band Linkin Park.-Personal Biography:...
, musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession.... - Daniel Henney, model, actor
- Dennis Oh, actor
- Tiger JKTiger JKSeo Jung-kwon better known by his stage name Tiger JK is a Korean American rapper, producer, songwriter, enterprenuer, and founding member of Drunken Tiger. He is the founder and former CEO of Jungle Entertainment an imprint distributed by CJ E&M...
, musician - Jay ParkJay ParkPark Jaebeom , also known as Jay Park, is an American recording artist, dancer, rapper, music producer, b-boy, songwriter, composer and actor...
, singer, rapper, b-boy, actor - Tasha ReidTasha ReidTasha Reid , better known by her Korean name Yoon Mi-rae , is an R&B singer and rapper.- Early life :Reid was born to a South Korean mother, and an African American father...
(T/Yoon MiRae), musician, wife of Tiger JKTiger JKSeo Jung-kwon better known by his stage name Tiger JK is a Korean American rapper, producer, songwriter, enterprenuer, and founding member of Drunken Tiger. He is the founder and former CEO of Jungle Entertainment an imprint distributed by CJ E&M... - Ken JeongKen JeongKendrick Kang-Joh "Ken" Jeong , also known as "Dr. Ken," is an American comedian, actor, and physician. Currently, he appears as Ben Chang on the NBC comedy series Community.-Early life and medical career:...
, comedian, actor - Brian JooBrian JooBrian Joo , better known as simply Brian, is a Korean-American R&B, K-pop singer where he is known as a member of R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His solo album, The Brian was released in December 2006. His 2nd solo album, Manifold was released in December 2009.He had two birth names as Brian Gintaek Joo...
, singer - Tae Bin Im, singer, member of 1TYM1TYM1TYM is a four-member Korean hip hop group. The four members are: Oh Jin Hwan , Park Hong Jun , Song Baek Kyoung , and Im Taebin . Leader Teddy and lead vocalist Danny originated from the United States and moved to South Korea when they were accepted under YG...
- Kevin WooKevin WooKevin Woo , is a Korean-American singer, currently a member and lead vocal of a seven-member South Korean boy band, U-KISS, formed by NH Media in 2008. Bandmates include Shin Soohyun, Lee Kiseop, Ellison Kim, AJ, Hoon and Shin Dongho. Previous Members Include Alexander Lee Eusebio and Kim Kibum...
, singer, MC, member of U-KISSU-KissU-KISS is a South Korean boy band formed by NH Media in 2008. The members of the group are Soohyun, Eli, Kevin, Dongho, Kiseop, Hoon and AJ . Alexander and Kibum became former members, when their contracts were terminated in early 2011,The group has released two full-length albums, five extended... - Eli Kim, singer, MC, member of U-KISSU-KissU-KISS is a South Korean boy band formed by NH Media in 2008. The members of the group are Soohyun, Eli, Kevin, Dongho, Kiseop, Hoon and AJ . Alexander and Kibum became former members, when their contracts were terminated in early 2011,The group has released two full-length albums, five extended...
- Tiffany Hwang, singer, MC, member of Girls' GenerationGirls' GenerationGirls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...
- Jessica JungJessica JungJessica Jung , better known by her first name Jessica, is a Korean-American singer, dancer, actress and model. She was born in San Francisco, and is fluent in both Korean and English...
, singer, stage actress, member of Girls' GenerationGirls' GenerationGirls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun... - Krystal JungKrystal JungKrystal Jung , better known mononymously as Krystal, is an American-born South Korean idol singer and actress. Discovered by SM Entertainment in 2000, she began filming for commercials and music videos by 2002...
, singer, member of f(x)F(x) (band)f is a five member South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2009. The name is a play on the mathematical notation for function, and when input with different 'x', there can be many different outcomes. f strives to be the kind of girl group that can change and adapt to many situations....
, sister of Jessica JungJessica JungJessica Jung , better known by her first name Jessica, is a Korean-American singer, dancer, actress and model. She was born in San Francisco, and is fluent in both Korean and English... - Nicole JungNicole JungNicole Jung , better known mononymously as Nicole, born on October 7, 1991, is an Korean-American idol singer, and rapper. She was raised in Glendale, California but she moved to Seoul, South Korea...
