Korea Times Article & Nature v. Nurture

A Korean/American flag hybrid http://images6.cafepress.com/product/225202066v3_350x350_Front.jpg

During our tour of Korea, a few common questions among us were "What would our lives be like if we grew up in Korea?" or "What would we be like?" Of course, one could speculate endless possibilities, but a mutual postulate at was the debate of nature v. nurture. We were all curious as to whether or not we would look the same, act the same or have the same likes and dislikes if we grew up in Korea.

So, this is why I decided to share a short article that I read a while back and rediscovered on a fellow adoptee's blog: homeiswithin.blogspot.com. After I initially read the article, I found it to be a superficial illustration of Korean adoptees and then, I wondered if it was a bit more telling of Korean culture, how success is measured and attitudes toward adoption.

Granted, this piece isn't based on extensive research or an academic analysis, but it does offer some exposure to what Korean adoptees have accomplished in the U.S. I found it curious that the first example of a successful adoptee is of a former Playboy model. In a culture that has been historically sexist, I shouldn't have been surprised that this adoptee's "accomplishment" was cited as a success story. Or, maybe it was to reveal that we are all individuals just like anyone else from any background and not just one giant homogenic cohort? Right. Oh, I definitely don't think that this woman (aka..Playboy model)was on my motherland tour. :)

Not only does one of the paragraphs lead off with "Surprisingly, many adoptees have become rather successful..," but the overall tone of the article expresses wonderment that these individuals have done well. If this is the case, does the article rudimentarily suggest that one's development is due more to nurture rather than nature? Furthermore, it doesn't even begin to address some of the hard issues that many adoptees have faced or the controversy that hovers over international adoption.

On a positive note, I do like that it emphasizes the benefit of living with a foster family. Maybe this was to encourage individuals to become foster parents in Korea as this was published by the Korea Times. Perhaps it was an attempt to shed some guilt that these adoptees have become productive individuals. Regardless, I truly believe that this is an invaluable component to the Korean adoption program and a testament of Korea's commitment to its orphaned children. I cannot agree more that the foster family program is an integral part of an adoptee's development as our adopted daughter and I are both products of this system.

Korean-American Adoptees Searching for Roots
2008.1.21Korean-American Adoptees Searching for Roots
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/07/180_17715.html
By Jeremy Chew
Contributing Writer

LOS ANGELES ― A number of Koreans have been adopted into American families in the United States. Traditionally, from a cultural standpoint, Koreans rarely adopt children, even children of their own ethnicity. Apart from the war, many of these children come from significantly disadvantaged backgrounds: born into poverty or born out of wedlock.

Surprisingly, many adoptees have become rather successful. Some like Playboy model, Nicole Oring, have gained notoriety (a feat less likely had she grown up in a conservative Korean household). But for the most part, many continue to lead successful lives among Asian-Americans as the model minority.

David Camitta, a Wall Street investment banker at Merrill Lynch, attended the top universities: University of Illinois for his undergraduate degree and Columbia University for his masters in mathematics. Continuing his track record, David is well poised to rise to the ranks of vice president and managing director.

Although he was raised by Caucasians in Wisconsin, a state with less than 1 percent of Asians in its population, he managed to rediscover his roots while balancing work in a dominantly Caucasian workforce. Two years ago, he met his biological parents for the first time. It was certainly an emotional roller coaster ride.

Living in New York City, a city with its own ``Koreatown,'' Camitta is very involved with social activities. He is active in YKAM (Young Korean American Association) and receives tutoring from NYU students native to Korea so that he can converse with his siblings in Korea via the Internet.

One of his best friends, Jonathan Carfield a venture capitalist, is a fellow Korean adoptee and the two do not let their backgrounds hinder their progress. In fact, their non-Asian names may move them to the initial employment-screening phase that is often times racially discriminatory.

Korean adoptees continue to make their mark outside of business. Captain John Principe, who grew up in California, has also taken his foster parent's last name. After graduating from the University of California Berkeley in political science, John Principe joined the United States Army as a second lieutenant, a career path that many of his counterparts in Korea (serving two years of mandatory service) would gladly avoid. Currently, he is a captain in the Army's elite ranger battalion.

After serving several years in Iraq, Captain Principe recognizes that many Iraqi and Afghani children are displaced and the need for international humanitarian efforts to place those children is ever more important.

One result of the Korean War (1950-1953) was the existence of 100,000 homeless children. It could be said that the Korean War brought forth international recognition of Korean adoption practices.

The lives of Captain Principe, Camitta and Carfield underscore and reexamine the age old debate between Immanuel Kant and Konrad Lorez's idea of ``nature versus nurture.'' One thing is clear: that their lives are significantly changed because their foster families have welcomed them with open arms and considered them their own, providing them with immeasurable opportunities.