Gokhale 1
Byran Wong
Professor Asaka
HIST030
24 February 2024
The Korean War had shaped Korea in many ways, and the Korean immigration to the
United States was heavily influenced by both the actual war and United States military presence
during the war, and after cease fire of the war was enacted. United States military had assisted
South Korea after the invasion of North Korea had begun. During the war many Koreans were
introduced to American soldiers and customs, and many American soldiers were introduced to
the Korean people. American soldiers being primarily young men looking for wives during their
deployment, the phenomenon of military brides became apparent. Also because of the war, many
Korean children were sent to the United States for their safety. During war time, many young
men are drafted or enlisted to fight, such is true during the Korean war when America had
decided to support South Korea following the North Korean invasion. The United States had sent
troops to South Korea and during their time in deployment many Korean women seeking a better
life had decided to marry American soldiers with the intent of escaping the warring country or
financial opportunity. Many Korean woman who had immigrated through their marriage to
American soldiers had then become United States citizens. Life for the newly wed wives of
American soldiers was met with many difficulties. Korean military brides were a foreign group
of people who were immigrating to, at the time, a primarily white populated country, far
different from their majority Korean home country. The cultural shock initially for these women
may have been jarring and frightening but many Korean immigrant wives had attempted to
assimilate into American culture and society. Despite their attempts, many Korean military
brides were met with discrimination, racism, and pushback from their local communities because
Gokhale 2
of their ethnic background. Many anti-Korean sentiments had formed during the war and had
stayed throughout the afterwar period in the United States, and the military brides who had
married American soldiers had suffered from these racial sentiments.
Another large part of Korean immigration that was affected by the Korean war was the
Korean adoptee children sent over to the United States during the war. These children were sent
for their safety due to the war or were sadly orphaned because of the war. These adoptee children
were then adopted by American couples to live and grow up in the United States, the adoptee
program still exists post-war. The Korean children who grew up in America were victims of
racially charged sentiment and despite some of the adoptees growing up entirely American,
because of their ethnic background or their looks. For these Korean adopted children, many of
them are far disconnected from their Korean heritage because of their separation geographically
and culturally from Korea and many times other Koreans.
The Korean War and the aftermath of the armistice had influenced an influx of Korean
immigration because of the phenomenon of Korean women marrying American soldiers and
immigrating to the United States, and the practice of sending Korean adoptee children to the
United States during the war, which still occurs today.
