Interview with Sylvia and David Park
Korea Times, Jan. 1, 2001
As translated by Andrew S. Kim
WE ARE 5th GENERATION IMMIGRANTS
2003 marks the 100th year of Korean immigration.   On January 13,1903, the
American steamship, the S.S. Gaelic, transported 102 Korean sugar cane laborers to the
American territory of Hawaii, beginning the immigration history of Koreans to America.
The first group of these immigrants left Jae Mul Po (Inchon today) on the steamship,
Gaelic.   They came to Hawaii via Nagasaki, Japan, and arived in Hawaii after three
weeks of arduous travel   Thus the Korean immigration history began.   Now their 3rd
and 4th generation descendants are being born.
Through the family of Sylvia Park (Char Wha Ryun), aged 67, living in Los
Angeles, we would like to explore Korean immigration history.   Both (?) of her parents
were first generations Koreans.  1) The first generation maternal grandfather fled to San
Francisco from Korea.   2) Her second generation mother marries a first generation father
and had two daughters.   3) Sylvia marries a second generation husband and has three
sons.   4) Her second son (4th generation) marries a Caucasian wife and has two fifth
generation grandchildren.
The interview with Sylvia Park and David Park (76) took place at their residence
with a panoramic view of Los Angeles.   They are respectively third and second
generation Korean Americans.   Sylvia's husband is from a family of five boys and one
girl of a Hawaiian sugar cane laborer and his picture bride.   Sylvia is a descendant of a
Korean ex-patriate who actively worked with Dosan Ahn Ch'ang Ho on the
independence movement who formed a family in America which continues through five
generations.   English is the mother langauge of both Sylvia and David.   They hardly
spoke any Korean but they were sure of their roots in Korea.   Sylvia especially is
keeping her family photos given to her by her mother, Ada Char who died in 1989 at the
age of 77 as a family treasure.   Even though they are faded black and white photos, these
give some continuity from the first to the fifth generation of the Char family.
The first generation independence movement activist, Mr. Choi (Jeung Ik Choi) is
the maternal grandfather of Sylvia Char.   There are hardly any records, sad to say, about
Mr. Choi who arrived in San Francisco in 1905 and along with Dosan Ahn Ch'ang Ho,
participated in anti- Japanese activities in America.   Even Sylvia had little memory of her
maternal grandfather.   However, the recent publication of the 14 volume Dosan Ahn
Ch'ang Ho compendium is useful in tracing Mr. Choi's activities.   Mr. Choi served as
the first president of the first Korean organization in America, the Kookminhya.   He
acted as publisher of the Shin han min bo (publication of the Kookminhya).   You can see
that he was very influential and an intellectual in the Korean community.   Syliva says
that like any patriot in those days, "my grandfather was not able to pay as much attention