Dear fellow Koreans and Korean-Americans,

Dear fellow Koreans and Korean-Americans,

This is Master Hyong. I am very concerned about the Virginia Tech University shooting and people's perception of the Korean community. I have consulted with many Americans and Koreans who have expressed concern to me recently, and I believe that their thoughts must be shared with everyone you can tell. You can send this letter to your listserver or post it to your organization website.

All of us are shocked and overwhelmed by what happened at Virginia Tech University. Many Koreans and Korean-Americans are not sure how to respond, since a Korean student was the shooter. I have received a number of calls from Korea and Champaign-Urbana. Most of them have the same concern that I do. I talked with Professor Gibeom Lee at Sookmyong Women's University to have a wise plan of action. I also asked my instructors and some students and parents how they are viewing the issue.

I received many responses. Of course, I am letting the writers speak anonymously. Some voices say that Americans' view of the shooter is not as a respresentative of Koreans. Rather:

"No one seems to be trying to blame a group and I have not heard anyone badmouthing Koreans because the shooters happened to be Korean."

"I do not believe this has anything to do with the young man being Korean. He was a troubled young man who would have found a reason to act no matter what."

"At this time, I have not heard anything to suggest that the 'Korean' aspect of the student was as much an aspect of this as a disturbed person with easy access to weapons, similar to the Columbine shooters (an earlier incident at a Colorado high school where two 'loners' killed and wounded dozens)."

"... most of the students I talk with have not focused on the issue of the shooters nationality. I think most of my peers aren't labeling him or blaming him and the culture from which he comes as bad or ultimately responsible."

We can see that the American media and public are more focused on the individual, and that the view is very different from Korean media that views his Korean-ness as a shame to us. Americans are looking at issues such as: "How could the college have prevented it?" or "Why is this young man disturbed, and how many others are like him?"

Yet there might be other reactions. I am only getting the response of educated persons who have experienced interactions with Koreans and Korean-Americans. In the recent past we can see how hatred can lead to violence. For example, after 1973, when America removed its soldiers from Vietnam, many Vietnamese "boat people" fleeing Vietnam were beaten to death with baseball bats. In America a year ago, a Hmong man shot at and killed some white American hunters in response to what he described as racial ephitets and violence directed toward him. Two groups came into conflict over perceptions of Hmong men as untrustworthy and lower people, and this had tragic results. In Asia, Japanese young girls were kidnapped by North Korea and they denied it for a long time. North Korea finally admitted that they had Japanese ladies in North Korea to teach the Japanese language, and then some Japanese attacked Koreans in Japan.

Therefore, we must be careful and caring in our responses to the massacre at Virginia Tech. We only know what we hear from the news. First, we must not make accusations or guesses about what happened. If we express our viewpoints in this way, we could give people the wrong idea. When you express feelings or opinions, it is good to be caring. Be sure to send your deepest condolences to everyone you meet. Condolences include "I am sad about what happened," "I have the deepest condolences for the victims," and "I am concerned for the suffering that people around the country is feeling." Now is a good time to ask people - "How are you?" and to mean it and listen. However, we must be careful. We should not use words such as "we" which represents Korea. Also, we should not refer to the attacker as "Korean-American" or "American." We should refer to him as "he," "him," "aggressor," etc. We do not want to lead people to feel that we as a group share anything in common with this person.

In spite of your care for others and your wise speaking, some people may still have prejudice and hatred, and it could come out now. I cannot promise that others will feel the way that the ones I talked to felt. Those people whom I spoke to are well-educated and know Koreans in America. It is important to be alert and aware and to take care of your family against people who do not understand. Do not be alone, take threats seriously, and if you are abused or face threats of abuse, KSA has already released information about who should be contacted.

In conclusion, a lot of Americans have goodwill for Koreans, and the American media and many spokespersons for American institutions are not blaming Koreans. We should not damage this goodwill. We must remember past events, speak with kindness and caring, and know how to deal with the problems we face together.