, singer, member of KaraKara (band)Kara is a popular South Korean girl group signed with DSP Media . The band name Kara comes from the Greek Word "chara" Kara (Hangul: 카라, Japanese: カラ, often stylized as KARA) is a popular South Korean girl group signed with DSP Media (DSP). The band name Kara comes from the Greek Word "chara" Kara... - Rebecca Kim, rapper, member of After SchoolAfter School (band)After School is a South Korean girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2009. They are the first group to debut with a unique admissions and graduation concept in Korea, where members are added or withdrawn in a “natural” manner...
- Stephanie Kim, singer, member of The Grace
- Michael KangMichael Kang (director)Michael Kang is an American film director and screen writer. He is Korean American and based in Los Angeles....
, filmmaker The MotelThe Motel (film)The Motel is the debut feature from director Michael Kang. The film won the Humanitas Prize in the Sundance Film Festival category, and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature....
, West 32ndWest 32ndWest 32nd is a 2007 film and the second feature film by Michael Kang. The film stars John Cho, Jun-Seong Kim, Grace Park, Jane Kim and Jeong Jun-ho.... - Sung KangSung KangSung Kang is an American actor, known for his role as Han Seoul-Oh in the films Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and Fast Five....
, actor - Tim KangTim KangTim Kang is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his AT&T commercials and his role as Kimball Cho in the TV series The Mentalist.-Life and career:...
, actor - Daniel Dae Kim, actor
- Yul KwonYul KwonYul Kwon is a television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in Virginia. He first gained national recognition as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands...
, contestant and the first non-White and the first Asian-American winner of Survivor: Cook IslandsSurvivor: Cook IslandsSurvivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, having premiered on September 14, 2006... - Alexander Sebastien Lee, actor, filmmaker
- Bobby Lee, comedian
- C.S. LeeC.S. LeeCharles S. "Charlie" Lee , known professionally as C.S. Lee, is a Korean American actor, most notably known for playing Vince Masuka on the Showtime series Dexter.-Personal life:...
, actor - Will Yun LeeWill Yun LeeWill Yun Lee is an Korean American actor.He is best known for his roles on TNT's supernatural drama series Witchblade as Danny Woo and as Jae Kim on NBC's science fiction television drama Bionic Woman...
, actor - Grace ParkGrace Park (actress)Grace Park is an American-born Canadian actress. She gained recognition as Sharon Valerii on Battlestar Galactica, as well as Shannon Ng in the Canadian television series teen soap Edgemont...
, actress - Lena ParkLena ParkLena Park, also known as Park Jung-hyun, , is a Korean-American R&B singer. Early in her life, Park showed talent for singing, mainly in the choir of her father's church in Downey with her siblings Brian and Uriah. She also learned to play saxophone and piano...
, singer - Soon-Yi PrevinSoon-Yi PrevinSoon-Yi Previn or Soon-Yi Farrow is an American actress and wife of film director Woody Allen.-Early life and adoption:...
, actress, wife of Woody AllenWoody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema... - Brian TeeBrian TeeBrian Tee is an American actor.Tee was born in Okinawa, Japan, of Japanese and Korean descent. At the age of two, he moved to Hacienda Heights, California, and was raised there ever since. He attended Glen A. Wilson High School and was ASB president and a star captain of the football team. While...
, actor - Jenna Ushkowitz, actress playing Tina Cohen-ChangTina Cohen-ChangTina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
in the hit TV series, GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues... - Aaron YooAaron Yoo-Personal life:Aaron Yoo was born in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey to Korean parents. He has an older sister. He played the cello for the East Brunswick High School orchestra and ran track...
, actor - Rick YuneRick YuneRichard "Rick" Yune is a Korean American actor, screenwriter, producer, and martial artist.Yune, a Korean American, was born in Washington D.C. He is the older brother of actor Karl Yune...
, actor, model (first Asian-American model to work for leading fashion labels such as VersaceVersaceGianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
and Polo Sport) - Karl YuneKarl YuneKarl Yune is an American actor.Yune, a Korean American, was born and raised in Washington, D.C.. He studied business, literature, and philosophy before switching to a major in theater at Columbia University's School of Arts, New York, after winning the role of Romeo for a presentation of Romeo...
, actor, model (brother of Rick Yune) - Sarah ChangSarah ChangSarah Chang is a Korean American violinist. Her debut came in 1989 with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Shortly thereafter, Chang was recognized as a child prodigy. She enrolled at Juilliard School to study music, graduating in 1999 and continuing university studies...
