For Korea, with Aloha from Hawai’i

Let’s explore Korea’s relationship with Hawai’i. This post comes as I leave Korea to return to the US.

The Historical Relationship Between Korea and Hawai’i

Korea’s relationship with Hawai’i began during the Plantation Era. In 1902, the Korean Empire first issued passports, allowing Koreans to go to Hawai’i. After the United States passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, plantation owners in Hawai’i sought to maintain low wages by manipulating ethnic division, which was easier for them to accomplish after the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893. For example, the Hawaiian Sugar Plantation Association, which was mostly controlled by American missionaries, encouraged Korean Immigration in order to quell the Japanese immigrants who were threatening to strike.

American missionaries and an American businessman, David William Deschler, in Korea acted as intermediaries, recruiting Koreans through promises of prosperity. Deschler actually received income based on the number of Koreans he could convince to travel to work for the Hawai’i sugar plantations. In January 1903, 102 Koreans arrived in Honolulu Harbor, and within a couple of years, this number increased to around 7,000. 

When Japan annexed Korea in 1910, these Korean expatriates were unable to return home and by 1928, most Koreans left the plantations and settled in Hawai’i, establishing their own businesses. This blog aims to highlight the many unique similarities between Korean and Hawaiian culture, including features that I have been comforted by over the past 3 years because they have made me feel closer to home.

Shared cultural practices

Now that we know a little bit more about the historical relationship between Korea and Hawai’i, let’s explore eight shared cultural practices:

1) Aquaculture via fish ponds (“loko i’a” in Hawaiian).

While Korea describes this as an ancient practice, these fishponds are currently maintained throughout Hawai’i, and other island nations of Oceania, both to honor the culture and land, and provide more sustainable food sources. Seokbangnyeom in Namhae is a great example of this form of aquaculture. 

You can also see examples of fishponds in Hawai’i that have been both preserved and cultivated for continued sustainable living. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P0E0nq7x6P8&feature=youtu.be

2) Rock formations – protection, fortification, and games

Similar to the fishponds, rock formations were used by both Koreans and Hawaiians to create fortifications that can still be seen today. In fact, the next time you visit a fortress, palace, or temple in Korea, pay special attention to their use of rock formations in the architecture. Additionally, you will find doltap, or conical cairns, used to keep away misfortune, erected at village entrances, near temple hikes, and modeled in museums. If you visit a heiau, Hawaiian temple, you’ll also notice the use of rock formations.

Please note in either situation, you should avoid removing rocks. In Hawai’i, it is important to know that each heiau serves a different purpose. Treat these locations with respect. If you are uncertain about customs and procedures in these locations, it helps to ask cultural experts. If you find that you are not being given direct answers, consider the “hidden cultural” aspect, which may be communicating (by not communicating) that you may not be welcome in certain areas. Korea, Japan, China, and Hawai’i used stones to play one of the oldest strategy games, which may look like the modern-day board game, Othello. In Korea, this game is known as baduk 바둑; In Hawai’i, konane.

3) Lunar Calendar

Like Korea, and other countries across Asia and Oceania, Native Hawaiians also follow a lunar calendar based on moon phases, which provide guidance for farming, fishing, and daily life.

In Hawai’i, each month has 3 anahulu, similar to weeks. Each anahulu lasts for 10 days, distinguishing between the waxing, rounding, and waning of the moon. https://www.hookuaaina.org/the-hawaiian-moon-phases/

The biggest festival in Korea today is Seollal (the traditional Korean New Year). Other important festivals include Daeboreum (the first full moon), Dano (spring festival), and Chuseok (harvest festival). https://blog.southofseoul.net/index.php/2021/12/06/lunar-new-year-in-south-korea/

4) Food Migration

Our long-standing history has resulted in a shared appreciation of food, arguably the real ambassadors of culture.  One need only type “Hawaii” into a Naver search to find hotels and restaurants with “Hawaiian” themes, likely decorated with palm trees, and including shrimp, coconut, and pineapples on the menu. If you’re really lucky, their beer menu may include something from Big Island Brewery. Though, of the things on the previously mentioned list, palm trees, specifically loulu palm trees, are the only ones native to Hawai’i; whereas shrimps, pineapples, and coconuts are not.

