On April 2, 2012, 43-year old One L. Goh opened gunfire on the campus of Oikos University in Oakland, California, killing seven people and injuring three. Goh, a South Korean native, had been a former student who had been excused from the university on disciplinary charges.
Goh’s actions have left much of the Korean community in a state of shame and disgust.
Ryan Seo, a Korean-American student at Scripps Ranch High School said, “It’s embarrassing to hear that a fellow Korean-American committed something so shameful. His actions have gone beyond to affect an entire community. I almost feel like I owe an apology to the public.”
Back in 2007, Seung Hui-Choi, a 21-year old Korean student from Virginia Tech, made national headlines when he executed a shooting that resulted in the death of 33 students. Choi set the bar for the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
The recent Oakland shootings and the past Virginia Tech rampage have raised concerns regarding the negative portrayal of Korean males and its impact on the Korean community.
A Korean mother, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed, “Both the attackers of Oikos and Virginia Tech were Korean men, and it bothers me that one minority ethnicity happens to dominate school shootings. I just hope that the public doesn’t categorize all Korean males—including my sons—as a prospective school gunman. That would be embarrassing.”
Nevertheless, some Korean-Americans, like Seo, still find pride in being a part of the greater community. “I just hope that everything turns out the way it should be. Let justice be done. I’m a proud Korean-American and neither Goh nor Choi’s actions could ever reverse that. For everybody out there, it’s important to know that one’s actions can impact and affect an entire community. So next time, think not only for yourself, but for your community before you do something stupid.”