, violinist virtuoso - Stephen SohnStephen Sohn-Personal life:Sohn was born in San Francisco, California with parents of Korean origin. During his childhood, he was raised in South Korea and United States. Sohn attended The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania where he was a top scorer student, and then he graduated with a degree in Economics...
, model - John MyungJohn MyungJohn Ro Myung is an American bassist, Chapman Stick player and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater. He is considered a virtuoso player who is widely recognized for his technical proficiency....
, bassist of progressive metal band Dream TheaterDream TheaterDream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would... - Yunjin Kim, actress in Shiri (film)Shiri (film)Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...
and LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island... - James Kyson Lee, actor
- Jarah MarianoJarah MarianoJarah-Evelyn Makalapua Mariano , is an American fashion model best known for her appearances in the 2008 and 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions, as well as Victoria's Secret.-Early life:...
, model
Journalism
- Alina ChoAlina ChoAlina Cho is a general assignment correspondent for CNN's New York bureau.-Background:Alina Cho was born in Vancouver, Washington, to parents who were born in Seoul.She revealed on CNN's American Morning that she was a cheerleader at her high school....
, CNN correspondent - Liz Cho, American weekday anchor
- Michael KimMichael KimMichael Kim is a presenter for SportsCenter on ESPN.Kim joined ESPN as one of the original presenters on ESPNEWS prior to its November 1, 1996, launch...
, ESPN anchor - Corina KnollCorina KnollCorina Knoll is an editor and award winning American journalist who writes for California and Sports sections for the Los Angeles Times.-Career:...
, Los Angeles Times reporter - K.W. Lee, founder of "Koreatown" weekly
- Julie ChangJulie ChangJulie Chang is the entertainment anchor for the 5PM/10PM news on FOX 5 . She joined the morning show Good Day New York in June, 2008, but changed over to the evening newscasts in October 2011. Previously, she was a feature reporter for CW11 Morning News, WPIX. Chang has been recognized for her...
, Fox 5 New York entertainment reporter - Juju ChangJuJu ChangHyunju "Juju" Chang is a Korean-American Emmy Award-winning television journalist for ABC News, and currently serves as a special correspondent and fill-in anchor for Nightline...
, Good Morning America Co-host on ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Judiciary
- Brian G. Kim, Judge District Court of Maryland for Montgomery County Baltimore.
- Jae Y. Kim, Hackensack, New Jersey attorney appointed to Central Municipal Court judgeship in Bergen County, New Jersey in January 2011.
Military
- Lieutenant Daniel Choi, is a former American infantry officer in the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
who served in combat in the Iraq war during 2006-2007. He became an LGBT rights activistActivismActivism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
following his coming outComing outComing out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
on The Rachel Maddow ShowThe Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
in March 2009 and has been publicly challenging America's Don't Ask, Don't TellDon't ask, don't tell"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
policy, which previously prevented lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual and gayGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
(LBGLGBTLGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) service members from serving openlyComing outComing out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
. - Lieutenant Colonel Herbert ChoyHerbert ChoyHerbert Young Cho Choy was the first Asian American to serve as a United States federal judge and the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to the bar in the United States.- Background :...
, former officer in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, the first Asian American to serve as a United States federal judge and the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to the bar in the United States. - Commander Choi Hee-dong, first Korean-American to captain an AegisAegisAn aegis is a large collar or cape worn in ancient times to display the protection provided by a high religious authority or the holder of a protective shield signifying the same, such as a bag-like garment that contained a shield. Sometimes the garment and the shield are merged, with a small...
-equipped destroyerDestroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
in the US Navy. - Colonel Young Oak Kim, a highly-decorated U.S. Army combat veteran of World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, was the first non-white to command an Army combat battalionBattalionA battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
in U.S. history.
Politics
- Gene Kim, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, founder of the Koreatown Association and Annual Koreatown Parade in Los Angeles; (Retired) Los Angeles Police Department Commissioner - John J. Choi, County Attorney, Ramsey County, Minnesota
- Jun ChoiJun ChoiJun H. Choi is an American politician and the former Mayor of Edison, New Jersey, a community of over 100,000 people and the fifth largest municipality in the state. He was sworn in on January 1, 2006 as the youngest mayor in Edison history...
, former mayor of Edison, New Jersey - Herbert ChoyHerbert ChoyHerbert Young Cho Choy was the first Asian American to serve as a United States federal judge and the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to the bar in the United States.- Background :...
