Shades of Gray/Koreanness

From White to Black-Greyscale

Shades of Gray

The Korean War Baby, has read the excellent study from Evan B. Donaldson’s Adoption Institute called "Beyond Culture Camp". It has to do with the questions many have looked at concerning the identity issue of Koreanness.

The KWB found this at the blogger Ask a Korean “What makes a person Korean?”

“How to Measure One’s Koreanness?
Then is there any way to determine if someone is Korean? The most obvious first step is whether someone considers his/herself to be a Korean. After all, one cannot be forced into a group identity – group identity is only a part of self-identity, and no one can control the way you regard yourself.

25% Korean Miss Universe

(Here is an interesting example of forced-upon group identity: In 1997, Miss Universe was Brook Lee, a quarter Korean. Her grandfather was a Korean who immigrated to Hawaii. The Korean media went nuts when Lee won Miss Universe – Look, world’s most beautiful woman has some Korean in her! However, all this attention from Korea bewildered Lee, who said until she was mobbed by Korean media, she did not really consider herself Korean.)

But does subjective acceptance of group identity suffice? It cannot. There have to be some objective barometers because purely subjective measures would be ludicrous. One who is be born outside of Korea from non-Korean parents, has never visited Korea, does not know one word in Korean, dislikes all Korean food, cannot handle even one shot of soju, etc., cannot possibly become Korean by simply believing oneself to be a Korean.

In fact, objective factors, if numerous enough, can overwhelm the importance of subject acceptance. It would be plain stupid if someone who is born and raised in Korea to Korean parents, speaks only Korean and has never left Korea suddenly claim he is no longer Korean.

From this, we can extract a unified theory of Koreanness: Koreanness is about how much, and how well, you buy into the idea of Korean group identity.”

The KWB thinks Ask a Korean has very good points, as for how much and how well you buy into the idea of Korean Group identity must be looked at from many levels. Korean Media has always grabbed hold of “Famous Korean celebrities” syndrome where anyone who has 25% (Grandparent) Korean is claimed by the media as “KOREAN”.
However, the public in Korea has some very interesting views on “What is a REAL KOREAN”. The KWB has heard from thousands of students, yes, at least a couple of thousand, on this issue. He has taught at two major universities, three Middle Schools, plus business classes, Shinsegae Department Culture Centers, and Private classes for over 14 years in Seoul, Korea.
In EVERY case the issue of being a Korean War Baby and IP Yang In or 입양인 comes up. At one middle school, which must remain unnamed, over 2/3 of the students had lived abroad 3 years or more. They had studied at private or public schools in English speaking countries or in International Schools.
The remaining 1/3 of students told the KWB several times that those who had lived OUTSIDE Korea for more than two years “Were NOT Korean anymore! When he questioned them further, they implied that living outside the country that long put them OUTSIDE the “WE” or “우리" concept. They were not in the group of Real Koreans in their jealous mindsets.

Please consider this chart:

What shade of Korean-ness are You?

Percentage of Korean-ness	Factors
100	Full-Blooded Real Korean-Both parents Korean/live in Korea (N or S) entire life/speak and write in Hangul/know history, culture, food,/ served in military (for males)/studied abroad less than 2 years
90	M/F both Korean/Studied abroad MORE than 2 years and speak English very well
80	1. Generation- Korean Adult Emigrants to Foreign country.
70	1.5 Generation-2 Korean Parents Emigrated to another country when under 18 yrs. old.
60	2.0 Generation-2 Korean Parents but BORN a CITIZEN of Foreign Country. (‘Korean-American’) Speak and write Korean at low level. Does not know Culture/history/practices very well.
50	Bi-Racial/Bi-Cultural- One parent Korean other is NOT; Lives in Korea. Culture/language/history knowledge high level.
40	Bi-Racial/Bi-Cultural- One parent Korean other is NOT; Lives in foreign country with low to moderate levels of Cultural/language/history ability.
30	Full-Blooded Korean Adoptee-Older child 3 and up, remembers some of Korean life: has lost most language/cultural understanding/etc. Baby or Very young Adoptee- has None or only ‘learned knowledge’ of being Korean. Culture Camps, self study, trips to motherland, etc. Some Full-Blooded Korean Adoptees are also Bi-Cultural as they are adopted by Korean living abroad as Residents or Citizens. Some are adopted by Korean Adoptees married to foreigners. Level of understanding is based on learned or experienced culture.
20	Mixed-Blood Korean Adoptee- From 25 to 50% Korean genetic ancestry; adopted into Foreign family (usually Caucasian); only learned knowledge of being Korean, or now living in motherland to continue ‘turning Korean’.
10	Low Level of Blood Quantum- Person with one Great- Grandparent or 12.5% Korean Ancestry. Very low level of understanding of Korean Culture/language/history/etc.

WHEW, did he miss anyone? Send your thoughts or comments, links, articles, etc. to the koreanwarbaby@gmail.com
 
The terms dongpo (동포) or gyopo (교포) in Korean refers to people of ethnic Korean ancestry who have lived the majority of their lives outside Korea. It can also mean simply any Korean who lives outside Korea. Korean DongPo or Gyopo