Saywhatnow? Heck, I’m part German, but you’d be hard-pressed to find me cavorting in lederhosen or eating sausages, much less ‘pursuing the German culture’s interests.’ Why should a third- or fourth-generation Korean-American who probably doesn’t speak Korean (and might not even *gasp* like kimchi) — or anyone from any cultural ancestry — feel the need to identify with (much less ‘help out’) a culture they’ve never been a part of?

This is exactly why I maintain that Korean adoptees (in particular those who have been adopted at a very young age) are neither Korean-Americans, let alone “Gyopos”.

I ran into a lot of trouble for stating the obvious…

The same goes, of course, for adoptees of other origin and in other countries, such as myself. In my view, I am neither legitimately entitled to describe myself as a Romanian (although I was born in Romania and am entitled to this country’s passport, nor as a Gypsy, let alone an Indian - although my ancestors in all probability originated from there).

But he said when he lived in South Korea,that he definitly felt his identity as a Chinese.”

Yes, I know this situation very well from my experience as a counsellor for foreign students. I must admit, however, that I am not generally happy about such an attitude…

I (born in Romania as an ethnic South Asian) also once considered playing this card during my childhood in Germany. When I was in primary school in Cologne/Germany, I tried to make a big deal of my “otherness” - but the people around me quickly dissuaded me from doing so. And, with hindsight, I agree with them that this “I’m so different from all others around” attitude does not really benefit the individual concerned, quite the contrary…

I’ve also been meaning to make a response to your post regarding Japanese imperialism and Korean nationalism. I believe it is quite well known in Korea that the Japanese claimed shared ancestry with Koreans to justify annexation. I for one have known this for quite a while. It’s quite ironic that some Japanese ultranationalists today vehemently deny such a connection. I find their behavior understandable, however.

Korean nationalism made its own responses to that particular kind of Japanese imperialism. There were Korean nationalists who outright denied connections to the Japanese, as well as others such as the Chinese, and there were also those who would make subtle disagreements, such as whether Korea or Japan should be the “centerpiece” of this collective identity. From my experience, with regards to Korean relationship with Japan, the latter form of Korean nationalism is more dominant today.

. . . You may maltreat Koreans with impunity, in fact a traveller may take possession of their rooms, and turn them out on the street, and they will take it as nothing serious, if not a joke; but touch an ancestral grave and your life will pay for it.

If I was backpacking in Europe, then I’d feel more American then Korean.

KorAms in Seoul are Americans to the Koreans, unless, unless they are Michelle Wie or someone else who has accomplished something extra ordinary.

Well, I had a korean chinese friend who was a graduate student of anthropology in Japan. He said that (as he was an anthropologist) he felt both identity in Japan,Korean and Chinese because Japanese in general were interested about his view of China as a Korean, and his view of Japan as a Chinese.

In China, he said that he felt “Korean” especially when he was talking to the Han-Chinese.

But he said when he lived in South Korea,that he definitly felt his identity as a Chinese.

Identity pretty much changes due to context and environment.
An overall,united identity based on blood or language is, IMHO, an illusion.

“No, ethnic Koreans in China are Korean-Chinese. They are not Koreans. Many South Korean nationals living in China remarked to me that were significant cultural differences between themselves and the Joseonjok. The Joseonjok I was acquainted with felt the same. Apart from the virtually invisible Manchus, ethnic Koreans are probably the most assimilated of the 55 official minority groups.”

I do agree that there are cultural diffeerences between South Koreans and Korean Chinese. However, the same can be said between South Koreans and Korean Americans. I believe we are all products of our surrounding social environments, and as such, Koreans, regardless of blood, differ from eachother based on what kind of society we grow up in.

However, most Koreans nonetheless share unique cultural traits that makes us common among others. The Korean Chinese, though they grow up in a radically different environment than South Koreans, still carry on many of the unique Korean cultural heritages, most important being the Korean language. As I see it, in this regard, Koreans are probably one of the few ethnic minorities in China that will not eventually be “assimilated” into the majority Han Chinese population.

I believe language is the biggest factor here. Learning Korean in China has its practical uses, primarily due to the Korean investors in China who prefer to hire bilingual Korean Chinese fluent in both Korean and Chinese. For other ethnic minorities, unfortunately, learning their native language has little practical use. Without their language, their ethnicity gradually perish, as they become more and more like the Han Chinese. This is a trend that I believe is especially true for the Manchus. I have met many Manchus before, but I have seen none that could speak the Manchu language. Without such distinction, they are no different from the Han Chinese except that they identify themselves differently, though there are also cases where half-Manchus identify themselves as Han Chinese.