5 Books about the
Korean Diaspora
(that you haven’t read yet)
The world is a big, big place.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
There are stories upon stories that neither you nor I will ever have the honor to hear. Stories that have been buried under the burden of time, stories that have been forcibly erased, stories that have had pages torn out because of shame and guilt.
All of these stories are somewhere in the world, hiding inside the locked treasure chests of youth that every person keeps in their minds. It’s just that we don’t always have the words to say them out loud. The whispered memory from mother to son that is passed down until someone forgets can never be recaptured again. This is why it is so important to speak up and tell your story. We mustn’t forget that people like you and I once lived.
“Don’t let them forget that people like us existed.”
This is actually a phrase from Professor Lee Jae Gab’s work. It’s quoted from a mixed Korean man who was the focus of the Professor’s photojournalism for many years until he passed. Korea was so ready to erase the plight of mixed Koreans from history. Professor Lee Jae Gab’s photos tell us to remember. No, they demand that we remember.
and it is his book “또 하나의 한국인” that is number one of my recommended reading list.
ONE
또 하나의 한국인
by 이재갑
When I first met the Professor at his final photo exhibition 빌린 박씨, he gifted me this book. It’s a collection of photos and writings on the subjects he photographed - mixed Koreans after the Korean War. It may be the only book of its kind. The Professor quit photographing people after this series.
I hope it is still being sold here.
TWO
Why Those Children Had to Leave Korea - The Hidden History of International Adoption [my tranlation]
by 아리사 H. 오
I am not entirely certain, but I believe the English version of this book is
”To Save the Children of Korea: The Cold War Origins of International Adoption.”
The title and cover is different but the topics are the same. I have not read the English book so I can’t give a definitive answer but this I think it’s important to learn all we can about international adoption and where Korea fell into all of that.
I’ve linked both the Korean and English books.
THREE
“As the first English-language book on the music and identity of China's Korean minority community, Sound of the Border investigates diasporic mutations of Korean culture, influenced by power dynamics in the host country and the constant renewal of relationships with the homeland.”
Music is an incredibly powerful aspect of culture, simultaneously malleable and unchangeable. This book explores diasporic Korean music in China.
FOUR
Black Flower
by 김영하
” Look at this ship we are on. Aristocrat or commoner, all must line up to eat.”
We haven’t yet explored it fully on our channel, but there is a long history between Mexico and Korea. This book is an epic tale about the 애니깽 - a term for the Korean immigrants who were sold into indentured servitude on the henequen plantations (hence the term) in 1905 in Mexico.
FIVE
The Prince of Mournful Thoughts
by Caroline Kim
"But, of course, Americans find it easy to declare their love for each other. I love you, I love you, they all say but then manage to divorce each other several years later. I have never told my wife that I love her and I have never heard it from her. It is unnecessary. It would be like saying I breathe or I think or I live.”
A collection of stories told through the lens of multiple characters among the Korean diaspora.
There are many excellent books and essays out there about the Korean experience all over the world. I know that a few pop off here and there and become wildly trendy, which is wonderful. I also think it’s vital to read widely.
it’s difficult, I have to admit, though. When it comes to books about cross-cultural subjects like Korean diaspora, many of the stories might have been hidden in shame or there are major language and cultural barriers in the way of an interested writer. Hopefully, these stories will keep coming to light.