Korean Texans

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it, my job is just to do it justice. Now, most people think of Texas as a place where history moves in one direction: boots on, head down, straight into the horizon. But history has a way of arriving from every point on the compass, and the story of Korean Texans is proof of that.

The first Korean immigrants found their way to Texas in the early twentieth century. By the nineteen twenties, there were a handful living in the state, just a handful. Most of them were laborers who had already been moving through the Western United States, coming by way of Hawai'i, or crossing up from Mexico.

A few people, quietly, making a life at the far edge of a long journey. Then came the Korean War, nineteen fifty to fifty-three. And after that war, the numbers changed.

The United States established military bases in Korea, and American servicemen stationed there met Korean women, married them, and brought their wives home to Texas. Home meaning places like Fort Hood up in Bell County, Fort Bliss out in El Paso County, Fort Sam Houston in Bexar County. Military towns, with all the commotion and community that comes with them.

And alongside those families, something else followed the war home: a number of Korean orphans were adopted by Texas families, particularly, the marker notes, by families right here in Dallas. Now, the story doesn't stop there. Nineteen sixty-five brought a change at the national level, the quota system based on national origins was abolished.

And that opened a door. Korean nurses and other professionals began immigrating to Texas in increasing numbers after that year. They were drawn to the cities, settling in Dallas and Houston, building communities that kept on growing.

Others opened businesses, not just in the big cities, but throughout the state. In time, distinct Korean business districts took shape: in Irving out in Dallas County, in Killeen in Hood County, and in Houston's Spring Branch neighborhood over in Harris County. As all of this was happening, Korean immigrants did what people do when they arrive somewhere new and need to find their footing, they found each other.

They formed communities, and those communities often centered on churches. Christian and Catholic congregations both. A number of ethnic Korean churches were established in Dallas, Houston, Killeen, and other cities where the Korean population had grown large enough to fill a pew and then some.

Those churches, alongside other organizations, helped new arrivals get their bearings in American life. And here's the thing about a story that starts with a handful of laborers in the nineteen twenties, you never quite know where it's heading. Today, the social, cultural, political, and commercial impact of Korean Texans continues to make a positive contribution to the state.

That's what the marker says. And that's a story still being written, one community at a time.

What the marker says

Korean immigrants first came to Texas in the early 20th century, with a handful living in the state by the 1920s. Most were laborers arriving from the Western U.S., including Hawai’i, or from Mexico. However, larger numbers of Koreans immigrated following the Korean War (1950-53). The U.S. Established military bases in Korea, and many U.S. servicemen met and married Korean women while stationed there, returning with their wives to Texas installations like Fort Hood (Bell Co.), Fort Bliss (El Paso Co.), and Fort Sam Houston (Bexar Co.). Additionally, a number of Korean orphans were adopted by Texas families following the war, particularly by Dallas residents. An increasing number of Korean nurses and other professionals immigrated to the state after 1965, when the national origins quota system was abolished. Most of these professionals settled in urban areas, establishing growing communities in cities like Dallas and Houston. Others opened businesses in these cities and others throughout Texas. Korean business districts developed in Irving (Dallas Co.), Killeen (Hood Co.), and Houston’s Spring Branch neighborhood (Harris Co.). As Korean immigrants arrived in Texas, they often formed communities centering on Christian and Catholic churches. A number of ethnic Korean churches were established in Dallas, Houston, Killeen, and other cities with large Korean populations. The churches and other organizations helped arriving Koreans acclimate to life in the U.S. Today, the social, cultural, political, and commercial impact of Korean texans continues to make a positive contribution to the state.