Focusing on Korean migrants who were initially dispatched to Germany as coal mine workers in the 1960s and 1970s and later relocated to the U.S., this study analyzed the motivations and routes taken by the migrants, their socioeconomic adaptation pr ...
Focusing on Korean migrants who were initially dispatched to Germany as coal mine workers in the 1960s and 1970s and later relocated to the U.S., this study analyzed the motivations and routes taken by the migrants, their socioeconomic adaptation processes, and their contributions to the formation and development of Korean communities in the U.S. The study also examined the motivations behind the establishment and activities of Dongwoo associations, established by the former miners in Chicago and Los Angeles. The study used a life history approach to delve into the phenomenon of the global migration of Korean miners. It shed light on the independent yet interrelated factors that affected their migration to Germany and the U.S. Interview data were collected from 32 Korean-Americans who had worked as miners in Germany. The project outcomes were enhanced by oral history data and community records collected during field research identified as significant historical resources on formative periods of Korean-American communities.
The study findings are as follows. First, by shedding light on their understudied experiences, this study contributes to understanding of the migration and adaptation processes of these members of the Korean diaspora. Motivating factors behind their movements to Germany and later to the U.S. were identified; influences included migration laws, policies, and economic opportunities in South Korea, Germany, and the U.S. that were intertwined and complex. Moreover, the transnational migration networks forged among Korean miners and nurses shaped their migration and resettlement experiences in the U.S.
Second, building on its initial findings, the study scrutinized and identified occupational changes and socioeconomic adaptation processes among the former miners. They began arriving in the U.S. in the mid-1960s. Initially, they were incorporated into U.S. labor markets as blue-collar workers, as was the case in Germany. After accumulating seed money, they began operating small businesses. Compared with immigrants coming directly from Korea to the U.S., the former miners possessed migration and labor experience in a multiethnic setting. They utilized transnational migration networks formed among themselves to exchange useful information on job and business opportunities.
Third, using concrete and empirical data, the study discovered the miners’ critical and unique contributions to the formation of Korean community. After their relocation to the U.S., they made significant contributions to ethnic Korean economies and community politics through their entrepreneurial successes and the Dongwoo associations. Some of the first Korean grocery stores and restaurants in the U.S. were established by ex-miners and paved the way for the building of Koreatowns by attracting other Korean businesses to neighboring areas. Moreover, outside the geographical boundaries of Koreatowns, the former miners were involved in various kinds of businesses catering to multiethnic customers. Former miners have been actively involved in Korean community activities and organizations, as founders or leaders, and have served important roles in triggering chain migrations from South Korea.
The researcher raised interest in and awareness of the theme of the present study and spread its findings among overseas Koreans and migration and diaspora scholars by way of newspaper articles, a conference presentation, and academic journal articles. Building on this study’s findings, other groups of Korean migrants can be examined under the theme of “the Korean diaspora and the phenomenon of re-migration.”