Few personal accounts have been written about early Korean immigrants (yi-min) to Hawaii. In The Dreams of Two Yi-min Margaret Pai recounts the experiences of her parents, Do In Kwon and Hee Kyung Lee, while unfolding the rich fabric of Korean society and culture in Japanese-occupied Korea and Hawaii’s Korean immigrant community during the early years of this century.
Pai tells her mother’s arrival in Honolulu as a “picture bride” and of her return to Korea and subsequent imprisonment by the Japanese for her participation in the demonstration of March 1, 1919. Pai also tells the story of her father—a man deemed odd, intelligent, and even crazy by friends and competitors alike— and of his passion for inventing and talent for business.
The Dreams of Two Yi-min is an honest and affectionate portrait of two courageous and strong-willed people. It is the story of the search for a good life, a search that forms a part of the larger history of the Korean experience in Hawaii.
