A Country Divided, an Identity Torn: What Does It Mean to be Korean?

70 years have past since Korea's division. Over many decades, several generations of Koreans have come and gone with the next generation being farther from history than the one before. During my time in Korea this past J-term,... [ view full abstract ]

70 years have past since Korea's division. Over many decades, several generations of Koreans have come and gone with the next generation being farther from history than the one before. During my time in Korea this past J-term, I learned that many young Koreans struggled with their identity - am I “South Korean”? Just “Korean”? I was encouraged to explore this struggle and dilemma among Koreans in the US. As a Korean American, I had grown up always intrigued by questions involving nationality and identity. What did it mean to be Korean and to identify as an individual from a country torn in two? Korean Americans are often asked, are you North Korean or South Korean? Such a question displays the shared experience of feeling lost and confused with our own heritage and identity. How does this dilemma impact how younger Korean Americans perceive and understand Korea's complex history and current situation? Are we disinterested in this issue? Is North Korea irrelevant to our identity as Koreans? Does immigration play a role? Cultural dissonance? Geographic separation? What does it mean to be Korean American? What does this all mean for the future of Korea and future
generations of Koreans?