Mackenzie Nix

Theological Construction

Mackenzie Z. Nix
HON230C
Professor Mari Kim
kenzie.nix@gmail.com
Korean American Education

Mackenzie Nix
Theological Construction
1
Introduction
I am a Caucasian American1, having lived in Olympia, Washington for the entirety of my
existence. Olympia is a diverse area with a multitude of races, religions, cultures, and beliefs.
The diversity of my hometown led me to develop a sub-conscious understanding of minorities.2
When I started to look at this project I was instantly drawn to Korean Americans as the
community I would research. I began because I was puzzled and curious to discover the reasons
behind my friend Joonhaes seemingly odd behavior. I did not understand Joonhae and I wanted
to see why. As I step back, I realize that I have no relationship with my own culture. I am white,
and I do not have a cultural heritage that I am connected to. It was not until the final week of this
project that I understood that I was curiously bound to Korean Americans, and in particular my
relationship with Joonhae Ahn, because I am looking into a mirror. Curiously enough, my story
is similar to Joonhaes. My parents moved to Washington about twenty-five years ago after living
their entire lives in the South, and Midwest United States. My parents are two lesbian women
who moved to the Pacific Northwest in search of economic opportunity and social acceptance of
their diverse identities. One of my moms is a psychologist and the other is a hospice nurse, two
very established and successful women. My parents move to Washington is characteristically
similar to Joonhaes parents move to the United States, being that they both

1 American meaning a person who actively lives in the United States of

America without discrimination towards race, sexual orientation, religion,
beliefs, gender or citizenship.
2 Growing up I found racism absolutely incomprehensible and I often asked
my parents in utter confusion why someone would be treated any differently
because of their skin color, gender, beliefs, etc. Discrimination was simply
not something I was exposed to until much later in my life.

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2
had the common goal of creating a stable, supportive life for themselves and their children. My
parents chose to integrate themselves into an open and affirming community that led to
acceptance and personal growth for both my parents and the community, while maintaining the
integrity of their identity as an alternative family. Joonhaes parents chose to isolate themselves
from mainstream society. By holding back their unique culture rather than sharing it into the
community, Joonhaes parents created a very different life than the life my family created.
Discovering the previously unknown similarities in Joonhae and my own familys stories added a
personal dimension to the exploration of this project.

Description
Growing up and going to school in a very diverse area was both an extremely enriching
and confusing experience. One of my best childhood friends, Joonhae, is a first generation
Korean American. Her parents grew up in Korea and moved to the United States as young adults.
Throughout high school, I was often confused by Joonhaes values and ideas about school,
sports, dating3 and general social interactions. I frequently struggled to connect on a personal
level and to understand the motivations behind Joonhaes thoughts and reactions. I was
particularly perplexed when she received an outstanding SAT score of a 2240 and was ashamed.
Her fathers reaction was disappointment when her younger brother quickly informed him of
Joonhaes score during the car ride home from school. She retook the test several times and
3 Joonhae would get as excited as a very young girl about making eye
contact with a boy, talking to him, or the rare occasion that they would make
physical contact (by brushing up against each other or having to hold hands
in some sort of group leadership activity.) Her ideas about dating were very
elementary when all of my other friends were moving along much farther
with their boyfriends. She was so sheltered that it was sometimes like talking
to someone five or more years younger.

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Theological Construction
3
remained so dissatisfied with her performance that she never shared her retake scores with
anyone. On another occasion, Joonhae informed me that anything less than an A in any of her
classes was unacceptable and would bring shame to her family. I was continually astounded that
Joonhae never took pride in her achievements. She never spoke of her perfect test scores, college
acceptance letters, National Merit honors, or the many scholarships she was offered. After I
virtually begged, she reluctantly disclosed the list of schools she had applied to for the fall,
which included Harvard, Yale and Stanford. She was never allowed to spend the night at any of
my birthday parties, and rarely attended any sort of social gathering. Her father felt that he had to
protect her from the world, even after our families had known each other for several years. When
she finally was allowed to drive, her mom still picked her up at friends houses in the evening.
4

