On the evening of December 7, 1941, a second-generation Korean American named Mary Paik Lee stopped by her usual grocery store in town. Having gone into the fields earlier that day, she had not yet heard the morning’s news: Japanese planes had bombed Hawaiʻi’s Pearl Harbor. The United States’ entry into World War II was imminent. What she thought would be a quick, routine stop at the store quickly changed when she faced a room full of angry white faces staring at her. A customer announced, “There’s one of them damned Japs now. What’s she doing here?”

Hannah Nixon owned the store along with her husband. A devout Quaker committed to justice and peace, she responded, “Shame on you, all of you. You have known Mrs. Lee for years. You know she’s not Japanese, and even if she were, she is not to blame for what happened at Pearl Harbor! This is the time to remember your religion and practice it.” ¹ Eager to avoid trouble, Lee exited the store without buying anything.

The next day, President Franklin Roosevelt declared the United States at war with the Empire of Japan, and the country formally entered World War II. US War Department officials initially categorized both Japanese citizens and Koreans as “enemy aliens.” Nonetheless, Korean Americans unanimously welcomed the United States’ formal entry into the war. They were hopeful that US involvement would help them achieve the long-awaited independence of their homeland.

This module is about Korean American experiences during World War II, the Korean War, and the postwar occupation years.