ASIA AM 20 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Korean Diaspora, Grou
Korean Immigration Transnational Adoption
Questions:
● What are the 3 waves of Korean immigration?
● What are the characterisitics of the Korean diaspora? When did people immigrate? What
do they do for work?
● What are the politics of transnatinoal Korean adoption
Waves of Immigration
●First Wave: 1903-1905, about 8000 Korean laborers arrived in Hawaii, picture brides
1920
○ Make money, go home; Terminated in 1905 due to global politics (Japan,
demanded Korea stop sending immigrants to US; Japan annexed Korea)
●Second Wave 1952-1965 (postwar), war brides, adoptees, and college students
●Third Wave 1965-present; surge in the immigration of Koreans, many small businesses
owners, adoptees, and families
○ 1.5 generation (kids born in Korea but immigrate at an early age)
○ Parachute children (kids who come alone to study/live in the US)
The Korean economic niche community
● Korean flight to suburbs; rise of mom and pop businesses, esp, in places with not a lot of
small businesses and small food shops, ex: Korean dry cleaners
○ Family owned (oriented) small business, restaurants
Orphan
● The child has no parents due to death/disappearance, abandonment/desertion,
separation/loss of both parents OR
● Sole/surviving parent is incapable of providing proper care and has, in writing,
irrevocably released the children for emigration or adoption
○ Many children taken into families tied to the presbytarian church
Transnational Transracial adoption
● Transnational involves two countries: families adopt children from Korea
● Transracial: adoption of children of color by white families
Why Korea?
● Not a lot of support for single mothers
● Exporting of babies from Korea was a multimillion dollar industry
Children as immigrants
● Transnational adoptee: a child born abroad and adopted internationally into a family
(often different from their ethnic grou pin the case of transracial adoptees)
● 1.5 Generation: children born abroad who arrive with their families and grow up in the
US
● Parachute children: select group of foreign children who come alone to US between
ages 8-17 for education, then enter US college
○ Usually from wealthy families who can afford ot send their children over
○ Anger babies: children of immigrant mothers that have children in the US
Document Summary
What are the politics of transnatinoal korean adoption. First wave: 1903-1905 , about 8000 korean laborers arrived in hawaii, picture brides. Make money, go home; terminated in 1905 due to global politics (japan, demanded korea stop sending immigrants to us; japan annexed korea) Second wave 1952-1965 (postwar), war brides, adoptees, and college students. Third wave 1965-present ; surge in the immigration of koreans, many small businesses owners, adoptees, and families. 1. 5 generation (kids born in korea but immigrate at an early age) Parachute children (kids who come alone to study/live in the us) Korean flight to suburbs; rise of mom and pop businesses, esp, in places with not a lot of small businesses and small food shops, ex: korean dry cleaners. The child has no parents due to death/disappearance, abandonment/desertion, separation/loss of both parents or. Sole/surviving parent is incapable of providing proper care and has, in writing, irrevocably released the children for emigration or adoption.