Korea in the World: Guatemala

Photos contributed by Esther Hyejin Chung

“Don’t you like my Guatemalaness?” is a famous quote from the film “The Bird Cage” starring Robin Williams and Gene Hackman, but its meaning goes deeper than many appreciate to those who have resided in the Central American country of Guatemala.

Esther Hyejin Chung is one of the rare Koreans who will carry a piece of Guatemala in their hearts forever. Chung is Korean-American; she was born in 1989 in Orange County, California to her South Korean parents. Her father was born in 1938 and her mother was born in 1948. They both migrated to Southern California in the 1960s and crossed paths in the late 1980s.

Life can be sweet, sunny and filled with amazing Spanish food and language in most of California. With that said, Esther’s parents worked full-time when she was young. She had a Puerto Rican nanny at home who taught her to speak Spanish. Her mother would come by after work and speak to her in Korean, while her father spoke to her in English. Three languages and three cultures filled her soul, but it wasn’t until age six that Esther would experience one of those worlds.

Esther’s parents decided to re-locate to Guatemala in 1996 in order to start an embroidery company in Guatemala City. They still reside there. They are very active with nonprofit organizations, says Chung. “I started the first grade and finished high school there, but we stayed because my father got involved with a church in the city, and he made a commitment to better the community.”

Koreans in Guatemala form one of the newest and fastest-growing Korean communities in Latin America, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Latin American Studies Association of Korea states that the very first Koreans to migrate to Guatemala did not arrive in the country until the mid-1980s, more than 20 years after the mass migration from South Korea to all of Latin America began. Currently there are more than 9,000 Korean-born expats residing in Guatemala, making the country the fourth most-popular destination for Korean immigrants after Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

Despite the fact that countries such as Guatemala are high-risk zones for kidnapping, theft and the murder of foreigners and the wealthy, Esther is tremendously thankful to have grown up in such a beautiful and loving country.

“I think I was exposed to many more different ways of thought and life than I would have been aware of growing up in the U. S.,” Chung explained. My father encouraged me to serve my community as far back as I can remember, so I was introduced to how poverty can be. I owe who I am now to this country. That is where I learned how important it is to improve the community through health, education, and different policy implementations.”

Violence was still unavoidable for Esther growing up. She was not allowed to go out without some kind of supervision because of the kidnappings. Life was especially harsh for those who did not look Latino.

“Although nothing ever happened to me, I did live in fear compared to when living or visiting the U.S and Korea,” stated Esther. She still managed to live a normal childhood, facing the universal struggles that other kids face such as school and peer pressure. “My dad has had two cars stolen and has been held at gunpoint seven times. Also, the politics in Guatemala (including the police and other institutions) are very corrupt, and it is hard to keep people accountable, and it is still the same today.”

Chung still visits Guatemala once or twice a year. Her parents have a life there, and she has friends who love her and a country that means a lot to her. The country itself has changed and progressed in infrastructure and technology, but crime rates and corruption are still high.

Chung has visited neighboring countries such as Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico and El Salvador but feels safe in Guatemala because she knows exactly what she is dealing with there. Her favorite place in Central America is between Antigua, Guatemala and Caye Caulker, Belize.

“I love Antigua because it has a very Spanish colonial vibe and it is in a very quaint area,” Chung gushed. “Caye Caulker, Belize, on the other hand, is a total beach paradise. You can probably bike across it in 10 minutes!  I love relaxing on the white beach sands and partaking in some scuba diving. On my most recent trip to there, I took a boat ride to the Blue Hole and had an amazing scuba dive experience.”

Chung made her move back to America in 2007 in order to get her Bachelors of Arts Degree at Michigan State University. Her transition back was very easy; although she had lived in Latin America for over 12 years, she never applied to become a resident there, and usually attended summer school in the U.S.

Despite her U.S. citizenship and Latin American background, Chung has had a very Korean upbringing. She grew up eating Korean food, going to a Korean academy in Guatemala on Saturdays and a Korean church service on Sundays. She has had the privilege to visit Korea many times. She studied at the Korean Language Institute of Yonsei in 2010. Two years later, she came back to attend Hongik University, studying Korean Art and Language.

Chung currently resides in Oakland, California and loves it. She double-majored at Michigan State University in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy as well as Social Relations and Policy. Her ideal job would be to work at an NGO. Perhaps one day she will find one helping her childhood home of Guatemala.