Michelle Park
Michelle was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1940. As a Korean-Japanese woman, she learned Korean after she immigrated to Hawaii in 1974. Being fluent in Japanese, one of her earliest jobs in America was at the airport in Hawaii. She asked to be transferred to Los Angeles to be closer to family and saw Koreatown grow from its earliest days, when there was only one Korean market, to the thriving neighborhood it is today.
Wherever I Go, If There’s a Korean Person, I Feel So Relieved.
Interview by Lucy Hwang
What do you think about Koreatown?
It’s been quite a while since I came to America. Initially, there were not that many Koreans around me, but now it feels like I am in Korea. Because Korea has gone through war and endured many struggles, we grew up with limited education. After I came to America, I felt that things were very different here.
My hometown is actually in Japan. To a certain extent, I grew up with the family learning and cultural experiences of Japan. Sometimes I felt there were fewer educational opportunities in Korea. It’s not like that now, and I’m very glad that there has been a lot of development in Korean education.
How did you learn Korean?
I learned Korean when I came to America. In Japan, the Korean language is pretty common. Whatever language I speak seems to come naturally to me. In Korean, a lot of people use “ah-yah-eo-yeo” (part of the Korean alphabet), but there are fewer characters in the Japanese language. So words like “coffee” and certain words where you have to bend your tongue are hard. A lot of people say, ‘Michelle is so good at Korean.’ But when I was in school in Korea, I was ridiculed by many of my peers because I wasn’t able to speak Korean. Korean is quite hard. I think if you speak Korean, you can easily learn other languages.
How different is Koreatown from when you first came here versus now?
It’s very different. When I first came [to Los Angeles], there was only one Korean market on [Olympic Boulevard]. It was located around where Normandie and Olympic are now. Across the street is Kim’s Home Center, on the next block down. Now, it’s so much better.
What would you say Koreatown could improve on?
Korean people have gone through many hardships, and regardless of our occupation, we give it our all. On top of that, there could be more respectful manners and etiquette. Sometimes, people just say what’s on their mind without thinking about how they could hurt the other person’s feelings. Americans and Black people have excellent manners. I think it would be great if Korean people also learned to have good etiquette like them.
What is your favorite memory of Koreatown?
Since I don’t speak English very well, it’s nice that I’m surrounded by many Korean people, so if anything happens, I can get help. I noticed there are also a lot of young Korean students here, so it’s comforting that I can stop and talk with people freely.
How did you learn English?
English pronunciation is very hard. I learned English mostly through work. I did try to go to school for English, but it’s been hard to get through the day-to-day, so I haven’t been able to. When I first came to America, there were a lot of jobs where I could work without submitting a resume. There were not a lot of people looking for jobs, while many jobs needed more employees. I worked the longest at the airport. I worked there for 15 years and also at AT&T for 15 years, so I learned most of my English at work.
What is your favorite spot in Koreatown?
I would have to say [Wilshire Boulevard], from Crenshaw Boulevard to Vermont Avenue. I lived there for a long time, and my workplace was there as well. It was so loud over there. Now that I’m older, I think that the bustle of the area helps when I’m feeling lonely. There are a lot of cars, people walking around, and numerous buildings and markets in the area. That’s why I like that area.
When did you immigrate to the United States? How did you immigrate?
I came [to the United States] on September 21, 1974. I was also working when I was in Korea, and an unnie (언니 — older female/sister/friend) I knew ended up working at a branch in America. I heard the products made in America were consistently good, and it was great to learn English. So the unnie kept asking if I had any thoughts of going to America. If I had, she said she would recommend me and speak to her boss. So I discussed it with my family, and they were all against the idea. They said that it would be tough to live by myself in a foreign country. However, the unnie said not to worry and that she would take care of me. Ultimately, I decided to come to America on her recommendation.
When I immigrated, there were no Korean airlines. Korean planes first started operating in 1975, and since I arrived in 1974, I had to fly with an American airline. I forgot the name of the plane, but I flew on an American plane that went to Korea. The airports back then were not as big as they are now; they were small. Nowadays, we board the plane after checking in our luggage, but back then, we had to wait in long lines right in front of the plane, as if we were waiting for a bus. It was frustrating when the lines would keep stopping, and we would have to wait for many hours. There were no direct flights from Korea to America, so we had to stop in Japan. I also had to wait quite a long time in Japan before getting on that plane. We arrived in Hawaii first since that’s where they refueled the plane. When I first landed on American soil in Hawaii, they gave me a green card right after I showed them my plane ticket.
What do you think about elder benefits like food stamps, pensions, and Medi-Cal?
I’m very grateful. In my case, I worked a lot, so I’m depending a lot on Social Security benefits. I was lucky to have great managers at work who guided me on what programs to register for. So now I can use government benefits when I am sick or if I need something. I feel very grateful to have these benefits.
What do you think about such benefits in Korea?
