From Sea to Shining Sea: The Second Wave of Korean American Immigration (1950-1964)
From Sea to Shining Sea is a KAYAT blog series that follows the three major waves of Korean American immigration.
1950-1964
After Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule following World War II, the peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel into communist North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union, and non-communist South Korea, supported by the United States. In June 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, and the United States intervened according to their Cold War policy of containment, sparking the Korean War. This outbreak of violence and the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952, which allowed Asian immigrants to apply for citizenship, pushed around 15,000 Koreans to America.
This second wave of Korean immigration was composed of various people seeking diverse futures. The War Bride Act of 1946 opened the gateways of America to the Korean wives of American soldiers, and, by 1965, over 6,000 Korean war brides immigrated to the United States. Faced with cultural barriers and restricted to remain on military bases, these war brides often felt isolated from Korean and American communities. However, many military brides created their own communities and friendships with those of shared lived experiences. Adopted Korean children were also among this second wave of immigration. Many of these “GI babies” were fathered by American servicemen. Stigmatized for being mixed-race, fatherless, and having “impure” mothers, primarily white American Christian families adopted these Korean children. Korean students, businessmen, professionals, and intellectuals also immigrated to the United States, seeking economic and educational opportunities. Though they braved segregation and racism, these Korean immigrants became well integrated into America, forming a stereotype of success called the “model minority.”
Fleeing war and pursuing a new future, the second wave of Korean Americans remains a relevant and significant presence in America today.
