Starting in 1935, small houses were made in the area now known as the “House of Public Relations – International Cottages”. These houses are treated as museums and represent different countries at the same time as providing “cultural, social, and educational programs to spread awareness of its members’ cultures, customs, traditions, and languages”. Through festivals and performances, each house shares its culture to other houses as well as the public. Members of the houses also participate in volunteer activities to participate in outreach in the public community. Some countries represented by these houses include France, Philippines, Puerto Rico and Iran. The House of Korea is currently in the process of construction but is still represented in every event the House of Pacific Relations holds.
On top of participating in cultural events, the House of Korea members also participate in many volunteer events. As of 2016, there were at least 150 members, but open the volunteer event to the public to welcome more participants. When asked how the House of Korea was founded, Jungjoo Hwang, the president of the House of Korea said, “Many people who visited the International Cottages were surprised at the fact that there was no House of Korea”. So a group of Korean-Americans gathered to find out how to become a non-profit organization, applied to become a house, and got accepted in 2015.
As of 2019, the House of Korea is still under construction and is projected to open to the public in 2020. In the time being, they are continually holding volunteer events and sharing the Korean culture with the rest of the International Houses, as well as the county of San Diego.
Written by: Erica Vinluan
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Current 4th year university student, Candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in the Korean Language and minor in Business Administration at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Exchange student at Korea University and Intern at VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea)