Transnational Practices and Nationalism of Korean Americans in Korea: How They Make Meaning of Korean Government’s Effort to Strengthen Transnational Korean Identity

Abstract

Korean government’s policy on overseas Koreans has primarily focused on education. While initial program was geared on instilling anti-North Korea (or anti-socialism) ideology, latter educational programs have centered on instilling nationalism. Focus on nationalism is primarily due to the government’s recognition of overseas Koreans as human capital that would contribute in advancing the nation. Hence, Korea has focused on developing nationalism programs to encourage migrant remittances, investments and loyalties of the dispersed diaspora so to bring them back to the motherland. By conducting in-depth interviews with 12 Korean Americans living in Korea, the current study investigates how effective Korea has been in implementing programs to instill nationalism discourse, and how transnational activities in conjunction with nationalism education has strengthened their Korean identity. The findings offers ways to make the transnational discourse more effective for young generations of Korean Americans and suggests areas for future studies.