She was able to drive her brother to and from school and tennis practice, but was totally

restricted outside of school activities. Only recently did I begin to understand the complex
factors that produced so many behaviors and reactions Id previously found to be odd and
puzzling. I interviewed Joonhae about her family and the value that had been placed on
education. From this interview I began to start the process towards greater understanding of
Korean education.
After asking Joonhae about the history of her family, Joonhae delved into the story
behind her fathers behavior. Joonhaes dad lived on a farm after he moved to the United States.
4 I remember a particular incidence when Joonhae and I, along with some
other friends, were at a birthday party together. I was surprised to even see
Joonhae out since she almost never came to any group gathering. When I
looked outside her mom was sitting in the car in the driveway, and she
continued to sit there until about 9:30 pm when her mother called her to
leave. Interactions of this sort were very common. Even though she had a
car, if it was after dark her mom treated her as if she was a young child.
Joonhae was 18 and a senior in high school at the time.

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Theological Construction
4
He read autobiographies of historically famous figures very frequently, and this inspired him to
pursue graduate education. He earned a Ph.D. at the University of Washington and he always
stressed the importance of education to Joonhae and her brothers because it allowed him to
achieve many important things in his life that he would like to see them accomplish as well.
Education was a key factor in his journey from life on a farm to a successful career that provided
a comfortable and secure lifestyle for his family. Then I asked about some of the stereotypes
associated with Korean families including the role of Christianity, language, and male lineage.
Joonhae said she never attended language school. Her dad urged her to read the bible but never
forcibly pushed her into Christianity. She actually explored Buddhism for a period of time in
high school. On the subject of sons in Korean families feeling more pressure to succeed, I found
that Joonhaes education was stressed the most in her family. Although Korean male lineage is
highly valued in many families, I was shocked to hear that Joonhaes father had used her as the
example for her younger brothers even though she is a female. By setting the bar high for her
younger brothers, he apparently hoped his sons would strive to equal or exceed their sisters
achievements. Joonhaes younger brother, Jooneil, is in high school now, and he is already
competing heavily with the standards that Joonhae set. 5Joonhae does not seem unhappy with any
of the rules or standards that she was expected to meet. Her cultural heritage is an accepted part
of her life and she talks about her family in a positive light. 6
5
5 Although Joonhae denied that her father treated her brothers any
differently than her, I witnessed otherwise. For example, her brothers were
allowed to have sleepovers, while Joonhaes social life was restricted
significantly more, even though she was four years older.
6 I almost feel like Joonhae was scared to talk about her family negatively.
Her face did not always reflect complete honesty, which I believe, was
because she wanted to feel like she was in control.

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Theological Construction
Now I will reflect upon the historical and cultural factors behind the educational system
in Korea that has affected Korean American educational values. The Korean education system is
very heavily influenced by Confucian ideology and culture. Confucian ideology taught, For an
easy life there is no need to build a mansion: In books are found houses of gold. 7This principle
lead to the interpretation that education is the producer of wealth rather than the idea that
education is itself a form of wealth, straying from the original intent of the teaching. In Korea,
formal education dominates a childs life. A Korean student attends school from eight in the
morning to four in the evening, goes home briefly for dinner, and then returns until they are
finally dismissed from school at midnight. In contrast, students in the United States usually
attend school from nine to three, and although they may have homework, they are basically free
for the remainder of the day. The Korean school day obviously shows a much larger time
commitment, reflecting the assumption that formal time in the classroom is more important than
any other pursuit. It is the sole job of a Korean student to go to school and study, while the
United States educational system encourages students to pursue a multi-faceted lifestyle that
supports social development. Many critics of the Korean educational system see it
as flawed because it allows no time for activities that facilitate moral and
social development. I have seen the impact of overemphasizing formal education in my
friends life. Joonhae may be able to perform superbly in a testing environment, but be unable to
interact with her classmates. Social interactions with my friend, Joonhae, frequently were
awkward, and I found it was difficult to form a true emotional connection with her as a result.

