EAST ASIANS: KOREANS

According to the US Census 2000 there are 1,228,427 single-race, multi-race and multi-ethnic Koreans of which 1,076,872 are single-race.

FACTS & STATISTICS

In a study of 256 Korean men from randomly selected Korean households in Chicago and in Queens (which then had the largest Korean population on the East Coast) in 1993:

• 18% of the respondents reported committing at least one of the following acts of physical violence within the past year: throwing something, pushing, grabbing, shoving, or slapping their wife.
• 6.3% of the men committed what the researcher classified as "severe violence" (kicking, biting, hitting with a fist, threatening with a gun or knife, shooting, or stabbing).
• 33% of "male-dominated relationships" experienced at least one incident of domestic violence during the year, whereas only 12% of "egalitarian" relationships did. [Researchers classified couples into four types of relationships-i.e., egalitarian, divided power, male-dominated, and female-dominated-based on the respondents' answers about how the couple makes decisions.]
• Nearly 39% of husbands who were categorized as experiencing "high stress" perpetrated domestic violence during the past year, whereas one out of 66 husbands categorized as experiencing "low stress" did so. [This correlation does not necessarily mean that stress causes or leads to domestic violence. Women and non-abusive men are also exposed to 'high stress' and do not resort to domestic violence.]

Kim JY, Sung K. Conjugal violence in Korean American families: A residue of the cultural tradition. Journal of Family Violence. 2000; 15(4): 331-345.

In a survey of a convenience sample of 214 Korean women and 121 Korean men in the San Francisco Bay Area conducted in 2000 by Shimtuh, a project serving Korean women in crisis:

• 42% of the respondents said they knew of a Korean woman who experienced physical violence from a husband or boyfriend.
• About 50% of the respondents knew someone who suffered regular emotional abuse.
• 33% of the respondents (women and men) recalled their fathers hitting their mothers at least once.

Shimtuh, Korean American Domestic Violence Program. Korean American Community of the Bay Area Domestic Violence Needs Assessment Report. Oakland, CA: Author; 2000.

A 1986 study involving face-to-face interviews of a convenience sample of 150 Korean women living in Chicago found that:

• 60% reported experiencing physical abuse by an intimate partner sometime in their lives.
• 36.7% reported sexual violence by an intimate partner sometime in their lives.

Song-Kim YI. Battered Korean Women in Urban United States. In: Furuto SM, Renuka B, Chung DK, Murase K, Ross-Sheriff F, eds. Social Work Practice with Asian Americans: Sage Sourcebooks for the Human Services Series. Vol. 20. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. 1992; 213-226.

In the Asian Task Force study:

• 69% of the overall respondents and 80% of Korean respondents reported being hit regularly as children.

Yoshioka, M. & Dang Q., (2000).  Asian family violence report: A study of the Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese communities in Massachusetts.  Boston, MA:  Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

TRANSLATED MATERIALS

MULTI-MEDIA RESOURCES

Camp Arirang
For decades, since the Korean War, thousands of Korean women have been working as prostitutes for American soldiers. This film explores the lives of the sex workers and their fatherless Amerasian children who live in US camp towns throughout South Korea. Through interviews with the workers, soldiers, scholars and through contemporary and archival footage, the film reveals the story of how the Korean government and the US military have cooperated in the sale and control of women's bodies. Featured is a ex-prostitute, Yon Ja Kim, who now devotes her life to the welfare of older sex workers and their biracial children.  By Diana S. Lee & Grace Yoon Kyung Lee.  www.asianamericanmedia.org, distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women
A documentary film about Korean women forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.  It combines the testimony of former comfort women who demand justice for the "crimes against humanity" committed against them, along with contravening interviews of Japanese soldiers, recruiters, and contemporary scholars who deny the existence of comfort women or claim that these victims "did this for money". The film clearly details that what comfort women want today is not financial compensation, but a measure of personal honor and vindication in the form of an official apology from Japan.  By Dai Sil Kim-Gibson.  www.asianamericanmedia.org, distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

Staying Home Shouldn't Hurt
This video features the stories of Korean women and adult children who have survived domestic violence.  In Korean with English subtitles.  By Shimtuh.  510-547-2360 (office), 866-744-6884 (helpline), general@kcceb.org

Talking History
A compelling mosaic of oral histories and historical footage of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Laotian women featuring their journey to the US and their unique immigrant stories.  By Spencer Nakasako.  www.asianamericanmedia.org, distribution@asianamericanmedia.org

Wave After Wave: Domestic Violence in the Korean American Community
This movie interweaves the stories of three generations of Korean/Korean American women.  One who still lives with her husband even after decades of verbal and physical abuse, one who is divorcing a husband who has beaten her children for years, and one who has begun a new life a few years after her marriage to a man who raped and abused her. By Jisu Kim. kimjisu02@yahoo.com

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ahn, H.N., & Gilbert, N. (1992).  Cultural diversity and sexual abuse prevention.  Social Service Review, 66(3), 410-427.

Chang, J., & Moon, A. (1997).  Korean American elderly's knowledge and perceptions of elder abuse:  A qualitative analysis of cultural factors.  Journal of Multicultural Social Work, 6(1/2), 139-154.

Cho, J-H. (1991).  Resentment of the battered wives: The case of Korea.  Studies in Symbolic Interaction, 12, 149-181.

Choi, Y.A. (1992, April)  Sexual violence against women in Korea.  Paper presented at the Asian Women's Conference, Saitama, Japan.  

