Korean Quarterly

New film on adoptees and birth searching to be screened at U of Minnesota
2026-02-10 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Liberal Arts Engagement Hub, 310 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
The new documentary film K-Number, directed by Seyoung Jo will be screened at a free event open to the public on February 10.
The film describes and follows several Korean adoptees in Korea, zeroing in on one woman who returned to Korea from the U.S. several times to do birth family searching. It examines the adoption process, the lack of post-adoption services for adoptees, and the problems and corruption that persist in the international adoption program. It follows adoptees who have expended time, money and emotional energy in dealing with the dysfunction of the system.
A Q and A session with the director will follow the screening.
The event will be held at the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub, located in Pillsbury Hall (see map link).
It includes a dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. Registration is appreciated for planning purposes, but walk-ins are also welcome. Parking validation is available for attendees (for University-affiliated parking facilities only). Information on parking and directions to The Hub can be found here. There is also some (city) metered street parking in the neighborhood.
This event is co-sponsored by the Asian American Studies Program, Dr. Rich Lee, the Center for Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, AK Connection, the Immigration History Research Center, and the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch.
For questions on this event, please email: aast@umn.edu

Free session on navigating life in Korea
2026-02-15 18:00 - 19:30 | MN
A free virtual session entitled Navigating Life in Korea: F4 Visa ( will be held Sunday, February 15, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

This is one in a series of zoom sessions, with local expert speakers, intended for Korean and other Asian adoptees in light of the current Operation Metro Surge, where many legal residents and citizens have been illegally detained by ICE and other Department of Homeland Security troops.

This session in the series will cover issues involved in living and working in a Korea through an F4 visa, which allows anyone born in Korea to return to work or attend college or other training with a special visa.

Other upcoming sessions include The Korean HANA Center: Resources for U.S. Citizens and Legal Immigrants (Sunday, February 22, noon to 2 p.m.

The sessions are structured to invite conversation and strengthen community during a stressful time.

The series is sponsored by Adoptee Hub, a Twin Cities resource and service organization for Korean and other international adoptees.
Reservations are required on the website in order to receive a link.

Free virtual session on resources for citizens and legal immigrants
2026-02-22 12:00 - 14:30 | MN
A free virtual session entitled The Korean HANA Center: Resources for U.S. Citizens and Legal Immigrants will be held Sunday, February 22, noon to 2 p.m.

This is one in a series of zoom sessions, with local expert speakers, intended for Korean and other Asian adoptees in light of the current Operation Metro Surge, where many legal residents and citizens have been illegally detained by ICE and other Department of Homeland Security troops.

This session will include staff from the HANA Center of Chicago, which reaches out with resources, language learning, citizenship classes, immigration reform advocacy and many other resources for a wide spectrum of immigrants in Chicago.

The sessions are structured to invite conversation and strengthen community during a stressful time.

The series is sponsored by Adoptee Hub, a Twin Cities resource and service organization for Korean and other international adoptees.
Reservations are required on the website in order to receive a link.

Insun Park and the Generals to perform at Cedar Cultural Center
2026-02-25 19:30 - 21:30 | Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, United States
Insun Park and the Generals, a South Korean band that blends rock, Korean traditional music and Korean mask dance (talchum) rhythms, will perform at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis for one show on Wednesday, February 25.
Insun Park stands out as one of the few women who are masters of the Gangnyeong Mask Dance. The talchum tradition has traditionally been dominated by men, but Park has been designated as an National Intangible Cultural Heritage asset of South Korea (Number 34).
She leads a quartet of musicians who perform a unique blended style of ancient performing art and contemporary sound. They include Donghyuk Seo (composer/guitar), Hyunmo Yang (drums), Johyun Kim (taepyeongseo (Korean folk reed instrument) and flute),and Hahyungki Baek (bass guitar).
The band’s approach offers a fresh perspective on Korea’s musical heritage and makes the traditional mask dance accessible to new audiences. Park is a leading force in shaping the future of Korean traditional performing arts.
Headiners Insun Park and the Generals will be joined by Black Widows, a surf-punk-psyche band from Minneapolis. The Black Widows have toured nationally and internationally, and have a full-length album Creatures of the Night, coming out this spring.
The Korean Institute of Minnesota, a Saturday culture and language school for children and adults, located in Minneapolis, is the cultural partner for this event. The Korean American-owned Minneapolis micro-brew pub Arbeiter Brewing is also a partner.
Doors open at the Cedar Cultural Center at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets $27.81 for general admission are available at the link.
