Encyclopedia:
Korean American,
North Korean-American relations,
Talk:Korean American,
Category:Korean American writers,
Korean American writers,
Talk:North Korean-American relations,
Category talk:Korean-American bishops,
Category:Korean American religious leaders
Korean-American (
Korean: lang|ko|한국계 ,
Hanja: ,
hangukgye migugin) is an
American of
Korean descent.
Although there were earlier immigrants to the U.S., Korean immigration to the U.S. is widely accepted as having begun
January 13,
1903, when laborers arrived in
Hawaii to work on
sugar plantations. More began arriving after the passage of the
Immigration Act of 1965.
As of 2000, ethnic Koreans living in the United States numbered some 1.3 million, with large concentrations in
California,
New York,
Texas,
Washington,
Illinois,
Pennsylvania,
New Jersey,
Maryland, and
Virginia.
Los Angeles, with its
Koreatown district, is home to the largest concentration of Koreans outside of
Asia. The 2000 Census counted 1,076,872 Korean-Americans, up from 798,849 in 1990. About one-tenth of these are
adoptees who are or have been raised mainly by white families; they may be found anywhere in the country, and in most cases they do not have Korean names. The 2000 Census also recorded an additional 151,555 Americans of part-Korean ancestry.
Korean-Americans remain one of the most religious ethnic groups in the United States, with around 75% attending church regularly
http://www.icasinc.org/2004/2004m/2004mycr.html#N2. Most Korean-Americans are affiliated with evangelical Christian and Protestant churches, outnumbering Korean-American Buddhists by about a 10-to-1 margin
http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleid.18076/article_detail.asp. There is a significant presence of Korean-American leaders in university Christian groups, such as the Campus Crusade for Christ. According to a book written by
Heerak Christian Kim,
Korean-American Experience in the United States: Initial Thoughts (The Hermit Kingdom Press, 2004), a typical university gathering of Korean students will have 100 percent of the group members having attended a Christian church in their youth.
However, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade counted 2,157,498 ethnic Koreans living in the U. S. in 2003; a large number of these are students or temporary workers and hence do not have permanent residence status.
In 1993,
Jay Kim became the first Korean American to be elected to the U. S. Congress, while
Chang-Rae Lee became the first Korean American writer to receive the
PEN/Hemingway Award in 1995.
For other notable Korean Americans, see the
list.
See also
*
List of Korea-related topics*
List of Korean Americans*
Koreans*
Korean adoptees*
Korean American writers*
Koreatown*
Koreatown, Chicago*
Koreatown, Manhattan*
Koreatown, Los Angeles*
Asian American*
Demographics of the United StatesExternal links
*
http://www.arirangeducation.com/ Arirang - Interactive History of Korean Americans*
http://www.kamuseum.org/ The Korean American Museum*
http://www.kahs.org/ Korean American Historical Society*
http://www.geocities.com/mokkim/kafacts.html Statistics*
http://www.koreamjournal.com/Magazine/index.php KoreAm Journal*
http://www.asianweek.com/2003_01_10/feature_timeline.html AsianWeek: Korean American Timeline*
http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=887434 Sign Language (article on anti-Korean zoning ordinances)
*
http://www.koreanamericanheritage.com/ Korean American Heritage Foundation*
http://www.eastrockinstitute.org/ East Rock Institute, New Haven, Connecticut*
http://www.kachi.org/ Korean American Christian Heritage Institute of Silver Spring, Maryland*
http://www.iKATV.com/ iKATV.com-Korean American Entertainment and Lifestyle Channel----
AmericanCategory:Ethnic groups in the United States*ko:한국계 미국인ja:韓国系アメリカ人zh:韓裔美國人