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Hurt, Sad… Koreans React to Virginia Tech
Shootings
The killings at Virginia Tech by a South Korean have stirred
feelings of humiliation and anger in the Korean-American community
New America Media, News Digest, Aruna Lee,
Posted: Apr 18, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO – While the tragedy at Virginia Tech has stunned the
nation, for the Korean-American community the news that the shooter was
one of their own has caused both shock and humiliation. Many say they
fear a backlash against Koreans in retaliation for the murders.
On April 17, one day after the shooting, news reports identified the
shooter as Seung Hui Cho, 23, a U.S. resident alien from South Korea. A
senior at Virginia Tech majoring in English, Cho has been described by
classmates and professors as a loner who rarely spoke. Reports stated
that he had been undergoing treatment for depression prior to his deadly
outbreak.
The Korean blogosphere filled with rumors that Cho's parents committed
suicide following the news of his crimes, statements that the Korean
embassy in Washington, D.C. insisted were false. Bloggers also wrote of
their anger and remorse over the news of Cho's rampage. Some denounced
Cho as a murderer who destroyed the image of the Korean community.
Others tried to learn more about Cho through the Internet. A statement
on one Korean blog, purportedly attributed to Cho, read simply "hurt...
sadness; all the worse because I can't tell anyone. I hate this
situation."
South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun released a statement immediately
following the announcement of Cho's identity. "We are shocked by this
unimaginable tragedy. I want to extend my personal condolences to the
bereaved families and my prayers for the quick recovery of those
injured."
Yet while Koreans have expressed their sympathy over the deaths at
Virginia Tech, many are also afraid they will become targets of revenge
attacks aimed at the Korean community. These fears are felt all the more
deeply as Korean-Americans prepare to commemorate the fifteenth
anniversary of the riots that erupted in Los Angeles, which targeted
Korean-owned businesses.
Korean media in Washington, D.C. reported that a majority of Korean
businesses had closed early following Cho's identification. A report in
the Chosun Daily noted that Korean students at Virginia Tech locked
themselves inside their dorm rooms, too afraid to come out. The same
report stated that some Koreans had even begun preparing to leave the
country.
There is also a growing concern among Korean politicians and families
that the events at Virginia Tech will negatively effect ongoing
deliberations over a visa waiver program for Koreans coming to the
United States.
Other Koreans say they are bothered by the media's fixation on Cho's
nationality. Kathy Song, a reporter with the Korean-language daily Korea
Times in New York, says she worries that this will only increase racial
prejudice towards Korean-Americans.
According to Korean news sites, Cho's family left behind a difficult
life in Korea, coming to the United States, where they opened a small
laundromat in the Washington, D.C. area. Their long hours and Cho's
inability to speak Korean complicated communications with his parents,
something Korean psychologists say increased his feeling of isolation
and depression.
Hana Lee, a South Korean student at the University of California, Los
Angeles, told the Korea Times in Los Angeles that many Korean students
feel isolated on American college campuses. "It's easy to feel lonely
here if you don't have friends because of the culture, which stresses
individualism and independence."
Hilary Finchum-Sung is an academic advisor at University of California,
Berkeley who studied in Korea for several years. She speculates that
given their work schedule Cho's parents might not have had the time to
adequately address their son's psychological issues. "I know this
happens a lot, and can cause loneliness and depression to develop as
well as anger issues."
The suicide of Korean student Ji Un Lee, 18, earlier this year in
Tacoma, Washington, is a grim reminder of the emotional stress Korean
students sometimes experience. Like Cho, Lee felt isolated from her
college community, while her anxieties were compounded by pressure from
parents and family to succeed.
Dong Woo Seo, a physician at Han Byul Mental Hospital in Seoul, says
that although these kids can sometimes appear to be quite normal, the
pressure they feel can turn into deep seated anger and frustration.
Though mental health issues remain a taboo for many parents in the
Korean community, Seo says the tragedy at Virginia Tech may serve as a
reminder that they need to be more aware of emotional and psychological
pressures their children face.
As a token of their regret and sympathy, the Korean- American Coalition,
which represents Korean organizations throughout the United States, has
created a fund for the victims of the shootings. Sponsors say they hope
the Virginia Tech Fund will help ease some of the suffering of those
families affected, and help to begin the healing process.
Other Readings of Interest
-
Let It Be Some Other 'Asian'
By
Andrew Lam, New America Media
As the country waited to learn the identity of the killer at
Virginia Tech, Vietnamese-American writer Andrew Lam says all ethnic
Americans held their breath, waiting to see if they would shoulder
the spillover of blame for the acts of an individual.
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