Interviewee: Geunghyul Park
Interviewer: Henry Landay
Synopsis
Geunghyul Park is a 18 year old freshman at Colby College who was born in South Korea and raised in Arlington, Massachusetts after his family emigrated to the United States when he was just 2 years old. He grew up speaking Korean at home and attending Korean Church with his family as his dad was a missionary — the reason for the family’s emigration in the first place. Otherwise though, Geunghyul had a normal (as much as any childhood can be “normal”) American childhood in the suburbs of Boston and identifies that as his home. He stayed in Arlington until his Junior year in high school where a storm of economic issues and the COVID-19 pandemic forced him, his mother, and his siblings to move back to South Korea — at three weeks’ notice. The interview covers such topics as identity formation in the U.S. as an American-Korean, adversity and isolation in a new place, and mixed stories growing up and living in post-war reconstruction era South Korea.
I was introduced to Geunghyul Park through Alexis Shepardson, a friend of mine who was Geunghyul’s leader on his freshman orientation trip. The interview was conducted in person in the common room of my suite in the Foss dormitory on the Colby Campus.
This interview was conducted by Henry Landay. I am a senior at Colby College looking to graduate with a major in computer science with a concentration in artificial intelligence and a minor in environmental science. I am passionate about the human aspect of history and oral histories are a perfect medium to pursue that interest.
Interviewee Biography
Geunghyul Park is a 18 year old freshman at Colby College who was born in Incheon, South Korea, and moved to the United States at age two and a half. Park grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, where his father worked as a missionary in a Korean church. His upbringing was deeply tied to the church community, which was the main site of Korean cultural connection as he grew up in Massachusetts.
Midway through his junior year of high school, Geunghyul’s family returned to Korea following financial and family challenges. This move forced him to navigate complex questions of identity, belonging, and citizenship; he had already renounced his Korean citizenship to avoid mandatory military service, which made his return legally and socially difficult, forcing him to work around immigration and visa laws. He struggled with isolation and culture shock however he also found ways to connect to make new connections to the country and his family. His reflections show both gratitude and ambivalence toward Korea.
The interview also delves into his family’s multigenerational history, particularly his maternal grandfather’s life. His grandfather was a man who rose from postwar poverty to become a construction worker, political nominee, and market leader. Through these stories, Geunghyul connects his personal migrations to his families legacy of perseverance and postwar mobility.