Similarly, in Hawai’i, you’ll find Korean restaurants with dishes that are not typically found in Korea, such as meat jun, or thinly sliced beef, dipped and fried in egg batter, which is a local favorite at many of Hawai’i’s Korean fast food restaurants. As of 2018, just under 49,000 residents of Hawai’i identify themselves as being Korean so it’s very possible to find more authentic Korean culinary experiences. I would recommend restaurants in Honolulu, such as Choi’s Garden and Millions.  Or just take a stroll down Ke’eaumoku Street and you’ll find many Korean-owned restaurants and businesses. Sadly, while many Korean establishments on Ke’eaumoku have closed since the pandemic, others have also relocated.  https://www.honolulumagazine.com/jan-31-will-mark-the-end-for-a-whole-block-of-keeaumoku-eateries-heres-where-theyre-going/

For jjajangmyeon, I often go to Ong Dong, which is a Korean Chinese restaurant in Honolulu.

And, if you’re looking for a ride in between locations, Pony Taxi is my go-to Korean-owned taxi company. 

5) Spiritual connection with nature

Korean and Hawaiian ancestors adapted to nature and became one with it. Native Hawaiians consider themselves to be stewards of the land and our identity is defined by our connection and responsibility to care for the land. Somewhat like the Korean history with shamanism, Hawaiians are polytheistic and are strongly connected to their ancestor “spirits”, including those that exist in nature.

6) Genealogy

Korean families treasure their genealogies. While Koreans keep these records in treasured books, Native Hawaiians, originally an oral culture, trace their genealogy or mo’oku’auhau, through chants or ‘oli, which often includes the land or pai’aina that a person is from because, as previously referenced, the land is our ancestor.

7) The Rose of Sharon

The Rose of Sharon or hibiscus can be found in both Korea and Hawai’i. The hibiscus syriacus is native to Korea and is often considered the national flower. Seven species of hibiscus are endemic to Hawai’i, but you may also find hibiscus rosa-sinensis, endemic to China, in Hawai’i as well. The yellow hibiscus brackenridgei is listed as an endangered species.

8) Appreciation for Hula

You can find halau, school for hula, here in Korea, on Instagram, @susan_kukana_hula and @becoming.aloha If you’re interested in learning or watching performances, then you can reach out via their Instagram. Kumu, or teacher, Susan or Kukana, teaches in Korean. You may reach Kukana at 010-2252-3336 for inquiries. Kumu Kukana’s halau is located 5 minutes from Gangnam Station Exit 4.

Hula is a sacred practice. Hula praises Hawaiian gods, our ancestors, and therefore, nature as well. Thus it would be inappropriate to wear hula outfits and hanbok for Halloween because these are not costumes. Koreans wear hanbok for special occasions and in significant places. You will often find hanbok rental shops near palaces in Korea, where the shop keeper can help foreigners wear hanbok correctly. Your entrance fee to palaces is often waved if you are wearing a hanbok. On the other hand, Hawaiians have protocols and behavioral expectations for those who take on the honor of perpetuating the knowledge of hula.

Pacific Connections

As an educator, my 9th and 10th grade curriculum, required students to select cultures around the Pacific Ocean to compare to Hawaiian culture. Eventually, as we watched the Hokule’a circumnavigate the world in 2014, this unit expanded to include other cultures around the world. https://www.hokulea.com/worldwide-voyage/ The goal of this unit emphasized that we all have more in common than we may realize and, through those shared commonalities, perhaps we can also find resolutions for our differences and global solutions for our seemingly isolated concerns.

My family cherished our short three-year stay in Korea. And while I was accustomed to the food and language, coming from Hawai’i, I have grown to love so much more about this unique culture and nation that is so much more than what one may glean from Hallyu. Don’t get me wrong, I have long enjoyed the psychological thrillers of Park Chan-wook; I couldn’t help being swept up in the adventures of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo Young Woo”; and my little one often requests Black Pink songs, while we are driving around Korea. However, the screen doesn’t fully translate the magnificence of watching the sunset from Kkotji Beach, sitting in any one of Korea’s remarkable cafes and enjoying a unique signature drink, and the picture-painting-like landscapes of farmlands, mountain views, or seasonal flowers. While we long to return to my home, Hawai’i, Korea will always have a place in our hearts.

Reading recommendations

If you find this South of Seoul post interesting, I would like to recommend three books to read:

• The Birth of Korean Cool
• Ethnicity and Inequality in Hawai’i
• Everything You Need To Know About Asian American History