Project

Korean Immigration in
New York and
Philadelphia
By: Alexander Kang
강성유
 Table of contents
02
Korean Americans
in New York and
Philadelphia
01 Koreatown origins and life in
Korean-concentrated
03
The USA’s communities The life of
Immigration Dr. Seo Jae-pil
History with Korea The first Korean
naturalized US citizen
How did Korean and his brilliant life
immigration to the
United States start?
 Almost

2,000,000
`

Korean Americans are living in the United States, as of 2019

 The Joseon–United States Treaty of
1882
● Signed on May 22, 1882 at
Chemulpo, Korea
(Present-day Incheon, South
Korea)
● Treaty of amity and
commerce
● Diplomats, political exiles,
merchants, or students come
to the US around 1884
 The Immigration Act of 1924
● Limited the number of immigrants
entering the United States
through a national origins quota
system
● Only 2% of the total number of
people of each nationality were
granted immigration visas
● Asian immigrants completely US President Calvin Coolidge
signing the Immigration Act on
excluded
May 24, 1924
 The Immigration and Nationality Act
of 1965
● Eliminated the national
origins quota system
● Removed discriminations of
Asians and other
non-western ethnic groups
from American immigration US President Lyndon B. Johnson signing
policy the Immigration and Nationality Act on
October 3, 1965
Korean Americans in New York

● About 10% of Koreans came to the NYC

area
○ Most were not well educated and
had problems with English
● Lived in enclaves in Queens
● Self-employment
● Grocers → nail salons and dry cleaners
Korean Americans in Philadelphia

● Korean enclaves in Olney, counties in

West Pennsylvania, New Jersey
● Families educated in Korea come to
Pennsylvania
○ Wanted better jobs and better
lives for their children
● Some came to invest
 Koreatown:
● Area in lower Manhattan at
Broadway and West 32nd St
● Started to develop around the late
1970’s and early ‘80s
● Low rents, high foot traffic due to
the Empire State Building, and
living districts nearby
● West 32nd Street officially became
known as Korea Way in 1995
Dr. Seo Jae-pil (서재필 박사)
The first Korean naturalized citizen of the
United States

Advocate for Korean independence and

democracy

The Philip Jaisohn

Memorial House
Delaware County,
Pennsylvania
Life in Korea:
● Born January 7, 1864 in
Boseong County, Korea
● One of the youngest people
to pass the civil service
exam
● December 4, 1884- Gapsin
Coup
Life in America:
● Arrived in San Francisco, CA
on June 11, 1885
● 1890- Became the first Korean
to become a United States
citizen
● 1892- First Asian-American to
receive a medical degree
● 1894- Married Muriel
Armstrong
The Return to Korea and the
Independence Movement:
● 1895- Returns to Korea
● 1896- Founds the newspaper
The Independent (독립신문)
● Formed the Independence Club
● 1897- construction of the
Independence Gate
● 1898- Accused of conspiring
against the monarchy
The Return to America and the
1919 March 1st Movement:
● Continued his medical research at
the University of Pennsylvania
● Devoted all of his energy and
resources to spreading awareness
of Korean independence
○ First Korean Congress in
Philadelphia
○ League of Friends in 26 cities
○ Political journal called the
“Korea Review”
Final years:

● Returned to Korea after Japan’s defeat in

WWII
● Chief Advisor to the U.S. Military
Government and member of the Korean
Interim Legislative Assembly
● Was selected as a candidate to the
presidency, which he declined
● Returned to the US in 1948 and passed
away on January 5, 1951 at the age of 86
Thank You!

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 References
● https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Philip_Jaisohn
● https://history.state.gov/countries/korea
● https://sites.bu.edu/koreandiaspora/issues/history-of-korean-immigration-to-america-from-1903-
to-present/#:~:text=The%20high%20unemployment%20rate%2C%20political,%2Dday%20Korean%2
DAmerican%20community.
● http://www.naka.org/resources/history.asp
● https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/coolidge-signs-stringent-immigration-law
● https://ballotpedia.org/Immigration_and_Naturalization_Act_of_1965#:~:text=The%20Immigration%
20and%20Naturalization%20Act,immigrate%20to%20the%20United%20States.
● https://www.workingimmigrants.com/2018/01/how-the-koreans-in-new-york-city-evolved/#:~:text
=There%20about%20150%2C000%20Korean%20immigrants,been%20flat%20for%20some%20years.
● https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/berger2010/a-taste-of-the-world/the-history-of-koreatown/
● https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-koreans-in-the-u-s/
● https://whyy.org/segments/korean-immigrants-in-philly-region-greet-summit-with-high-hopes-lo
w-expectations/#:~:text=In%20the%201960s%20and%201970s,and%20Cherry%20Hill%2C%20New%
20Jersey.
● https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/koreans-and-korea/
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Korean Immigration in New York and