6
7 "confucian education," Cal Poly Pomona,
http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ls201/confucian2.html (accessed November 29, 2011).

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Theological Construction
Another key difference between the United States and Koreas educational systems is the
presence of hagwons in Korea. A hagwon is a small study center or school that is attended by
Korean students in addition to the normal school day. Families spend thousands of dollars a year
for hagwon tuition in an attempt to give their son or daughter an advantage in taking college
entrance exams. After college entrance is granted, hagwons no longer exist for college students.
There is a phenomenon in Korea where students perform with a high degree of rigor prior to
college, but often party hard and slack off in college. This change in mentality has been blamed
on the absence of hagwons in the collegiate world, and the reality that many students are simply
burnt out after working so strenuously to get into college. There are very few prestigious
universities in the Korean world.8 United States colleges that are not an Ivy League like Harvard
or Yale do not even exist in the minds of Koreans. A lot of Korean American families put an
unbelievable amount of pressure on their children to get into an Ivy League institution because
they do not believe their child can get a respectable education anywhere else. A Korean
American family wants to present themselves in a way that preserves prestige with their family
and friends back in Korea, and protecting the familys honor is stressed in everything a child
does. Not succeeding by getting into an Ivy League college would be shameful to the student,
dishonor the whole family, and hurt the reputation of the parents.
Despite what seems to be an educational structure of excellence, Koreans can be very
hurt by the rigidity of the education system. To make this point I want to go back to my example
of Joonhae. Clearly, Joonhae was raised in one of the more traditional families whose values
reflect stereotypes of Korean education. Joonhae was pushed into studying hard, playing little,
7
8 " - Seoul Gyopo Guide," Seoul Gyopo Guide - Info and opinions for the Seoul inside all of us,
http://www.seoulgyopoguide.com/?page_id=528 (accessed November 8, 2011).

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Theological Construction
and gaining entrance to an honorable college. Currently, Joonhae is at The University of
California at Berkeley. Her parents are pleased with how she performed in school, and she has
honored her family by following Korean cultural expectations, and always following the
demands of her parents. While Joonhaes family values reflect traditional Korean educational
notions, the stereotype that Korean Americans excel in school and get into the most prestigious
universities has a wide array of exceptions. Those living in the United States have labeled
Korean Americans as the model minority9, but not every Korean American fits this mold. The
expectation that has been created that says all Korean Americans are geniuses in math is very
frustrating to those who do not meet this standard. In fact, it has been found that there are a high
number of Korean American high school dropouts in comparison to other minorities in the
United States10. A very small percentage of Korean Americans hold managerial positions despite
the fact that more Asian Americans hold college degrees than Caucasians. Asian Americans also
make less money on average than citizens of the United States who are Caucasian. Essentially, as
a group, Korean Americans, who have put much more cultural emphasis on earning graduate
educations than Caucasians in the United States do not consistently experience the rewards that
their educational values and efforts might normally be expected to generate. Another problem
arises with those Korean Americans who fail to meet the stereotype put upon them by the United
States. Children who do not get into Ivy Leagues or succeed in school to the level that their
parents expect of them feel the pressure and self-worthlessness that stems from their failure to
8
9 The model minority refers to the idea that Korean Americans are the model
of what a minority population should look like. This label has been created by
the inhabitants of the United States and was not created by Korean
Americans.
10 Seoh, Hannah, "The Model Minority," Welcome to Munsup,
http://iis.stat.wright.edu/munsup.seoh/pointOfViews/Discrimination/modelMinority.htm
(accessed November 8, 2011).

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Theological Construction
meet the stereotypical cultural expectations. Because it is a Korean American parents job to
insure that their child does activities designed to maximize test scores and gain entry to
prestigious institutions of higher education they experience an acute sense of failure, and the
entire family experiences shame. Serious problems also emerge when a Korean American child
does not wish to follow the dreams of their parents. Some students do not want to attend an Ivy
League and become a doctor or a lawyer. Children can feel very stuck between what their parents
expect of them and what they personally feel passionate towards when it does not reflect
traditional Korean values. Students may consistently make choices that reflect their parents
traditional values, while never feeling satisfied with their career or their lives in general.
Previously, I also mentioned that Korean Americans often focus so much on test taking that they
fail to learn social skills. The problems associated with the narrow focus of Korean American
education multiply quickly outside the traditional Korean American community, and may
actually impede success in the larger working community.

