SAN ANTONIO – Many of the estimated 5,000 Korean-Americans in San Antonio are expected to follow tonight’s historic summit between President Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.
Deukhee Gong, director of the Korean-American Cultural Center, said she believes the majority of Korean-Americans in San Antonio feel the way she does.
“I’m very excited about this historical moment. At the same time, I’m kind of nervous,” said Gong, a lecturer at UTSA who teaches Korean culture and language.
She said the summit comes ahead of the 68th anniversary of the Korean War, which began June 25, 1950.
Yet Gong pointed out, North Korea is still lying about why the war started, ending in a stalemate in 1953.
She said their belief is that it occurred “because South Korea attacked them, which is not true.”
Yet, after the summit last April between the leaders of North and South Korea, Gong said she was hopeful.
“Maybe Kim Jong Un might be different from his father and grandfather,” Gong said, referring to North Korea’s history of human rights violations.
Although Gong said she worries about President Trump’s unpredictability, she said with a laugh, “The funny thing is, Kim Jong Un is not a regular person either.”
“I really, really want to trust him,” said K.T. Kim, the owner of a local Korean restaurant.
Even so, Kim said, he believes the North Korean leader is “going to accept everything” at the summit.
“This is a last chance,” Kim said.
Both he and Gong said their hope is that, if successful, the summit could lead to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the long-awaited reunification of families in a divided country.