Philadelphia

NAKS-MAC
Korean School of Southern New Jersey

Alexander Kang
 Korean Immigration in New York and Philadelphia

As of 2019, there are over 2 million Korean Americans living in the United States.
Although Los Angeles takes the top spot for the most populated metropolitan area by
Korean Americans with a population of 326,000, New York and Philadelphia take the
second and eight spots on that list, with a population of 220,000 and 42,000 respectively.
As a resident of Southern New Jersey, I wanted to specifically focus this project on
Korean immigration to the United States on the Eastern Coast. Through my initial
research, I learned that most Korean immigrants landed in areas such as California and
Hawaii, and yet I was so interested in the process of Korean migration eastward to the
region where I currently live, as well as the development of areas known for its Korean
presence, such as Koreatown in New York City. Through my project, I hope to inform
others on not only how life was like for Korean immigrants in these areas, but also to
provide background information on the United States’s history of immigration and
relationship with Korea and its lasting impacts. In addition, I will be discussing the
incredible life of the first Korean naturalized citizen of the United States and
independence activist Dr. Seo Jae-pil, and hope that people will be inspired by his actions
and love for Korea in the same way I was while researching for this project.

To begin, when did Koreans begin to immigrate to the United States? It was
generally agreed among the research I conducted that the first significant wave of Korean
immigrants was in the early 20th century as laborers in Hawaii. However, with further
digging, I also found that some merchants, students, and political exiles arrived in the US
as early as 1884. This was after the signing of the Joseon–United States Treaty of 1882.
Signed on May 22, 1882 at Chemulpo, Korea (present-day Incheon), the treaty served as
a sign of friendship and partnership between the US and Korea, which was still in the
Joseon Dynasty. Both countries allowed each other to establish a diplomatic mission in
each other’s country, as well as a mutual alliance and right to trade and commerce.
Although the treaty was passed in 1882 and some Korean immigrants traveled to the
United States, the majority of immigration did not occur until the late 1960s. This was
due to the Immigration Act passed by the US Congress around 40 years earlier in 1924.
The act limited the number of immigrants entering the United States through a national
origins quota system. Only 2% of the total number of people of each nationality were
granted immigration visas as of the 1890 national census; in addition, Asian immigrants
were completely banned in this act. The act of legislation was largely due to nationwide
paranoia caused by World War I and the fear of the spreading of communist ideas across
the country. Racial discrimination was also prevalant among Americans, as they saw the
vast majority of immigrants as unskilled, uneducated, and were stealing their land and
jobs. The Immigration Act of 1924 was then repealed by the Immigration and Nationality
Act of 1965. Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 3, 1965, the act
eliminated the national origins quota system and removed discriminations of Asians and
other non-western ethnic groups from American immigration policy, and large numbers
of Korean immigrants arrived in the country in the mid 1970s and 1990s as a result.
`
Out of this surge of Korean immigrants, around 10% of them came to the New
York and Pennsylvania area. Korean enclaves (Korean-concentrated districts/areas)
sprang up in counties in Pennsylvania such as Olney, even some areas in New Jersey like
Cherry Hill where I live! After 1965, many new families that were educated in Korean
universities in fields such as accounting or engineering but had not found professional
jobs or good opportunities immigrated to Philadelphia; they wanted better lives and
education for their children, who they thought would fare better in the United States
rather than back in Korea. Other immigrants came to the eastern area to invest in
retailing, contacting Korea business brokers who could help in locating stores and
financing; many business plans were borrowed from Korean communities in larger cities
like Los Angeles or New York City. Despite those that came to the US for better
educational opportunities, most immigrants were not well educated and had problems
communicating and speaking in English. As a result, many took jobs in small businesses
such as grocers and convenience stores because it did not require them to be proficient at
English. Similar to Philadelphia, immigrants that settled in New York lived in enclaves in
Queens; most took to self employment, starting or buying small businesses as
neighborhood groceries in poor communities. The Korean grocery general became a
common feature, as they served as the traditional economic function of middlemen
between economic classes. However, as grocery chains killed the local groceries, people
transitioned to services like nail salons and dry cleaners. Today, Korea continues to
dominate in these sectors. The area of lower Manhattan at Broadway and West 32nd St
became known as Koreatown in the late 1970’s and early 80’s; the area had low rents,
high foot traffic due to the Empire State Building, and living districts nearby, which made
it the perfect place for Korean businesses to set up shop. When emigration out of Korea
began, the Korean government placed a limit of $1,000 to be taken out of the country;
this was because Korea wanted immigrants to boost the home economy through
remittances (sending money back to Korea) rather than take the capital with them from
their homeland. However, as Korea’s political and economic conditions improved, the
government increased it to $3,000 in 1979, which is likely why Koreatown began to
develop around that time. Although there was no formal plan to create Koreatown, many
Korean restaurants, grocers, and other businesses started to gather, and as a result the area
became known for its Korean presence. By 1995, the most commercially dense part of
Koreatown along West 32nd Street even officially became known as Korea Way.

