“I grew up feeling like a Martian who had arrived from outer space in a spaceship,”
said my interviewee with his bitter smile. That bitterness was so intense that it
turned into tears. This was my first encounter with a stateless overseas Korean
adoptee. During the interview, that Martian broadened this Earthling’s horizons.
My passion about overseas Korean adoptees traces back to when I was 14 in
New Zealand. By the glittering beach in a genial sunshine, my family met Janice’s
family, who were Korean immigrants as well. Always in fits of laughter, Janice and
I never looked up at the crowding dark clouds.
One morning, I noticed some missed calls from my best friend, Janice. Returning
her call, I heard through her whimpers that her father had got swindled, becoming
broke. Her family was to end up on the street. I was dumbfounded. Neither did I
grasp what exactly happened nor found words to respond.
Taking a look around how Korean immigrants lived abroad, I realized the case of
Janice’s family was not unusual. Korean immigrants were utter strangers with
stammering English in their new lands. I witnessed how Koreans fell into a
downward spiral of hostile working environments and immigration scams. A few
weeks later, a trial was held following the lawsuit Janice’s father had filed. My
family visited the courthouse as their acquaintance. That was also the day I met
the hero of my life. As the trial began, the plaintiff’s attorney cleared his throat
and started his words,
“Dear your honor, ”. He had a gentle, yet powerful voice. He claimed immigrants’
rights, appealing how unrighteously circumstances twisted for Janice’s father.
Hearing a favorable judgement for Janice’s father, relief and sheer delight rose on
everyone’s faces. That was when I bore my dream to be an immigration attorney
who relieves anguish of overseas Koreans and aids them in legal conflicts.
Approaching my hero-the plaintiff’s attorney, I told him I wanted to be a little help
for Korean immigrants. Accordingly, I translated documents for traffic accident
agreements to help Korean immigrants settle their accidents. I felt honored to give
my small hand to serving justice for Korean immigrants.
After coming back to Korea, my passion about Korean immigrants expanded to the
lives of overseas Korean adoptees. The book “All You Can Ever Know” opened up
a new world. I learnt that unless adoptive parents go through a re-adoption
process, adoptees who have IH-4 or IR-4 visas became stateless. Inspired to listen
to real life experiences of overseas Korean adoptees, I visited the screening of
“Side by Side”, a documentary film about their life journey. That is where I met the
martian-the Korean adoptee; through interviewing the panel of adoptees, I could
feel their longing to seek out their roots and identities, hindered by flaws in laws.
These experiences have added a new dimension to my life. Eager to imbue these
stateless people with a sense of belonging and help them live in justice, I came up
with the project: A Journey to Find Your Roots. With my friends, I raised funds for
the charity to offer DNA kits for those searching for birth parents. To promote this
fundraising, I gave a public speech, arguing that reinstatement of Korean
nationality be given to overseas Korean adoptees. Right before my speech, on the
stage, I saw hundreds of eyes of students in the auditorium. Then, I closed my eyes
and pictured myself standing in court: as a defense attorney, saving overseas
Koreans from being stateless. Future me started her words, "Dear your honor, ”.