Minnesota has long been home to people from the Korean Peninsula—from early arrivals in the mid-twentieth century to their expanding family networks as well as students and professionals in the decades that followed. About sixteen thousand Koreans live in Minnesota today, many of them first-generation immigrants. Many more are part of the Korean adoptee community, its members more strongly connected to Minnesota than any other state.

In this newest addition to the People of Minnesota series, Koreans in Minnesota introduces readers to the history of Korean immigration here, including settlement patterns and the formation of religious and social communities. Organizations ranging from the Korean American Association of Minnesota—the cornerstone of Korean immigrant society—to the Korean Service Center, which provides social services to elderly Koreans, to AK Connection, a networking alliance of adult adopted Koreans, to educational groups and institutions that teach the Korean language and culture help to tell the stories of this varied group.

Author Sooh-Rhee Ryu builds the narrative through interviews with community members and extensive archival work. A personal account by Soon Ja Lee tells of arriving in 1953 and, along with her husband, contributing to Minnesota’s growing Korean American community.

Also of interest:
Minnesota Immigrant Oral Histories: Korean
MNopedia article: Korean Transracial Adoption in Minnesota
MNHS Press book: The Language of Blood