“Where do I fit in?” A conversation with Korean adoptees

On By Fred McNultyIn Videos

Certain aspects of Korean culture are having a “moment” in the United States, which has given voice to many oft underrepresented Asian American voices. But one group of Asian Americans are frequently overlooked: adoptees. I spoke with four Korean adoptees raised in the United States about their unique experiences.

Given that most adoptees from Korea are raised by adoptive parents who are not Korean, many Korean adoptees have different experiences from that of their Asian-American peers raised by their biological families. In addition, many Korean adoptees report being discriminated against for being both Asian and also adopted.

The extended interview with Megan can be found here:

The extended interview with Ben can be found here:

The extended interview with Ethan can be found here:

Citations:

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#45: File:National Assembly Building of the Republic of Korea.png, Wikimedia Commons, 8 Sept. 2014, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:National_Assembly_Building_of_the_Republic_of_Korea.png .

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#47: Korea Adoption Services (English), Republic of Korea – Ministry of Health and Welfare, http://www.kadoption.or.kr/en/index.jsp.

#48: Desai, Miraj U. “Racism Against Asians And Asian Americans Is Prejudice You Can Still Get Away With.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Sept. 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miraj-u-desai/racism-against-asians-and_b_8185388.html.

#49: Cho, Chung-un, et al. “Toddler’s Murder Reopens Old Wounds for Korean Adoptees.” The Korea Herald, 6 Apr. 2014, http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140406000215.

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#52: Hemmeke, Katelyn. “Beyond Infantilizing Portraits: South Korean Adoptees Speak Out.” Korea Exposé, 10 Apr. 2017, http://www.koreaexpose.com/korean-adoptees-resist-infantilization/.

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#57: Outro Song: “Fill Me In” by Atwaters featuring Yeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW0iKqFMoxo Used with artist’s consent. The contents and views of this video may not necessarily be shared with the artist.

#58: McNulty, Frederick, and Megan Wallett. “In Person Interview.” 1 Oct. 2018.

#59: McNulty, Frederick, and Ethan Lonardelli. “In Person Interview.” 9 Oct. 2018. 

#60: McNulty, Frederick, and Ben H. “In Person Interview.” 3 Oct. 2018.

#61: McNulty, Frederick, and Seneca Schultz. “Email Interview.” 2 Oct. 2018.