Rags to riches dream for Korean migrant
Updated
Korean-born Paul Shin drew crowds in Sydney recently with the story of his life's journey from orphan and beggar to American State Senator.
Korean Australians gathered to meet a man whose story resonates with any immigrant, struggling to overcome the obstacles of circumstance.
Presenter: Esther Han
Speaker: US Senator, Paull Shin
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ESTHER HAN: Washington State Senator Paull Shin jetted into Sydney this week, and celebrations of Korean culture went into full swing.
(drumming)
Tens of thousands of Koreans converged to hear from a Korean-American who embodies the embrace of two distinct cultures.
They gathered to hear a story set in a bitterly cold Korean winter in the 1940s, about a beggar boy named HoBom Shin.
He was an orphan, roaming the dusty streets of Seoul, the capital of, then, one of the most poorest countries in the world.
In 1950, the Korean War broke out.
PAULL SHIN: And one day I was begging and one young soldier, he held my hand and lifted me up into the truck. You couldn't imagine how shocked I was. We went to the base and they gave us first hot shower and we got in the tank and they went to a place called Changdan, which is a battlefield.
ESTHER HAN: He worked as a houseboy for a group of army officers, desperate to please. Polishing their shoes, doing their laundry and cleaning their barracks.
He spent many nights staring up at the stars.
PAULL SHIN: Of course, at night I become so lonely and I was crying because I longed for my mother. When I next opened my eyes there was a man standing before me asking me why I was crying. I said, "Go away!" He did not go away. He did come to me and hugged me so tight and he said, "I have three children in the United States, when they cry it hurts me inside. I want to know why you cried." That hug became the beginning of my life.
His name was Dr Ray Paull. I was adopted when I was 16. So I said, "In that case, may I have your last name as me first name?" He said, "I'd be honoured too".
ESTHER HAN: He landed in America, as an 18-year-old with no education. Not even a kindergarten lesson. But he didn't let that stop him.
PAULL SHIN: In order to learn English, I decided to memorise the English dictionary. I forgot previous pages, so I got so angry I ripped the piece up and burned it, put it in a glass water, I drank it.
I said, "Someday I want to become a teacher and teach young people." So I took a special General Education Degree program, I passed that in 16 months. Went to university, got my bachelor's degree. Then in 1974, I received my PhD.
ESTHER HAN: Paull Shin didn't stop there. He went on to become the first Korean-American elected to a state senate in the US.
PAULL SHIN: In 1958, [there was] unforgettable racial discrimination. I was thrown out of a whites-only restaurant and it hurt me. I prayed to God, that if you're there, please, tell me why am I always subject to discrimination. I left Korea to find a new rainbow here, this is when I decided someday I will go into politics and make changes. So in 1992 I ran for the Representatives seat, I was elected.
ESTHER HAN: In the 1990s, then-President Bill Clinton handpicked Senator Shin to be on a short list of three candidates for the position of US Ambassador in Korea. He didn't get the position. But he remembers an answer he gave in the gruelling interview process.
PAULL SHIN: Towards the end, one man asked me a question. "Dr Shin, suppose you become the US ambassador and there is a war between Korea and the United States. Which side would you take?" You couldn't imagine, I was baffled by that and I was extremely angry. I said, "Let me answer this question to you. I'll tell you from my heart.
"To me, America is my fatherland. Why? I found a home here, I found a family here, and an education. Therefore I found me. On the other hand, Korea is my motherland. She gave me birth, my heritage and my culture and gave me this colour.
"Now you're asking me the question: If my mum and dad are fighting, whose side am I going to take? I asked him straight to his face. I said, "Which side are you going to take?" His face turned red and I said to him, "My side is that I want my mum and dad to get along most happily and amicably."
You need to understand the two identities, otherwise you become a handicap.
