Koreans and the Virginia Tech Massacre

He was Korean.
His parents worked in dry cleaners.
He grew up in Centreville, VA.

Hmmm.... Anything sound familiar?
I'm Korean (half).
My mother owns/ed dry cleaners.
I grew up in Centreville, VA.

On Monday, the news bulletins announced the shootings at Virginia Tech by an Asian man in a black hooded sweatshirt. I knew right away he was Korean. I felt it in my gut. My mother had the same reaction. I prayed that I was wrong and that the shooter was Indian, even though I knew it was to no avail.

Odd thing is- every Korean person with whom I've talked so far had the same gut feeling (sans the praying it was an Indian guy).

The Washington Post quotes a South Korean-born secretary in Annandale saying, "I am so sorry about this. Every Korean person is so very sorry." South Korean President Roh even offered condolences. South Korean citizens gathered in a vigil outside the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Korean immigrants in Northern Virginia gathered in churches, schools and the county government center and are planning collection drives on Sunday for the victims' families. Moreover, the South Korean ambassador to the US, Lee Tae-shik, vowed to go on a 32-day fast to mourn for the 32 killed, while urging other Korean residents in the U.S. to join.

Did white people start a collection drive for the Oklahoma City bomber victims? Did black people hold a vigil for the victims of the D.C. snipers just because the snipers were black? Perhaps I am not being ethnically specific enough?

When one of the 9/11/01 terrorists is from Afghanistan, do Afghanis feel the same responsibility? Do Germans feel responsible for Hitler (too historical)? Not being Afghani or German or identifying with a host of other nationalities/ethnicities, I just wonder if this sense of shame and responsibility and embarrassment and guilt are world-wide, just Korean, or just me.

When an American soldier is convicted of raping an Iraqi girl and killing her and her family, it makes me depressed. Nevertheless, somehow I can maintain some distance with a bad soldier even if he might have come from the same state or area of the country. But this disturbed Korean boy has tinged me with shame, and if I'm only half Korean, I can only imagine how bad a full-blooded Korean person might feel. I just find this idea of collective shame and embarrassment very Korean. Similarly, the often crass humor of Margaret Cho used to be protested by many members of the Korean community. So, I believe it's a Korean thing. There was an op/ed in the Washington Post discussing/criticizing the Korean community's multiple apologies saying enough is enough. This is just how we do things (I'm sorry).

At least it's not just me...that's comforting.

On another note, slightly related, I wondered why all of the media seemed to call the shooter "Cho Seung Hui" which would be Korean-style Surname (CHO) Given Name (Seung Hui) and not in the European/American style "Seung Hui Cho." They do the same thing with Korean diplomats occasionally and I think they should just stick to the American stylebook. It won't be confusing for Koreans because the last name is quite obvious either way. They should just make it clear for Americans who may not be able to tell the difference.