, U.S. Federal judge - Sukhee KangSukhee KangSukhee Kang is the current mayor of Irvine, California. Kang is a Korean American Democrat. On July 6, 2011, he announced his candidacy for the United States Congress...
, mayor of Irvine, California - Mark L. Keam, member of the Virginia House of Delegates
- Harry KimHarry Kim (politician)Harry Kim is a former mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii. Hawaii County is the government of Hawaii island, known as the Big Island. He was elected in 2000, and served until 2008.- Life :...
, a former mayor of Hawaii County, Hawai'i - Jay KimJay KimChang-jun "Jay" Kim is a former politician from California.-Biography:Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. During the Korean War, his home was destroyed. He immigrated to the United States in 1961, where he graduated from Cal State LA and University of Southern California, earning degrees in civil...
, former Republican Congressman from California and the first Korean American elected to Congress - Yul KwonYul KwonYul Kwon is a television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in Virginia. He first gained national recognition as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands...
, lawyer - Michelle RheeMichelle RheeMichelle A. Rhee is a public figure involved in the American education system. She was chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools from 2007 to 2010...
, chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools - Paull ShinPaull ShinPaull Shin is a Korean American member of the Washington State Senate, the first Korean American ever elected to the Washington State Legislature. He is a member of the Democratic Party, elected from the 21st Legislative District, in southwest Snohomish County...
, Washington State Senator - Michelle Park SteelMichelle Park SteelMichelle Eunjoo Park Steel is the Vice Chair of the California Board of Equalization, the Republican member representing the Board's 3rd District. She is currently the highest ranking Korean American officeholder in the United States....
, California Board of Equalization Member - Sam YoonSam YoonSam Yoon is a former at-large member of the Boston City Council. He currently serves as the executive director for the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations in Washington, DC. He was the first Asian American to hold elected office in Boston...
, first Asian-American Boston City councilor - John YooJohn YooJohn Choon Yoo is an American attorney, law professor, and author. As a former official in the United States Department of Justice during the George W...
, attorney and former official in Bush's Justice Department
Science/Technology
- Benjamin W. LeeBenjamin W. LeeBenjamin Whisoh Lee or Ben Lee, was a Korean-American theoretical physicist...
, theoretical physicist (influenced development of the Standard ModelStandard ModelThe Standard Model of particle physics is a theory concerning the electromagnetic, weak, and strong nuclear interactions, which mediate the dynamics of the known subatomic particles. Developed throughout the mid to late 20th century, the current formulation was finalized in the mid 1970s upon...
) - Jeong H. KimJeong H. KimDr. Jeong-Hoon Kim is a Korean-American electrical engineer and administrator who, since 2005, has served as president of Bell Labs.Jeong Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. He came to the U.S. from Korea with his father and stepmother at the age of 14. He began school in Anne Arundel County,...
, President of Bell LabsBell LabsBell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
, CEO of Lucent Technologies - Peter S. KimPeter S. KimPeter S. Kim is president of Merck Research Laboratories . Kim was promoted to this position in January 2003. In this role he oversees all of Merck's drug and vaccine research and development activities....
, President of Merck Research Laboratories - Mark L. PolanskyMark L. PolanskyMark Lewis "Roman" Polansky is an American aerospace engineer and research pilot and a NASA astronaut. Polansky received the nickname "Roman" as a joke, because he shares a last name with director Roman Polanski. He has flown on three Space Shuttle missions: STS-98, STS-116, and...
, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Astronaut
Sports
- Eugene ChungEugene ChungEugene Yon Chung was a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League from 1992 to 1997...
, NFL football player - William Demps, NFL football player
- Hank CongerHank CongerHyun Choi Conger a.k.a. Hank Conger is an American professional baseball catcher with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball....
, MLB player - Ben Henderson (fighter)Ben Henderson (fighter)Benson Henderson is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Henderson, a former WEC Lightweight Champion, is known for his aggressive style and his ability to escape from deep submission attempts...
, mixed martial artist - Jeanette Lee "the Black Widow", professional pool player
- Naomi Nari NamNaomi Nari NamNaomi Nari Nam , is an American figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating. As a single skater, she is the 1999 U.S. silver medalist. As a pair skater, she is the 2007 U.S. bronze medalist with Themistocles Leftheris.-Personal life:Naomi Nari Nam was born in 1985 in California...
, figure skater - Anthony KimAnthony KimAnthony Ha-Jin Kim is an American professional golfer.-Amateur career:A Korean American, Kim was born in Los Angeles, California and resides in Dallas, Texas. He attended La Quinta High School in La Quinta, California. After high school, he attended the University of Oklahoma for three years; this...
