Korean population is spread around in different places of Americas, Europe, as well as within Asia. Many Korean teenagers around the globe face similar yet different situations every day. Korean community is treated differently depending on the country’s reaction toward foreigners. While some countries have an open and tolerable mind toward a new culture, some do not.
“I have been living in California for about 6 years and I think the people here are generally good about accepting other cultures. Although there are some racist comments here and there, I think they are somewhat tolerable,” says Janet Hwang, a sixteen year old. West Coast consists of a large Korean American population which allows the people to be more tolerant toward the Korean culture. America is known as the melting pot of many different cultures, however not every part of America is welcoming to foreigners. Sixteen year old Stewart Lee, who lives in New Hampshire, states, “There aren’t that many Asian people living around my neighborhood, and people seem to be very hesitant to open up and completely accept the culture that they are not used to.” Regions that are not exposed to variety of ethnicities seem to be more resistant toward accepting a new culture, where as in California it is common to find people of different ethnicities accepting the Korean culture such as Korean Barbeque.
Canada consists of far less Korean population than in America, but the racism issues does not seem to rise as much. “I live in Ontario, Canada, and I do not notice much specific racist behaviors or statements around my school or neighborhood, possibly because Canada has many different cultures mixed together,” states Ben Kim, a seventeen year old. Observing the difference between New Hampshire and Canada, we can concur that difference in reaction towards foreign cultures seems to vary depending on the regional culture and attitude of its citizens.
Many Koreans live in Southern America and China as well, but these communities do not seem to be as friendly as the ones of Canada and United Sates. “I used to live in Guatemala four years ago for about seven years, and I do not remember the Guatemalan people to be very friendly toward Asian populations,” states Sam Jung, a seventeen year old. Sam also stated that although there were Korean community activities within churches and organizations, the overall environment of Guatemala was strange for him to get used to. Jenice Kim, who lived in Hong Kong for four years stated, “Hong Kong consists of many different cultures but they seem to have a degrading look upon people who are not in part of their ethnicity.” From the experience of these two teenagers, it can be inferred that countries with many natives making up the majority of the population are more resistant toward the foreigners.
Korean population will continue to spread, expand, and take positions in the global world regardless to the racial opinion people may have upon them. “I am certain that more Korean individuals will take important roles throughout the globe in very near future,” says Janet Hwang.