Chung, K.H. (1996).  Your comforts vs. my death. In M. J. Mananzan, M. A. Oduyoye, E. Tamez, J. S. Clarkson, M. C. Grey, & L. M. Russell (Eds.), Women resisting violence: Spirituality for life.  Maryknoll, New York:  Orbis Books.

Hong, I.J. (1993).  Male batterers: An ecosystemic analysis of conjugal violence. Unpublished dissertation, Fuller University, CA.

Kim, B-O. (1996).  Shame and violence: The understanding of Korean wife batterers. Unpublished dissertation, Drew University, Madison, NJ.

Kim, J.Y., & Sung, K. (2000).  Conjugal violence in Korean American families: A residue of cultural transition.  Journal of Family Violence, 15(4), 331-345.

Kim, K., & Cho, Y. (1992).  Epidemiological survey of spousal abuse in Korea.   In E. C. Viano (Ed.), Intimate violence:  Interdisciplinary perspectives. (pp. 277-282).  Washington, DC:  Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.

Kim, K-I., & Ko, B. (1990).  An incidence survey of battered children in two elementary schools in Seoul.  Child Abuse & Neglect, 14, 273-276.

Kim, T.H. (1996).  Cultural aspects of marital violence in first generation immigrant Korean-American families.  Family Systems Research and Therapy, 15, 127-137.

Kim, Y., & Grant, D. (1997).  Immigration patterns, social support, and adaptation among Korean immigrant women and Korean American women.  Cultural Diversity and Mental Health, 3(4), 235-245.

Korean Journal. (1993, October).  A violent world at home:  An assault on love (a special issues on domestic violence in API communities). Korean Journal.

Louie, M.C-Y. (1995).  Minjung feminism:  Korean women's movement for gender and class liberation.  Women's Studies International Forum, 18(4), 417-430.

Moon, A., & Benton, D. (2000).  Tolerance of elder abuse and attitudes toward third-party intervention among African-American, Korean American, and White elderly. In D. D. Anda & R. M. Becerra (Eds.), Violence: diverse populations and communities, Part II. (pp. 283-304).  New York:  The Haworth press, Inc.

Moon, A., & Evans-Campbell, T. (1999).  Awareness of formal and informal sources of help for victims of elder abuse among Korean American and Caucasian elders in Los Angeles.  Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 11(3 ), 1-23.

Moon, A., Tomita, S.K., & Jung-Kamei, S. (2001).  Elder mistreatment among four Asian American groups:  An exploratory study on tolerance, victim blaming and attitudes toward third-party intervention.  Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 36(1-2), 153-169.

Moon, A., & Williams, O. (1993).  Perceptions of elder abuse and help-seeking patterns among African-American, Caucasian American, and Korean-American elderly women.  Gerontologist, 33(3), 386-395.

Pablo, S., & Braun, K.L. (1997).  Perceptions of elder abuse and neglect and help-seeking patterns among Filipino and Korean elderly women in Honolulu.  Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 9(2), 63-76.

Park, M.S. (2001).  The factors of child physical abuse in Korean immigrant families.  Child Abuse & Neglect, 25(7), 945-958.

Park, S-H.L. (1997).  Navigating the anti-immigrant waves: The Korean women's hotlines and the politics of community. In N. Naples (Ed.), Community activism and feminist politics: Organizing across race, class and gender. (pp. 175-195).  New York:  Routledge.

Rhee, S. (1997).  Domestic violence in the Korean immigrant family.  Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 24(1), 63-77.

Shimtuh, K.D.V.P. (2000).  Korean American community of the Bay Area Domestic Violence Needs Assessment Report.  Oakland, CA:  Author.

Shin, H.L. (1995).  Violence and intimacy:  Risk makers and predictors of wife abuse among Korean immigrants. Unpublished dissertation, University of Southern California, CA.

Song-Kim, Y.I. (1992).  Battered Korean women in urban United States. In S. M. Furuto, B. Renuka, D. K. Chung, K. Murase, & F. Ross-Sheriff (Eds.), Social work practice with Asian Americans. (pp. 213-226).  Newbury Park, CA:  Sage.

Song, Y.I. (1986).  Battered Korean women in urban America:  The relationship of cultural conflict to wife abuse. Unpublished dissertation, Ohio State University, OH.

Song, Y.I. (1996).  Battered women in Korean immigrant families: The silent scream.  New York:  Garland.

Supriya, K.E. (1996).  Confessionals, testimonials:  Women's speech in/and contexts of violence.  Hypatia, 11(4), 92-106.

Tran, C.G., & Des Jardins, K. (2000).  Domestic violence in Vietnamese refugee and Korean immigrant communities. In J. L. Chin (Ed.), Relationships Among Asian American women. (pp. 71-96).  Washington, DC:  American Psychological Association.

Yim, S.B. (1978).  Korean battered wives:  A sociological and psychological analysis of conjugal violence in Korean immigrant families. In H. Sunoo & D. Kim (Eds.), Korean women struggle for humanization. (pp. 171-199).  Memphis, TN:  Korean Christina Scholars.

Yoshioka, M., & Dang, Q. (2000).  Asian family violence report: A study of the Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, South Asian, and Vietnamese communities in Massachusetts.  Boston, MA:  Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.

Yoshioka, M.R., DiNoia, J., & Ullah, K. (2001).  Attitudes toward marital violence: An examination of four Asian communities.  Violence Against Women, 7(8), 900-926.

SERVICE PROGRAMS

Some organizations serve all Asians and Pacific Islanders, some serve specific ethnic groups.  Please go to our Directory to find these resources.

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