The Beginning of Korean American Community

Did you ever wonder how the Korean American community got started?  If you are curious, these facts may be of interest to you.  Korean American got their start when about seven thousand Koreans migrated (by encouragement) to the plantations of Hawaii.  This happened mostly at the beginning of the 20th century, between 1903-1905 respectively.  What then took place was that Chinese laborers were barred through immigration laws.  So before the legal bars became closed, due to the National Origins Act, around 1,100 picture brides from Korea were allowed in to Hawaii.

These young Korean brides had a better education than many of their male partners.  These ladies brought life and hope to the predominantly bachelor community.  Many of them took part in Christian church life and even independence movements.  These things had also helped to free their homeland from the colonial rule of Japan.  Then students and and political exiles became a third major group of early Korean Americans. 

Lastly, the American intervention in the Korean War (1950-1953) caused another great wave of Korean immigration.  American soldiers who were stationed in Korea married Korean women.  Some of them arranged the adoption of war orphans to other American homes.  Some sponsored students to come back to the United States.  Therefore, between 1951 and 1964 about 6,500 brides, 6,300 adopted children, and 6,000 students came to America.  Plus, the number of Koreans who have immigrated to this country as adopted kids or brides of Americans since the Korean War is more than 100,000 for each group!

Best regards from the East,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, please feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.