Theological Construction
In my description Ive identified many of the ontological features of Joonhaes Life. In
summary, Joonhae is a Korean American female who attends the University of California at
Berkeley. Her Korean parents moved to the United States as young adults but maintained
stereotypical Korean values in raising both Joonhae and her brothers. Extreme emphasis on
education, perfect SAT scores, straight A grades, and maintaining the reputation and face of her
family are all central ontological features of Joonhaes life. Her family values exemplify the
concept of Face as identified in Ways of Being, Ways of Reading, in which the author notes
9

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Theological Construction
that there are certain values to be cherished and a code of moral conduct to be followed. The
second generation is expected to conform to norms so that family is not shamed by their
behavior. There are accomplishments to be earned so that the family name is honored.11 Besides
the idea of maintaining face, other aspects of the rigidity of Korean Education come from the
historical background of Confucian teachings and the intensity of pre-college schooling in
Korea. Some of the stereotypes associated with Korean Americans include the notion that
Koreans are good at math, that Korean parents have high expectations, and generalizations that
Koreans are the model minority. From these ontological features, the variety of dimensions of the
problematic are thus formed.
Korean Americans often view education as the only pathway to economic and social
success. This Korean cultural problematic is multi-dimensional. Korean American students
frequently feel extreme pressure to meet the stereotypical expectations of mainstream U.S.
culture, and students who fail to meet traditional Korean cultural expectations may even feel
acutely shamed. Some Korean children fail to honor their parents by not succeeding to the
extent of their parents high expectations. Other Korean children feel coerced into a career of
their parents choice and fail to find a personal identity. The overemphasis of educational success
as a means of gaining status and wealth is the common thread that runs through the various
dimensions of the problematic.
Joonhaes thoughts about herself, her community and the divine make up a theological
anthropology that aligns heavily with the problematic that has formed out of the various
ontological features of Korean American Life. Joonhae seems to accept her life, her parents, her
10
11 Foskett Mary F., and Kuan Jeffrey Kah-Lin, Ways of Being, Ways of
Reading: Asian American Biblical Interpretation (St. Louis: Chalice, 2006), 66.

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Theological Construction
culture, and her duty to bring honor to her family as a way of life. She often refers to herself as a
nerd, identifying with the stereotype that she is Asian as an explanation for her extensive
studying, perfect test scores, and awards that she receives. On many occasions when classmates
would make a comment about her performance in school, quirky behavior, or even her strange
snacks, Joonhae would simply awkwardly laugh it off and make some sort of comment about her
Korean culture. She never complained. She never rebelled against her parents rules or even
spoke about the idea of doing so. However, Joonhae did not seem extensively happy either.
Although never explicitly said, it was clear that Joonhae often felt held back by her parents
expectations. Her manner of accepting her culture, and her parents role in her life acted as a
compromise with self to make the best of what she was unable to change. The one instance I saw
Joonhae attempting to break out of her parents expectations was when she started studying
Buddhism rather than Christianity. Joonhae did not end up finding spirituality in Buddhism but
the fact that she challenged her fathers desires in attempt to create a relationship with the divine
was an important step in Joonhaes life.
Korean tradition to excel in school comes from the epistemology of Korean culture.
Korean American authorities, in terms of education, consist of Confucian ideals, and the desire to
reach the wealth and status that is held by the white upper class. Joonhaes authority is her father,
although this is less obvious now that she is in college. She is still under complete control of her
father since he is paying for her college education. Joonhaes father wants Joonhae to be able to
support herself and be successful, thus reporting to the authority of wealth and power. Joonhae
also wishes to go to graduate school to gain a high paying position, which again reports to the
authority of wealth and status. Korean Americans view of wealth as an authoritative
11

