Post-War Immigration Experiences of Survivors of the Korean War

ABSTRACT

The current study examined personal experiences of Korean American survivors of the Korean War who immigrated to the United States post-war. Seventeen Korean American immigrants ages 55–84 years old shared their experiences before, during, and after the Korean War, as well as their immigration experiences. All participants were residents of California, which is home to the second highest number of Korean immigrants in the United States. Through the use of consensual qualitative analysis (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997), themes emerged from participant interviews that included the loss of identity, the American dream and unmet expectations, survival, and parenting issues (including intergenerational conflicts). This study provides key information about this population for clinical settings and suggests the importance in future research to understand the post-war effects on successive generations of Korean American immigrants.

KEYWORDS:

• Immigration
• Asian American
• war trauma
• aging population
• intergenerational