Introduction to Korean American Data Bank

The Research Center for Korean Community at Queens College is pleased to introduce the Korean American Data Bank. This Data Bank provides centralized resources for conducting research, writing proposals, and policy-making on the subject of Korean Americans and other overseas Koreans. The main objective of the Data Bank is to globally disseminate data and information about Korean Americans to social service agencies and other Korean community organizations, Korean-American scholars, Korean government agencies, and other individuals and organizations that need data. Pyong Gap Min, the founder and director of the Research Center for Korean Community (RCKC), was inspired by the North American Jewish Data Bank to create the Korean American Data Bank. We regularly update the website and replace major forms of data and information every six months. However we plan to provide short, timely data sets, such as preliminary census data on the Korean-American population by major metropolitan areas, as soon as we have access to them.

Korean American Data Bank consists of the following five main categories of data and information:  

1. Quantitative data, which includes statistics from census and other survey data on growth and settlement patterns, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the Korean population in the United States, and other relevant quantitative data focusing on Korean Americans and Korean immigrant communities. The key component of the quantitative data is U.S. census data on the Korean population, and this is presented in the form of research reports. In 2012, the quantitative category of data will focus on results of analyses of the 2010 Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Surveys. Under the Data Bank tab on the home page, click Statistical Reports to access this section.   

2. References, which is comprised of annotated bibliographies on Korean Americans, reviews of recently-published books and articles on Korean Americans and Asian Americans, a list of dissertations on Korean Americans, and other types of bibliographical information. Generally speaking, this section functions as a reference guide for published works (with the exception of the dissertations) in the field of social science studies focusing on Korean Americans. We have labeled this category References.

3. Papers and Book Chapters, which consists of published and unpublished articles and book chapters about Korean Americans and other overseas Korean populations. While there are many important and varied published works on Korean Americans, there is also a notable amount of writings that have been accepted by journals or edited books that have not yet gone to press. One of the many benefits of the data bank is the convenience with which we can update content; thus we feel that it is especially important to include these newer journal articles and studies. We will also select some of the Korean-language articles focusing on Koreans settled in other countries published in Studies of Koreans Abroad, to be included in this category. We have labeled this category Papers and Book Chapters.    

4. Qualitative Information, which focuses on the more humanistic aspects of Korean-American studies, including oral histories, personal narratives about ethnic and/or racial identity, print and video interviews with "old-timer" Korean immigrants, and other qualitative information about Korean American experiences. This section of the Data Bank may appeal to lay readers who might be put off by the statistical and quantitative nature of research reports and other sociological studies that feature a lot of tables and statistics. We have labeled this category Qualitative Data.

5. Community Data, which consists of data and information about Korean and Korean-American communities specifically geared towards social workers, community leaders, and other lay readers who do not necessarily conduct research on Korean Americans. Thus far, this section contains a list of scholarships and contests for Korean students in the NY-NJ area and also a list of Korean-American politicians, judges, administrators, district attorneys, city and town council members, advocates, and other elected and appointed officials in government. We have labeled this category Community Data. 

Korean American Data Bank focuses primarily on data and information about Korean Americans, but it also includes information about other overseas Koreans, including Korean immigrant communties in China, Japan, former Soviet nations, Canada, England, and Latin American countries. Additionally, it includes social science materials pertaining to South Korea, especially related to the Korean government’s policy changes regarding overseas Koreans, and issues related to ethnic and racial diversity caused by the radical increase in migrant workers and non-Korean brides marred to Korean men. While most of the material on the Data Bank is presented in English, we would also like to provide as much data and information as possible on Koreans in other countries and South Korea in the Korean language.

We regularly update the content on Korean American Data Bank and send out newsletters with announcements to our subscribers. If you would like to subscribe to Korean American Data Bank, please click on the link to contact the webmaster.