I’m an ethnic Korean born in China, and my mother tongues is the Korean dialect spoken there and Chinese. I’ve been living in Canada and the U.S. ever since graduating high school. I have Canadian citizenship, but before that, I was a Chinese citizen. Currently, I live in the U.S.
Even though I was born in China, I never felt much attachment to it. I went to a Korean-Chinese school, spoke Korean at home, and Chinese outside—but I never had any Chinese friends. Later, I visited Korea often because many of my relatives live there, but I still never really fit into Korean society either. I’ve never truly felt at home in either Chinese or Korean society.
I often feel confused about my identity. I’m not fully Chinese, not fully Korean, and yet also feel foreign in many ways. This has made me feel lonely and complicated at times.
I deeply love Korean/Joseon culture, but lately, I’ve noticed strong anti-China sentiment among some Koreans. As a Korean born in China, it sometimes puts me in an awkward middle ground. (because I know that some Korean people don’t really like people like me.)
On top of that, my family background is split: my paternal grandparents were born in South Korea, while my maternal grandparents were from North Korea. Thoughts about the potential reunification of Korea feel very personal and complex to me.
All in all, I often find myself questioning my identity. I grew up feeling like an outsider in China, and even now, I don’t feel a sense of “home” when I go back. I visit Korea for family, but there’s always a part of me that wonders… who am I, really?
submitted by /u/nij3433
[link] [comments]
