IU Alumnus writes memoir life as a Korean-American

Coming to the United States can be a difficult process for natives of other countries. Some succeed, and some don’t. One such experience is described by IU 1972 graduate Yearn Choi in his recently published memoir, “Song to Myself: A Korean-American Life.”

“I wanted to see the United States,” Choi said. “America was one of the most admired and most admirable nations on the entire Earth.”

Choi was born in 1941 in Seoul into a middle-class family of schoolteachers.
At the age of 10, he survived the Korean War and enrolled in elementary school. Soon, Choi was attending Yonsei University, one of Korea’s oldest universities, to study political science.

“My classmates included a great many public-minded people who went on to influence Korean politics and society over the years, including a cabinet minister, the governor of Kyunggi Province and a number of college professors,” Choi said.

Choi graduated from Yonsei in 1963 and decided to join the military. He was in ROTC for two years and was among the first class of ROTC-commissioned second lieutenants in the Army of the Republic of Korea. This is where Choi learned his first words of English.

“I knew very little English when I came to America,” Choi said. “In Korea I was selected to be in the army, so I had some experience with English.”

After wrapping up his military duties, Choi went back to Yonsei to finish graduate school, earning his master’s degree in public administration. After going to the University of the Philippines to earn his doctorate for a year, he realized he wanted to venture to the United States.

“I ended up applying to the University of Washington in the Pacific Northwest and Indiana University in the heartland,” Choi said.

When the boat he intended on taking to San Francisco took a detour to Japan, he disembarked and stayed with his uncle, who flew him out to the United States. He landed in 1968 in Seattle.

“I came to the USA with 70 dollars in my pocket,” Choi said.

He continued to work two jobs during the summer to pay for all four years of tuition before enrolling at IU. He was employed at a local hotel during the day and a restaurant-type bar at night in Seattle before moving to Bloomington in the fall.

“I started working in a bar in Bloomington that is no longer there and the Westinghouse Electrical plant to collect money for rent,” Choi said.

Working was not the only extracurricular activity that took up Choi’s time. He was also a very good writer, specializing in poetry.

“Poetry has been part of my family culture,” Choi said.

Choi began writing poetry in Korea. His first poem, “Empty Trail,” was written to accompany one of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous paintings. While in Korea, Choi had published five books of poetry.

In his IU career, Choi had many of his poems published in the Indiana Daily Student.
The Indiana Memorial Union also featured a one-month exhibit dedicated to his work.

“Writing poetry is like meditation for me,” Choi said. “I have written poems from the nature of my family to America and other diverse areas.”

Choi’s father inspired him the most, offering consistent encouragement.

“In his will, when my father passed away, I found a note that said he wanted to be known as ‘the father of the poet,’” Choi said.

In “Song of Myself: A Korean-American Life,” Choi wanted to convey his thoughts on the duality of identifying as a Korean-American. It expresses his life in detail, about how he has come such a long way from a poor country to a developing nation.

“My memoir tries to tell people that my life is beautiful even though I started out as a poor student. I am happy with who all I have met,” Choi said.

Komelia Okim, a professor at Montgomery College in Maryland, was one of Choi’s colleagues during his Bloomington years and a reader of Choi’s book. She also helped Choi construct a painting for one of his poems back at IU.

“I came to this country in 1961, and I understand all about his feelings and his experience,” Okim said. “It is quite interesting.”

Having captured Okim’s feelings with his book, Choi was hoping to similarly affect everyone who reads his memoir.

“When people read my poems, I hope they find the comfort in my poetry, whether it be anger, sadness, or loneliness,” Choi said. “One by one, I try to end up with life as a beautiful thing.”