, professional golfer - Jim PaekJim PaekJim Paek is a former professional ice hockey player. Paek played in the National Hockey League from 1990–91 to 1994–95. He is the first of two Korean hockey players to ever play in the NHL – the other being Richard Park...
, NHL hockey player - Richard ParkRichard ParkRichard Park is a Korean-born American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:Park moved to Southern California near Los Angeles with his family at the age of three...
, NHL hockey player - BJ Penn, mixed martial artist
- Myong Sok Namkung-Mayes, first female taekwondo grandmaster
- Hines WardHines WardHines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...
, NFL football player (MVP of Super Bowl XLSuper Bowl XLSuper Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
) - Michelle WieMichelle WieMichelle Sung Wie is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie would also become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to qualify for a LPGA Tour event...
, professional golfer - Jane ParkJane ParkJane Park is an American professional golfer who plays on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour. Before turning professional, Park reached the finals of the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and 2004 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, and won the 2004 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship....
, professional golfer - Christina KimChristina KimChristina Kim is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour and on the Ladies European Tour . From San Jose, California, she is known for her animated style of play, flamboyant dress, and outgoing personaliity.Not long after her 18th birthday, Kim turned pro...
, professional golfer - Simon ChoSimon ChoSimon Cho is an American short track speed skater who was a member of the US Olympic Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.-Early life:...
, short track speed skater - Kevin NaKevin NaKevin Sangwook Na is a Korean American professional golfer currently playing on the PGA Tour.-Personal life:Na was born in Seoul, South Korea. His family immigrated to the United States when he was eight years old. He turned professional at age 17 in 2001. He later naturalized as an American citizen...
, PGA professional golfer - John LeeJohn Lee- Politicians and government officials :*John Lee, Baron Lee of Trafford , former Minister and Conservative Member of Parliament for Pendle, 1979–1992...
, First NFL football player
See also
- Asian AmericanAsian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
- Demographics of the United StatesDemographics of the United StatesAs of today's date, the United States has a total resident population of , making it the third most populous country in the world. It is a very urbanized population, with 82% residing in cities and suburbs as of 2008 . This leaves vast expanses of the country nearly uninhabited...
- Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of CommerceGreater Dallas Korean American Chamber of CommerceGreater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce is a chamber of commerce that represents Korean-American businesses and institutions in Koreatown, Dallas, Texas and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex....
- Hyphenated AmericanHyphenated AmericanIn the United States, the term hyphenated American is an epithet commonly used from 1890 to 1920 to disparage Americans who were of foreign birth or origin, and who displayed an allegiance to a foreign country. It was most commonly used to disparage German Americans or Irish Americans who called...
- Korean adoptees
- Korean American writersKorean American writersKorean American literature treats a wide range of topics including Korean life in America, the interesction of American and Korean culture in the lives of young Korean Americans, as well as life and history on the Korean peninsula.-Korean American writers:...
- Korean-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce
- Koreans
- KoreatownKoreatownKoreatown is a term to describe a Korean ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area. Similar terms may include Little Seoul or Little Korea.-Beijing:There are more than 150,000 Koreans living in Beijing...
- Koreatown, ManhattanKoreatown, ManhattanKoreatown, or K-town as it is colloquially known, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that is generally bordered by 31st and 36th Streets and Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenues...
- Koreatown, Los AngelesKoreatown, Los Angeles, CaliforniaKoreatown is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire district of the city of Los Angeles, California known for its concentration of Korean American people and institutions...
- Koreatown, Palisades ParkKoreatown, Palisades ParkKoreatown, Palisades Park, or Palisades Park Koreatown, in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea....
- List of Korea-related topics
- List of Korean Americans
- List of U.S. cities with significant Korean American populations
External links
- KoreanAmericanStory.org: A Non-profit Organization Dedicated to Preserving Stories of Korean-Americans
- Arirang - Interactive History of Korean Americans
- AsianWeek: Korean American Timeline
- Ask A Korean!
- KoreAm Journal
- Korean-American Community and Directory
- Korean American Foundation
- Korean American Heritage Foundation
- Korean American Historical Society
- Korean American History
- Korean American literature
- Korean-American Ministry Resources (Listing of Korean-American churches)
- The Korean American Museum
- Early Korean Immigrants to America: Their Role in the Establishment of the Republic of Korea