Want to get back in touch with my roots in my mid 50's as a Korean American with no concept of Korean culture or Korean. How do I start?

I got dealt a bad hand. Don’t end up like me. If anything, use my story as a cautionary tale—especially for any Korean-Americans or Koreans reading this.

Right now I’m hitting the books hard to learn Korean. Life happens. You roll the dice, sometimes it doesn’t go your way. You’ll understand when you’re older. I’m pushing mid-50s, but I still want to move back to South Korea and have kids there. I know it’s late, but I see it as halftime. If I take care of my health, keep exercising, and stay disciplined, I could realistically live to 100. That means I’ve potentially got another 50 years ahead.

Through lived experience, I can tell you this: being a Korean-American man in the West is a complete geopolitical disadvantage in virtually every area of life. Ask the older generation—the real “oldheads”—about their actual experiences and the wisdom they’ve earned from living here. Don’t let a privileged white woman—one of the most protected classes on the planet—sipping her matcha latte with a Ph.D. lecture you about reality. And don’t let Trump-loving, talentless white guys who gatekeep every resource, sneer at you with contempt, and tell you how “privileged” you are to live in “their” country gaslight you about the downsides. The system was built for them, not us. There are zero meaningful advantages to being a Korean-American male here.

South Korea is stable now. We’re long past the dictatorship era and the post-war days when the Korean economy ranked below many African nations.

As I age, my features are shifting toward that frail, elderly “Chinaman” look—one of the most vulnerable targets for abuse in America and the broader West. When you get older, you’ll likely be in the same boat, so please be more careful with your judgments. I can tell you everywhere I go, I'm meant with suspision and hate. I’ll never forget the shock and rage I felt during COVID when some Ivy League Asians urged us to focus on anti-Black racism in the Asian community while anti-Asian attacks were surging. There were even Asians shaming other Asians for speaking out about anti-Asian violence instead of BLM—as if you could only care about one or the other. That level of frustration and anger was unlike anything I’ve ever felt.

Any Koreans want to connect? Especially curious how Korean elders are still treated with respect there. Hit me up.