First, I would like to commend the staff at KoreAm for providing such a culturally rich and intelligent outlet for Korean Americans such as myself. KoreAm is the only magazine that has been able to evoke such laughter and cultural clarity; every issue never fails to make me laugh along with the “inside jokes” that we all share as Korean Americans.

Also, I must commend you for your willingness to portray Korean Americans in their entirety. By examining divergent facets of Korean American lives, whether it may be positive or negative, I sincerely believe that you are helping to portray Korean Americans as who they truly are, as people. I was incredibly moved and touched by Andrew Suh’s letter that you printed in your July 2005 issue — his eloquent words and powerful insight on the harsh realities of “those that fall short of the Korean American status quo.” I was so impressed with the maturity that he exhibited through his writing.

Thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication to the Korean American community. Every new issue of KoreAm that arrives in the mail is a brief, symbiotic form of comic relief and cultural enrichment.

> Stephanie Kim, Davis, Calif.

KoreAm’s Identity Issues

I was amazed to discover this magazine existed when I went to visit my parents in Glendale, Calif., last December, let alone that you had been publishing the past 15 years. I excitedly signed up for a subscription and received my first magazine in January, but have since been disappointed by the quality of the contributions presented in the magazine (as well as the lateness with which each issue arrives in my mailbox). I suppose part of the disappointment regards a lack of clarity in whom your intended audience is. This was addressed most recently by Ed Park’s letter, published in your July 2005 issue.

Mr. Park’s letter reflects a sort of identity ambivalence that characterizes the state of the magazine in general. Flipping through any given issue, you see ads for travel to Korea, specific businesses located in Los Angeles County and even recruitment ads from the CIA. Many articles deal with locations in Korea, such as Seoul, and Korean celebrities and athletes who have made a temporary transition to the States to further their careers. While I applaud you for your work in showcasing the diversity of personalities, occupations and immigration histories of Korean Americans, some sections do need consideration for revision or elimination. As a psychology graduate student, I am most offended by the Dear Clara section. Are the questions posed really authentic or are they made up for entertainment purposes?

In any case, going back to Mr. Park’s letter, I began thinking about his negative reaction to his Korean associates “hook[ing] [him] up with a nice Korean woman.” Would being with a Korean make us no less American than being with someone of European American descent? Why is it that Italian Americans who choose to marry other Italian Americans are not even given a second look, while Korean Americans who choose to marry other ethnic Koreans are made to wonder about their preferences and choices? Is it racial pride? Is it parental pressure? Is it that this other person has experienced the same kinds of subtle discrimination I faced as a simultaneous insider/outsider in this country? It is interesting to ponder whether Korean Americans as a group will ever come to accept their own internal diversity and not have to question our identity as Americans of ethnic Korean descent (as this is continually done for us by “mainstream” members of American society).