Since I haven’t been to Korea in a long time, I’m not exactly sure. But I have heard that it has gotten very good over there. I heard it’s very comfortable to live as an elder in Korea, so I’ve actually thought about visiting.
Have you ever thought of returning to Japan?
Actually, when I was immigrating, my goal was to go to Japan rather than live in America. After Korean independence, the U.S. Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) and the Korean government banned Koreans from visiting Japan. Later, President Syngman Rhee (the first Korean president from 1948 to 1960) also didn’t let us go back to Japan. When World War II broke out, we sought refuge in Korea. It was after six or seven months that Korea was free from the Japanese regime. After the war, American troops came to Korea and withdrew the Japanese military, but Korean civilians were not allowed back to Japan. So my family was separated between Japan and Korea. Only the women of my family had come to Korea, and the men remained in Japan. I finally met my brother about 30 years later, when I visited Japan. So yeah, I actually came to America for the purpose of reuniting with family in Japan. I had almost forgotten about this.
I worked at the airport in Hawaii because I was good at Japanese. However, living in America was so tough that I was ready to return to Korea. My manager had guided me to sit down in a certain area to take a rest. Then an American guy came up to me and asked, ‘Are you always here at this time?’ He apparently thought I was Japanese. It seems that I have a “Japanese vibe.” So he approached me, asking if I had any thoughts of working at the airport, and I said I would like a job. I worked at the duty-free shops there. While working here, I was even in my company’s newspaper because I sold items so well. I really enjoyed my job, and since my family was coming to Los Angeles, I ended up asking for a transfer.
Since you’ve lived in both Hawaii and L.A., which do you think is better?
My time in Hawaii was quite lonely. There were always a lot of tourists visiting. No singles were coming — mostly couples. Even the trees over there were grown in “couples.” The weather was also always like springtime. So although it was nice, I was a lot lonelier there.
How did you take care of your parents?
My grandmother passed away when I was very young. My mom and dad both passed away while in Korea. During their time, it was considered very fortunate to live to be 60 years old. Their hwangap (환갑 — one’s 60th birthday) was celebrated before they passed away.
Please tell us more about your parents.
My father went to Japan when he was 13 years old to study abroad. My father met my mother, and they got married over there. When I was younger, while in Korea, I faced a lot of discrimination for being “Japanese,” even though I was actually Korean and my father was Korean. When the air raids on Japan broke out, the government kept telling us to evacuate. America is a very “gentlemanly” country. Before [the American government] dropped the bombs, they said where and when they would be sending the missiles, which gave Japan the option to surrender and end the war. But Japan didn’t do that. So during that time, all the radio broadcasts said to evacuate. Since my father was Korean, he sent his family of about 50 people to seek refuge in Korea. He told me he initially didn’t go to Korea to live there.
After the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese military in 1942, [the U.S. government] sent many Japanese Americans to concentration camps in California and several other states. What do you think about this?
I’m not too sure what happened. I know 70% of the Hawaiian population was Japanese at the time. So when I first immigrated there and got my citizenship, the judge was speaking to me in Japanese.
When you were younger, what did you want to do when you were older?
I wanted to study law when I was younger.
Do you think you were able to achieve your goals from when you were younger?
When I was younger, I really wanted to be a judge or prosecutor. I studied with my cousins, who were studying law at the time. After I took the [preliminary exam], I realized my skills were not good enough to attend Seoul National University. I was told Korea University School of Law was also good, so I went there, but I ended up getting a job at a broadcasting company somehow. I sang in a singing contest program. I guess I switched over to entertainment. Balancing that [program] with school was hard, so I gave up school. After coming to the U.S., I wanted to resume my education. But getting by was so tough that I ended up working, and I always gave my all to the jobs that I had.
What are some positive or negative experiences you’ve had while living in Koreatown?
Since I worked so much, I didn’t have a lot of friends, just work friends. I slowly realized that meeting fellow Koreans really meant a lot to me, and it was like being back in Korea. One time when I first arrived in Los Angeles, I saw a lady who looked Korean at the market, and I was eager to approach her. I asked if she was Korean, but it turned out she was Chinese. However, the feeling of possibly meeting a fellow Korean was still so nice. There are so many Korean people coming to Koreatown now, and I feel so reassured. Wherever I go, if there’s a Korean person, I feel so relieved. One thing we can be careful of is being respectful to one another. I learned a lot from the American people; they are so friendly. I think it might be more so that I am an elder. People help me carry something heavy and give up their seats on the bus. When I see Korean people on the bus, I feel they don’t have much etiquette, whether they are grandmothers or men.
What do you think about the Asian hate crimes that have occurred during COVID-19?
I was reading the newspaper the other day, and it seems like a lot of people are being attacked.
What was your life like during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I was mainly at home during the pandemic lockdown. I am a Christian, and rather than the reality, I focused on how this could be a judgment period from God. Thinking that this was a judgment from God brought me more ease. I have been going to church since I was 7 years old, living in Japan, so I don’t lie, and I don’t look down on others because I made a promise to God.
