MEET JOSEPH OH
Adoption details: "I was adopted, along with my biological brother around the age of 5 - he was 3. We were adopted twice. First time was to a white family, second time was to a Korean-American family. The white adoptive father died less than 2 months after we were adopted to them, and all I know is that because of this, our adoption wasn't finalized with them. A story ran in a Korean newspaper in Chicago and that's how our eventual parents heard about us. Both my parents that raised me immigrated to Chicago from Korea as adults. Because we grew up with Korean-Americans, we aren't the typical transracial adopted Koreans, but our experiences as adoptees are similar in that we grew up with a lot of unanswered questions, and as adults, continue to search for answers. My Korean name, given by SWS is 'Park, Jae-Young' and I was found near a police station in Incheon. I spent time in the 'Star of the Sea' orphanage in Incheon. I was able to visit it with my brother in 2009. I have no memories of anything before I was settled into my family in Chicago after the age of 5. I assume it's because of the trauma that being adopted twice involved."
Current city: Minneapolis, MN - I moved here in 2010 with my (at the time) soon-to-be wife. We are married and have a son.
Thoughts on the local KAD community?
Minnesota always has a lot of opportunities for adult adoptees to get involved in some capacity. Furthermore, we have a lot of talented and creative people in this city, which I am always impressed with. Although I grew up in Chicago and there are many more Asian-Americans there, it wasn't until I was here in the Twin Cities that I saw so many Asian-American theatrical productions through Mu Performing Arts.
How has being a KAD influenced your personal life?:
"Being a KAD has made me feel displaced for most of my life. Even though I grew up with a stronger tie to the Korean culture as a result of being raised by Korean-Americans, there has always been a sense of not belonging. Even in the adoptee community, I have felt like an outsider because I wasn't raised as a transracial adoptee, like most Korean adoptees. I've been told that I am not a 'True Adoptee' because I never lost my entire self as a Korean. Though I fully acknowledge some of the advantages of having grown up in a same-race home, and for having been raised with Korean in the household, I identify as an adoptee because I grew up with a sense of loss that wasn't acknowledged. In my personal life, it's affected my ability to have self confidence, but finally, in my 40s, I am finding more peace with who I am, and happy to have established strong connections with other adoptees from all over the world.
Favorite K-Dramas: "Rooftop Prince and Tree With Deep Roots."
Favorite Korean food: "Soo Jae Bi, Kimchi Chigae, Denjang Chigae, and Tofu Kimchi."
Current city: Minneapolis, MN - I moved here in 2010 with my (at the time) soon-to-be wife. We are married and have a son.
Thoughts on the local KAD community?
Minnesota always has a lot of opportunities for adult adoptees to get involved in some capacity. Furthermore, we have a lot of talented and creative people in this city, which I am always impressed with. Although I grew up in Chicago and there are many more Asian-Americans there, it wasn't until I was here in the Twin Cities that I saw so many Asian-American theatrical productions through Mu Performing Arts.
How has being a KAD influenced your personal life?:
"Being a KAD has made me feel displaced for most of my life. Even though I grew up with a stronger tie to the Korean culture as a result of being raised by Korean-Americans, there has always been a sense of not belonging. Even in the adoptee community, I have felt like an outsider because I wasn't raised as a transracial adoptee, like most Korean adoptees. I've been told that I am not a 'True Adoptee' because I never lost my entire self as a Korean. Though I fully acknowledge some of the advantages of having grown up in a same-race home, and for having been raised with Korean in the household, I identify as an adoptee because I grew up with a sense of loss that wasn't acknowledged. In my personal life, it's affected my ability to have self confidence, but finally, in my 40s, I am finding more peace with who I am, and happy to have established strong connections with other adoptees from all over the world.
Favorite K-Dramas: "Rooftop Prince and Tree With Deep Roots."
Favorite Korean food: "Soo Jae Bi, Kimchi Chigae, Denjang Chigae, and Tofu Kimchi."