One of the most notable people out of Korean immigrants on the Eastern coast is
Dr. Seo Jae-pil. Seo Jae-pil was born on January 7, 1864 in Boseong County, Korea. His
father was a local magistrate in Boseong, and he was exposed to Western thoughts and
ideologies from a young age. He especially liked the Western idea of a parliamentary
system where the will of people ruled a country instead of a king. At age 18, Seo Jae-pil
became one of the youngest people to pass the civil service exam, and he believed that
the Korean military was obsolete and the nation itself had to change, or else it would fall
victim to neighboring imperialist powers like China, Russia, or Japan. On December 4,
1884, Seo joined a group of reformist intellectuals including Ok-gyun Kim, Young-hyo
Park, and Gwang-beom Seo and staged a coup, which was an illegal attempt to
overpower the government. Known as the Gapsin Coup, the 4 individuals advocated for
fundamental social reform, but the coup ultimately failed after the Qing military
intervened after just 3 days. Many of the participants were killed, and Seo and the leaders
fled to Japan. From there, Seo Jae-pil traveled even further to the US and arrived in San
Francisco, CA on June 11, 1885. He changed his name to Philip Jaisohn and became the
first Korean to become a US citizen in 1890. He attended the Harry Hillman Academy in
Wilkes-Barre, PA, thanks John W. Hollenback, a successful white businessman who
became his patron. He studied medicine at the George Washington University and
became a doctor in 1892, becoming the first Asian-American to receive a medical degree.
Philip Jaisohn married Muriel Armstrong on July 20, 1894, who was the niece of former
president James Buchanan. This was the first ever recorded Korean and American
marriage in the US. After Japan defeated China in the Sino-Japanese War, Jaisohn was
able to return to Korea in 1895 due to Japan pressuring the Korean government to drop
the treason charges against leaders of the Gapsin Coup. Back in Korea, Jaisohn devoted
his time to informing the common people about Korean independence from other nations
and the importance of public education, healthcare, and modernization. He founded the
newspaper The Independent (독립신문) in 1896 to inform the common Korean people.
Breaking away from the traditional Chinese characters, Jaisohn published his newspaper
entirely in the hangul language, which he did to allow women and lower class members
to read the newspaper as well. He also formed the Independence Club and was behind the
construction of the Independence Gate in 1897, which was meant to symbolize Korea’s
independence. In 1898, conservatives in the government accused Philip and the
Independence Club of conspiring against the monarchy, and Philip returned to America
with his family. There, he continued his medical research at the University of
Pennsylvania and he became a successful printer. When he heard about the March 1st
Movement protesting against Japan’s rule over Korea in 1919, Philip Jaisohn devoted all
of his energy and resources to spreading awareness of Korean independence. He held the
first Korean Congress in Philadelphia, organized the League of Friends of Korea in 26
cities, and published a political journal called the “Korea Review” to inform Americans
on the situation. He returned to Korea for a second time after Japan’s defeat in World War
II as the Chief Advisor to the U.S. Military Government and as a member of the Korean
Interim Legislative Assembly. Once the United Nations confirmed the date of the first
presidential election in Korea, over 3,000 supporters petitioned for Jaisohn to run. He
refused, believing that political unity was imperative for the new democratic nation.
Finally, he returned back to the US in 1948 and passed away on January 5, 1951 at the
age of 86.

Through the research I conducted throughout this project, I gained a deeper insight
on the history and lives of Korean immigrants in the areas I live, particularly the New
York and Pennsylvania region. I was able to learn so much about not only the struggles
immigrants faced in an unknown country and strict immigration policies, but also the
ways they were able to push through those struggles and still find ways to thrive and
make a living. I looked into Dr. Seo Jae-pil’s life and the actions that he took for his
country, making it to the US and continuing to push for democracy for his motherland. I
now have a new level of appreciation and admiration for these immigrants and the impact
they have had on the country today; Koreatown thrives in the great city metropolis of
New York, and we as the next generation of Korean Americans have the privilege of the
better life that those immigrants visioned for us. Through this project, I hope that I also
inspired others and informed them on the rich history rooted between Korean immigrants
in the United States of America.