My father, Peter Hogyun Lee, was born in Seoul, South Korea. His family was fairly established in Korea, his uncle being the governor of Chonju province, and much of his family being prominent members of the business community. Truly, as his family was living so comfortably in Korea, they shouldn’t have left, however, there were a few reasons as to why they did leave. For one, my grandfather was North Korean, so he felt uncomfortable in South Korea because of its very different political and social structure. Another reason is that the education system in Korea is a dangerously high stress and high expectation environment. On top of this, despite the war being over, there was always a sense of danger in South Korea, considering how close their “enemies” were. Because of reasons like these, my father’s family came to the US by invitation from the 1970s Scientists & Engineer Program (my grandfather was a MD-PhD at Seoul University). My father, unable to speak nor understand English, was moved to Los Angeles, then somewhere in Michigan, then to Ohio, West Virginia, and finally, North Carolina. Because he was moving to new places so often, he was never able to settle down fully, nor make friends easily. My father admitted that he didn’t feel that he belonged here in America like he did in Korea. Although the feeling of starting over was exhilarating in its newness, due to his constant moving, he had no solid home feeling for so many years. He told me that he learned how to be a loner due to this early expectation of being displaced constantly. Although my father sometimes (very rarely) tells stories from his childhood, he is a very reserved and unemotional person. Many of the things that he told me in his interview were things I had never known. Among other things, I was astonished to hear that my grandfather was diagnosed with tuberculosis in Michigan, and that my father was bullied when he was younger. These stories, which I have heard for the first time, have finally shed light on a man who always preferred to stand in the shadows, simply content with watching, and supporting his family. Although he may feel that he is a “loner”, and that he doesn’t belong, I would like for him to know that he does belong here, with his loving family. My father, Peter Hogyun Lee, was born in Korea, but his home is here, in America.