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Theological Construction
figure is the reason behind the problematic. Since Korean Americans main authority is a desire
to become wealthy, the population puts an extreme emphasis on the steps to gain a position that
will entail a large salary. The major step in securing a powerful position includes excelling in
school, which explains why so much emphasis is placed upon education. The goal of Korean
Americans is not so different from any other cultures goals of being successful enough to live
comfortably and support their family. The key difference for Korean Americans is that many
Koreans begin their time in the United States with absolutely no status, money or acceptance.
Koreans view gaining monetary wealth as the only way to also gain acceptance in the United
States. Because monetary wealth also equates with social acceptance, the driving force behind
gaining success is significantly stronger than many other cultures.

Conclusion/Synthesis
In order to discover an equal redemption for the problematic of Korean American
education, I will use the strategy of equivalence.12 The problematic that I have identified is that
Korean Americans often view education as the only pathway to economic and social success.
This problematic is largely similar to many cultures and individuals who have the common
desire of gaining wealth, power, and status. Korean Americans differ in the fact that gaining
status, wealth, and power also equates to gaining social acceptance by those living in the United
States. As quoted from Strangers From a Different Shore, German parents never allowed their
children to play with Koreans, and whenever Jean and other Korean children walked past their
12
12 A large problematic must equate to an equally big redemption while a
very small problematic only needs a very small redemption. Dr. Mari Kim,
class discussion, Alexandra Wallace, Honors 230C fall 2011, University of
Washington Seattle, 10/1/11.

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Theological Construction
houses the German children would all stare and makes faces at them.13 Because of this taunting
and social torture, Koreans highly emphasize education as an escape route from humiliation.
Korean Americans also find social belonging and comfort in Korean American churches under
the conditions of marginality and sociocultural adaption.14 Bringing both education, and the
divine together, Korean Americans attempt to find a place of acceptance in the judgmental
population of the United States.
The idea of High and Low Power Distance as discussed in The Wolf Shall Dwell With the
Lamb also helps bring an understanding of why Koreans feel like they need to gain power.15 Law
discusses how cultures with High Power Distance believe they have little power to change their
environment and also do not have a strong sense of personal power. This idea can be related to
the Korean American population who believe that excelling in school is the only way that they
will be able to gain any power, and thus change their environment. Korean Americans do not
believe that they have the ability to hold power without education as a means to gain social
acceptance or become successful in the degrees of wealth and status.
Power dynamics are drawn upon in Patrick S. Chengs Radical Love where Cheng speaks
about dissolving boundaries between the powerful and the weak. Gods coming out as the infant
Jesus in the incarnation reveals Gods solidarity with the marginalized and the vulnerable, and
not just the powerful and the elite.16 Sang Hyun Lee also discusses power dynamics in his
13
13 Ronald Takaki, Strangers From a Different Shore: A History of Asian
Americans (Boston: Little, Brown, 1989) 289.
14 Jonathan Y. Tan, Introducing Asian American Theologies (Maryknoll: Orbis,
2008) 61.
15 Eric H.F. Law, The Wolf Shall Dwell With the Lamb: A Spirituality for
Leadership in a Multicultural Community (St. Louis: Chalice, 1993) 25.
16 Patrick S. Cheng, Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology (New
York: Seabury, 2011) 46.

