In Korea, karaoke has become a popular national pastime. A South Korean woman set an unofficial record by singing nearly 1,000 songs in less than 60 hours, according to a BBC News report. This love of Korean-language karaoke has also struck Richmond’s Southside. For those seeking a Korean-style dining experience, 88 Garden Restaurant offers patrons Korean specialites and private rooms for karaoke. The restaurant is one of two in the Richmond area popular among Asian youth, especially for providing Korean-language karaoke. Soon Han, the co-owner, said that all types of people come for the food, but most of the karaoke rooms are requested by people of Asian heritage – especially Richmond’s Korean population.

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Korean pastor bridges cultural gaps with faith

 

Pastor Joshua Kim encourages Korean youth and Korean-American youth to pursue an education and the Christian faith through the English-Language ministry at his church.

While English is not his native-language, Panjong Joshua Kim belts out the popular, contemporary-Christian worship song “As the Dear” word for word. “You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you,” he sang.  Kim’s youngest daughter Sharon Kim, 16, accompanies him on the piano and two teenage boys lead the group in the song.

Kim leads the Sunday morning English-language service for the youth at Korean Baptist Church on Hopkins Road in Chesterfield.   The ministry primarily serves the youth in the church, which speak little or no Korean.  The other services are conducted in Korean. Kim’s wife Insoon Kim teaches the children’s church for the 5-to-11-year-olds. The couple just returned from taking members of the church’s youth, including their three daughters, to Grace Youth Retreat at Longwood College. The retreat is one of several ways Kim strives to encourage Korean-American youth to follow the Christian faith and to connect with Korean culture.

“You look at your children and they look like you. So, you say, ‘They are Korean,’” he said.  “But they are not. They are Americans. So, you must deal with them in that way.”

Kim said many Korean parents do not speak English as well as their children who were born in the U. S. and often their children do not speak Korean well.  “Culturally and linguistically,” Kim said, “there is a gap between the younger and older generations. Korean-American children are often conflicted between their Korean culture and the American culture they know.” Kim said he believes faith can help bridge that gap, because “inner peace translates.”

Kim knows first-hand the difficulty Korean parents may face. He and his wife were born in Korea. Their daughters, Grace Kim, 21, Martha Kim, 19 and Sharon Kim, 16, were born in the U. S. Grace Kim attends Emory University in Atlanta as a senior along with Martha Kim, a junior. 
To maintain a connection with his Korean-American children and to serve his church, Kim has worked to organize the English-language services at Korean Baptist Church since 2000.

Kim’s family members are not the only ones that appreciate his involvement with the English-language ministry.

Tammy Yu, 19, said she has been a member of Korean Baptist Church her “entire life” and is best friends with each of Kim’s daughters.
“He’s definitely stuck with us the longest,” Yu said of Kim’s involvement with the youth and the English-language services at the church.  “He knows each one of us personally. He tries to encourage us and get to know what’s going on in our lives outside of church.”

Grace Kim said that with her parents’ guidance the English-language ministry has improved. “Before it was kind of more scattered, it wasn’t very serious, but it’s become more of a community now,” she said. “Especially with the kids, since he’s taken a leadership position.”

Martha Kim said her father’s work in the ministry has been a calling for him and “made him an even better person overall.”
“I feel like he’s trying to connect with us more, and the kids,” she said.

Yu said she personally appreciates the opportunities he has given the youth to bond. “We have had gatherings at his house where the entire youth group can come and bond, or just hang out,” she said.

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Anthony Bessette found love with Younghye Jung Bessette while working in her native Korea. Last year Younghye moved to Richmond, Virginia to marry Anthony. Younghye Jung Bessette said she is adjusting well to the Richmond area and married life. “I like the squirrels and the trees here; there's a lot of nature,” she said. “My husband doesn’t like them, but I do.” While they recently celebrated their one-year anniversary, the pair still works to appreciate their cultural differences and find common ground. In contrast to her unmarried friends, Bessette said that she and her husband disagree a lot.

“I don’t think it’s bad,” she said. “We just fight and then fight to find a solution and I think it’s getting better and better.” Anthony Bessette said that even during their courtship his wife has done much more for him than any American girl he has dated. “In turn, it’s caused me to be the same way to her,” he said. “She’s kind of had a good influence on me.”

In addition to enjoying one another’s cultures, Bessette said she likes spending time with her husband’s friends and he enjoys the Korean-language karaoke nights they share with her friends. The pair live in the Fan District with their pet birds, Lady and William.

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Kim said he and his family have attended Korean Baptist Church since they moved to the Richmond area in 1993.  Although he completed his seminary studies and gained the title of associate pastor in 2000, he and his wife agree that their work in the ministry began when they came to the church. 

Yu said Kim has always been very helpful doing things for the church.  “Cutting grass or planting plants, he’s always there to help at the church,” she said.

Kim said that as a Korean, he has felt obliged to America for American support of Korea during the Korean war, as he suspects most Koreans do. However, he added, America needs spiritual awakening.

“Korean people, we train our children to go to school,” Kim said, about higher education. He said Korean families must also “spiritually equip” their Korean-American children to go to the world with God’s grace and peace. Kim said he does this through teaching the youth scriptures and prayer.
Yu said she likes the way Kim teaches the bible. “I like the structure of his worship services,” she said.

In addition to teaching, Kim and his wife work to give to those in need.

“They’ve been giving rides to people to church for like a thousand years,” Sharon Kim said to the laughter and agreement of her sisters. 

Martha Kim said he also reaches out to some of the Korean students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) who have just arrived in the U.S. She said he goes to talk to them to see how they’re doing and he is always willing to help out in that way.  Martha Kim and Grace Kim also recall their parents visiting VCU’s campus to share their faith with the Korean students and to offer support. 

Despite his busy schedule, Kim’s engagement really began at home.

While he and his wife encouraged all three of their daughters to learn Korean, Grace Kim speaks it most fluently.  She attributes this to her father’s diligence.

“He’s the one that makes sure we’re developing well,” Grace Kim said, recalling the daily Korean-language bible lessons she received as a child.
“He would write down a verse, in Korean and we would write it two times and then we would discuss it individually with him,” Grace Kim said. “Even when he was working long hours,” she said, “we would go through this.”

Insoon Kim said that she and her husband are praying that God will direct their ministry.

“Right now, we are emphasizing Korean-Americans, but if God opens the door for us we hope all nations will come to this church,” she said. “Any nationality, it doesn’t matter, we are all one body in Christ.”

Kim said he especially wants young people to focus on a relationship with God.  “Honor God,” Kim said, “that’s what I try to do.”

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Facts about Korean culture in Richmond

 

While 3.7% of Virginians identify themselves as Asian, less than 1% reported their heritage as Korean, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. In the Richmond area, the Korean-American Society of Greater Richmond (KASGR) estimates that they serve 8,000 Richmond residents of Korean heritage.

Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) Monroe campus boasts two student organizations that serve Korean and Korean-American students: the Korean Unity Gathering and Korean Student at VCU.

At least six churches in the area provide places of worship that accommodate the Korean and Korean-American residents, including churches of the Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations.

At least three restaurants in the area provide Korean cuisine and entertainment, one on Grace Street in the heart of VCU’s Monroe Campus and the other two on Richmond’s Southside.

In Korea, karaoke has become a national favorite for family fun. Some of the Korean restaurants in Richmond offer Korean-language karaoke. Additionally, Korean-language newspapers and advertisements for Asian-owned businesses are often available in these restaurants.

The Asian American Society of Central Virginia can also provide information on Korean-American organizations and Asian inspired events in the Richmond area.

(Reported in July 2008)