Division of early Korean community in Hawaii

By Do Je-hae

One of the most famous figures from the earliest Korean community in Hawaii is Dr. Syngman Rhee (1875-1965), the founding President of the Republic of Korea.

A new book on the origins of Korean immigration to Hawaii shows some intimate details about Rhee’s independence activities against the Japanese occupation (1910-1945).

“When the Korean World in Hawaii was Young 1903-1940” contains essays based on interviews with 19 descendants of Koreans who settled in Hawaii at the turn of the 20th century.

Questions regarding their families, childhood schooling and religious affiliations, invariably resulted in discussions regarding Rhee’s role in Hawaii. Of the 19 interviewees, 10 had