Interviewer: Sydney Sick Interviewee: Jooyoung Kim
Interview Summary: This interview is with Jooyoung Kim, who is a 20-year-old college student at the University of California, Berkeley. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area with parents who immigrated from Korea in the late-1990s. Jooyoung shared what it was like growing up as a second generation Korean American in the Bay Area. This interview covers topics such as language and visiting Korea as a Korean American. He discusses the fact that he speaks only Korean at home and that it continues to be the primary language in which he communicates with his parents. He also shares his memories of visiting his family in Korea and what he likes about visiting Korea. Jooyoung expresses that being Korean creates an instant connection with others who share the same background. The interview was conducted via Zoom, since I am in Waterville, ME and he is in Berkeley, CA. I am a fourth year at Colby College from San Jose, CA and conducted this interview as an oral history project for HI244 Brothers at War: The Two Koreas, 1945-Present. Jooyoung is a good friend of mine from high school in San Jose, and he is the first person I thought of when presented with this project.
Interviewee Biography: Jooyoung Kim was born in 2005 in Santa Clara, California to two Korean immigrants. He has one older sister, who was born in Ohio. They were raised and attended high school in San Jose, California. Jooyoung grew up learning about his Korean heritage and culture from his parents, his attendance at Korean school, and his frequent visits to Korea growing up. He is fluent in Korean. Today, Jooyoung is a third year Integrative Biology major at the University of California, Berkeley with plans to attend medical school after graduation. He spends much of his free time playing and coaching volleyball and also enjoys football and basketball.