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analysis of Asian Americans in similarity to the marginalized and liminal17 Galileans of the first
century. God came to dwell among the lowly Galileans. Lee proposes, God chooses to work
through liminal/marginalized people in order to love and redeem all fallen humanity. This is
because marginalized people, though sinful themselves, possess a more heightened liminality
than those at the dominant centers of the world and thus a little more openness to Gods good
news.18 According to Lee and Cheng, Korean Americans actually have the blessing of being
marginalized because God is working through them while the powerful and elite are not the
focus of Gods energy. In fact, in Jane Iwamuras Virtual Orientalism, a photo of a religious Guru
looking too powerful causes people to believe he is an individual more interested in image than
soul.19For this reason, I would like to propose that the redemption for the problematic of Korean
American education can be found in finding the beauty of marginalization rather than searching
for money and power. In order to discover this redemption I will draw upon scripture.
Korean Americans view themselves as powerless, socially unaccepted and believe their
only route in gaining acceptance, and power is to gain status through excelling in education and
thus making a significant amount of money. In order to reconstruct this view of Korean
Americans, I will support the claims made in the works of Lee, Cheng, Tan, and Law through the
New Testament. I will start with the parable of the rich young man, where Jesus asks the rich
young man to leave behind his possessions and follow the cross. Jesus says to his disciples
14
17 Marginality as a result of marinalization is the powerless and demoralizing
space into which Asian Americans are pushed into by racism in American
society. Liminality refers to the positive, creative nature of the inbetweenness in marginality.Sang Hyun Lee, From a Liminal Place: An Asian
American Theology(Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010) 4.
18Lee, From a Liminal Place, 35-49.
19 Jane Naomi Iwamura, Virtual Orientalism: Asian Religions and American
Popular Culture (New York: Oxford, 2011) 90.

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Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
(Mark 10: 24-26). This passage shows that it is in fact easier to be open to the word of God and
thus enter the kingdom of heaven as a marginalized, or poor person, as Lee stated in From a
Liminal Place.20 This idea is very simple because of the fact that a wealthy man with possessions
has more to lose by leaving everything behind to follow the word of God than a poor man who
has nothing to lose. Jesus also said, who is my mother and who are my brothers? And
stretching out his hand toward his disciples he said, here are my mothers and brothers! For
whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother (Mathew
12:48-50). This passage is interesting to apply to Joonhaes situation where her source of
authority is her father. Jesus says that those who do his will are his family. Jesus words in the
New Testament almost distance a person with their relationship to their family in order to have a
relationship with the divine. He asks his disciples on several occasions in the New Testament to
leave behind their wives and children and follow him. By creating distance with her father and
the notion of gaining wealth as a pathway to social success, Joonhae would be marginalizing
herself to a small extent and thus allowing her mind to be open to the word of God. This passage
also draws upon the idea of being able to leave everything behind to follow the cross. Jesus
includes family when he asks his disciples to follow his word. Once again, someone who is
completely marginalized would have an easier time letting go than someone who has a well15

20 I will refer to the terms marginalized, liminal, and poor under the same context while rich,
wealthy and powerful also are referred to as the same idea. The main concept is that those who
do not have power, money or social acceptance are more open to Gods will while those who do
have possessions and power will be less likely to give up what they have to follow the word of
God.

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established family. In fact many Korean families leave behind family members in their move to
the United States.
Going back to the main problematic, Korean Americans put too much emphasis on
money, materialistic possessions, and power. From the New Testament Jesus said Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Mathew 4:4). In
other words, a Korean American cannot find contentment by gaining wealth or power because
they cannot survive on material items alone. If a Korean American believes that they can solve
all of their problems by excelling in school, Jesus is telling them otherwise. A person needs
sustenance of the soul (through the word of God) and not just sustenance of the body. Another
dimension of this idea can be seen when Jesus says Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its
flavor, how shall it be seasoned? (Luke 8:34). This passage develops the idea that salt without
taste is worthless. Salt can be interpreted to represent life. If life has no meaning, much like if
salt has no flavor, then there is no point. So, if Korean Americans strive so diligently to gain
success in life via restrictive educational templates that they forget to seek the meaning, or the
sustenance that makes a life worth living, then their strict academic lifestyle may actually
diminish their ability to compete for the wealth and status they seek; and sacrifice the
development of a satisfying sense of self in the process. These two parables suggest that Korean
Americans who pursue academics to the exclusion of all other life experiences condemn
themselves to a unidimensional existence that limits personal engagement in the full range of
experiences life has to offer. Taking time to enjoy life and feed the soul is a proven path to the
divine; and ultimately will be the key to redemption of unrealistic Korean American educational
expectations.

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